tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54473077205357950392024-03-21T20:28:44.757-04:00The Dressage ConnectionThe latest in the world of American dressage from the United States Dressage FederationJennifer Bryanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11564103939581631882noreply@blogger.comBlogger77125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5447307720535795039.post-41426527560616542042019-01-23T12:10:00.000-05:002019-01-23T12:10:09.637-05:00Quality Is Job One<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trainers Conference demonstration rider Sophia Schults on Samour M rides shoulder-in, the movement US national dressage young-horse coach Christine Traurig called "the mother of all good things" in dressage. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
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This slogan might sound vaguely familiar to some of you. I had to Google it to identify the source: It was the Ford Motor Co.’s 1980s-era attempt to counter perceptions that its cars were, ahem, not of good quality.<o:p></o:p></div>
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That slogan percolated up from some recess of my memory as I watched US national dressage coaches Debbie McDonald, Charlotte Bredahl, Christine Traurig, and George Williams work with eight horse-and-rider combinations on the second and final day of the <a href="https://www.usdf.org/education/other-programs/trainers-conference/index.asp" target="_blank">2019 Adequan/USDF FEI-Level Trainers Conference</a>. Although the four trainers have quite different teaching styles, a common theme pervaded their instruction, usually phrased as some version of “If it’s not working, get out.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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What that means is: Never sacrifice the quality of the gait in your quest to produce a movement. It’s an easy trap to fall into: Focused on riding a shoulder-in or a half-pass or a flying change, we’re concentrating so much on bend and angle and timing that we fail to notice that the tempo has slowed or that the impulsion or the straightness has been lost. Problem is, not only will a movement produced in this manner score poorly because we’ve lost the quality of the underpinnings, but the movement itself will not go well—because good execution requires those basics as prerequisites.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In the first conference session of the day, US dressage national youth coach George Williams helped junior rider Tori Belles on Romulus get acquainted with that essential building block toward collection and flying changes, the simple change. A simple change is a canter-walk-canter transition from one lead to the other with no trot steps and just a few walk steps in between. After several attempts, Romulus began to express his displeasure with the increased effort required, backing off and becoming balky during the walk segments. Williams stepped in quickly.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“We need to leave it because he’s getting frustrated,” he said of the horse. He directed Belles to ride some brisk long sides in medium canter to freshen the energy (and Romulus’s attitude) and then went into some work on flying changes. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Too much repetition and drilling can sour a horse, Williams explained. As a trainer, sometimes you need step away from a topic that is frustrating the horse. Come back to it later in the session or perhaps on another day when the horse has relaxed in his mind and body. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Build rock-solid basics across the board; they will serve as a dependable foundation for consistent performance, Williams advised the conference audience. “Start with a very solid foundation and consistent tests—sevens, or ‘very good.’ Then we can work on making things better,” he said, the icing on the cake being the “wow” factor that might take that 7 up to an 8 or a 9.<o:p></o:p></div>
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True suppleness—correct “softening” through the horse’s ribcage area in response to the rider’s inside bending leg, not through manipulations of the horse’s head and neck with the inside rein—offers many of the keys to the kingdom of solid basics, according to the clinicians. <o:p></o:p></div>
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“Ribcage. Ribcage,” Traurig reminded demonstration rider Michael Bragdell. Bragdell’s mount, SenSation HW, was last year’s national US Equestrian Five-Year-Old champion—but Traurig’s keen eye noticed every moment that the gelding was not quite supple enough on the inside. <o:p></o:p></div>
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“Gymnasticize your horse. [German Olympian and former US dressage-team coach] Klaus Balkenhol used to say, ‘Mobilize the hind leg’ all the time when I was training with him,” said Traurig. “I love that word, mobilize. By mobilizing the hind leg we can make the space between the hind legs a little narrower,” a key element in straightness and collection. And that narrowing is developed “through the mother of all good things, the shoulder-in.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ali Potasky on the five-year-old mare Irintha shows what a mobilized hind leg looks like. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
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Shoulder-in, shoulder-fore—we saw these keystone gymnasticizing exercises with every horse in the conference, from the five-year-old mare Irintha, ridden by Ali Potasky, through the Grand Prix-level horses. These movements seem so simple but are frequently performed incorrectly, the clinicians said, with haunches falling to the outside, horses’ heads and necks pulled too far to the inside with an overly strong inside rein, and no bend, which renders the movement a tail-to-the-wall leg-yield instead of a shoulder-in or shoulder-fore. There also needs to be a distinction between shoulder-in, which is a “three-track” movement (the horse’s legs traveling on three distinct “tracks” or lines of travel, with the inside foreleg and the outside hind leg on the same track), and shoulder-fore, which is a two-and-a-half-track movement, Traurig explained.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">US national dressage development coach Charlotte Bredahl helps Melissa Taylor with her canter pirouettes aboard Ansgar. Photo by Jennifer Bryant. </td></tr>
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As some of us have learned the hard way, failure to follow the “quality is job one” mantra will come back to bite you somewhere down the road. One of the chief roles of a dressage trainer is to apply critical thinking in analyzing the horse’s performance: what was good, what was lacking, why it was lacking, and what exercises will address the deficiencies. This process requires attention to the smallest details.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As she worked with Potasky, Traurig noticed every time Irintha’s tempo changed during transitions. “We are working to create fluent, effortless canter-trot transitions with no loss of rhythm, maintaining the nose out with a consistent stretch to the bit,” she said. Later, schooling shoulder-in and half-pass, Traurig said: “If you lose something in the lateral work, do a circle. Don’t stay in it.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">US national dressage technical advisor Debbie McDonald helped demo rider Kerrigan Gluch take the Grand Prix-level Bolero CXLVII's movements, like this trot half-pass, from "very good" to "wow." (No, "wow" is not the technical score verbiage!) Photo by Jennifer Bryant. </td></tr>
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US national dressage development coach Charlotte Bredahl delivered a similar message to demo rider Melissa Taylor on the small-tour-level Ansgar. As Taylor practiced tempi changes (flying changes of lead in sequence), Bredahl reminded: “If the horse loses his balance, straightness, or impulsion during the tempis, don’t keep going. That’s what I call setting the horse up to fail. I like to set the horse up for success.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Even at Grand Prix, the training is all about emphasizing quality over quantity. As demo rider Chris Hickey worked to improve the green-at-Grand-Prix Contento Sogno’s passage and piaffe, national dressage technical advisor Debbie McDonald said, “Get out, get out,” every time the gelding’s impulsion and tempo began to wane. Hickey would do something to refresh the energy—ride a few steps of medium trot, go on a curved line—and then reenter the movement. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Debbie McDonald coaches Chris Hickey on Contento Sogno in piaffe, calling the gelding a horse with an exciting future. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
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“Don’t get greedy,” McDonald counseled. “Be happy with just a few steps.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Sure, the tests call for more than just a few steps. But dressage is hard work, and correct work is challenging when a horse is still developing strength and balance. So go slowly, be patient, keep your standards high, and praise your horse’s honest efforts, however small—“Pet him!” was another common conference refrain. Incremental improvements help keep horses happy and confident in their work.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“And at the end of the day, that’s what we want to see,” said McDonald: “that our horses are happy athletes.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Jennifer Bryanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11564103939581631882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5447307720535795039.post-64428591045856366542019-01-21T21:25:00.000-05:002019-01-23T21:15:50.286-05:00The Right Path<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If the horse gets tight in the flying changes, ride the changes on a large circle instead of on a straight line, US Equestrian national developing coach Charlotte Bredahl advised demo rider Jami Kment on Gatino Van Hof Olympia at the 2019 Adequan/USDF FEI-Level Trainers Conference. Ride the more difficult change to the outside of the circle -- "I don't know why it works, exactly, but it usually works!" Bredahl said. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Although, as newly appointed US national dressage technical advisor Debbie McDonald pointed out, there is no single correct approach to take in dressage training because every horse must be treated as an individual, there </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif;">is </i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">one set of basics: the pyramid of training.</span><br />
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Give short shrift to any aspect of the pyramid, and your dressage will suffer. At the end of the day, regardless of how fancy or ordinary your mount may be, much of your success or lack thereof in dressage will come down to how much time you spend perfecting the basics: how rigorous your standards, how intolerant of “good enough,” how much attention to detail you give the steps and the strides and the straightness.<o:p></o:p></div>
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That was the lesson that emerged today, day 1 of the 2019 Adequan/USDF FEI-Level Trainers Conference, at Mary Anne McPhail’s High Meadow Farm in Loxahatchee, Florida. The event marks the first time since the 2011 Adequan/USDF National Dressage Symposium that all of the US Equestrian national dressage coaches have assembled to lead an educational event. As the high-performance coach, McDonald worked with the two Grand Prix-level horses and riders, Kerrigan Gluch on Bolero CXL VII and Chris Hickey on Contento Sogno. Youth coach George Williams started the day by working with the junior/young riders Tori Belles on Romulus and Sophia Schults on Samour M. Then it was on to young-horse coach Christine Traurig, with Michael Bragdell on SenSation HW and Ali Potasky on Irintha. Newly appointed development coach (and former assistant youth coach) Charlotte Bredahl worked one-on-one with Jami Kment on Gatino Van Hof Olympia and Melissa Taylor on Ansgar. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">US national dressage youth coach George Williams works with Tori Belles on Romulus. Photo by Jennifer Bryant. </td></tr>
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As Williams demonstrated with Belles, it’s never too early to teach youth riders to dial in their focus on the details. He had Belles count strides in the rising trot, figuring out how many strides Romulus takes in a quarter of a 20-meter circle in trot and canter. Williams uses lots of counting in his teaching, from having Belles sit for three or five strides and then resume rising trot, to demonstrating the “enlarge…two…three” circle exercise he uses to help riders learn to regulate their horses’ rhythms and tempos while coordinating the balance between the forward and sideways driving aids.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Some of dressage training is horsemanship know-how, passed down from teacher to student over the years. An audience member asked how Williams decides which is better for warming up a horse, trot-canter-trot transitions or walk-canter-walk. It depends, Williams responded, on whether the horse needs help with his balance and in developing pushing and carrying power (in which case walk-canter transitions might be preferable), or whether the main objective is to loosen and supple a horse’s back and loin muscles (better served through trot-canter transitions). He chose trot-canter as the best method of suppling Schults’s mount, Samour M.<o:p></o:p></div>
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One of the great pleasures of attending a Trainers Conference is the opportunity to watch some of our country’s top horses. Hilltop Farm head trainer Michael Bragdell rode SenSation HW, last year’s national FEI Five-Year-Old champion. As guided by Traurig, Bragdell showed the audience the importance of teaching the horse about the rider’s outside leg and rein aids in terms of straightness and half-halts.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christine Traurig, the US national young-horse coach, helps Michael Bragdell on SenSation HW, the USA's top FEI Five-Year-Old in 2018. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
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“Everyone says ‘Inside leg to outside hand,’” Traurig said, “but until the horse understands the outside leg and rein aids in keeping the shape of the circle, you can’t use the inside leg correctly because the inside leg contradicts the inside rein.” This is why, she said, horse and rider need to be educated about three types of aids: driving aids, yielding aids, and bending aids.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The basics, the clinicians showed repeatedly, are rooted in equine physiology; correct dressage is not “for looks” or “for show.” For example, Traurig explained that tightness in the sacroiliac and lumbar regions of the horse’s back will inhibit the development of impulsion because the hind legs will not be able to work properly to create power and thrust. Assuming a veterinarian has ruled out physical issues, a “stuck” back can be addressed through simple exercises such as leg-yield, which encourage the horse to reach and stretch over his back. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Traurig also explained that the horse’s trapezius muscles, which are on either side of his neck, open up “like a Japanese fan” when the neck is stretched and lowered. The muscles also connect to the long back muscle and to the nuchal ligament, which helps to lift and support the back when it is put in tension, sort of like a suspension bridge. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Together the national dressage coaches showed that improvement in our sport involves a drilling-down into the basics, applying them with increasing exactitude until (theoretically, anyway) every step the horse takes is precisely how, when, where, and how much we want. That level of attention to detail permits no coasting. There are no sloppy, yay-I’m-done-I’m-going-to-drop-the-reins down transitions. “<i>Ride</i>him to the bit,” Traurig said repeatedly, reminding riders to maintain energy and impulsion even while asking their horses to come down to the walk. And don’t just cruise around aimlessly in your walk breaks. “What walk are you doing? It is extended? Medium? Collected? Decide which one you are doing, and ride that walk.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Think famous trainers are above helping out at the barn? Think again! Olympian Lendon Gray shows her Dressage4Kids Winter Intensive Training Program participants the importance of keeping the arena meticulously picked up. Photo by Jennifer Bryant. </td></tr>
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Our horses, naturally, rise (or fall) to the level of our expectations. Bredahl instructed Taylor to “make the transition from medium to collected trot—boom! That wasn’t clear enough. If it’s not clear, tactfully walk one step” to teach Ansgar that he must come back when Taylor asks. “Then think it [a walk step] but don’t do it.” Soon the horse was responding more crisply to the aids for the transition. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Similarly, McDonald told Gluch to sharpen up Bolero CXLVII’s responses to her aids for up transitions. “That wasn’t clean enough,” she said of a walk-canter depart. “At this level, you need to have both ends sharp. You need to have their hind legs.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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Timing is critical, said McDonald, who didn’t want riders “sitting” on any aids. She told Gluch to quicken her own aids and reactions: “Be quick to sharpen him. Quick to pet him. Quick to half-halt. Never hold him. Everything must be sharper. At this level, the horse needs to be more responsible for his own balance, not rely on your hands.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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One thing that’s definitely sharpened is my eagerness for tomorrow’s session. See you tomorrow!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Jennifer Bryanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11564103939581631882noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5447307720535795039.post-27341295299531226952018-12-02T22:38:00.001-05:002018-12-02T22:38:02.540-05:00An Energizing Finish<div class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">
As necessary and important as USDF conventions are, sometimes the topics discussed seem removed from the reason we’re actually there: the horses. Rules, awards, and governance matters are part of the fabric of our sport, but they’re not <i>riding</i>. As the meetings wear on, I tend to get squirmy in my seat, glancing at my watch, longing for fresh air and that intoxicating perfume known as <i>Eau de Cheval</i>. </div>
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I stopped fidgeting and forgot all about the clock yesterday, the final day of the <a href="https://www.usdf.org/convention/" target="_blank">2018 Adequan/USDF Annual Convention</a> in Salt Lake City. It’s not an easy feat to make a classroom dressage-education session as rich and compelling as a clinic setting with live horses, but panelists Lilo Fore, Marilyn Heath, Gary Rockwell, and Lois Yukins raised the bar to a new level with their discussion on the newly revised pyramid of training. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Dear reader, if you get the chance to learn from any of these esteemed dressage judges/trainers, in any setting, <i>do it</i>. These are four of our country’s most experienced dressage pros, and not only do they know what they’re looking at and how to evaluate it, but they are passionate about teaching and sharing their knowledge with any dressage enthusiast who wants to learn. Lilo, Marilyn, Gary, and Lois all are variously faculty members of the <a href="https://www.usdf.org/education/judge-training/lprogram/index.asp" target="_blank">USDF L Education Program</a> or have served on the USDF <a href="https://www.usdf.org/about/about-usdf/councilscommittees/lprogram.asp" target="_blank">L Program</a>, <a href="https://www.usdf.org/about/about-usdf/councilscommittees/judges.asp" target="_blank">Judges</a>, or <a href="https://www.usdf.org/about/about-usdf/councilscommittees/instructortrainer.asp" target="_blank">Instructor/Trainer Committees</a>. These volunteer positions require a tremendous amount of time and commitment; people don’t do it for the glamorous perks. They do it because they care about horses and the sport of dressage.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In their convention session, each of the four panelists discussed different levels on the newly revised pyramid of training (which Marilyn Heath also writes about in her “The Judge’s Box” column in the December 2018/January 2019 issue of <i><a href="https://www.usdf.org/publications/index.asp" target="_blank">USDF Connection</a></i>). Here’s a graphic of the pyramid, which is similar to the previous version but contains some wording changes:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The newly revised pyramid of training. Illustration copyright 2018 by the United States Dressage Federation. </td></tr>
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One notable change is the changing of the name of the third level of the pyramid from <b>Connection </b>to <b>Contact</b>. Both terms were used in the previous pyramid version and appear in the new version as well, but as Heath explained, the change aligns the USDF pyramid more closely with the FEI’s own training scale; plus, “you need to have a little bit of contact before you can have connection.” Connection, she said, can’t happen on a looped rein. “It’s a matter of being there for your horse when you ask him to connect from back to front.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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The “back to front” concept is the key point here. Contact doesn’t mean pulling or hanging on the reins. The horse is ridden forward into the contact, not restrained into contact. <o:p></o:p></div>
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One of the best things about getting a really good panel together is that the presentation comes alive. The panelists riff off one another and elaborate on one another’s points, and the discussion can go in unexpectedly wonderful directions. As an audience member, it can feel as if the presenters kick a rock in their path and uncover a new treasure. Here are a few examples of the gems I took away from the panel with Lilo, Marilyn, Gary, and Lois:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->The rider’s aids should consist of about 80 percent “core” (the muscles of the trunk and upper legs; “core” includes the use of the rider’s weight). About 18 percent should be from the rider’s legs. That leaves only 2 percent of the aids that should come from the rider’s hands. –<i>Marilyn Heath</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->All of the components of the pyramid of training—rhythm, suppleness, contact, impulsion, straightness, and collection—go hand in hand. When you ride, “you are ‘swimming’ back and forth from one to the other.” –<i>Lilo Fore</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->The pyramid illustration itself is a graphic approximation of the “training scale” but is not intended to be taken literally (as in, "you must master Rhythm before moving on to Suppleness”). Although collection is considered the pinnacle of the pyramid, it cannot be achieved without all of the other elements. Conversely, even at the lowest levels of dressage with a green horse the rider should be thinking about encouraging the horse to develop the ability to shift weight from his forehand onto his hindquarters—the basics of collection. –<i>Gary Rockwell</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->It is not natural for a horse to be completely straight. As prey animals, horses instinctively want to look in one direction while dropping a shoulder to flee in the other. If they do not do so, they make themselves vulnerable to predators. That’s why “that is the ultimate submissive quality in a horse—that it trusts the rider enough to be straight.” <span> </span>–<i>Lois Yukins</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->The tempo of each gait ideally should remain the same throughout the test, including lateral work, pirouettes, and so on. If the tempo slows, impulsion is lost. –<i>Lilo Fore</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->“If the rider’s body is moving up and down, the horse’s back will not come up to meet the rider. That’s why we need to learn to sit. A quiet seat will enable a horse to easily balance himself.” –<i>Gary Rockwell</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->“The pyramid of training does not address the rider, but the best-trained horse will not be successful without correct riding.” –<i>Marilyn Heath</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->“When a horse feels heavy on one rein, you’re not actually feeling heaviness; you’re feeling weight-bearing.” The cause of the apparent heaviness lies in the hind legs, which are not carrying equal weight. When the horse is made straight and equally strong on both sides through correct gymnastic training, the contact will feel even because he will not be relying on a rein to help support the balance disrupted by the weaker hind leg. –<i>Lois Yukins</i><o:p></o:p></div>
