Andrea Woodard Successfully Debuts 8YO Kaliber at National Grand Prix at World Equestrian Center
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By KENNETH J. BRADDICK
OCALA, Florida, Sept. 19, 2023–Eight-year-old Kaliber was debuted by Andrea Woodard at national Grand Prix at the World Equestrian Center on a score that was one of the highest at the level in the United States this year.
Andrea, based in Wellington, and Kaliber received a score of 77.065% from a single national judge with the rider using a whip as permitted in the pair’s first Grand Prix. A second Grand Prix a day later was awarded 71.196%.
“I’m super, super happy with what he did, how he did it, the preparation from home. I had a fresh, very willing horse,” said the 40-year-old rider, originally from Denmark but now rides under the American flag.
“You know, what’s always the struggle with the young horses is the in and the out and coming back and staying forward. And he did. He was with me the whole way. And I always felt like he had all of the components, you know, sometimes you have an extreme trot or an extreme canter and then you lose something else in the horse and he has all of it and he’s extremely able to sew it together.
“It’s almost like the flow that he can go from one thing to another that to me is so special. And then you can see you can develop the highlights to become extremely high. But it’s the way that he effortlessly can flow from one gait to another. To me, that makes it incredible to ride. It actually feels easy and that’s insane on an eight-year-old horse.”
Andrea has built a reputation as a successful para-dressage coach. She also competes at international Grand Prix.
Kaliber was imported from Europe as a coming six-year-old to be sold at the newly established Helgstrand USA in Wellington where Andrea worked at the time. As the horse developed, she said, one of her client’s, Annette Grant, bought Kaliber, and let Andrea continue developing him.
Kaliber was competed at Wellington’s Global Dressage Festival at Prix St. Georges as recently as six months ago.
When the duo started their career together, KLaliber “was kind of wonky.”
“There were places where you’re like, OK, there’s like legs all over and it’s combobulated but you know I felt this elasticity that was insane. You would touch him and he would just do something magical for three steps and then we’d be back to life. But those three steps were so incredible with such elasticity and softness that I hadn’t felt and that’s why I said I think in here something could be really incredible.
“That he then has the brain to deal with the circumstances, to let you train him, so you could get into the most difficult stuff, drop the rein, and he just walks, chills. You can go on a hack. He’s incredible in the combination of those components that I now know how important they are.”
Some more national competitions are on the cards, Andrea said, with the hope of moving up to international Grand Prix next winter.
“I don’t want to overdo it,” she said. “I know that he’s very special. So I want to feel like it’s consistent. He needs to stay fit enough. You know, we don’t want to have any injuries occurring. So I’ll let him dictate the pace.
“Having someone like him come into my life at this point in time is incredible because I felt how difficult it really can be. And here is this gem that just is incredible to work with in every way. So I’m just very blessed to be able to educate him and ride him.”
