Dressage-News

By KENNETH J. BRADDICK

WELLINGTON, Florida, Feb. 10, 2023–France’s Morgan Barbançon rode Habana Libre A to victory in the Global Dressage Festival CDI3* Grand Prix Friday while a pair of German 20-something riders completed the top placings.

Morgan and the 11-year-old KWPN gelding scored 71.174% for the win and the last of 26 combinations. It was the fourth victory for Morgan since she began competing for the first time on the Florida winter circuit in January.

Anna-Christina Abbelen, 26 years old, also in Florida for the first time was second on 70.913% on Sam Donnerhall, 16-year-old Oldenburg gelding.

The 22-year-old Felicitas Hendricks on Drombusch in the first senior Grand Prix for the partnership was third on 70.565%.

The top placed U.S. rider was Kristina Harrison-Antell of Los Angeles on Finley, 13-year-old KWPN gelding, in fourth on 69.239%.

Felicitas Hendricks, whose aunt is Patricia Koschel the wife of German team rider Christoph Koschel based in Hagen, Germany, competed successfully in Florida as a junior rider on Faible AS in 2015 and 2016. She has since earned a college degree in economics.

Christoph found Drombusch as a young horse with “great potential” that he sold as a six-year-old to Felicitas.

Both rode the horse up to Grand Prix but Felicitas took over the ride completely a year ago.

She expected to be competing in the Under-25 division this year.

Of her ride in the CDI3* Grand Prix, she said, “It was so much fun. It was unreal. I never thought I would do my first senior Grand Prix this year.

“He’s got so much potential, particularly for piaffe-passage. There are no real weak points with him.”

Results:

CDI3* Grand Prix