Jennifer Bryanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11564103939581631882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5447307720535795039.post-50643515312523150002018-12-01T16:07:00.002-05:002018-12-01T16:07:08.329-05:00Freestyle Motion Passes, but Don't Expect Immediate ChangeThe USDF Board of Governors today approved the motion directing the <a href="https://www.usdf.org/" target="_blank">USDF</a> to recommend that <a href="https://www.usef.org/" target="_blank">US Equestrian</a>, the national governing body of equestrian sport in the US and the rule-maker for US dressage national-level competition, rescind the rule change that increased the prerequisite qualifying score to compete in freestyle from 60 percent to 63 percent, earned at the highest test of the level.<br />
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The Board of Governors assembly wrapped up this morning at the <a href="https://www.usdf.org/convention/" target="_blank">2018 Adequan/USDF Annual Convention </a>in Salt Lake City.<br />
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Passed as what US Equestrian refers to as an extraordinary rule change--meaning at a time other than during the usual December-January USDF/US Equestrian convention and rule-change-approval time frame--the score-prerequisite rule (<a href="https://www.usef.org/forms-pubs/F3p8pgrWgAo/dr-dressage-division" target="_blank">DR 129.9</a>) takes effect today, December 1, 2018.<br />
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Even with the motion passed, USDF president George Williams emphasized after reading the results of the vote, dressage competitors should not expect change to be immediate, or in fact expect that the rule will actually be rescinded.<br />
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The ultimate decision, Williams said, is in the hands of US Equestrian's dressage-rule-making body, the USEF Dressage Sport Committee (DSC). The USDF's recommendation must go through the channels and be discussed at a future DSC meeting, and any actions would then require approval per US Equestrian's own procedures. The bottom line, Williams said, is that the score increase indeed has taken effect and will be the rule for some time to come. And the DSC could well vote to uphold the freestyle rule as it stands now.<br />
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Although some of the BOG delegates who spoke out in favor of rescinding the rule will undoubtedly be disappointed if that does not come to pass, many expressed a measure of satisfaction just knowing that the motion may "send a message" to US Equestrian, as some put it.<br />
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"I think it's important to us to send a message [to US Equestrian] that this is inappropriate," said delegate Barbara Cadwell, referring to the fact that the mid-year "extraordinary" nature of the rule change meant that it failed to register on some dressage enthusiasts' radar until after the rule change was passed. "I don't object if it's done right. I want to publicly smack their hand."<br />
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Many delegates who spoke out, both for and against the motion, said that they actually support the score increase as a way to help ensure that horses being shown in freestyle classes have the basics and the training to be able to execute their routines capably and without struggling or confusion. Higher standards, many said, help to protect equine welfare and guard against unintentionally abusive riding. I came away from the BOG vote with the sense that many delegates viewed a "yes" vote on the motion as a rebuke, not of the standards but of US Equestrian's decision to fast-track the rule change with what USDF delegates perceived as inadequate transparency or requests for comment prior to the rule's passage.<br />
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<br />Jennifer Bryanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11564103939581631882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5447307720535795039.post-85807638071632302412018-12-01T00:10:00.000-05:002018-12-01T00:10:24.642-05:00Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhAtXALYQMK_OUpO_CuXGaxNIt1nrGKNUKek6l6VNWV5bWF3VAzQ76Bc63dqL67pibR2GHgAHirqEV80EnaJPAscu48W11Q2Bk9APlqzZ-s24QR-xILEUSdSF5SFruvRPWBz4to1TlJlw/s1600/Debbie+McDonald+BOG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhAtXALYQMK_OUpO_CuXGaxNIt1nrGKNUKek6l6VNWV5bWF3VAzQ76Bc63dqL67pibR2GHgAHirqEV80EnaJPAscu48W11Q2Bk9APlqzZ-s24QR-xILEUSdSF5SFruvRPWBz4to1TlJlw/s400/Debbie+McDonald+BOG.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New US dressage national technical advisor Debbie McDonald (at podium) discusses her plans to keep the USA on the medal podiums during the USDF Board of Governors assembly. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
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Even a sport as traditional as dressage evolves as the years pass. Organizations similarly need to adapt to changing times, and the challenge becomes finding ways to honor the past and “hold fast to that which is good” while staying current and appealing to the next generation.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I think the USDF is in such a period of change. At yesterday’s Historical Recognition Committee open meeting, we discussed how best to ensure that important supporters of American dressage are not forgotten, by explaining their contributions to a USDF membership that is increasingly unfamiliar with such names as Lowell Boomer, Violet Hopkins, and Chuck Grant. At today’s kickoff session of the 2018 USDF Board of Governors (BOG) assembly, outgoing USDF president George Williams received a standing ovation of thanks as he winds up his eight-year term, and current USDF VP Lisa Gorretta punctuated her entertaining presidential-candidate BOG presentation with photos of memorable moments in her 30-plus-year career as a dressage rider, volunteer, and official. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Faces like George’s and Lisa’s have become part of the reassuring fabric of the USDF—the steadfast supporters who, it seems, are always there when we need them. I see many of our regional directors and BOG delegates just once a year—at convention—and no matter what forgettable hotel or unfamiliar city we might find ourselves in, being surrounded by these passionate dressage supporters always feels a little bit like coming home.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY20KNzLT96FAy1D7NhTvSK3p2rqWIZiSYf2goH3BPNwPiHKiARIuS7Bk0816gZoIVGjiLCnzzYiDko0-1Iq3597z3y5Y6vYeERLqrEt6vatBuvJZN4EXj9oBpzAWhm81Ql5tc0GmNmz4/s1600/George+ovation+BOG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="1024" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY20KNzLT96FAy1D7NhTvSK3p2rqWIZiSYf2goH3BPNwPiHKiARIuS7Bk0816gZoIVGjiLCnzzYiDko0-1Iq3597z3y5Y6vYeERLqrEt6vatBuvJZN4EXj9oBpzAWhm81Ql5tc0GmNmz4/s400/George+ovation+BOG.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">USDF Board of Governors delegates give outgoing USDF president George Willams a standing ovation. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
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These stalwarts won’t always be there, of course, and a chunk of today’s convention sessions involved discussions of how best to “bring along” the dressage participants of tomorrow, both human and equine.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In the Competition Open Forum, Dressage Seat Equitation Task Force chair Sarah Geikie talked about her group’s quest to make dressage-seat equitation a more visible, popular entry point for youth in our sport. A troubling statistic, Geikie said, is a dropoff in USDF youth memberships over the past five years—a decline that she herself could not explain and expressed a desire to research more thoroughly. The costs of riding and horse ownership, which continue to rise, are undoubtedly factors, with fewer parents being able to afford horses for their kids, Geikie said. As some in the audience pointed out, young people may be turning to high-school and collegiate programs that offer competition opportunities without having to own a horse, and the USDF may need to reach out to such programs, to renew alliances or forge new partnerships.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Another factor may be young people’s desire to enjoy an activity in the company of peers. A “token kid” at a predominantly adult dressage facility may feel out of place, and let’s face it, hanging out with a bunch of adults isn’t much fun when you’re a teen or tween. At the same time—I say this from personal experience—being a “non-elite” kid surrounded by a bunch of privileged, cliquish youths is no party either. If dressage can figure out how to bring the joy of horses and riding, like-minded companionship, and fun to young people, we’ll be able to write our own ticket. <o:p></o:p></div>
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We need to nurture our young dressage horses as carefully as our young dressage riders. In an evening panel discussion, convention-goers heard advice on the training, competition, and judging of young horses from three of the best in the business: retired FEI 5* judge Lilo Fore, Olympian and current USEF national dressage young-horse coach Christine Traurig, and Olympian and experienced trainer Lisa Wilcox. <o:p></o:p></div>
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According to the panelists, the art of training young dressage horses lies in the horsemanship of determining when a horse needs more time to mature, physically or mentally; and at the same time maintaining high standards for correct training according to the pyramid of training—of recognizing what demands are appropriate for the young horse and being as disciplined about training with a five-year-old, say, as with the older horse. It’s not doing the young horse any favors to ride with lax standards, the panelists said. Too much leniency, or a failure to adhere to the correct training path according to the pyramid, can create training problems or “holes” that will require extensive work to undo and retrain correctly. The rider of a young horse should seek the guidance of an experienced trainer if needed to help ensure that the horse is on the correct path. And never forget that the goal is Grand Prix—that the training of the young horse is establishing the fundamentals he will need to move up the levels.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Jennifer Bryanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11564103939581631882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5447307720535795039.post-41567959937617080262018-11-30T00:57:00.001-05:002018-11-30T00:57:08.420-05:00From the Sublime to the Serious<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">USDF members enjoy the welcome reception at the 2018 Adequan/USDF Annual Convention in Salt Lake City. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
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The first day of regional meetings, open committee meetings and forums, and education sessions at the 2018 Adequan/US Dressage Federation Annual Convention dawned in the usual way.<br />
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Everywhere you look in the convention host hotel in Salt Lake City, you see tight clusters of dressage colleagues or old friends (often one and the same) holding impromptu meetings and catch-up sessions, in the hotel lobby, in every available group of chairs, in hallways outside meeting rooms, in the restaurant and the on-site Starbucks.<br />
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Jet-lagged USDF members, coffees in hand, start the day at their respective regional meetings. Then convention attendees fan out to the various other meetings, and from there things typically begin to get interesting.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">GMO baskets await their lucky winners. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
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Today's most "interesting" topics were the impending US Equestrian rule change raising the prerequisite score to ride a dressage freestyle from 60 percent to 63 percent; and the also-impending mandate that US Equestrian adult members with Competing memberships must complete SafeSport training in order to be eligible to participate in US Equestrian activities.<br />
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The freestyle rule change (DR 129.9) was approved by US Equestrian in August and takes effect December 1, 2018. The SafeSport mandate originated with the US Olympic Committee and extends to all of the USOC's affiliated sport organizations, known as national governing bodies (NGB). US Equestrian is the US NGB for equestrian sport. The federal government since also enacted legislation requiring amateur sport organizations and their members to report sex-abuse allegations involving minors to local or federal law enforcement. Current US Equestrian members must complete SafeSport training by January 1, 2019.<br />
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Some USEF/USDF members object to the freestyle-score hike, either in principle (they fear it will deter participation in dressage) or in practice (they feel the extraordinary rule change was passed in haste and that competitors were given insufficient advance notice). Nobody actually objects to SafeSport training in concept (there is some griping about the amount of time it takes), but some people at the USEF/USDF Open Forum wished this hadn't been dropped on the equestrian community quite so suddenly.<br />
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The SafeSport training issue is pretty cut-and-dried. It's coming down from above in response to the horrific allegations from athletes (most notoriously gymnasts, but also equestrians) that exposed the ugly underbelly that has been present in some sports for many years. Ranked by numbers of active investigations of misconduct allegations, equestrian sport as a whole is #4 on the USOC's list of its 50 affiliates. So yeah, our sport needs to clean up its collective act, stat.<br />
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As for the freestyle controversy, it was pointed out that similar outcries occurred the last time the minimum qualifying score was raised, from 58 percent to the current 60. The result? People learned to ride better. Since horse welfare and a desire to reinforce the importance of correct training were behind the decision to raise the bar again, said FEI 5* dressage judge Gary Rockwell, the respective USDF committees behind the rule-change proposal, the USDF Executive Board, and the US Equestrian Dressage Sport Committee stand behind the decision as in the best interests of the horse and the sport.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trauma surgeon Dr. Chris Winter presented some sobering statistics about rider injuries at his education session. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
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Thursday in Salt Lake City wrapped up with a considerably more sober presentation. Trauma surgeon Dr. Chris Winter gave the 2018 USDF convention's first education session, on handling emergency rider situations. The takeaway is that, unfortunately, riding and working around horses is very dangerous--more so than riding a motorcycle--and even skilled riders can get hurt. Be as safety-conscious as possible when you interact with your horse, and <b>always</b> wear a helmet--not just any helmet, but one that's carefully fitted to offer maximum protection. Learn the signs of traumatic brain injury (concussion is a mild form of TBI), and be sure that anyone who exhibits any symptoms of possible TBI or other injury gets checked out by medical professionals.<br />
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The radiographs and MRI images of rider injuries and their surgical aftermaths that Dr. Winter showed elicited more than a few gasps from the convention audience. As someone who's been injured and had to work through fear in getting back in the saddle, I'll admit the presentation made me uneasy and stirred up some old emotions. But as Dr. Winter said, equestrians need to understand the risks associated with our sport. We either find a way to accept the risk and take steps to minimize it, or we quit riding. We can't pretend the risk doesn't exist. So yes, I'm eager to get home to my horse--but my helmet will be strapped on securely.Jennifer Bryanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11564103939581631882noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5447307720535795039.post-15578606444661625692018-11-28T19:37:00.002-05:002018-11-29T14:46:15.333-05:00It's Hip to Be Square<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
Salt Lake City is a pretty cool town.</div>
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I’d never spent time in this Utah city before this year, when it was selected as the site of the <a href="https://www.usdf.org/convention/" target="_blank">2018 Adequan/USDF Annual Convention</a>. I didn’t really know what to expect—buttoned-up piety? Crunchy-granola ski bums?<o:p></o:p></div>
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Closing in on 24 hours in Salt Lake City, I’m going to venture that it’s a bit of both. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Statue "floats" in a fountain at the foot of the Salt Lake Temple in Salt Lake City. Photo by Jennifer Bryant. <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"> </span></td></tr>
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Downtown SLC is an interesting juxtaposition of the commercial and the sacred. The convention host hotel abuts the high-end <a href="https://www.shopcitycreekcenter.com/" target="_blank">City Creek Center</a> shopping mall—Nordstrom, Tiffany, Rolex, and other stores of that ilk. Come get your holiday retail-therapy fix at Anthropologie, Lululemon, and more.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Street philosophy: Installation outside the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
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Cross South Temple and you’re in a completely different world. Step through the gates of <a href="https://www.templesquare.com/" target="_blank">Temple Square</a> and enter 35 acres that house the beating heart of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, also known as the Mormon church. Lovely gardens, fountains, and statuary anchor the iconic buildings, including the dome-shaped, acoustically superb <a href="https://www.templesquare.com/explore/tabernacle/" target="_blank">Mormon Tabernacle</a>—home of the world-famous <a href="https://www.templesquare.com/explore/tabernacle-choir/" target="_blank">Mormon Tabernacle Choir</a>—and the castle-like <a href="https://www.templesquare.com/explore/salt-lake-temple/" target="_blank">Salt Lake Temple</a>. Temple Square is open to visitors, and you can arrange for a tour. Be sure to have a look after dark, when thousands of lights work their holiday magic. <b>Update:</b> Thursday evening's Mormon Tabernacle Choir rehearsal is unfortunately not open to the public. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Magnificent 11,623-pipe organ is the focal point of the Mormon Tabernacle. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
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Our convention hotel is also across the street from the <a href="https://www.visitsaltlake.com/salt-palace-convention-center/" target="_blank">Salt Palace Convention Center</a>, a sprawling structure whose grounds include the <a href="https://www.utahmoca.org/" target="_blank">Utah Museum of Contemporary Art</a>. Check out the “You Are Here” installation in front of the convention-center entrance, with a forest of street signs that aren’t really street signs at all. Peace out and contemplate for a few minutes.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elaborate nativity scene in Temple Square. The Mormon Tabernacle is in the background. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
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At USDF conventions, it can be challenge to get out of the hotel. Try to carve out a little time. There are several convenient, quick breakfast and lunch spots (in addition to the requisite Starbucks) located no more than a couple of blocks from the hotel. Today I had a delicious French-inspired <i>petit dejeuner</i>at <a href="http://evasbakeryslc.com/" target="_blank">Eva’s Bakery</a>, followed by a super-quick and tasty late lunch at <a href="https://bluelemon.com/" target="_blank">Blue Lemon</a>. Tomorrow I’m going to check out the <a href="https://www.villagebakerfood.com/" target="_blank">Village Baker,</a> which I passed during my walkabout today. After all, conventions are grueling and we need to be well-fortified.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Utah Symphony knows how to get the public's attention. Billboard outside the symphony building. Photo by Jennifer Bryant. </td></tr>
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Welcome to Salt Lake City! I hope our paths cross at convention. If they don’t, follow this blog for daily reports and photos. Events get under way in earnest tomorrow with regional meetings and open committee sessions, and then we’ll all meet and greet at the welcome reception. See you there. I’ll be the one with the camera. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hipster cred in SLC: Green Bikes in front of the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
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Jennifer Bryanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11564103939581631882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5447307720535795039.post-85873290377380680632018-09-16T18:29:00.001-04:002018-09-16T18:29:13.846-04:00If Eventing Could Reschedule, Why Couldn't Dressage?As you know if you've been following this blog (or pretty much any other equestrian media outlet, social or otherwise), the Helgstrand Dressage Freestyle competition at the <a href="https://tryon2018.com/" target="_blank">FEI World Equestrian Games Tryon 2018</a>, scheduled for today, yesterday was canceled. In its <a href="https://tryon2018.com/article/important-update-on-rescheduling-of-tryon2018-weekend-timetable" target="_blank">statement announcing the cancellation</a>, the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) cited the forecasted heavy rain and high winds from Tropical Depression Florence, combined with scheduled departures of the dressage horses, as the main obstacles preventing the freestyle from being rescheduled for tomorrow, Monday, September 17.<br />
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Officials explored options including rescheduling the horses' departure dates and moving the competition to the indoor arena at the <a href="https://tryon.coth.com/" target="_blank">Tryon International Equestrian Center</a>, but none proved feasible, according to the FEI's statement.<br />
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It's a major disappointment, but horse welfare comes first, so there was no alternative, most of us figured when we first read the announcement.<br />
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Except...over in eventing land, the show is going on. Today was also supposed to have been the show-jumping phase of the WEG eventing competition (cross-country went off yesterday as scheduled). The eventing jumping, however, was postponed, not canceled, and is rescheduled for tomorrow, which was to have been the "dark day" of no competition between the two weeks of the WEG.<br />
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According to the 2018 FEI WEG Veterinary Services Guide, the dressage horses and the event horses are on similar arrival and departure schedules, with a final horse departure date of Tuesday, September 18. So if the event horses can compete tomorrow and leave Tuesday, why couldn't the dressage horses? I don't know the answer. If I find out, I'll let you know.<br />
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Meanwhile, I feel bad for the disappointed spectators, and my heart goes out to the 15 riders -- including America's own Laura Graves and Kasey Perry-Glass -- who qualified for the Grand Prix Freestyle and won't get to compete. World Equestrian Games and Olympic Games don't come around all the time, and with horses there is no guarantee of a next time.Jennifer Bryanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11564103939581631882noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5447307720535795039.post-68881962861058966952018-09-15T17:28:00.000-04:002018-09-15T17:28:35.825-04:00A Perfect Storm<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<i>WEG dressage freestyle cancelled</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinfzMxwLHQcq84eSczRehwN4cX3Mks1NasC1LjQvgWZC1AKXCcBNpvS0grZSENGuioG1u7Vxh4aNBdIasYJrXRLWccmUJAupDHzxz1PeLvXb9BJCgbGth5QHsxBJdQrBv0bc0ODO_oEOI/s1600/USA+team+medal+victory+lap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinfzMxwLHQcq84eSczRehwN4cX3Mks1NasC1LjQvgWZC1AKXCcBNpvS0grZSENGuioG1u7Vxh4aNBdIasYJrXRLWccmUJAupDHzxz1PeLvXb9BJCgbGth5QHsxBJdQrBv0bc0ODO_oEOI/s400/USA+team+medal+victory+lap.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A too-brief shining moment: Team USA's Kasey Perry-Glass, Laura Graves, Steffen Peters, and Adrienne Lyle take a lap of honor after winning the silver medal in the 2018 WEG dressage competition. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
