Clarksburg, Maryland, July 18, 2012 – Barbara Strawson of Maryland, and her recently acquired Holsteiner gelding, Amicelli, won top Grand Prix honors at the 2012 Dressage at Lexington Horse Show on July 13-15 held at the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington, VA.
Winning first place in both Saturday’s FEI Grand Prix, and then again in Sunday’s $500 Challenge FEI Grand Prix TOC sponsored by Cumberland Farm with a 66.968%, Strawson is now poised to compete in the Dressage at Devon Horse Show at the end of September.
“Amicelli is a consummate showman,” said Strawson. “He clearly loves what he does. We both experienced a period of adjustment on the road to building a solid partnership in the ring, but I have been pleased with our results. By our second show, we received the final scores for our USDF Gold Medal. I am thrilled with this accomplishment, and look forward to the rest of the season. In a handful of shows, we have qualified for the BLMs, the regional finals, and have now received our qualifying scores for Devon!”
Amicelli is a 1996 Holsteiner gelding by Amigo xx out of Thea by Calypso 3. The 17.2hh Chestnut was imported by Ute Busse and Wendy Beresford as a 4-year-old from the Holsteiner Elite Auction in Germany. In 2010, Amicelli won Second Place in the Grand Prix at Dressage at Devon, and placed Fourth in the Grand Prix Special. Prior to that, he was short-listed twice for the Canadian Dressage Team at the Grand Prix level. He has competed at International CDIs throughout North America as well as on the very competitive Wellington Florida circuit. In 2009, he was awarded the Dressage Canada Red Scarf Athlete of the Month for April. Amicelli is co-owned by Strawson and Jennifer Foulon.
Barbara Strawson is an FEI Grand Prix dressage competitor, trainer, and instructor who has brought her 20 years of experience to training and competing horses from USDF Training level through FEI Grand Prix. Earning her USDF Bronze, Silver, and Gold medals as well as her USDF Silver Freestyle Bar, Barb continues to seek out and provide excellent levels of education.
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