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It’s a desperately sad break for <a href="https://tryon2018.com/" target="_blank">FEI World Equestrian Games Tryon 2018</a> dressage spectators, Tryon WEG organizers, all of the participating nations, and the horses, riders, and supporters who worked so hard to get here: The WEG Grand Prix Freestyle, which was scheduled for tomorrow, has been canceled. It will not be rescheduled.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In an extreme stroke of bad luck, the worst of Tropical Storm Florence is scheduled to arrive tonight in the area of the <a href="https://tryon.coth.com/" target="_blank">Tryon International Equestrian Center,</a> and Florence is expected to hang around tomorrow, bringing rain and high winds to western North Carolina. Speculation about the fate of the dressage freestyle has been running rampant for days. As of yesterday we were hopeful that the competition could be rescheduled for Monday, which is supposed to be the “dark day” of no competition between the two weeks of the WEG. But the dressage horses are supposed to fly out Monday, and this afternoon the <a href="https://www.fei.org/" target="_blank">International Equestrian Federation (FEI)</a> confirmed that the freestyle is not to be. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Here is the text of the FEI’s statement announcing the cancellation:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Following yesterday’s announcement of the intention to hold the Helgstrand Dressage Freestyle competition on Monday morning due to extreme rainfall forecast for Sunday’s original time slot of 8.30am, further discussions have been taking place to review the options available to reschedule.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Despite the best efforts of the whole Tryon 2018 team and the Officials, who have been working on plans for rescheduling since yesterday evening, including meetings with the Chefs de Mission and Chefs d’Equipe, the logistics of putting all necessary elements into place in time have proved insurmountable. As a result, and very regrettably, the Dressage Freestyle will now be cancelled.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br />“This was not an easy decision, but we have explored every option, including trying to reschedule the horse departures, and even looking at moving the competition into the indoor with a change of footing, but the logistics of making all this happen are just not possible,” Tryon 2018 Organising Committee President Michael Stone said.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“We know this is desperately disappointing for the 15 athletes who had qualified their horses for the Freestyle, and of course for all the spectators who had bought tickets, but the weather has simply left us with no choice. Horse welfare has to be the top priority and flying the horses out on the same day as competition doesn’t work, so sadly the decision to cancel the Freestyle had to be taken.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“Although we are devastated that this decision has had to be taken, we’ve had two absolutely world-class competitions here at Tryon, including yesterday’s Grand Prix Special, and to see Germany’s Isabell Werth and Bella Rose taking double gold and Team USA claiming silver was a real treat for Dressage fans.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The decision does not affect the Olympic qualification process, as this was completed on Thursday. The teams that have earned their ticket to Tokyo 2020 are Germany, USA, Great Britain, Sweden, Netherlands and Spain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Jennifer Bryanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11564103939581631882noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5447307720535795039.post-29319378115324852082018-09-14T20:35:00.000-04:002018-09-14T20:35:12.444-04:00Girl Power<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<i>Two mares win WEG dressage medals; Grand Prix Special medal podium is all-female</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Germany's Isabell Werth exults after her gold-medal-winning Grand Prix Special aboard Bella Rose. Photo by Jennifer Bryant. </td></tr>
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They say you can’t beat a good mare. Today that horseman’s adage proved true.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Fresh off yesterday’s team gold-medal win, Germany’s <a href="https://usdfdressage.blogspot.com/2018/09/isabell-werths-dream-horse.html" target="_blank">Isabell Werth and her “dream horse,”</a> the 14-year-old Westfalen mare Bella Rose (Belissimo x Cacir AA), proved unstoppable again. The leggy, elegant, very feminine liver-chestnut mare danced her way to an individual gold medal in the Grand Prix Special at the <a href="https://tryon2018.com/" target="_blank">FEI World Equestrian Games Tryon 2018</a>. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Werth said Bella Rose's half-passes "couldn't be better." Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
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According to Werth, she knew from the start of her test that it was going to be one to remember.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“When she started to trot, I said, Wow, she wants to go. The half-passes, I think they couldn’t be better. The piaffe-passage, it’s so easy. The charisma and the lightness—it makes the rider really happy to have such a horse.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Werth spoke matter-of-factly, but the gold medal was unmistakably an emotional experience, as the international veteran—who has stood on the medal podiums too many times to count—wept openly on the podium today.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The only down side for Werth was the fact that Bella Rose’s owner, Werth’s longtime sponsor Madeleine Winter-Schulze, suffered a broken leg and had to have surgery yesterday, Werth said at the post-competition press conference. Werth said she was eager to wrap up the press obligation in order to visit her patron in the hospital, where she is said to be doing well. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis46W9mEbZzkuZCpHuQpqlJ5-xaQ2lZNPvOiyuNndcuYRh2Kfw9WROB5w15NMHw6R9wBXHBEvQNXHIeJbWn4gP_Fu4oePSWe3Vqn_c4NVUtpSWyhiwjzIBPStsAxALZ2LqkLcjaaEcwQI/s1600/Laura+Graves+GPS+2+091418.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="683" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis46W9mEbZzkuZCpHuQpqlJ5-xaQ2lZNPvOiyuNndcuYRh2Kfw9WROB5w15NMHw6R9wBXHBEvQNXHIeJbWn4gP_Fu4oePSWe3Vqn_c4NVUtpSWyhiwjzIBPStsAxALZ2LqkLcjaaEcwQI/s400/Laura+Graves+GPS+2+091418.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Verdades powered Laura Graves to the 2018 WEG Grand Prix Special individual silver medal. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
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Werth’s score of 86.246 percent made her untouchable by her closest rival, the USA’s Laura Graves and her KWPN gelding, Verdades (Florett As x Goya). The only male in the GP Special medals, “Diddy” laid down his signature uber-powerful, thrilling performance to earn a score of 81.717 percent and the silver medal. It was the second silver for Graves, who won team silver yesterday.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It was the first individual WEG dressage medal for the USA since Steffen Peters’ GP Special and GP Freestyle bronzes aboard Ravel at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Kentucky.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbXAxWcbs7ZyPGM9vQpycPR4Ie4oMVJXOSDyQNX-eT5yqQ2iYfjTep2_mns15hO4YMW1vZ4Xv6pnhL2GDGruHOgrZ4IMmjZf9VWNz17SF0eFna6H38FeRj8p6AFKMb7t2sdqh1IymF7QA/s1600/Laura+Graves+pats+Diddy+after+GPS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="819" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbXAxWcbs7ZyPGM9vQpycPR4Ie4oMVJXOSDyQNX-eT5yqQ2iYfjTep2_mns15hO4YMW1vZ4Xv6pnhL2GDGruHOgrZ4IMmjZf9VWNz17SF0eFna6H38FeRj8p6AFKMb7t2sdqh1IymF7QA/s400/Laura+Graves+pats+Diddy+after+GPS.jpg" width="318" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Praise for "Diddy" after his silver-medal-winning performance with Graves. Photo by Jennifer Bryant. </td></tr>
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“For me, it’s always a matter of riding this horse in his mind,” Graves said afterward. “Physically he’ll do whatever I ask him to, but sometimes it’s a matter of convincing him to do what he’s a little bit afraid of, or go where he’s afraid to go. It’s always a challenge, and it’s different every time we ride. Today I actually was very proud of how he let me ride him.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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A second mare blazed her way onto the medal podium with a stunningly mature performance for her tender nine years. British superstar Charlotte Dujardin’s new international mount, the Hanoverian mare Mount St. John Freestyle (Fidermark x Donnerhall)—the youngest horse in this WEG dressage competition—yesterday helped Team Great Britain win bronze and today put Dujardin back on the podium with a bronze-medal-winning score of 81.489 percent. To say that “Freestyle’s” scope, relaxation, and elasticity make her an exciting horse for the future is a gross understatement.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At just 9 years of age, Mount St. John Freestyle danced her way to GP Special bronze with Charlotte Dujardin of Great Britain. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
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“It was unbelievable; I couldn’t have asked any more from her,” said Dujardin. “That’s her third-ever Grand Prix Special….I was like the jam between the sandwich, with Isabell on one end [in the order of go] and Sönke [Rothenberger] in the other. I thought, oh my god, I’ve got to really up my game so I come out and don’t look like I don’t know what I’m doing.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“When she’s stronger and more confident, we’re going to give Isabell a run for her money!” Dujardin said. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A huge smile and a fist-pump from the USA's Kasey Perry-Glass after her GP Special test aboard Goerklintgaards Dublet. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
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The next-highest American rider, Kasey Perry-Glass on the 15-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding Goerklintgaards Dublet (Diamond Hit x Ferro), finished sixth on a score of 78.541. “Dublet” put in a fantastic test that showed even more power and engagement than in yesterday’s team Grand Prix. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">American fans cheer Kasey Perry-Glass's performance. Photo by Jennifer Bryant. </td></tr>
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Unfortunately for Steffen Peters and Adrienne Lyle, glitches marred both of their tests and put the remaining two American riders out of the medal hunt. Both Suppenkasper and Salvino showed resistance in the transition from collected walk to piaffe at G. The costly mistakes put Peters and Lyle at the bottom of the field of 29 starters, with Peters finishing on 69.073 percent and Lyle, on 69.043.<o:p></o:p></div>
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There should have been 30 horses in today’s competition, but in another unfortunate turn, Great Britain’s Spencer Wilton and Super Nova II, who won team bronze yesterday, withdrew from the Special.<o:p></o:p></div>
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According to a statement from Team GB, “the horse [was] not feeling 100% after getting excited in yesterday’s medal ceremony.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Prize-givings are not ‘Neville’s’ favourite thing,” Wilton stated, “and normally I wouldn’t do them with him, but we’re at a championship. I helped the team secure qualification for Tokyo 2020 [Olympics] and that’s my primary focus, so with that in mind, his welfare was key to this tough decision.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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In preparation for the finale of the 2018 WEG dressage competition—the individual freestyle final on Sunday—the second horse inspection is scheduled for tomorrow morning. As of this writing the show will go on, and no postponements or cancellations due to the impending arrival of Hurricane Florence have been announced. I’ve just checked my weather app, and at the moment the forecasters are predicting 3 to 4 inches of rain for the Tryon area, with winds of up to 35 mph and possibly higher gusts. Rain is expected to move in tomorrow afternoon, with the worst of the weather being tomorrow night and—unfortunately for dressage-freestyle ticket holders—Sunday. But with luck it will be more like a miserably wet horse show and less like a natural disaster. <o:p></o:p></div>
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In case you’re on the fence about coming Sunday, here are two tidbits to entice you: Both Graves and Dujardin will be unveiling brand-new freestyles—with music that, according to both riders, arrived just yesterday! (Dujardin quipped that her motto going in will be “Hope and pray.”) Graves refused to divulge any details about the new program or the music, so if you want to witness the world premiere, bring your wellies and don’t miss the WEG Grand Prix Freestyle. <o:p></o:p></div>
Jennifer Bryanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11564103939581631882noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5447307720535795039.post-86562059797022321532018-09-13T20:37:00.000-04:002018-09-13T20:37:00.540-04:00Sweet Sixteen<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<i>Team USA wins FEI World Equestrian Games dressage silver for the first time since 2002</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2018 WEG team dressage silver medalists Kasey Perry-Glass, Adrienne Lyle, Steffen Peters, and Laura Graves of the USA with technical advisor and chef d'equipe Robert Dover. Photo by Jennifer Bryant. </td></tr>
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“They’ve worked very hard for this.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Not that we had any doubts that the four members of the 2018 US World Equestrian Games dressage team had put in the time and the blood, sweat, and tears to get there; but there was the affirmation, standing next to me ringside for the dressage team medal ceremony at the <a href="https://tryon2018.com/" target="_blank">FEI WEG Tryon 2018</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It was Diane Perry, Team USA member Kasey Perry-Glass’s mom and the owner of Perry-Glass’s WEG mount, Goerklintgaards Dublet. Between wielding her smartphone video camera to record the ceremony for posterity and exhorting “Dublet” to please keep all four feet on the ground, Perry was every horse-show mom writ large: proud, perhaps a little overwhelmed, adrenaline-fueled but tired from the long hours in the North Carolina heat and humidity, and already gearing up for her daughter’s next effort (asked whether they’d be celebrating tonight, Perry quickly replied: “Oh, no. We have a horse show tomorrow,” referring to the Grand Prix Special).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Group hug! Team USA's Debbie McDonald, Kasey Perry-Glass, Adrienne Lyle, and Steffen Peters embrace after watching Laura Graves clinch the team silver medal on Verdades, while sponsor Betsy Juliano and <i>chef</i> Robert Dover look on. Photo by Jennifer Bryant. </td></tr>
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It’s easy to forget, when we see our dressage idols on the covers of magazines, and when they and their entourages and their sponsorships and their celebrity make them seem larger than life, that top riders are daughters and wives and moms and dads—people who were endowed with a generous helping of talent and ambition and grit and of course luck, but also people who probably have a lot in common with those of you who are reading this. They love horses. They love riding. They love dressage. Watching Diane Perry cheer for her daughter as she stepped onto the WEG dressage medal podium for the first time, the glamorous medal ceremony suddenly felt very personal.<o:p></o:p></div>
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But competition at this international level isn’t really personal; it’s about national pride first and foremost, with glory for one’s team and one’s country superseding individual accomplishment. Although dressage is ultimately about one rider’s partnership with one horse, “top sport,” as the Europeans call it, is a machine the way NFL football is a machine: an industry and a very serious business while at the same time serving as entertainment and hobby for the spectator and fan.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">German team gold medalist Isabell Werth and Bella Rose were the highest-scoring pair of the WEG Grand Prix team competition. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
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The German dressage machine has dominated the discipline for decades, and today was no exception. The team of Isabell Werth on Bella Rose, Sonke Rothenberger on Cosmo, Jessica Bredow-Werndl on TSF Dalera BB, and Dorothee Schneider on Sammy Davis Jr. swept the 2018 WEG dressage team competition with a total score of 242.950. <a href="http://usdfdressage.blogspot.com/2018/09/isabell-werths-dream-horse.html" target="_blank">Werth and her “dream horse,” Bella Rose</a>, topped both her teammates and the entire field with their score of 84.829 percent in a largely flawless test marked by elegance and elasticity.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top USA scorer Laura Graves and Verdades. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
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Last to go in the entire team competition was the most hotly anticipated pair of the largely American crowd: top-ranked US rider Laura Graves and her famous Verdades. They did not disappoint, laying down a powerful Grand Prix test marred only by “Diddy’s” slight spook at an FEI TV camera near C to earn a score of 81.537 percent, which put Graves second individually behind Werth. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Graves’ usual sparkling smile seemed a bit dimmed during the medal ceremony, and at the press conference we found out why: She confessed to being “a little under the weather.” Here’s hoping she gets some needed rest and feels better for tomorrow’s GP Special—although she said that “adrenaline is an amazing thing” because as soon as she put her foot in the stirrup today, all else was forgotten.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Perry-Glass’s score of 76.739 percent was the second-highest of the US team, which clinched the silver medal on a team total score of 233.136.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“It felt great,” Perry-Glass said of her Grand Prix test afterward. “He was 100 percent in warm-up, and I really felt like he brought the power that we were looking for in the test.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“He’s so sensitive,” Perry-Glass said of the 15-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding (Diamond Hit x Ferro). “I had to figure out that balance between asking for more and not asking for too much. I think we’re really right on the cusp of being really great with that. <o:p></o:p></div>
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“He has every opportunity to be up with Isabell and Laura,” Perry-Glass continued. Referring to their excellent finishes in Aachen this year, she said: “We’ve done it once before. I know we can do it again.” With tears welling, she said, “I’m going to cry because I love him so much.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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For a report on Team USA silver medalists Steffen Peters’ and Adrienne Lyle’s tests yesterday, <a href="http://usdfdressage.blogspot.com/2018/09/a-strong-showing-and-surprise-on-day-1.html" target="_blank">click here</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Since the retirement of Charlotte Dujardin’s superstar mount Valegro, the dressage world has wondered whether Great Britain would remain among the top powers in the sport. The answer, as evidenced by today’s WEG team dressage bronze medal, is yes. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great Britain's Charlotte Dujardin and her new star partner, Mount St. John Freestyle. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
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Dujardin, back on the international scene for the first time since winning individual gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics with Valegro, was Team GBR’s top scorer, earning 77.764 percent on the astonishingly young-yet-accomplished nine-year-old Hanoverian mare, Mount St. John Freestyle (Fidermark x Donnerhall). “Freestyle” handled the atmosphere in the US Trust Arena with ease, making just a few green mistakes—this was only Freestyle’s sixth Grand Prix—and Dujardin said afterward that the mare’s nickname of “Mrs. Valegro” is not an exaggeration.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“She has three very normal paces,” Dujardin said, “but when I started riding her, she has unbelievable trainability. And then her scope for what she can do: She can just put her legs wherever she wants! She’s so brave and she gives so much… She has the same attitude [as Valegro]: She goes in that arena, she’s not afraid of anything; she tries so hard. I know when she’s stronger and the mistakes aren’t there, it’s going to be very, very exciting. I think she may be as good as him one day. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2018 WEG team bronze medalists Carl Hester of Great Britain on Hawtins Delicato. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
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Finishing just behind his most famous pupil was Carl Hester, also on a relatively inexperienced horse, the 10-year-old Hanoverian gelding Hawtins Delicato (Diamond Hit x Regazzoni). The stunning “Del” put in a lovely and elastic test with just a few bobbles to earn a score of 77.283. The British team was rounded out by Spencer Wilton on Super Nova II (74.581) and Emile Faurie on Dono di Maggio (72.795), for a team total of 229.628.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Said Hester afterward: “I said to Charlotte, with these young horses, we can’t compete them all around Europe and then fly them to a WEG and expect them to be on form. They would be exhausted. Our plan was to do the British shows and then come here. Having said that, I’ve had a week…it’s been a bit tense because the horse hasn’t really walked, he hasn’t really halted. Then this morning, one week later, we walked around the ring at 7:30 this morning on a loose rein; he walked around twice and I thought, I’m going to have a good ride today. And I did. He has such good paces, this horse. He might not be the superstar flash of some of the others, but he is so good with his hind legs, he has such a great walk.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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With that, the stage is set for an exciting start to the WEG individual dressage competition. Two medals are at stake—GP Special and GP Freestyle—and the Special kicks off tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. EDT. Watch on <a href="https://tv.fei.org/" target="_blank">FEI TV</a> or catch WEG dressage on <a href="http://stream.nbcsports.com/nbc/watch-olympic-channel" target="_blank">NBC Sports' Olympic Channel</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
Jennifer Bryanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11564103939581631882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5447307720535795039.post-83932939742536975392018-09-12T19:40:00.000-04:002018-09-12T19:40:04.909-04:00A Strong Showing and a Surprise on Day 1 of WEG Team Dressage Competition<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adrienne Lyle and Salvino piaffed Team USA into third place after the first day of team dressage competition at the 2018 WEG. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
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With two days of dressage competition needed to accommodate the 77 entries at the FEI World Equestrian Games Tryon 2018, half of each team competes each day. After the draw that determined start order, each team’s <i>chef d’équipe </i>got to decide which horse-rider combinations would ride today, day 1; and which will go tomorrow.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The usual strategy is to have the less-experienced combinations go on day 1, thereby saving the team’s biggest guns for the end, and perhaps the higher-scoring end of the competition.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steffen Peters and Suppenkasper. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
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Team USA’s newest combination, Suppenkasper and Steffen Peters (“a young kid and an old rider,” as Peters put it), was first of the four Americans to go down center line in the U.S. Trust Arena. Ten-year-old “Mopsie,” a KWPN gelding (Spielberg x Krack C) owned by Four Winds Farm, put in a solid effort (although, quivering with excitement at the applause from the home-country crowd, he couldn’t bring himself to stand immobile in the entry halt) to earn a more-than-respectable score of 73.494 percent. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scott Hassler and Steffen Peters chat before the start of competition. Photo by Jennifer Bryant. </td></tr>
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“I’m very happy with how he handled this,” Peters said afterward, “because it’s a huge step up from Aachen as far as relaxation. He walked beautifully; the rein back was a little bit better; there was overall less tension in there. I could actually push some of the extensions, which was new: Usually I just hold my breath and hope he doesn’t break into the canter because it’s so big. He did beautiful pirouettes today; the zigzag was also good—that’s also a bit tricky for him. The changes felt nice. For this stage and his sensitivity, it’s really good.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The USA's Olivia LaGoy-Weltz, who did the test Grand Prix ride on Lonoir before the start of competition, receives congratulations from a WEG official. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
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It’s hard to think of a WEG as a warm-up act, but that’s sort of what it is for Mopsie, said Peters, who said that the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games are “the reason for the purchase. We [‘we’ being himself and sponsor Akiko Yamazaki] are hoping when he turns 12, 13, that will be his prime.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crowds were sparse for the start of WEG dressage competition but filled in as the day went on. Some attendees reported hearing tales of spectators' being scared off by the threat of the impending Hurricane Florence. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
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Mopsie is “the kindest, sweetest horse I’ve ever dealt with,” Peters said. The horse turns his head for approving scratches when he halts, and “his favorite thing is to [have someone] scratch his nose. He can do that for hours. He’s a puppy dog. He’s a big Labradoodle, that’s what he is.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting ready to step onto the world stage is a major production. An FEI TV camera crew records every moment of last-minute preparation of the first dressage rider to go, Portugal's Manuel Veiga on Ben Hur Da Broa. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
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Peters said he’s content with the decision to enter Mopsie instead of his originally named mount, Rosamunde, also owned by Four Winds Farm. In training this week, the gelding was stepping up to the plate a bit more “and I was having to ask him to do a bit less,” he said. Mopsie’s can-do attitude won him the spot on Team USA for these Games.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A rain-dampened Robert Dover and Debbie McDonald look on during Adrienne Lyle's Grand Prix test. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
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Besting Peters, with a score of 74.860 percent, was his 2012 London Olympics and 2014 WEG teammate Adrienne Lyle, back on the international stage with Salvino, an 11-year-old Hanoverian stallion (Sandro Hit x Donnerhall) owned by Betsy Juliano LLC. Echoing her experience at the 2014 WEG in Normandy, Lyle encountered a sudden drenching rain that lasted just long enough to soak herself and the previous competitor, the Netherlands’ Hans Peter Minderhoud on Glock’s Dream Boy N.O.P. Mother Nature turned off the faucet just as Lyle went down center line—and turned back on the oppressively sticky heat that reduced competitors, spectators, and officials alike to soggy puddles.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“It starting pouring when I was warming up, and I said to Debbie [McDonald, her coach of 13 years], ‘Well, I know it’s WEG if it’s pouring!’” Lyle said afterward.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“I’ve never ridden in front of our home country [at an international championships] before, and I didn’t know how he was going to handle it, with all the extra cheering,” Lyle said of Salvino, “but I think he liked it.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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The downpour “was a bit of a disruption,” said Lyle, who scrambled to “change gloves and dry off things so I could hold the reins. And then it’s blazing hot the next second! Fitness is a big factor here, as well. He’s a big, dark horse, and I’ve done my best to get him as fit as I could, and I’m glad I did because it took every ounce of fitness he had out there to get through the heat.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WEG dressage spectators did their best to keep cool in the afternoon sun and sticky humidity. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
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You can’t open a social-media feed these days without seeing a warm-and-fuzzy photo of members of the US dressage team hugging and looking like BFFs. According to Lyle, it’s not an act.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“We’re all such a good group of friends. It really does make a difference when you know they’ll be there for you at the drop of a hat and support you in any way possible.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Lyle says she’s “going to have a lot of fun with the [Grand Prix] Special,” Lyle said. “I like that test better.” She feels the Special plays to Salvino’s strengths, including piaffe/passage and extensions, and hopes for higher scores on Friday.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">German eventing competitor Ingrid Klimke (center) applauds the dressage effort of her countrywoman Jessica von Bredow-Werndl. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and TSF Dalera BB put Germany in the lead after the first of two days of dressage competition. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
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Before then, we have team medals to decide tomorrow. After the first day of competition, the USA stood in third place, with Germany leading and—in a bit of a surprise—the Swedish team in second. Germany’s Jessica von Bredow-Werndl on the 11-year-old Trakehner mare TSF Dalera BB (Easy Game x Handryk) posted the day’s top score of 76.677 percent. Juliette Ramel on Buriel K.H., a 12-year-old KWPN gelding (Osmium x Krack C), was the top rider for Sweden, and Lyle lies in third. Team standings were calculated based on the top score of the two riders who competed today. <o:p></o:p></div>
Jennifer Bryanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11564103939581631882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5447307720535795039.post-1801222203785069662018-09-12T15:03:00.000-04:002018-09-12T15:03:13.811-04:00Isabell Werth's Dream Horse<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just a girl with her "dream horse": German superstar Isabell Werth and her 2014 and 2018 WEG mount, Bella Rose, before the 2018 WEG dressage horse inspection. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
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The five-time German dressage Olympian <a href="https://www.olympic.org/isabell-werth" target="_blank">Isabell Werth</a> is one of our sport's greats. She has almost too many gold medals and championship titles to count, and deep-pocketed sponsorship has kept Werth, 49, in top international horses for 25 years.</div>
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So when Werth calls a mount her "dream horse" and says she wanted to bring this special one to the <a href="https://tryon2018.com/" target="_blank">FEI World Equestrian Games Tryon 2018,</a> naturally I was eager to learn more. After a phalanx of German journalists had their way with the 2018 German WEG dressage team yesterday, I finally got the chance to take a deep breath and (in English) ask Werth about Bella Rose.</div>
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Werth's bond with the 14-year-old Westfalen mare (Belissimo x Cacir AA), owned by Madeleine Winter-Schulze, was evident four years ago at the 2014 WEG in Normandy. The pair completed the team Grand Prix test but then withdrew from the remainder of competition. Werth is reluctant to discuss details ("Sorry, but you know how dressage is"), saying only that Bella Rose was injured "around three years ago." </div>
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"It was in the bone; it was not easy to find, that was the reason it took us so long," Werth says. "We really built her up slowly and step by step and took a long time to bring her back into the sport because she’s really, really full of temperament, so to keep her calm step by step was the most difficult thing."</div>
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Bella Rose resumed her competition career just this year, Werth says, and did well enough to be selected as one of three potential WEG mounts with Werth. (The other contenders were Emilio and Werth's 2016 Olympic Games and 2017 and 2018 FEI World Cup Dressage Final gold-medal partner, Weihegold OLD.)</div>
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Choosing Bella Rose for Tryon "doesn’t mean it was a decision against Emilio or Weihegold," Werth says. "It’s just a decision for Bella Rose because she’s really my dream horse, and everyone knew this horse had outstanding potential, and this was my dream after four years, to bring her back for a championship. </div>
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Bella Rose has been in Werth's stable since the age of three, and Werth has brought the mare up to the international Grand Prix level. </div>
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"A groom of mine said there was an interesting horse" at a breeder's farm," Werth recalls. "I came and watched, and from the first second I was electrified. The whole horse is full of charisma, full of power, full of lightness and elegance. She combines all things: All of my other great horses have one or two or three things, and she has an outstanding piaffe and passage, super movement, the whole thing."</div>
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With construction noise a constant at the <a href="https://tryon.coth.com/" target="_blank">Tryon International Equestrian Center</a> in the hours before the opening ceremony, competitors were rapidly becoming accustomed to being quizzed about their horses' reactions to the sights and sounds. According to Werth, "the atmosphere is not a problem" for Bella Rose; "it’s the power. I have to calm her down and keep her concentrated on herself. It’s not a question of some buildings or noise or the arena, or a hurricane! She has no problems with the weather. Day by day I try to make her more supple, more calm."</div>
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Werth and her "dream horse" ride in the team Grand Prix competition tomorrow, on day 2, as the anchor pair for Germany. According to Werth, even if Bella Rose doesn't bring home gold, the experience will be a dream come true. </div>
Jennifer Bryanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11564103939581631882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5447307720535795039.post-50042739509734133892018-09-11T14:03:00.000-04:002018-09-11T14:03:49.020-04:00J Is for Jog<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsoXx_TNDw-MDDn0Cdx-9fZNqxa2Ws2-aWJ4p_RHJ38W-uRu86RVaAasLoRjjrfwgkcHL_BpiubRHTjvSRiKfxQSVzFbOgyfKUNFHlwxJ3whI32P_9TLAL4ulNlahVaB1WJntS7FTW-bQ/s1600/Jog+with+ground+jury.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="1024" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsoXx_TNDw-MDDn0Cdx-9fZNqxa2Ws2-aWJ4p_RHJ38W-uRu86RVaAasLoRjjrfwgkcHL_BpiubRHTjvSRiKfxQSVzFbOgyfKUNFHlwxJ3whI32P_9TLAL4ulNlahVaB1WJntS7FTW-bQ/s400/Jog+with+ground+jury.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">FEI officials including Anne Gribbons, head of the 2018 WEG dressage ground jury (center), look on as Belgian competitor Isabel Cool jogs Aranco V during the horse inspection. Photo by Jennifer Bryant. </td></tr>
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As disappointing as it must be not to make a World Equestrian Games team, or to make a team but have to withdraw in advance—just ask <a href="http://useventing.com/news/us-equestrian-announces-substitution-land-rover-us-eventing-squad-fei-world-equestrian-games%E2%84%A2" target="_blank">American eventer Marilyn Little, who was forced to withdraw RF Scandalous when “Kitty” sustained a minor injury in training just prior to shipping to Tryon</a>—the ultimate heartbreak must be arriving at the venue unscathed only to see one’s mount fail to pass the horse inspection.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Team USA's Kasey Perry-Glass walks Goerklintgaards Dublet before the jog. Photo by Jennifer Bryant. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBgrLjN27OWXuJ8Diw7NCsNY9vENuQq4mkx1EO1AuSPbGf54eNvVfaDhEt80V3BbuiWyftYnZgNDCwaUCkaaELt6CvPx_7BQ21I1TjYfThI-bk-IzX3MZfZB6ZDAuWmIws1XgrRTt3wV0/s1600/Groom+with+Dublet+before+jog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBgrLjN27OWXuJ8Diw7NCsNY9vENuQq4mkx1EO1AuSPbGf54eNvVfaDhEt80V3BbuiWyftYnZgNDCwaUCkaaELt6CvPx_7BQ21I1TjYfThI-bk-IzX3MZfZB6ZDAuWmIws1XgrRTt3wV0/s400/Groom+with+Dublet+before+jog.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Groom Holly Gorman gives Goerklintgaards Dublet a final polish with a fleece mitt before the jog. Photo by Jennifer Bryant. </td></tr>
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In “the jog,” FEI veterinary officials and members of the ground jury watch like the proverbial hawks as the horses are stood up, then trotted in hand—usually, but not always, by their riders—down and back so that their “fitness to compete” can be evaluated. This can be a challenge because some horses prefer to canter, rear, or otherwise emulate kites on strings rather than trot. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Officials and VIPs including American dressage sponsor Betsy Juliano (right) watch the dressage jog at the WEG. Photo by Jennifer Bryant. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAJqOaG1ymuNP_46dA3TrfFiz8SnfiK-ep1zm0SsAEc73oKLSFOSLUVofstHWPQjmxa3cAE8NBKBBoO9BCBWtqQvUxpDtVYQy5rYBhoa_CVj4Uz6eZL6n5qIe3snogMEcUhjFmbtmY_Sc/s1600/Man+videoing+jog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAJqOaG1ymuNP_46dA3TrfFiz8SnfiK-ep1zm0SsAEc73oKLSFOSLUVofstHWPQjmxa3cAE8NBKBBoO9BCBWtqQvUxpDtVYQy5rYBhoa_CVj4Uz6eZL6n5qIe3snogMEcUhjFmbtmY_Sc/s400/Man+videoing+jog.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A supporter films a competitor's jog for posterity, aided by what might be a good-luck charm. Photo by Jennifer Bryant. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">USDF secretary and US Equestrian "S" judge Margaret Freeman, who will be scribing for dressage at the WEG, watches the jog. Photo by Jennifer Bryant. </td></tr>
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Hijinks aside, the jog is a tense time, and tradition dictates that horses are impeccably braided and turned out as they will be for the actual tests, but in snaffle bridles. Most national federations kit out the handlers with matching outfits that range from suits to polo shirts and jeans. (Some getups seem more ridiculous than others.) Grooms fuss and polish, then cluster at the sidelines to look on anxiously with federation officials, owners, and sponsors until they hear the magic words from the announcer: “[Horse name] is accepted.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laura Graves gives Verdades a kiss before the jog. Photo by Jennifer Bryant. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Suppenkasper ("Mopsie") is in good form for US competitor Steffen Peters. Photo by Jennifer Bryant. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Olympic and WEG veteran Adrienne Lyle jogs her 2018 WEG partner, Salvino. Photo by Jennifer Bryant. </td></tr>
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At this morning’s dressage horse inspection, all four Team USA horses—Suppenkasper with Steffen Peters, Verdades with Laura Graves, Salvino with Adrienne Lyle, and Goerklintgaards Dublet with Kasey Perry-Glass—passed the jog. Of the total 77 horses from 31 countries, none was not accepted, although an Australian horse and a Portuguese horse was “held” for reinspection later this afternoon. On reinspection, officials will decide whether the two horses will start tomorrow, which is the first day of competition at the <a href="https://tryon2018.com/" target="_blank">FEI World Equestrian Games Tryon 2018 </a>and day 1 of the two-day dressage Grand Prix competition for the team medals. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Because he's based in the USA, Spanish rider and WEG first-timer Juan Matute Guimon (with Quantico Ymas) has many American well-wishers. Photo by Jennifer Bryant. </td></tr>
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The dressage competition is set to begin at 9:00 a.m. EDT. It, like all WEG competition, will be broadcast on <a href="https://tv.fei.org/" target="_blank">FEI TV;</a> you’ll have to pay to access the live stream. <o:p></o:p></div>
Jennifer Bryanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11564103939581631882noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5447307720535795039.post-3791995843165963102018-09-10T15:48:00.000-04:002018-09-10T15:48:16.366-04:00Ready or Not, Here Comes the WEG—and Maybe Florence<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjRRvoY0coYTjNX9u8xVkWBskjd80eH1L1prVhYRzaTn7Sw_w6Cs8Kh0bsGqNWH4oYPsvGYNog4Ob8r5CEf7i7nfQUa-pTNImP2ofkqEwk3k0XmQQXoA8Zxp5C8f05scYaRjRYVXtJT3c/s1600/Stadium+schooling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="678" data-original-width="1024" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjRRvoY0coYTjNX9u8xVkWBskjd80eH1L1prVhYRzaTn7Sw_w6Cs8Kh0bsGqNWH4oYPsvGYNog4Ob8r5CEf7i7nfQUa-pTNImP2ofkqEwk3k0XmQQXoA8Zxp5C8f05scYaRjRYVXtJT3c/s400/Stadium+schooling.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eventing competitors school in the Tryon Stadium on the day before 2018 WEG opening ceremonies. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
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TIEC isn’t really ready—but by all accounts it’s ready where it counts.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Two years ago, the still-fledgling <a href="https://tryon.coth.com/" target="_blank">Tryon International Equestrian Center</a> in Mill Spring, North Carolina, was awarded the <a href="https://tryon2018.com/" target="_blank">2018 FEI World Equestrian Games</a> when original host Bromont, Canada, backed out.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It was a damn-the-torpedoes moment for TIEC mastermind Mark Bellissimo, who with his Tryon Equestrian Partners team was well aware that the usual lead time is more like six years. Bellissimo said he originally planned for TIEC to bid to host the 2026 WEG, but he believed his team could go into hyperdrive and make it happen for 2018.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Is it too harsh to say he thought wrong? It depends on which side of the arena fence you’re seated on.<o:p></o:p></div>
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From the competitors’ perspective—which, because it encompasses the horses’ well-being, is the most important—all is well at TIEC.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look who we ran into outside the dressage stabling area! US dressage team members Laura Graves, Adrienne Lyle, and Kasey Perry-Glass take time for a photo. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
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“For us over in dressage land, it’s wonderful,” Team USA member Adrienne Lyle said at today’s US dressage-team press conference. “The stabling is great: It’s well thought out, there’s plenty of air, and every stall has its own fan. [There are] big matted aisles. We’re right next to the schooling arenas. Everything’s nicely condensed; we’re not running all around the property. The footing is great. It’s amazing what they’ve built for this; it’s really impressive-looking.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Officials including the USA's FEI 5* dressage judge Anne Gribbons, who is the head of the dressage ground jury for the 2018 WEG, inspect the competition arena in the US Trust Arena. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
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The TIEC grounds, set amidst the picturesque foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, were obviously designed to evoke a resort/mountain lodge feel: lots of rustic-looking wood and stone that blend in with and set off the surrounding natural beauty. The effect is, well, somewhat marred at the moment by the masses of construction equipment, trucks, and miniature mountains of red clay (or red mud, given recent persistent heavy rains) being excavated and moved 24/7 as the venue works frantically to ready itself for tomorrow evening’s opening ceremony.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It’s not all going to be ready.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The promised on-site hotel, which was to house the grooms, isn’t. Bellissimo himself issued a <a href="https://tryon2018.com/article/personal-statement-from-mark-bellissimo-regarding-grooms-accommodations" target="_blank">written statement of apology to the grooms and their national federations</a>. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Construction of WEG facilities is ongoing the day prior to opening ceremonies. The dressage competition venue, the US Trust Arena, is in the background. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
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An internal road isn’t completed. Crews can’t pour asphalt when the ground is slop from this summer’s rains, my shuttle driver told me this morning.<o:p></o:p></div>
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(PSA for anyone coming to WEG: Bring water-impervious footwear that you don’t care if it gets stained by red clay.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’m writing this blog post from the makeshift media center in TIEC’s Legends Club. The wooden chandeliers are pretty, but we’re not supposed to be in this VIP space at all; it’s crowded, the public WiFi is iffy, and we’re thankful it’s not hot today because the air conditioning is not robust. Unfortunately, the real media center isn’t finished yet—as in, the building didn’t yet have doors when I peeked inside this morning. Fingers crossed for tomorrow—but maybe not. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Interestingly, most people I’ve talked to have decided to go with the flow instead of complaining. Parking, logistics, and plans apparently change daily—sometimes more frequently—around here, and you just roll with the punches. That may change after the media descend in force—the opening ceremony isn’t until tomorrow night—and of course the spectators aren’t here either. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Netherlands' Edward Gal and Glock's Zonik N.O.P. seem unfazed by construction activity. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
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The horses are going with the flow, too. Asked whether mounts are disturbed by the construction going on around the schooling area, Lyle said no. <o:p></o:p></div>
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“These horses are used to a lot; they’ve traveled the world to many, many venues,” she said. And indeed the dressage horses seemed relaxed and focused this morning as they passaged and half-passed with earth movers in the background and endurance horses being jogged vigorously along the adjacent horse track.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The show must go on, as they say—but folks here are keeping a wary eye on the weather forecasts, which as I write this have announced that Hurricane Florence has attained category-4 status and is taking aim at North Carolina. Being far inland, TIEC is not in real danger of sizeable hurricane damage, says my local host, USDF secretary and US Equestrian “S” dressage judge Margaret Freeman; but it’s looking likely that the area will be slammed with rain on Friday, which is the day the dressage Grand Prix Special competition—for this WEG’s first dressage individual medals—is scheduled to be held. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Florence or no Florence, the dressage competition at the FEI World Equestrian Games Tryon 2018 officially gets under way tomorrow morning with the horse inspection. All of the American horses have been working well, according to US Equestrian dressage national technical advisor and <i>chef d’équipe</i>Robert Dover, for whom these Games are his swan song and the finish line of his famous “Roadmap to the Podiums” initiative. Steffen Peters’ named WEG mount, Rosamunde, is in good health and faring well, Peters said, but his reserve mount, Suppenkasper, was training so well that US Equestrian decided to sub in “Mopsie” after “Rosie” suffered what US Equestrian called a minor case of dehydration after shipping to Tryon.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“I could not be more proud of everything the riders, the federation, and our entire United States dressage community has come together to produce for the years I’ve been involved as the <i>chef</i>and the technical advisor,” Dover said. “I just can’t wait to in the arena and get going!”<o:p></o:p></div>
Jennifer Bryanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11564103939581631882noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5447307720535795039.post-24936237309274034122017-04-01T22:06:00.000-04:002017-04-01T22:10:08.408-04:00For the New "Queen of Omaha," the Journey to the World Cup Dressage Final Was Werth the Trip<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Germany's Isabell Werth and Weihegold OLD, the 2017 FEI World Cup Dressage Final champions. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
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She’s now known as the “Queen of Omaha”: Isabell Werth of
Germany, living Olympic equestrian legend and winner of two previous FEI World
Cup Dressage Finals, today added a third Final win to her dizzying long resume
of international triumphs.</div>
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US FEI 5* dressage judge Anne Gribbons, who presided at C
for the Grand Prix Freestyle final, likened Werth’s mount, the 12-year-old
Oldenburg mare Weihegold OLD (Don Schufro x Sandro Hit), to a ballet dancer.
“Weihe,” as Werth calls her, has a prowess for piaffe and passage that was
unmatched by any other in the 14-horse field, Gribbons said afterward. The
mare’s contact and connection in the bridle are also practically without peer
thanks to Werth’s world-class training and riding, Gribbons said.</div>
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A record crowd of 8,578—the largest so far at these Dressage
and Jumping Finals at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha—was on hand to watch
Werth become the only competitor to top the 90-percent mark. She won the 2017
FEI World Cup Dressage Final on a total combined score of 90.704 percent, with
all seven judges—Gribbons, Maribel Alonso de Quinzanos (MEX), Raphael Saleh
(FRA), Katrina Wuest (GER), Mariette Sanders van Gansewinkel (NED), Andrew
Gardner (GBR), and Leif Tornblad (DEN)—placing Werth first.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6cqaIH9SfhYjkpghsZsfVioCmBzBK3br3_ia5BGoNERWR-DVdOyAkdX3_ltvIBSZloQ4K6uVXeDWpu4nIpNf4zDi21oABI2s6mn0cETSK_PKTaBYmXX_u-0QRKDQZispw-U35Kq6wql0/s1600/GPFS+I+Werth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6cqaIH9SfhYjkpghsZsfVioCmBzBK3br3_ia5BGoNERWR-DVdOyAkdX3_ltvIBSZloQ4K6uVXeDWpu4nIpNf4zDi21oABI2s6mn0cETSK_PKTaBYmXX_u-0QRKDQZispw-U35Kq6wql0/s400/GPFS+I+Werth.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Weihegold OLD's outstanding piaffe helped propel Isabell Werth to victory. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</o:p></div>
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Werth’s freestyle, ridden to a pleasant but not compelling
instrumental medley, had a degree of difficulty of 9.37, according to audio
commentator and retired FEI 5* judge Axel Steiner. Although it wasn’t the most
difficult freestyle of the competition—that honor goes to Judy Reynolds of
Ireland, whose routine aboard Vancouver K has an eye-popping degree of
difficulty of 9.78—it was certainly among the most difficult, and the points
Werth racked up in the double-coefficient movements including the piaffe and
passage put her test on top.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I’m really proud of Weihe. She did a great job,” Werth said
afterward. “She was so focused. She knew it could be her day today. Laura
pushed me up to show the best we could show, and it worked. It was a fantastic
atmosphere and a fantastic competition.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Exulting after her own nearly flawless freestyle was second-place
finisher Laura Graves on her own Verdades. The fifteen-year-old Dutch Warmblood
gelding’s (Florett As x Goya) tremendous power and strength perfectly suited
his music, a series of themes football fans will have heard many times
accompanying National Football League TV broadcasts. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDen_XOPozgOWvwCbqE0l_2Jd97WIh0MJvFZWjrL7kYH_X1iz902famuI1MfqVn8q-5fYHBp8CbHXafSBbmBs1HOXnIi9JV_W8w2VBWiyxa2gh4kCOa0g6F3rQ7JtpirK4ZFK0nYh-gXU/s1600/GPFS+L+Graves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDen_XOPozgOWvwCbqE0l_2Jd97WIh0MJvFZWjrL7kYH_X1iz902famuI1MfqVn8q-5fYHBp8CbHXafSBbmBs1HOXnIi9JV_W8w2VBWiyxa2gh4kCOa0g6F3rQ7JtpirK4ZFK0nYh-gXU/s400/GPFS+L+Graves.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laura Graves and Verdades let it rip up their final center line. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Graves’ freestyle had a degree of difficulty of 8.91,
according to Steiner. One crowd-pleasing sequence was a series of two-tempi
flying changes on a curved line, followed by a diagonal straight line of
one-tempis toward the corner marker, which produced spontaneous applause. And
the sequence that Graves added at the end of the ride to amp up the
difficulty—a piaffe “fan” to the left and right, with “Diddy” then erupting in
a monstrous extended trot up the center line to the final halt and salute—had
the audience cheering so loudly Graves said afterward she had to guess at when
to halt because she couldn’t hear her music.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Graves was certainly the favorite of the primarily American
audience, but her technical marks couldn’t quite catch Werth’s. She finished
second on a score of 85.307 percent, with all judges placing her second except
for one, who had her third behind the eventual third-place finisher, Great Britain’s
Carl Hester on Nip Tuck (83.757).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoExJ8TyEPNnTsLQzUJwuUaIozLAx-k5Cgpda9S9iAbNGes50B1v6k32abxSlZUlztiRTnA-5-oTctXi1XyEnmRf9tr5AYtZecSNt4CKi-gEJ5QWVXttnd-8YNl04nsAgboxWWto4XpBc/s1600/GPFS+L+Graves+after+test.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoExJ8TyEPNnTsLQzUJwuUaIozLAx-k5Cgpda9S9iAbNGes50B1v6k32abxSlZUlztiRTnA-5-oTctXi1XyEnmRf9tr5AYtZecSNt4CKi-gEJ5QWVXttnd-8YNl04nsAgboxWWto4XpBc/s400/GPFS+L+Graves+after+test.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Graves exults after her freestyle. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I think I didn’t even realize how badly I wanted to win,”
Graves said afterward. “I’m very competitive. When I saw the technical marks
for Isabell’s ride go up and then [the broadcast crew] cut to a shot of the
World Cup [trophy], I thought, ‘Oh, I want that so badly!’ To be honest, I was
a little disappointed to come second, but <a href="http://usdfdressage.blogspot.com/2017/03/its-shaping-up-to-be-isabell-laura.html" target="_blank">as I said Thursday</a>, coming second to
Isabell, who’s number one in the world and has done this on so many horses,
still feels an awful lot like winning.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Nip Tuck, an enormous 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding
(Don Ruto x Animo), was “bang on” with his instrumental music as Hester might
put it. The music—I couldn’t identify it but it had that movie-score sound—had
a pronounced percussive rhythm that perfectly matched “Barney’s” trot and
piaffe/passage tempos. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVBSjpD3QSZcB_MaiMVXRpcj6ny06fJWLbOIgAEm2L-IF2UOY6o_gpJVX61O3UlfDLXlT3pZeAeU1s63TVxK2guPk8QNZUkyd5-CfvmOpIWBv04I2Jb91lqXASMz9g7dU1pv_b7tPvrBI/s1600/GPFS+C+Hester.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVBSjpD3QSZcB_MaiMVXRpcj6ny06fJWLbOIgAEm2L-IF2UOY6o_gpJVX61O3UlfDLXlT3pZeAeU1s63TVxK2guPk8QNZUkyd5-CfvmOpIWBv04I2Jb91lqXASMz9g7dU1pv_b7tPvrBI/s400/GPFS+C+Hester.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Accuracy, relaxation, and correctness helped to put 2012 British Olympic team gold medalist Carl Hester and Nip Tuck on the World Cup Dressage Final podium in third place. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Hester had a few small bobbles in transitions, and the
piaffe didn’t always “sit” behind. His final halt, which followed a sweeping
half-pass zigzag, lacked crispness. But Barney’s work is so correct, and Hester
has an incredible feel for contact. He also has an incredible way of managing
his famously hot and spooky mount, and Barney appeared relaxed and totally
focused. Afterward, Hester expressed complete satisfaction in the way his
horse—who also hasn’t been eating well in Omaha because he misses his longtime travel
buddy, Valegro, who is now retired—rose to the occasion and handled the
electric atmosphere.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“If somebody says, are you disappointed to be third, how can
I be disappointed in a horse that did his absolute best?” Hester said.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The USA’s Kasey Perry-Glass on Goerklintgaards Dublet
(Diamond Hit x Ferro) finished seventh on a score of 77.068. Their <a href="http://usdfdressage.blogspot.com/2017/04/7-questions-for-kasey-perry-glass.html" target="_blank">Tom Hunt freestyle, to music from The Avengers and Lord of the Rings,</a> featured
“Dublet’s” piaffe and passage, including passage half-passes, a relaxed and
expressive line of one-tempis, piaffe fans, and a difficult transition from
passage to extended walk. (Steiner’s comment: “That’s what an extended walk
should look like, with the horse stretching to the bit.”) </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The judges varied in Perry-Glass’s placing: from as high as
fifth (Gribbons, at C) to as low as tenth (Saleh, at E).</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In ninth was the USA’s newest and youngest international
dressage horse, Rosamunde, who finished on a score of 75.879. The experienced
Steffen Peters (who won the World Cup Dressage Final in 2009 aboard the
legendary Ravel) said his goal was to give the 10-year-old Rhinelander mare
(Rock Forever x Fidermark) a good, solid experience to build on in the future.
But it certainly wasn’t a beginner’s choreography: With a degree of difficulty
of 9.4 and choreography including steep half-passes and transitions from canter
pirouettes directly into piaffe, Peters wasn’t babying the talented mare. It is
evident watching “Rosie” that she will grow into her astonishing ability to
“sit” behind; currently she can get her hind legs so far underneath herself
that she can “pedestal” in the piaffe and have some difficulty getting out of
it.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Peters promised a surprise in today’s freestyle, and it came
toward the end of his test, when the strains of the Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy
for the Devil” and Coldplay’s “Viva la Vida” rang out for the final
piaffe/passage work. Fans of a certain age will recognize the music as from
Peter’s championship freestyle with Ravel, and it served as a nice coda to the
new music, which included a vocal passage from Phil Collins’ “In the Air
Tonight.” Afterward, Peters said he hadn’t been entirely happy with Rosie’s
trot music, and so he decided to replace it with the portion of Ravel’s music
inasmuch as it suited Rosie so well.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But today was Isabell Werth’s day to shine, and the German
Olympian got the party started early when she playfully sprayed Hester and
Graves with sparkling wine while on the podium—then took a deep pull from the
bottle, gave drinks to her podium-mates, and then gave each of the horses’
grooms a swig. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglr-LaCpflbY6dpoXT8xmlUoKeuv41XMKCwib2ZPO0Awk_mjtdrHizP1g0tJ95l_VksjsoT0uA8aPgFsY5oDROLgtJA2Cae4ItpqZBNVAYSbkTdBv9nnvWmAABeYWyHoJPsr_nORXxUlc/s1600/Awards+spraying+champagne.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglr-LaCpflbY6dpoXT8xmlUoKeuv41XMKCwib2ZPO0Awk_mjtdrHizP1g0tJ95l_VksjsoT0uA8aPgFsY5oDROLgtJA2Cae4ItpqZBNVAYSbkTdBv9nnvWmAABeYWyHoJPsr_nORXxUlc/s400/Awards+spraying+champagne.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">World Cup Dressage Final champion Isabell Werth (center) sprays third-place finisher Carl Hester with sparkling wine after dousing second-placed Laura Graves. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“This night I think we will have [a party]!” Werth said
afterward at the press conference. She had effusive praise for Omaha, World Cup
Finals organizer Lisa Roskens, and the entire event; so it looks as if the USA
has a lot to celebrate right along with the German champion.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Jennifer Bryanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11564103939581631882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5447307720535795039.post-80111863685609592682017-04-01T14:57:00.002-04:002017-04-01T14:57:56.663-04:007 Questions for Kasey Perry-Glass<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgii1SLmXtwXKGGvBi1TuKPO32VEoyn_5fKzdb8Kwi0hSHvayTeNZMFGlsqPnpUPtTL9TaRI8WHKUSpfLckJi2tGVsQ3OtssmNfucvDILf5AG8AMo7d0B1XV7nhksF79cpcWJA-kOihgQo/s1600/Kasey+Perry-Glass+interview+USEF+booth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgii1SLmXtwXKGGvBi1TuKPO32VEoyn_5fKzdb8Kwi0hSHvayTeNZMFGlsqPnpUPtTL9TaRI8WHKUSpfLckJi2tGVsQ3OtssmNfucvDILf5AG8AMo7d0B1XV7nhksF79cpcWJA-kOihgQo/s400/Kasey+Perry-Glass+interview+USEF+booth.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kasey Perry-Glass. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The USA's Kasey-Perry Glass, 29, finished seventh in the Grand Prix (72.257%) at the 2017 FEI World Cup Dressage Final aboard the 14-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding Goerklintgaards Dublet (Diamond Hit x Ferro). I caught up with her as she prepared for the Freestyle Final, set to kick off in a little under an hour at Omaha's CenturyLink Center.<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Tell me about your Grand Prix on Thursday.</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I kind of went in with no expectations for him. A lot of it
is just keeping him happy and relaxed and supple and through. I think we
accomplished that for the most part. It was very steady. It was the first
really clean ride we’ve done for a while. That’s really all that I can ask for,
especially being in such a big environment like this. Dublet has never been in an indoor before. For a horse that can get very tense in his body during riding, he’s been doing really well with his emotions.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG3d9Pth0bPQK8xqBIGcFuyaBJo8iK1m27yFZkupx5znYxH-t75LaAEK7MAosupLgcultYg-D97h30gM_lomETVNGYY6BfShG5e0n2zrVr_fPP1pc2-VgebVb9shwrDTQOzr6Y7o7fOQA/s1600/K+Perry-Glass+GP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG3d9Pth0bPQK8xqBIGcFuyaBJo8iK1m27yFZkupx5znYxH-t75LaAEK7MAosupLgcultYg-D97h30gM_lomETVNGYY6BfShG5e0n2zrVr_fPP1pc2-VgebVb9shwrDTQOzr6Y7o7fOQA/s400/K+Perry-Glass+GP.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Goerklintgaards Dublet in the Grand Prix at the 2017 FEI World Cup Dressage Final in Omaha. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>What can you tell me about the freestyle we'll be seeing at the World Cup Final?</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The choreography is from Adrienne Lyle. My music is from Tom
Hunt, who does Charlotte Dujardin’s [freestyles]. I’ve worked with him for a really long
time. He’s amazing. I run through my choreography, I film it, I send it to him
and he tells me what he thinks and the music that would go well with it. Almost
every time he’s sent me music, I’ve cried. My music is a little bit from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Avengers</i> and a little bit from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lord of the Rings</i>. It just fits
perfectly with him: It’s bold but it’s also subtle and soft, pretty much like
how he is. He just kind of relaxes in it, and he really loves it. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Where did you find Dublet, and what attracted you to him?</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I got him from Andreas Helgstrand [in Denmark]; I think he was nine. When I first saw him, he was very hot. I love that, but once I got on him, he just kind of formed to me a little bit. He had this intensity about him that I loved. Also the calmness in his eyes, and his personality. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He’s fourteen now. He’s a little older, but he’s new at the Grand Prix. He started the Grand Prix before we bought him, but we kind of had to backtrack a little bit, not because of training issues but nervousness. We literally took him back to the Prix St. Georges, and we didn’t do the Grand Prix until this last year. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He’s really calm; he travels really
well. He’s a big puppy dog, and I love that. His personality is coming out. It’s
important with these horses to have a personality and to be able to show it. He loves his bananas; he loves his naps. He really loves attention from the people he knows; he wants you to be right next to him. He travels like a saint. He’s just a joy to have around. You never hear him in the barn; he’s really quiet. I try to get him out at least five hours a day on grass, and he’s just quiet. He never runs around. We got lucky.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>How has training with Olympian and US Equestrian national dressage development coach Debbie McDonald helped you?</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It's helped us tremendously. She got really technical with
our work, really picky. She really goes for the higher marks, and she also brings in
that throughness in her training. She got us up to Grand Prix in less than a
year, and we went to the [2016 Rio Olympic] Games.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s been a whirlwind, and I’m lucky to have the team I have
around me. It does take a village.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>What's next after Omaha?</b> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I think we’re going to try to shoot for National
Championships, then head to Europe and try to do Rotterdam and Aachen, then give him a break until the [2018 World Equestrian Games] year. Just be really selective
with the shows we do next year. It’s tricky that we kind of have a break from
September to January; that’s a long time to have a break in competition. Just
trying to keep him going, keep him quiet, happy, healthy, sane. Loving his job.
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It would be a true blessing to do [the 2020 Olympics in] Tokyo. To be able to keep
a horse going that long, keep his mind going. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>What are your goals?</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Obviously I want to be competitive. I’m a really competitive person. After last year, the Olympic year, I really wanted this year to be positive for Dublet. Really work on our throughness and suppleness in the test. Then we can add power. He has it in him; it’s just a matter of keeping him happy in it and not pushing him too hard.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
His piaffe/passage in schooling are
unreal. His trot work can be even more impressive. The
lateral work is a little bit difficult for him; he loses a bit of the
throughness for that because he gets a little bit tense in his neck and his back. It’s
just a matter of me figuring out how to ride him through it and not push him
too hard. Not overtraining.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>In the very short term, what are your goals for the Freestyle Final at the World Cup?</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I want to get more power
out of him than I did in the Grand Prix while keeping the relaxation. I want to go out
there and just have fun with it. This is our fun spot. We love the freestyle.
If we bomb it, we bomb it; but I have a feeling we’re going to do really well.</div>
Jennifer Bryanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11564103939581631882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5447307720535795039.post-68857060181049068812017-04-01T12:25:00.001-04:002017-04-01T12:25:50.992-04:00Isabell Werth's Power Hour<br />
<i>Mini-clinic put the show in the World Cup Finals' Dressage Showcase</i><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnzAHE8sc-IA_O_L2mtdgNC4TImAYUKyvIekjFooF0xPD6N9MvkzTD96tDSUWLx5KCBuxSb0Gl9Tq1FfAmaw0tb-cDCKjfCeZErQ3rCq_zwK71RPkBXDwYLdq977BnW1vW3VklUz8UkME/s1600/Dressage+showcase+Isabell+clinic+Endel+Ots+Lucky+Strike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnzAHE8sc-IA_O_L2mtdgNC4TImAYUKyvIekjFooF0xPD6N9MvkzTD96tDSUWLx5KCBuxSb0Gl9Tq1FfAmaw0tb-cDCKjfCeZErQ3rCq_zwK71RPkBXDwYLdq977BnW1vW3VklUz8UkME/s400/Dressage+showcase+Isabell+clinic+Endel+Ots+Lucky+Strike.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Isabell Werth coaches Endel Ots on Lucky Strike during the Dressage Showcase. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<i><br /></i></div>
<div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
As inspiring and enjoyable as yesterday’s Dressage Showcase
entertainment was, I for one came for what followed: an opportunity to learn
from the master.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The living legend Isabell Werth of Germany—the most
decorated Olympic equestrian in history and the leader going into today’s World
Cup Dressage Final freestyle—followed the preliminaries with an hour-long
“through the levels” demonstration. Using three demonstration horses and
riders, Werth gave a condensed (I wish it had lasted for hours longer!) master
class in what she looks for in a young dressage horse and how she starts her
prospects on the road to Grand Prix.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The demo pairs themselves were a treat—every bit the quality
we’re fortunate to see at the USDF FEI-Level Trainers Conferences. First up was
the Canadian international competitor Karen Pavicic (who actually was a demo
rider at this year’s Trainers Conference), riding the five-year-old stallion
Totem (Totilas x Donnerhall).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpc4bBkmbW2xWtFT6tx4xj8xliHBrFYLX0VLN_XnyggIz_lYX7d9-5lOm5unB62KoGrIS87y8Rz3Qx-ZraShd3xh9GKB34_gHeMHWCwmp6fLA2dEZHzqjtfANJECLMgJK3vSqUYWdncT4/s1600/Dressage+showcase+Isabell+clinic+Karen+Pavicic+Totem.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpc4bBkmbW2xWtFT6tx4xj8xliHBrFYLX0VLN_XnyggIz_lYX7d9-5lOm5unB62KoGrIS87y8Rz3Qx-ZraShd3xh9GKB34_gHeMHWCwmp6fLA2dEZHzqjtfANJECLMgJK3vSqUYWdncT4/s400/Dressage+showcase+Isabell+clinic+Karen+Pavicic+Totem.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Karen Pavicic on the five-year-old stallion Totem. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As Pavicic warmed up, Werth explained: “We look for three
very good gaits without weaknesses” in a dressage prospect. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Werth had Pavicic show the basics: 20-meter circles, changes
of direction, transitions, leg-yield, shoulder-in. “It might look boring, but
this is basic work,” Werth said. “This makes a horse supple.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The developing horse must go freely forward, Werth
emphasized. “Let the swing come out of the horse; don’t interrupt the swing.
Let the horse find the good contact into both reins.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
How many times has your instructor chanted that dressage
mantra, “Inside leg to outside rein”? That phrase is a favorite of Werth’s, as
well, and judging by the number of times she used it with Pavicic, it’s a tenet
that bears repeating even to accomplished riders. Werth noticed right away that
Pavicic tended to overuse the inside rein a bit to position the horse (something
we’ve all been guilty of!). The problem, she explained, is that doing so blocks
the horse’s inside hind leg and therefore interrupts the inside leg-outside
rein connection and blocks the all-important swing.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Instead, Werth counseled Pavicic to “always think a bit shoulder-in. Let go the inside rein.
Inside leg. More inside leg. Outside rein. Free swing. Let him go.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then, taking Totem from trot to canter: No slow, flat
canter! “Jump, jump, jump first. Really clear, big jump for a young horse.”
Once Pavicic had established sufficiently bounding canter strides, “Try to
collect him a little bit: sit, sit, sit a little without losing the jump.”
Typical for a young horse that needs to develop strength, as Pavicic brought
Totem’s strides shorter and more active the stallion broke to a trot. “Doesn’t
matter,” said Werth, who pointed out that timing is critical: “That was one
second too long [collecting the canter] before going out.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As the 2017 World Cup Dressage Final judge Katrina Wuest
noted after Thursday’s Grand Prix, Werth’s Omaha mount, Weihegold OLD, shows
exemplary straightness. The highest level of dressage work cannot excel without
straightness, and Werth is a stickler for this critical basic—which again goes
back to the horse’s correct acceptance of being ridden from the rider’s inside
leg into the outside rein.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“He’s always discussing on the inside rein—‘Give me, give
me,’” Werth said of Totem. As Pavicic worked on the right rein, Werth
instructed her to “flex him to the left a little bit. Tak-tak-tak,” she chanted
in the desired rhythm of the gait. “Uphill. Outside rein to get him straight
and keep him in front of you.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The training progression continued with the next horse, this
time a seven-year-old. The talented Hanoverian gelding Lucky Strike (Lord
Laurie x His Highness), ridden by Endel Ots of Wellington, Florida, represented
the USA at the 2015 FEI World Breeding Championships for Young Dressage Horses
in Verden, Germany. Clearly stronger and able to work in a greater degree of
collection than the five-year-old Totem, Lucky Strike has three extravagant
gaits—but Werth still found room for improvement.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I would start with much more flexion and bending,” she told
Ots, “to try to make him a little quicker and smaller. Less trot. Little, quick
steps. Sit, sit. Flex him so he’s not running against your reins in a straight
way. Keep the [inside] leg. Long with your [inside] leg.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Translation: Werth was not instructing Ots to flex Lucky
Strike laterally or to shorten or restrict the gelding’s neck in any way.
Rather, she saw that the horse likes to move with huge, ground-covering strides
and with fairly even contact into both reins. But to develop greater
collection, the horse must “give” through his rib cage (that inside leg again!)
and become a bit more connected into the outside rein so that he can bring his
shoulders slightly to the inside of his haunches (straightness, aka alignment)
while moving with that all-important unobstructed swing from the inside hind
leg. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You have to make the inside hind leg more active, more
jumping, but you will only get it when you have him in a little bit of
shoulder-in,” Werth said.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the half-pass work, Werth told Ots to keep his outside
rein low, where it can better stay connected and influence the positioning of
the horse’s shoulders. “Free shoulder in the half-pass. Give the inside rein.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Lightness” in dressage is a frequently misunderstood
concept. Some lightness is a good thing, but Werth succinctly explained that
insufficient contact indicates a lack of connection. It was subtle in Lucky
Strike, but “there is not enough weight in the reins,” she said. “The horse
needs the confidence to come into the reins; then you will get more forward and
a freer back.” She emphasized that her instructions to the demo riders were not
intended as “quick fixes”: “This is months and years [of training], not ten
minutes.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Werth wants the horse always to want to stretch into the
contact. Let’s rephrase that in a way you’ve probably heard in your dressage
lessons: The horse takes the rein forward; the rider does not produce contact
by pulling backward with the rein. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgduxZ81gTDiokZ0D2UDgKFb2XoSVm2nAUMuIjgL_qDmUbmlJWuRp0mazZeybLK-cs5B9_4unpNwLG_41zJzs7-OY665TsjMrv0p8h0Zuqii595qIvgtLAR9tuBwbRnZvodekP9qAdt5r0/s1600/Dressage+showcase+Isabell+clinic+Endel+Ots+Lucky+Strike+walk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgduxZ81gTDiokZ0D2UDgKFb2XoSVm2nAUMuIjgL_qDmUbmlJWuRp0mazZeybLK-cs5B9_4unpNwLG_41zJzs7-OY665TsjMrv0p8h0Zuqii595qIvgtLAR9tuBwbRnZvodekP9qAdt5r0/s400/Dressage+showcase+Isabell+clinic+Endel+Ots+Lucky+Strike+walk.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"He should look for the reins; don't throw away the reins." Endel Ots on Lucky Strike. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“When he asks for a bit more stretching, you give him,”
Werth told Ots during a walk break. “He should look for the reins; don’t throw
away the reins!” she said when Ots made a too-quick transition from contact to
“on the buckle.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Werth wrapped up Ots’s session with some canter work and
flying changes. “You only go in the canter when the horse walks,” she said,
meaning a quality marching walk into the contact.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s always basics first for Werth before any “tricks.” As
Ots prepared to ride some flying changes: “Before you change, first straight
canter and a good canter. Only a good canter can bring a good change.” When
Lucky Strike became overflexed to the inside: “He’s crooked. Forget the inside
flexion, and come with the leg and outside rein. Flex a little bit to the
outside, and come with the inside leg.” With the horse straightened, the canter
quality improved and the changes were easy.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDBHkWCtH9ZU_Wt3PCkrREz3dIBXbOXHlR8ms2fjpj0dqcjwaIX-KAnv-zwVKSjiM3wxEqR-gqp02imwdnDR5HWepw-0H219cAWbJGwtMkil9YlA74N-BP1eO5_dmOltuilKzjMDKNatM/s1600/Dressage+showcase+Isabell+clinic+portrait.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDBHkWCtH9ZU_Wt3PCkrREz3dIBXbOXHlR8ms2fjpj0dqcjwaIX-KAnv-zwVKSjiM3wxEqR-gqp02imwdnDR5HWepw-0H219cAWbJGwtMkil9YlA74N-BP1eO5_dmOltuilKzjMDKNatM/s400/Dressage+showcase+Isabell+clinic+portrait.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Direct, enthusiastic, funny: Isabell Werth of Germany during her clinic at the Dressage Showcase. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Werth’s love of training was evident: She got so involved in
working with Ots and Lucky Strike that she nearly shortchanged her final demo
pair, US Pan American Games team gold medalist Sabine Schut-Kery of California
aboard the eight-year-old Hanoverian mare Hellohalli. (Announcer Nicho Meredith
prompted Werth to wrap it up, which the Olympian either didn’t hear or ignored.
With the jump crew undoubtedly anxious to set the ring for the evening’s
competition, Meredith called time again, this time in German. Werth shot back,
“I don’t understand German,” which got a big laugh from the audience.)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Here we have to try to bring the croup lower and lower,”
Werth said to Schut-Kery, noting that Hellohalli likes to go with her croup a
bit higher than would be ideal for the upper-level work. But “We see here a lot
more self-carriage already” as compared to the seven-year-old Lucky Strike. “We
have to improve the mouth and that the horse stays a little bit lower behind.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd3J2yHNxOacpR-xEuHh9mjCcSj6-zrtJN8kSo9LvIdIzMH2CSxgTLmGrBox6H3qt7NoreqnaNwlCwPEaCqHvLMPyYZv1XpNX1fR5vLZLK-XSbOx3Litdo0Mk22jwLnvHUoaSeqGB68Sk/s1600/Dressage+showcase+Isabell+clinic+Sabine+Schut-Kery+Hellohalli.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd3J2yHNxOacpR-xEuHh9mjCcSj6-zrtJN8kSo9LvIdIzMH2CSxgTLmGrBox6H3qt7NoreqnaNwlCwPEaCqHvLMPyYZv1XpNX1fR5vLZLK-XSbOx3Litdo0Mk22jwLnvHUoaSeqGB68Sk/s400/Dressage+showcase+Isabell+clinic+Sabine+Schut-Kery+Hellohalli.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Werth coaches Sabine Schut-Kery on Hellohalli in canter half-pass right. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In preparing for tempi changes, “Sit heavy so she comes a bit
lower behind with a free swing. Ride contact to both reins in between the
changes.” Hellohalli demonstrated easy lines of three- and two-tempi changes;
then Werth asked Schut-Kery to try a one-tempi change. Even though Hellohalli
hasn’t practiced them, Schut-Kery’s correct riding and excellent timing
produced two separate “one-one” tempi changes.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ending with a bit of developing passage/piaffe work, Werth
told Schut-Kery to position the mare “in a little bit shoulder-in so she is not
jumping in the passage, so you can ask a little bit more for the diagonal.
Slowly, slowly. In shoulder-in and half-pass positioning, “Think slowly. Find
the rhythm.” Similarly, a tactfully ridden passage-piaffe transition while
allowing Hellohalli to find her balance resulted in a quality transition and
the maintenance of clear rhythms in the gaits.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Werth’s master class was over far too soon, but she packed a
remarkable amount of education into the short time. If you’re ever fortunate
enough to have the opportunity to see her teach and train, do it! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment--></div>
Jennifer Bryanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11564103939581631882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5447307720535795039.post-70010668601306888742017-03-31T21:53:00.000-04:002017-03-31T21:53:17.994-04:00First, the Fun Stuff<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTECoonZPM2EH2asaJ4KJXx5I8NRyjFA9e0U87UdNykUoBKwZQMXfIAZBe4gm7ioGgSc5qW7Y6efuZlrz_dwbEW7sPa2hU_78zWYyKA_OAjeMtVqBmW1nx_r1mC3JF-79HxZRBx_E6wGU/s1600/Dressage+showcase+Tristan+Tucker+parody.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTECoonZPM2EH2asaJ4KJXx5I8NRyjFA9e0U87UdNykUoBKwZQMXfIAZBe4gm7ioGgSc5qW7Y6efuZlrz_dwbEW7sPa2hU_78zWYyKA_OAjeMtVqBmW1nx_r1mC3JF-79HxZRBx_E6wGU/s400/Dressage+showcase+Tristan+Tucker+parody.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As the inept dressage rider "Brett Kidding," Aussie horsemanship expert Tristan Tucker brought laughs to the entertainment portion of the Dressage Showcase at the 2017 FEI World Cup Finals in Omaha. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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<!--StartFragment-->
<div class="MsoNormal">
Friday afternoon’s Dressage Showcase, held on the “dark day”
of no dressage competition at the 2017 FEI World Cup Dressage Final in Omaha,
was a split-personality event.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The first half consisted of lighthearted dressage
exhibitions and freestyle performances (with a dollop of educational value).
Audiences enjoyed them, but what I suspect got many of them in the door was the
second half of the showcase: a “through the levels” mini-clinic with the
world’s #1 ranked dressage rider (and winner of yesterday’s Grand Prix),
Isabell Werth of Germany.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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In a statistic that should prove heartening for the USDF,
which has dressage education as its core mission, more people came to watch the
Dressage Showcase than yesterday’s Grand Prix: 4,755 vs. 3,806, to be exact.
Put another way, last night’s round 1 of the World Cup Jumping Final drew 5,126
spectators—fewer than 400 more than attended the showcase. That’s a lot of
people who paid for dressage education in Omaha!</div>
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I want to do justice to Werth’s presentation, and it
dovetails nicely with another aspect of this event, which is the fact that the
warm-up is smack-dab in the middle of the facility—the trade-fair vendor booths
actually surround it—and so there’s a veritable feast of education for the taking
for anyone savvy enough to park themselves beside the warm-up. So I’m going to
tell you about the educational angles in my next blog post.</div>
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<o:p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpStbOWszlGfz8VowZC2fglny12CNS39_1Ygiaiu8K5cDcxq3wUTEa3cctC89_d3T5ia4PP62w33xniGIogMIhH56R7tb_WszPwJw1zcbW_U2KLt0GxQPuIB_AFUP1vcW3N9nF9Hq_qCQ/s1600/Dressage+showcase+Frontier+Strings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpStbOWszlGfz8VowZC2fglny12CNS39_1Ygiaiu8K5cDcxq3wUTEa3cctC89_d3T5ia4PP62w33xniGIogMIhH56R7tb_WszPwJw1zcbW_U2KLt0GxQPuIB_AFUP1vcW3N9nF9Hq_qCQ/s400/Dressage+showcase+Frontier+Strings.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Frontier Strings from the Omaha Conservatory of Music performed. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
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A Devocoux Saddlery demonstration-cum-exhibition served as a
preamble of sorts to the showcase, with a fancy liver chestnut horse passaging
extravagantly to show off his freedom of movement. Then the Dressage Showcase
opened with a performance by the Frontier Strings, a youth ensemble of Omaha
Conservatory of Music students.</div>
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<o:p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOefjINEA8qFQr5JKIMCYmBjY7n9T0CUduPNrXs05HZ-7DqFTRpZLrjBfB6vcVhvWqddsPGmBfbc4z5hrIneubxpdjJGS2a8VwQiCynVD0rv1Cr3UdILtK1V7i91_OcAQaUZbwmcyCypw/s1600/Dressage+showcase+80+percent+club+award.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOefjINEA8qFQr5JKIMCYmBjY7n9T0CUduPNrXs05HZ-7DqFTRpZLrjBfB6vcVhvWqddsPGmBfbc4z5hrIneubxpdjJGS2a8VwQiCynVD0rv1Cr3UdILtK1V7i91_OcAQaUZbwmcyCypw/s400/Dressage+showcase+80+percent+club+award.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">World Cup Dressage Final competitors Steffen Peters, Inessa Merkulova, Laura Graves, and Isabell Werth were honored for achieving scores of 80 percent or better in World Cup Final series competition. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
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</o:p></div>
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Audiences thrilled to see four of the world’s top dressage
riders—Steffen Peters and Laura Graves of the USA, Isabell Werth, and Inessa
Merkulova of Russia—together in the arena to receive the “80 Percent Award”:
jeweled browbands to commemorate their having earned a score of 80 percent or better
at a World Cup Dressage Final or qualifier. The award was created by
Dressage-News.com’s Ken Braddick, and Braddick was on hand to bestow the
browbands as well as a blingy belt for Werth, whom Braddick said is the only
rider to have achieved scores of 80 percent or better on three different
horses.</div>
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<o:p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFQ-tuSs7uqaLVw04XhdQ03kNFDcmt-LKhN7FyU9vNC9I_oSY3rUQF0kIN-MKe2zxz6UmWb6UYEKRwC9DAPknQRzD_MikJ50NW-C6-Wsq8jSXRhvnNOV8ypqtJq_s1ugnb_DV50Y5jGEE/s1600/Dressage+showcase+Katie+Jackson+para.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFQ-tuSs7uqaLVw04XhdQ03kNFDcmt-LKhN7FyU9vNC9I_oSY3rUQF0kIN-MKe2zxz6UmWb6UYEKRwC9DAPknQRzD_MikJ50NW-C6-Wsq8jSXRhvnNOV8ypqtJq_s1ugnb_DV50Y5jGEE/s400/Dressage+showcase+Katie+Jackson+para.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Katie Jackson, who lost part of her right leg to cancer, gave an impressive para-equestrian dressage demonstration. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
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Impressive freestyles by two high-performance
para-equestrian dressage riders followed. First up was Katie Jackson of Texas,
who lost part of her right leg to cancer. Riding the mare Royal Dancer, who is
a veteran of the 2014 World Equestrian Games and the 2016 Paralympics with
rider Roxanne Trunnell, Jackson performed a Grade 5 freestyle. Announcer Nicho
Meredith explained that para-dressage riders are classified into grades
according to severity of physical disability. Grade 5 is the least severe
(Grade 1 is the highest degree of disability), and its tests approximate US
Equestrian Third Level dressage, with walk, trot, and canter and lateral
movements but no flying changes.</div>
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<o:p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLo82el6ve_8PhXBYMkTyotlAcV2jy_c1O5uqmKb5dTpnx_Jt_nOGUnQ5HtiPDDMbv0g8684PawvplWad4o13KY_KYnZJMKpGEdFebt9qKCozLJraVHPItwe3F1RxONg241ZcRB-uWImw/s1600/Dressage+showcase+Annie+Peavy+para.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLo82el6ve_8PhXBYMkTyotlAcV2jy_c1O5uqmKb5dTpnx_Jt_nOGUnQ5HtiPDDMbv0g8684PawvplWad4o13KY_KYnZJMKpGEdFebt9qKCozLJraVHPItwe3F1RxONg241ZcRB-uWImw/s400/Dressage+showcase+Annie+Peavy+para.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Para-dressage freestyle by 2016 Paralympics competitors Annie Peavy and Lancelot Warrior. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
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The Grade 4 athlete Angela “Annie” Peavy, a 2016 Paralympic
Games veteran, rode her Rio freestyle with her longtime partner Lancelot
Warrior. Both riders did a good job of showcasing the talents and determination
of those talented equestrians who are determined not to let disabilities stand
in the way of their dreams.</div>
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It is its own discipline separate from dressage, but there’s
no denying that Western dressage has grown in popularity in recent years. Some
riders of stock breeds—particularly if they’d rather wear chaps than
breeches—have embraced the opportunity to compete against similar horses, in
their preferred tack and attire. And when it comes to excellence in both
dressage and Western dressage, surely one of the country’s best and most
well-known is the Florida-based Lynn Palm, who performed two Western dressage
musical freestyles—to Western music, of course, including “Riders in the Sky”
and the themes from <i>Bonanza</i> and other
classic TV westerns.</div>
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<o:p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBEKwefotdah1Ya1RcW4OmPTKqbW9TC3Fa5WpgcfujJ6j_yVDveUpciBpgPBoQZ9XaeC31QV2ua92rVD5q1PMV2lO0y-ouJLFXGOkXIpCeRJCsCTgThcVV54Q3RfFlEqyRtclkNQuSSyc/s1600/Dressage+showcase+Lynn+Palm+Western+dressage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBEKwefotdah1Ya1RcW4OmPTKqbW9TC3Fa5WpgcfujJ6j_yVDveUpciBpgPBoQZ9XaeC31QV2ua92rVD5q1PMV2lO0y-ouJLFXGOkXIpCeRJCsCTgThcVV54Q3RfFlEqyRtclkNQuSSyc/s400/Dressage+showcase+Lynn+Palm+Western+dressage.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Western dressage demo by Lynn Palm on Hot Royal. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
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Palm’s first mount was the appendix Quarter Horse Hot Royal.
Later in the program she was back aboard the colorful 20-year-old American
Paint Horse Rugged Painted Lark. Quarter Horse and equestrian sport enthusiasts
alike know his sire, the legendary Rugged Lark, who with Palm gave a memorable
bridleless exhibition at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Son Rugged Painted Lark
must be doing OK for himself, too, as he’s been immortalized as a Breyer model.</div>
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The top Young Rider Barbara “Bebe” Davis performed her
championship dressage freestyle to a medley of pop vocals including “Hundred
Miles” by Yall, “Here for You” by Kygo, and an updated version of the 1980s hit
“Ain’t Nobody (Loves Me Better).” But for some different musical innovation,
one needed only to look up in the stands during the freestyle performance of
FEI-level rider Amanda Johnson of Wisconsin, where a DJ appeared to be
live-mixing her music. Aboard the Hanoverian gelding Foley, Johnson rode to a
dance-worthy mix of Bruno Mars tunes including “Treasure” and “Chunky.”</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisWrTd593J5ZAGC830R3QdQsqPOc95p6cnDLj0EBN1QsHdMiaSe-pC18KMlQTy-B1gzK2B5tLhMif6jKZn0B-HYPjzTaylCN-CSRlGMOIQwABmL3g5-p_EKT5q_NigyecT01bLv8dC5So/s1600/Dressage+showcase+Amanda+Johnson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisWrTd593J5ZAGC830R3QdQsqPOc95p6cnDLj0EBN1QsHdMiaSe-pC18KMlQTy-B1gzK2B5tLhMif6jKZn0B-HYPjzTaylCN-CSRlGMOIQwABmL3g5-p_EKT5q_NigyecT01bLv8dC5So/s400/Dressage+showcase+Amanda+Johnson.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amanda Johnson on Foley. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgnLjW_lmUKIVgb0TKAlCUqbxPVNiR9PIPt8IKEP6UyBZcxdEt_NWa2Kma8G_AYSjvBoush-Fbct8jlMHrptKMVduNqV9rB_I4RKf0dLg5mKuSKJQyJ4KWeTScwBqvDM7cpqkv3qm1bQ4/s1600/Dressage+showcase+Amanda+Johnson+DJ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgnLjW_lmUKIVgb0TKAlCUqbxPVNiR9PIPt8IKEP6UyBZcxdEt_NWa2Kma8G_AYSjvBoush-Fbct8jlMHrptKMVduNqV9rB_I4RKf0dLg5mKuSKJQyJ4KWeTScwBqvDM7cpqkv3qm1bQ4/s200/Dressage+showcase+Amanda+Johnson+DJ.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Johnson's musical accompaniment? Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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(Are you starting to see why I’m saving the education for
later? There was a <i>lot </i>of
entertainment!)</div>
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A type of performance I hadn’t seen before was the pas de
deux with living props. That sounds peculiar, and it looked a bit unusual, with
five or six spotlighted groups of people standing in the purple-light-bathed
arena while dressage riders Missy Fladland and Grace Schoenfeld trotted and
cantered around them. The groups represented the “behind the scenes” supporters
all riders need—veterinarians, farriers, show organizers, and others—and a country-music
singer performed an original song honoring these unsung heroes’ efforts.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPBmg9HxZyycc4_RYFKmoakFo2ujQF-sdXGqPtQJxESrnXhXSA94Rz1_75szLkdb1PVR-m-APhNvt3gt4PO8YGYtesI9n0Bps3NnAWIr7ilnJqORKXfjq7lrcAHQw9P1RgBWcoY9aAcco/s1600/Dressage+showcase+Honoring+behind+the+scenes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPBmg9HxZyycc4_RYFKmoakFo2ujQF-sdXGqPtQJxESrnXhXSA94Rz1_75szLkdb1PVR-m-APhNvt3gt4PO8YGYtesI9n0Bps3NnAWIr7ilnJqORKXfjq7lrcAHQw9P1RgBWcoY9aAcco/s400/Dressage+showcase+Honoring+behind+the+scenes.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Honoring those who work behind the scenes in the horse industry: a unique pas de deux to an original song. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</o:p></div>
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The entertainment segment of the Dressage Showcase ended on
the day’s lightest note. The Australian “horsemanship guru” and equine
desensitizer donned an ill-fitting shadbelly, a stovepipe top hat, and a wig as
his equestrian alter ego, Brett Kidding. Aboard “Legless” (that’s a parody of
Steffen Peters’ Legolas, friends), “Brett” was an inept dressage rider
attempting to perform a Grand Prix test while voicing the imagined thoughts of
his long-suffering mount. “Brett” may have dreadful equitation, but I’d like to
see you execute one-tempi changes while “talking on the phone”! It’s safe to
say that it takes a really good rider to get a horse to perform well while
looking like a really bad rider.</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Jennifer Bryanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11564103939581631882noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5447307720535795039.post-51478733826857333342017-03-31T15:29:00.000-04:002017-03-31T15:29:39.100-04:00Equestrian Outreach: Spreading the Gospel of Horses<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9mK15ANbK3kFD6nQw8SW0JDjoQmVvrK_XTTgFWqcijo91eSjCBBcHSe_5HPrQoVEz7hgZ9icUaZw2vRL-ICRHOBSzPwXagvk59EDngtk9qO_NQN7yY1lFTFlI81oJ-CttwGNTVhEgmxc/s1600/Kid+on+horse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9mK15ANbK3kFD6nQw8SW0JDjoQmVvrK_XTTgFWqcijo91eSjCBBcHSe_5HPrQoVEz7hgZ9icUaZw2vRL-ICRHOBSzPwXagvk59EDngtk9qO_NQN7yY1lFTFlI81oJ-CttwGNTVhEgmxc/s400/Kid+on+horse.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A girl enjoys her first "horseback ride" at the FEI World Cup Finals. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
One of the stated goals of the 2017 FEI World Cup Finals organizers is to introduce horses and horse sports to more people in the Omaha area and beyond.<br />
<br />
To that end, along with the usual fancy high-end equestrian boutiques in the trade fair in the CenturyLink Center are lots of kid-friendly "intro to horses" interactive exhibits, a stableful of horses of various breeds for admiring, and other introductory-type attractions. As I wandered around the trade fair this morning, I found myself amidst throngs of schoolchildren on field trips -- most elementary-school-aged, some older -- as well as a good number of folks with various disabilities. Let's just say that the crowd did not look like the people we're accustomed to seeing at horse shows -- and that's a mighty welcome change. Quite frankly, the future of our industry and our sport depends on it.<br />
<br />
The kids seemed equally fascinated by the real horses and the make-believe ones. Volunteers were doing things guaranteed to appeal to the younger set, like drawing forth a long length of tubular pink material from a box and announcing the length of a horse's intestines. Of course the kids loved it, complete with laughter and the cries of "Ew, gross!"<br />
<br />
Confession: I loved it too. Among those tykes is undoubtedly one who will get bitten by the horse bug as completely and utterly as you and I did. And who knows: That little kid may well be our next McLain Ward or Laura Graves.<br />
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Ride on. Share your equine passion. And enjoy these photos.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd5_Nsh0hcofYed4uW0gVJHl9DcRIGukjDzikLFjxcJpgYx74fwx2yHj9e945V0QPnk-UyRxZZxNad3LSvHpn1wJVG3RgbECTg90Zs8tbWaEufXRxh_hT0g8Cq9dppxpOKvSQo30I9sTg/s1600/Kids+with+jumper+from+Uruguay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd5_Nsh0hcofYed4uW0gVJHl9DcRIGukjDzikLFjxcJpgYx74fwx2yHj9e945V0QPnk-UyRxZZxNad3LSvHpn1wJVG3RgbECTg90Zs8tbWaEufXRxh_hT0g8Cq9dppxpOKvSQo30I9sTg/s400/Kids+with+jumper+from+Uruguay.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Omaha venue is unique in that the competitors come cheek-to-jowl (or tail) with the spectators. Visiting schoolchildren watch as a groom returns the jumper Liborius from Uruguay to the stables after a hand-walk in the warm-up arena. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNRQnjp5IR4hOID_W14WBp-RotZ355nk8nwh3SrEvUpTSJa51sfv83Ctz9uADZDOdDBr6pbWppTSfA9QqMz-_6L-a7sM6alzodOCOBC0xOg1j8Lxfrez8uoUwvbo5oAEvinN4xvmUP1Ok/s1600/Endel+Ots+%2526+Western+rider.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNRQnjp5IR4hOID_W14WBp-RotZ355nk8nwh3SrEvUpTSJa51sfv83Ctz9uADZDOdDBr6pbWppTSfA9QqMz-_6L-a7sM6alzodOCOBC0xOg1j8Lxfrez8uoUwvbo5oAEvinN4xvmUP1Ok/s400/Endel+Ots+%2526+Western+rider.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The World Cup Finals aren't just about dressage and jumping. US dressage rider Endel Ots was spotted schooling a demonstration horse alongside a Western rider. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTbQ6gIOH0MCzOcyr9V6Gj-TciKce9qY9m1ZvSqMa4lW_HZUd1KA6zVSJSHsMFD53r_Xp0vFDxDLDqhMOzqJ6BpNRRE_0EqbMPNbF1cvbGXC5NjKKPiXoNePwIwT0-DgCuRtLOSqfGnM0/s1600/USDF+booth+Betsy+Hamilton+Sydney+Manning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTbQ6gIOH0MCzOcyr9V6Gj-TciKce9qY9m1ZvSqMa4lW_HZUd1KA6zVSJSHsMFD53r_Xp0vFDxDLDqhMOzqJ6BpNRRE_0EqbMPNbF1cvbGXC5NjKKPiXoNePwIwT0-DgCuRtLOSqfGnM0/s400/USDF+booth+Betsy+Hamilton+Sydney+Manning.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Of course, a trade fair is all about shopping! The USDF's Betsy Hamilton (left) and Sydney Manning are staffing the USDF merchandise booth. Stop by and say hello! Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />Jennifer Bryanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11564103939581631882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5447307720535795039.post-85220489733413840622017-03-30T21:04:00.001-04:002017-03-30T21:05:05.594-04:00It's Shaping up to Be an Isabell-Laura Showdown<i>Germany's Werth wins Grand Prix, with the USA's Laura Graves right behind</i><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifj6KNaKRpLKsAtgqjgvdX0I-iLFqGKGrKppQpnqN4AiK0_yKFa6ujltbiEdCcZJuiEDuOBZS2NbuqDTjrUk2tI9hKHwmmrMV0RRGEnrkd8um7iTcTZbituAEF0Ab5176gcIPdsXHnrxI/s1600/I+Werth+GP+0330.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifj6KNaKRpLKsAtgqjgvdX0I-iLFqGKGrKppQpnqN4AiK0_yKFa6ujltbiEdCcZJuiEDuOBZS2NbuqDTjrUk2tI9hKHwmmrMV0RRGEnrkd8um7iTcTZbituAEF0Ab5176gcIPdsXHnrxI/s400/I+Werth+GP+0330.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The queen of collection: Weihegold OLD's outstanding pirouettes and piaffe-passage tour put Germany's Isabell Werth on top in the World Cup Dressage Final Grand Prix. The photo captured the moment that Werth is making a transition from passage to piaffe, rocking the mare back on her haunches. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
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For much of the afternoon, British Olympic team gold
medalist Carl Hester and Nip Tuck looked untouchable in the Grand Prix, the
first leg of the 2017 FEI World Cup Dressage Final in Omaha.</div>
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Hester’s score of 76.671% set the bar high, and it wasn’t
until the last two riders that anyone was able to top it.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvZFS2xjTFdHrDkOv9wKGTd88zrRyoH-sZQPqTTufCh1kQCsxvuvXeUdlcNxqTyLxW_MGsUnttkk9pkzJRisUHKMJxTb6fI1bV6_B3_7fHkQzIfqZRAGBCyvKM4ZMpxo3b_sLnY3ilCXs/s1600/Grand+Prix+C+Hester+0330.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvZFS2xjTFdHrDkOv9wKGTd88zrRyoH-sZQPqTTufCh1kQCsxvuvXeUdlcNxqTyLxW_MGsUnttkk9pkzJRisUHKMJxTb6fI1bV6_B3_7fHkQzIfqZRAGBCyvKM4ZMpxo3b_sLnY3ilCXs/s400/Grand+Prix+C+Hester+0330.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great Britain's Carl Hester and Nip Tuck led in the Grand Prix until the last two riders. They finished third. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
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Dutchman Edward Gal, who won the Final in 2010 aboard
Totilas, seemed Hester’s closest contender. But his score of 74.485% with
Glock’s Voice put Gal in fourth place after the last of the 16 riders had gone.</div>
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Along the way, the USA saw strong scores from 2016 Olympians
Kasey Perry-Glass on Goerklintgaards Dublet (who finished seventh on 73.828%)
and Steffen Peters on his new partner, Rosamunde (eighth on 72.257%).
“Dublet’s” test showed lovely harmony and relaxation, with accurate and correct
work that prompted audio commentator and retired US FEI 5* dressage judge Axel
Steiner to call the 29-year-old Perry-Glass “one of our up-and-coming stars.” </div>
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“I think she has what it takes to really move up” in the international
standings,” Steiner said.</div>
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The almost ridiculously supple Rosamunde can flex her loins
and hindquarter joints so much that she can “pedestal” in the piaffe, and one
wonders if she can be a bit of a Gummy Worm in movements requiring straightness.
Her tempi changes “swing” a bit—more noticeable in the twos—and she became a
bit quick and frantic for a moment in the final piaffe/passage tour, probably a
result of a momentary loss of balance. But it’s important to keep in mind that
this mare is only 10 years old—and, as Steiner pointed out, Peters wasn’t
really aiming her for this World Cup Final; he knows she needs to mature a bit,
and she’ll be stronger, more experienced, and better by the time the 2018 FEI
World Equestrian Games and the 2020 Olympics roll around.</div>
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<o:p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyQOETHZjaHRvpiJ1koePaTu63HfH1l8STf-bD53DT5-nvMaPpGUySonG7ED-K4FNkDAkf7TTzBvYE_XXlI9n036q-fJEqTQIW6uMMn58cVgX5xc9cHZDMGdZVplqeaE3hu-jFfulsfxw/s1600/L+Graves+GP+0330.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyQOETHZjaHRvpiJ1koePaTu63HfH1l8STf-bD53DT5-nvMaPpGUySonG7ED-K4FNkDAkf7TTzBvYE_XXlI9n036q-fJEqTQIW6uMMn58cVgX5xc9cHZDMGdZVplqeaE3hu-jFfulsfxw/s400/L+Graves+GP+0330.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Although judge Katrina Wuest said Verdades has so much power that his straightness occasionally wavered, in this photo he appears arrow-straight with the USA's Laura Graves in piaffe on the center line. The top US pair was second in the Grand Prix. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
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In today’s Grand Prix, however, both Perry-Glass and Peters
took a back seat to the USA’s current number-one pair, Laura Graves and
Verdades, who didn’t quite break the 80-percent barrier with their score of
79.800, which was good enough for second place. Graves put in a powerful and
accurate test. There was one unsteady moment in the transition from passage to
extended walk, and from my vantage point it appeared that “Diddy’s” haunches
led in one canter half-pass right in the zigzags. The overall impression,
though, was of great correctness and gaits that head judge Katrina Wuest of
Germany praised as “maybe the best paces” of the three highest-placed
finishers.</div>
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The adage about saving the best for last was true today:
Isabell Werth of Germany, ranked number one aboard Weihegold OLD coming in to
this Final and favored to win, did not disappoint. Despite a flubbed line of
two-tempis that Werth later called pure rider error, the 12-year-old Oldenburg
mare put in collected work of such high quality that she alone broke 80,
winning the Grand Prix on a score of 82.300%. At the post-competition press
conference, Carl Hester praised Werth’s unsurpassed ability to produce
outstanding piaffe, passage, and other collected work from her mounts, with great
shortening of the strides yet maintaining maximum activity.</div>
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“I was very happy,” Werth said afterward. “She felt a little
bit tense when I came in, and of course there was big applause for Laura, so I
had to start a bit careful. Besides the two-tempis—and certainly it was my
fault, like always it’s the rider’s fault when you have mistakes—I felt safe.
The rest was really good, very fantastic. The pirouettes and piaffe/passage,
I’m completely happy, and I’m looking forward to the next days.”</div>
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“I came here to win,” Graves said, “and finishing second to
Isabell still feels a lot like winning. I’m super-proud of my horse and the way
he’s developed in the past two years. He’s extremely spooky; he’s a lot to
manage in that kind of environment. He felt really honest. We had a couple of
mistakes, mostly rider error, and they were unfortunately in double-coefficient
movements, but that puts me in a place to be very excited about
Saturday—knowing that if [I] ride clean, it could be a really good show.”</div>
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Wuest, who officiated at “C,” offered her assessment of the
day’s top finishers.</div>
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“Verdades is an extremely powerful horse…. But sometimes
Laura has to keep this big, big impulsion under control, and that made her
appear sometimes just a little crooked on the center line. Isabell’s horse is
extremely collected and does everything with ease and is extremely straight.
Except for the two-tempis, there was not the slightest hint of an inconsistency
or a mistake. The same with Carl. The motor of his horse is not a Ferrari, and
he knows, but he gets a 9 for [the entry halt and salute] for straightness and
accuracy.”</div>
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Hester has said many times that “Barney” is hot and spooky,
and he said that his World Cup strategy was “to give him an easy Grand Prix,
coast around so that he’s fresh for Saturday.” But I’m going to make sure I put
my foot on the pedal for Saturday,” he said in response to Wuest’s observation,
garnering laughs from the audience and the other riders.</div>
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Saturday, of course, is the one that counts: the Grand Prix
Freestyle, the winner of which will be crowned the 2017 FEI World Cup Dressage
Final champion.</div>
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One incident marred the otherwise outstanding day of
competition: Wendi Williamson of New Zealand was eliminated after the Grand
Prix when the FEI steward’s post-competition equipment check revealed blood in
the mouth of her mount, Dejavu MH. The FEI “blood rule” mandates automatic
elimination.</div>
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A score of 60% or better in the Grand Prix is required for a
World Cup Dressage Final competitor to advance to the freestyle final.
Therefore, the other rider who will not compete Saturday is Hanna Karasiova of
Belarus, who achieved only a 58.885% aboard Arlekino today.</div>
<!--EndFragment--><br /></div>
Jennifer Bryanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11564103939581631882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5447307720535795039.post-43893726301501407682017-03-30T13:37:00.002-04:002017-03-30T13:37:20.080-04:00And I Asked Myself, Well, How Did They Get Here?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWriiS_p9Ms-f1BrsZQ1IKxKYIFpArFPWPgf5gpkEYNIQEOODjrTf_MN6cdAfk-ilcwW-sB399u7SiRrpbWuL7B5Jx7IKTZubAyFgEgOcC587BJQUaZ2hyphenhyphentS1KDdbdPjGNC2RB-Fq9L_g/s1600/I+Werth+schooling+0329.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWriiS_p9Ms-f1BrsZQ1IKxKYIFpArFPWPgf5gpkEYNIQEOODjrTf_MN6cdAfk-ilcwW-sB399u7SiRrpbWuL7B5Jx7IKTZubAyFgEgOcC587BJQUaZ2hyphenhyphentS1KDdbdPjGNC2RB-Fq9L_g/s400/I+Werth+schooling+0329.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The leader: Isabell Werth of Germany on Weihegold OLD (shown schooling on March 29) is the highest-ranked competitor from the Western European League and is considered the favorite to win the 2017 FEI World Cup Dressage Final. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Winnowing all the world’s Grand Prix-level dressage
competitors down to the top 18 for the annual FEI World Cup Dressage Final is
quite a process. The <i>Féderation Equestre
Internationale</i>’s (FEI) rules for the 2016-2017 season, which is culminating
in the Final currently being held in Omaha, Nebraska, run 11 pages. Let me try
to distill them for you here.</div>
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The dressage World Cup (jumping has its own World Cup, being
held concurrently in Omaha) consists of a series of qualifying events plus the
Final. The qualifying events are known as CDI-Ws, which is FEI-speak for
FEI-sanctioned dressage competitions designated at World Cup Final qualifiers.
There were five CDI-Ws in the US this season: Devon in Pennsylvania and four in
Wellington, Florida.</div>
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As of the current season, there are four leagues in which
competitors may qualify: Western European League, Central European League,
North American League, and Pacific League (Australia and New Zealand). A rider
from a non-league nation may qualify in the Western European League if his or
her national federation completes the required red tape.</div>
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Horse/rider combinations qualify by earning points in their
respective leagues. Points are awarded based on class placings. There are
specified minimum and maximum numbers of qualifiers to be attended. Because the
World Cup Dressage Final championship is based on the results of the Grand Prix
Freestyle, it is the GP Freestyle that earns the qualifying points. To be
eligible to qualify for the Final, the competitor must earn two or more scores
of 68 percent or better.</div>
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Trust me, there are WAY more rules and intricacies regarding
league participation, qualifiers, and how points are awarded. But let’s skip
ahead to the actual process of determining who gets invited to the World Cup
Dressage Final.</div>
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The Final is limited to 18 horse/rider combinations. (There
are 16 in Omaha this year because two horses were withdrawn just before they
were scheduled to ship from Europe to the USA.) For the current season, here is
how the slots are allocated:</div>
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Western European League: 9 slots</div>
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Central European League: 2</div>
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Pacific League: 1</div>
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North American League: 2</div>
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Non-league national federations: 1</div>
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The World Cup Dressage Final title defender: 1</div>
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FEI extra starting places: 2</div>
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In the North American League, the two highest-ranked
combinations were Laura Graves on Verdades (1) and Kasey Perry-Glass on
Goerklintgaards Dublet (2). As an athlete from the host national federation
(the USA/US Equestrian), Steffen Peters on Rosamunde (ranked #3) got one of the
extra starting places. </div>
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The title defender, Hans Peter Minderhoud of the Netherland
on Glock’s Flirt, was unfortunately one of the combinations that had to
withdraw.</div>
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The non-league slot for 2017 went to Maria Florencia
Manfredi of Argentina on Bandurria Kacero. An extra starting place went to
Brazilian rider Joao Victor Marcari Oliva on Xama Dos Pinhais, who per the
rules qualified at Western European League CDI-W competitions.</div>
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Now that the final 16 are here, they will contest today’s
Grand Prix as a qualifier for Saturday’s Grand Prix Freestyle final. The FEI
doesn’t really want anyone who’s made it this far not to make it to the
Freestyle, so it set the bar fairly low: A score of 60 percent or better in the
Grand Prix qualifies you for the Freestyle. Then the results of the Freestyle
alone determine the World Cup Dressage Final placings.</div>
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Clear as mud? This is an oversimplified summary of the
qualifying process, but I hope it’s given you an idea of the path dressage
competitors from around the world had to take on the road to Omaha.</div>
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<!--EndFragment-->Jennifer Bryanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11564103939581631882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5447307720535795039.post-25290023635503450392017-03-30T12:06:00.000-04:002017-03-30T12:06:28.091-04:00Grand Prix Starting Order: It's a Draw<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0LZfJwxQnrLxzL4Bf1Me0Es6E2eOlEXlikiC7VOXEWaxNyhqe6oLvQuTkX7AIznnB6wH0UVh6hVXBMRx0I7sE2RGmZ2xB_RPW-aE_ln-hNDhaqoSKojENEbNOxKJf0hKBCQNa7oBKv8s/s1600/Draw+party+J+Reynolds+C+Hester+0329.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0LZfJwxQnrLxzL4Bf1Me0Es6E2eOlEXlikiC7VOXEWaxNyhqe6oLvQuTkX7AIznnB6wH0UVh6hVXBMRx0I7sE2RGmZ2xB_RPW-aE_ln-hNDhaqoSKojENEbNOxKJf0hKBCQNa7oBKv8s/s400/Draw+party+J+Reynolds+C+Hester+0329.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Judy Reynolds of Ireland and Carl Hester of Great Britain ready to draw the dressage starting order for the Grand Prix. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
There's a dressy hoopla at major international championships known as a draw party.<br />
<br />
In my limited experience, it's a chichi affair held at some cool offsite location, where competitors, coaches, officials, and assorted hangers-on (that would include yours truly, as a member of the media) gather to nosh on hors d'oeuvres, quench their thirst at the open bar, listen to music, and generally see and be seen.<br />
<br />
(Clarification: There usually aren't enough morsels to go around. And, being both on duty and on an empty stomach, yours truly figured she'd better lay off the sauce lest she end up either making a spectacle of herself or falling asleep in a corner.)<br />
<br />
The real purpose of this fete, however, is to draw the starting order for the next day's competition. I'm sure a simple computer program could dispatch this task easily and cheaply in seconds, but I guess it's considered more fun to stage a party around the event, with selected riders drawing numbers and names out of fishbowls for a bit of live entertainment. Last night, at <a href="http://www.omahazoo.com/" target="_blank">Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium</a>, orders of go were drawn for today's dressage Grand Prix and first round of jumping.<br />
<br />
For the dressage, competitors Judy Reynolds of Ireland and Carl Hester of Great Britain did the honors. There were the requisite speeches and acknowledgments, including a few words from the <a href="http://www.omahaequestrian.com/" target="_blank">Omaha Equestrian Foundation's</a> Lisa Roskens, the driving force behind the city's successful bid to host these FEI World Cup Finals.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3PsrDL_wDUlT3JpLVqz165avexXVAo9qdjSC9xDm37Xp_p82oFHU02g-NthH8W3yZ9qfMCbQ1I4dIcoe5MT86I0EXNo2J1PJtWgXdNKbXBX3uUpWIrP5_5p03JLyd0qxb8mzCAdx8dnY/s1600/Draw+party+trophies+0329.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3PsrDL_wDUlT3JpLVqz165avexXVAo9qdjSC9xDm37Xp_p82oFHU02g-NthH8W3yZ9qfMCbQ1I4dIcoe5MT86I0EXNo2J1PJtWgXdNKbXBX3uUpWIrP5_5p03JLyd0qxb8mzCAdx8dnY/s400/Draw+party+trophies+0329.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fishbowls containing numbers and rider names are displayed on stage along with the jumping and dressage World Cup Final trophies at the draw party. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I'm told I missed a great after-party (and real food!) in the aquarium, but I was hustling back to my hotel to rest up for today's big event, the Grand Prix. Here are the ride times and the results of the dressage draw. All times are local (CDT).<br />
<br />
2:00 p.m. Maria Florencia Manfredi (ARG)/Bandurria Kacero<br />
2:09 Edward Gal (NED)/Glock's Voice<br />
2:18 Marcela Krinke-Susmelj (SUI)/Smeyers Molberg<br />
2:27 Hanna Karasiova (BLR)/Arlekino<br />
2:36 Joao Victor Marcari Oliva (BRA)/Xama Dos Pinhais<br />
2:45 Carl Hester (GBR)/Nip Tuck<br />
2:54 Mai Tofte Olesen (DEN)/Rustique<br />
3:03 Madeleine Witte-Vrees (NED)/Cennin<br />
BREAK<br />
3:32 Kasey Perry-Glass (USA)/Goerklintgaards Dublet<br />
3:41 Steffen Peters (USA)/Rosamunde<br />
3:50 Judy Reynolds (IRL)/Vancouver K<br />
3:59 Kristy Oatley (AUS)/Du Soleil<br />
4:08 Wendi Williamson (NZL)/Dejavu MH<br />
4:17 Inessa Merkulova/RUS)/Mister X<br />
4:26 Laura Graves (USA)/Verdades<br />
4:35 Isabell Werth (GER)/Weihegold OLD.<br />
<br />
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<br />Jennifer Bryanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11564103939581631882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5447307720535795039.post-34169191059828442792017-03-29T19:01:00.001-04:002017-03-29T19:01:52.172-04:00All Pass Jog; on with the Show!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8JkbY3dSgJUxN4NqZ_PPUzAFuiiPXZpj-TGsE-mip703sUQ9r0tJ9TXZRQmqxNNoxPbJv4EZpnf58nlZ6T31PHJkdFBFBRgL2G_Ux-JzyFPzfWBUNvBCsEBBfNPMZljKWoqOSNCDf-Bw/s1600/Jog+E+Gal+0329.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8JkbY3dSgJUxN4NqZ_PPUzAFuiiPXZpj-TGsE-mip703sUQ9r0tJ9TXZRQmqxNNoxPbJv4EZpnf58nlZ6T31PHJkdFBFBRgL2G_Ux-JzyFPzfWBUNvBCsEBBfNPMZljKWoqOSNCDf-Bw/s400/Jog+E+Gal+0329.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Netherlands' Edward Gal jogs Glock's Voice. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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All 16 competitors at the 2017 FEI World Cup Dressage Final have cleared the final pre-competition hurdle: Their mounts have passed the horse inspection, aka "the jog" or, in Britain, "the trot-up."<br />
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In the horse inspection, the four-member FEI Veterinary Commission appointed for this competition watches as each horse is jogged in hand on a straight line, down and back in a prescribed pattern. The objective: to determine whether the horse is fit to compete.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdn6VyEPatZ_no3nNHs4uj9dNyzxGvqi1X2UE3EMTdUyXdN4WMemoeZ62ViaCQy4nzSR5cyb-mta9NBPsxZ15OEoo35lJx1U2kopGia3bF7f3fRWyhNeteH_327QlyY_-SCHE793s0CnM/s1600/Jog+L+Graves+0329.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdn6VyEPatZ_no3nNHs4uj9dNyzxGvqi1X2UE3EMTdUyXdN4WMemoeZ62ViaCQy4nzSR5cyb-mta9NBPsxZ15OEoo35lJx1U2kopGia3bF7f3fRWyhNeteH_327QlyY_-SCHE793s0CnM/s400/Jog+L+Graves+0329.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laura Graves and Verdades of the USA. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Occasionally the excitement, coupled with the crowd of onlookers and the wall of journalists' clicking cameras, gets the better of a horse, as it did for the first horse to jog, Argentina's Bandurria Kacero (they jog in alphabetical order by country name). If officials aren't able to see enough trot because of equine hijinks, they'll ask the competitor to jog again. But apparently Bandurria Kacero wasn't so crazy that they couldn't evaluate him.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjuGzaClna4iylLhj3cyZF5r-T4ILLZsBwzCwPv8EziUPp8qLwHWxqysRxl4kcpG0HXUgPMt86IrrFSJSfk-wczD2ecFEcoZ3ZvlbmhyzGTxfKx3sQpMWq8L7Fw1_OWzNA4PjRxvtaFHk/s1600/Jog+MF+Manfredi+0329.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjuGzaClna4iylLhj3cyZF5r-T4ILLZsBwzCwPv8EziUPp8qLwHWxqysRxl4kcpG0HXUgPMt86IrrFSJSfk-wczD2ecFEcoZ3ZvlbmhyzGTxfKx3sQpMWq8L7Fw1_OWzNA4PjRxvtaFHk/s400/Jog+MF+Manfredi+0329.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At least one horse typically gets overexcited during the jog. Maria Florencia Manfredi of Argentina has her hands full with Bandurria Kacero. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp0aoD8tg-y5JSSY7qtjeTQqoKN0IVErspWV04-RhqKi2B0mP6g1i1hRILAgfkUF1vhmE9G3O5qTli6BFkfByxRFRxZbrZ5-KaFYdqc0wwWqUhu8wgW01rbyp9t7c45AF3ULVKhZbPgWI/s1600/Jog+I+Merkulova+0329.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp0aoD8tg-y5JSSY7qtjeTQqoKN0IVErspWV04-RhqKi2B0mP6g1i1hRILAgfkUF1vhmE9G3O5qTli6BFkfByxRFRxZbrZ5-KaFYdqc0wwWqUhu8wgW01rbyp9t7c45AF3ULVKhZbPgWI/s400/Jog+I+Merkulova+0329.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inessa Merkulova of Russia had to jog Mister X twice before the horse was accepted for competition. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The only rider whose heart must have been in her mouth for a few tense moments was Inessa Merkulova of Russia, who was asked to jog Mister X a second time -- and not because he was being unruly. The veterinarians do that when they think they see something the first time around and want to have another look. Merkulova was undoubtedly relieved when Mister X was passed after repeating the jog.<br />
<br />
So, now, on with the show! The World Cup Dressage Final competition gets under way tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. CDT with the Grand Prix. Per World Cup rules, the Grand Prix does not itself count toward the final placings; it serves only as a qualifier for the Grand Prix Freestyle, the results of which determine the winner.Jennifer Bryanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11564103939581631882noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5447307720535795039.post-10118526217606746342017-03-29T17:06:00.000-04:002017-03-29T17:06:09.942-04:00Getting to Know You<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTBv9hscvaOgLgpB3yD_nTBCUZEvwZDocUVlEnzUIM-sw-2k75SKl3Gx55YuCxT51WYwH3p4f3ITwhihk17RUrsC6TsRzoWWJcsVBhNT7uB4v3ft_p-ayoEuFBAeX50MvlLMH0-Jm2rJc/s1600/I+Werth+L+Graves+schooling+0329.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTBv9hscvaOgLgpB3yD_nTBCUZEvwZDocUVlEnzUIM-sw-2k75SKl3Gx55YuCxT51WYwH3p4f3ITwhihk17RUrsC6TsRzoWWJcsVBhNT7uB4v3ft_p-ayoEuFBAeX50MvlLMH0-Jm2rJc/s400/I+Werth+L+Graves+schooling+0329.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The USA's Laura Graves on Verdades (left) and Germany's Isabell Werth on Weihegold OLD shared the ring for the final dressage-familiarization session before World Cup Dressage Final competition commences tomorrow. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Dressage enthusiasts—and, judging by some of the questions
being aimed at audio commentator and dressage judge Axel Steiner, spectators
new to the sport—showed up bright and early at the CenturyLink Center this
morning to watch three and a half hours of “dressage familiarization.”</div>
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In this important final step in prepping horses and riders
for the 2017 FEI World Cup Dressage Final in Omaha, competitors are allowed
unstructured time in the main competition area to school and to accustom their
horses to the surroundings. They’ve been in there earlier in the week, but
without the flowers, judges’ stands, banners, and, of course, the spectators.
Because many horses have a “Who moved the furniture?” response when
surroundings change, it’s only fair to allow them to see the venue in its final
form before asking them to go in and perform when the judges are watching.</div>
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Tightly structured and scheduled, and supervised by the FEI
stewards (who included <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">USDF Connection</i>
advisor Elisabeth Williams and USDF vice president Lisa Gorretta), the
competitors were allotted 30-minute time blocks. There were four groups of
three and two groups of two, owing to the pre-competition withdrawal of
Germany’s Unee BB due to colic and the Netherlands’ Glock’s Flirt (the 2016
champion) after an injury.</div>
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To the casual observer, the riders appeared to be running
through some test movements and doing a bit of last-minute schooling. But as
Axel Steiner pointed out, some were dealing with such issues as tight backs and
tension in a nonconfrontational but effective way. Steiner, whose audio
commentary throughout the competition is accessible via the FEI World Cup
Finals Omaha 2017 app for iOS and Android, narrated what turned out to be a
master class in how the world’s top riders deal with the same issues that you
and I face with our own horses at home and at shows.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR4EJQuabdQyJdsuyQBbwlJgED9Mh_houQyYE0Dq0fo6oIcPb1RyaGLVwAaB8c9ZnAz9V3HFyFpnVQCl3wYbqBkydfpA0hwn1IzrM4onPDrnu0bC_bjTn2EFzKxPrnT7yBeqxSDd7wTIc/s1600/C+Hester+Nip+Tuck+schooling+0329.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR4EJQuabdQyJdsuyQBbwlJgED9Mh_houQyYE0Dq0fo6oIcPb1RyaGLVwAaB8c9ZnAz9V3HFyFpnVQCl3wYbqBkydfpA0hwn1IzrM4onPDrnu0bC_bjTn2EFzKxPrnT7yBeqxSDd7wTIc/s400/C+Hester+Nip+Tuck+schooling+0329.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great Britain's Carl Hester and Nip Tuck. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
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Great Britain’s Carl Hester on Nip Tuck was first into the
ring, along with Marcela Krinke-Susmelj of Switzerland on Smeyers Molberg and
Danish rider Mai Tofte Olesen on Rustique. “Barney” is notoriously spooky, and
so Hester spent time schooling transitions as well as riding down center line
toward C. Directly behind the short side at C is a VIP seating area with table
drapes and waiter service, so competitors want to be sure they have their
mounts’ full attention, even during halts and salutes.</div>
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The Argentinian rider Maria Florencia Manfredi on Bandurria
Kacero, who competed in Wellington, Florida, this winter, has less experience
in indoor venues than many of the other World Cup Final competitors, according
to Steiner. The 12-year-old Argentinian gelding (by Wonder Boy) handled the
atmosphere well, however. More rattled was Dejavu MH (De Niro x Anamour), a
12-year-old Hanoverian gelding owned and ridden by Wendi Williamson of New
Zealand. Dejavu looked tense and “on the muscle,” and Williamson left after
only about 16 minutes. Steiner speculated that the rider may have decided to
resume the training session in the comparatively more private setting of the
warm-up arena.</div>
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Manfredi and Williamson were accompanied by Ireland’s Judy
Reynolds on Vancouver K (Jazz x Ferro). Some American audiences saw this pair
last year when they won the Grand Prix and the GP Freestyle at Dressage at
Devon (PA) in September, and that same month claimed the GP Freestyle
championship at the Rolex Central Park Horse Show in New York City. Reynolds,
who is ranked 19<sup>th</sup> in the world, showed three quality gaits and
accurate riding. It was around this time during the familiarization sessions
that the audience began applauding the riders when they entered and departed,
as well as breaking into spontaneous applause when they saw movements that
impressed them. Left alone in the arena after Manfredi left, Reynolds drew
applause for Vancouver K’s piaffe.</div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUdSjSSRsignl8GRL6BgY1hyphenhyphenwMxMe-mUp07Mi44deMSkFUi1HZ7gMKeSVc_oLqlYHT4sPLXqfn5kM8UgoboP4Hv58MJrtz7U-johD5rF2pUkxtTIKgUcc4TxtdqIYgWZTY1lM2Tb44Hko/s1600/US+supporters+schooling+0329.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUdSjSSRsignl8GRL6BgY1hyphenhyphenwMxMe-mUp07Mi44deMSkFUi1HZ7gMKeSVc_oLqlYHT4sPLXqfn5kM8UgoboP4Hv58MJrtz7U-johD5rF2pUkxtTIKgUcc4TxtdqIYgWZTY1lM2Tb44Hko/s400/US+supporters+schooling+0329.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Supporters and coaches from each nation watch intently when their representatives are in the ring. The USA contingent looks on as Kasey Perry schools Goerklintgaards Dublet. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The first American of the day entered with the next group of
riders. Kasey Perry on the 14-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding Goerklintgaards
Dublet (Diamond Hit x Ferro) was accompanied by the Netherlands’ Madeleine
Witte-Vrees on Cennin, a 10-year-old Dutch stallion (Vivaldi x Donnerhall); and
by Hanna Karasiova of Belarus on Arlekino, an 11-year-old gelding (Aromats x
Gudvils). Witte-Vrees left the arena after less than 10 minutes, leaving the
two remaining horses as an interesting compare/contrast opportunity for
Steiner. The expert commentator helped the audience to see that Arlekino’s
extravagant foreleg action is not always matched by equal activity and
engagement from his hind legs, and that he occasionally lost the rhythm of the
passage gait, with his legs not always in diagonal-pair sync. “Dublet’s” canter
work was strong, the passage somewhat less so, Steiner said. But his walk was
excellent.</div>
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<o:p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf8hGsnybYCjwvoAEV1MbYsb9S9uAWSiE_TrNvHKQqZ1TPGE2y19FpQ9R7zk143Ks32TTaGd90w4IirpVOOnKf3P4Rw28H4uwJXR4f9VnGS7jtNxluXzrnBoP1kXh7PLVC1_HrPUtRelk/s1600/K+Perry+Dublet+schooling+0329.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf8hGsnybYCjwvoAEV1MbYsb9S9uAWSiE_TrNvHKQqZ1TPGE2y19FpQ9R7zk143Ks32TTaGd90w4IirpVOOnKf3P4Rw28H4uwJXR4f9VnGS7jtNxluXzrnBoP1kXh7PLVC1_HrPUtRelk/s400/K+Perry+Dublet+schooling+0329.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The USA's Kasey Perry and Goerklintgaards Dublet. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
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The final group of three riders included both the oldest
competitor at this World Cup Dressage Final (Russia’s Inessa Merkulova, 52) and
the youngest (Brazilian Joao Victor Marcari Oliva, 21). They were joined about
seven minutes later by past World Cup Final champion Edward Gal of the
Netherlands, riding the 15-year-old KWPN stallion Glock’s Voice (De Niro x
Rohdiamant). </div>
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<o:p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjawypC8uTCeAuN4hu_dfmtRr9eAJNiO2Dnlofolv-aN_xgbfqDEyCTqpDxB5d3Gojc-d_0c0mHvdbWktQIsrgijgBeYa-pPsgv6MsJ8mAdT_px5RQGZT53MfPMn5u9HN8HwDU_JQuKE9g/s1600/H+P+Minderhoud+schooling+0329.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjawypC8uTCeAuN4hu_dfmtRr9eAJNiO2Dnlofolv-aN_xgbfqDEyCTqpDxB5d3Gojc-d_0c0mHvdbWktQIsrgijgBeYa-pPsgv6MsJ8mAdT_px5RQGZT53MfPMn5u9HN8HwDU_JQuKE9g/s400/H+P+Minderhoud+schooling+0329.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even though his mount Glock's Flirt went lame and was unable to travel to Omaha, Dutch rider Hans Peter Minderhoud (right) made the trip to support his partner, Edward Gal, who is competing with Glock's Voice. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
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Merkulova and her mount, Mister X, a 13-year-old Trakehner
gelding (by Egeus), are World Cup Dressage Final veterans. The newbies are
Marcari Oliva and the 15-year-old Lusitano stallion Xama Dos Pinhais, although
they seemed composed in the electric atmosphere of the CenturyLink Center.
Steiner draw his listeners’ attention to the precision and tactfulness of Gal’s
riding. Glock’s Voice entered the arena short and tight in the neck, but
through Gal’s skillful riding the stallion relaxed and showed why he’s
predicted to be among the top finishers in Omaha. Extremely active hind legs
and great suppleness made for eye-popping trot half-passes and canter
pirouettes. </div>
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The USA’s own Captain America, Steffen Peters, got a big
round of applause from the largely American audience when he entered the ring
on his new international mount, Rosamunde, along with Australia’s Kristy Oatley
on Du Soleil. </div>
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“I judged ‘Rosie’s’ first Grand Prix ever, at a small show
in [Peters’ home state of] California,” Steiner said. The Rhinelander mare
(Rock Forever x Fidermark) is only 10 years old and can be a bit unpredictable,
he added, pointing out that “Rosie” is the greenest of the US World Cup
Dressage Final entries and is not yet as secure and confident in the Grand Prix
as the more experienced (and higher ranked) Dublet and Verdades. Peters, who
occasionally stopped to confer with US <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">chef
d’équipe</i> Robert Dover during the session, gave the mare plenty of walk
breaks and did a substantial amount of stretching work on a longer rein,
starting and finishing in rising trot. He also rode a number of movements on a
longer-than-usual rein, seeming to be staying out of Rosie’s way and allowing
her to loosen herself up and find her balance in a relaxed manner.</div>
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<o:p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQXLpMasfh5hsKa9xKarddpnNUJrQUd-eeUBGZMc6IETKB8KaY_njWIi82ucv9UlyjcRTaugqI0uGlCdcrBcVLU3q0cFwvr7gpnG1P5Ta65XsXbR4TsnhG8nJxlZbLe7RkP-GQE-JGFeg/s1600/S+Peters+Rosamunde+schooling+0329.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQXLpMasfh5hsKa9xKarddpnNUJrQUd-eeUBGZMc6IETKB8KaY_njWIi82ucv9UlyjcRTaugqI0uGlCdcrBcVLU3q0cFwvr7gpnG1P5Ta65XsXbR4TsnhG8nJxlZbLe7RkP-GQE-JGFeg/s400/S+Peters+Rosamunde+schooling+0329.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steffen Peters on Rosamunde chats with US chef d'equipe Robert Dover during his familiarization session. Photo by Jennifer Bryant.</td></tr>
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The 13-year-old Hanoverian gelding Du Soleil (De Niro x
Caprimond) looked more “finished” by comparison. There were a few moments of
tension, but Oatley appeared to be concentrating largely on increasing the
activity and closing her mount’s hind legs to the bridle.</div>
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Steiner did everything but sing the praises of the
number-one-ranked rider, Germany’s Isabell Werth, as she worked through some
tension and a tight back with her mount, the 12-year-old Oldenburg mare
Weihegold OLD (Don Schufro x Sandro Hit). Werth, who as of the 2016 Olympics
became the most decorated Olympic equestrian in history, is a true master who’s
probably dealt with every possible equine situation. Going back to some simpler
work, such as three-tempi flying changes, she slowly loosened up Weihegold’s body
and gained her focus; then there were no problems with the Grand Prix-level
work. Werth executed several outstanding pirouettes, prompting Steiner to
remark that “Isabell can ride a pirouette on a serving plate.”</div>
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Werth shared the arena with America’s top-ranked pair, Laura
Graves on her Dutch Warmblood gelding, Verdades (Florett As x Goya). Dressage
enthusiasts know that “Diddy” can be hot and spooky, and that he’s not always
crazy about indoor arenas. He may not have had much opportunity to be in an
indoor since the 2015 World Cup Final in Las Vegas, so Graves could be seen
using her ring time to help Diddy overcome his own tension, which he showed by
becoming a bit tight in his body and strong in the hand while his hind legs can
be a bit more “open” than Graves would like. Like many riders, Graves schooled
the halt and rein back at C, and also practiced the transition from passage to
extended walk. (USDF members will learn more about that transition, and Graves’
other training techniques, in the May issue of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">USDF Connection</i>.) Graves also sweetened the deal for Diddy by
occasionally halting and feeding him a lump of sugar.</div>
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Final pre-competition rides completed, the next and last
hurdle on the journey to Omaha is the dressage horse inspection, scheduled for
later this afternoon.</div>
Jennifer Bryanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11564103939581631882noreply@blogger.com0