Category Archives: Dressage

The Discipline of Riding Dressage

Contango Son Don Tango High Score Dressage at KWPN Stallion Performance Test

Don Tango by Contango was the High Score Dressage Stallion at the 2011 KWPN Spring Stallion Performance Testing. Photo by Jacob Melissen

Coatesville, PA – Contango’s son Don Tango was awarded the High Score Dressage stallion at the 2011 KWPN Spring Stallion Performance Test. The handsome young stallion received 9s on rideability, temperament, self-carriage and balance during the testing. Don Tango became the fourth Approved Stallion by Iron Spring Farm’s Preferent stallion Contango, joining Citango, Maestro and Ravel. Contango, who won both the jumping and dressage portions of his own stallion testing, has become recognized as one of the most influential KWPN stallions of his generation.

“We were very excited about Don Tango’s success at the Stallion Testing. His sire was an exceptional horse to ride,” said his Contango’s owner and rider Mary Alice Malone. Contango and Mary Alice won 33 Grand Prix titles, including the prestigious Grand Prix at Dressage at Devon-CDI-W. Unfortunately Contango passed away in 2007, but he is still available to breeders via excellent quality frozen semen.

Don Tango received excellent scores at his stallion testing. His walk and canter each earned an 8, and his trot received an 8.5. In addition to his exceptional movement, the judges described Don Tango as a balanced stallion with a good temperament. Don Tango is out of Oronia Keur, who is by Jazz Preferent out of the Star mare Joyce, by Ulft Keur.

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California’s Young Horse Talent on Display during Dressage at Flintridge CDI*/Y/J

John and Lisa Seger of Markel Insurance present the Markel/USEF 5-Year-Old Western Selection Trial championship ribbon to Sabine Schut-Kery and Sanceo (Photo courtesy of Genia Ply Photography).

Burbank, CA – Young dressage horses were the stars of the weekend in the historic and pastoral setting of the Flintridge Riding Club for Dressage at Flintridge CDI*/Y/J, May 26-29, 2011 in La Cañada-Flintridge, CA. As host of the Markel/USEF Young Horse Western Selection Trial for the FEI/WBFSH World Breeding Championships in Verden (GER) and the final Pan American Games qualifying competition for Southern California, competitors made the most of the opportunity to try to earn scores worthy of securing an invitation to represent their country on an international stage.

In the Five-Year-Old division of the Markel/USEF Young Horse Western Selection Trial, the standout performer was Sanceo, a brown Hanoverian stallion (San Remo x Rivera by Ramiro’s Son II, bred in Germany by Gerhard Dustmann) ridden by Sabine Schut-Kery of Thousand Oaks, CA, for owner Alice Womble-Heitman of Hempstead, TX. Winner of last fall’s California Dressage Society (CDS) Young Horse Futurity as a four year old, Sanceo impressed the judges to earn 8.12 in the Preliminary Test (40%) and 8.30 in the Final Test (60%) for an overall score of 8.23, the championship ribbon, and a possible ticket to Verden.

“This stallion is such an elegant and light type of horse,” noted judge Natalie Lamping (4* USA). “He’s just what we’re looking for in this division.”

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Weber Wins in Vecsés

Chester Weber (USA) won the dressage and stayed in the lead throughout the competition in Vecsés to claim the first CAIO victory of his career. (c) Marie de Ronde-Oudemans.

Vecsés (HUN), 5 June 2011 – Chester Weber, the USA’s top four-in-hand driver, has won the international combined driving competition in Vecsés, Hungary this weekend. Weber took the lead in the dressage and held onto the top spot throughout the weekend. Dutch driver Koos de Ronde was runner-up, ahead of Vecsés-organizer József Dobrovitz, but it was the home side Hungary that won the nations competition, ahead of The Netherlands and Germany.

Birthday present
Chester Weber celebrated his 36th birthday on 3 June with the victory in the dressage competition at Vecsés. The five O-judges, chaired by Dr Franz-Josef Vetter from Germany, were impressed and unanimously awarded Weber’s test first place. Chester used Jane F. Clark’ s two KWPN-geldings Uniek and Splash, which previously formed the pair of US pair driver Keady Cadwell. Before the dressage, Chester had some discussions with his trainer Michael Freund about whether or not to use the new horses at Vecsés, but Chester decided he had to try them somewhere. Chester got his way; the team went beautifully and put down a fantastic performance. József Dobrovitz came second in the dressage, ahead of Zoltán Lázár.

Marathon heat
The marathon was won by Werner Ulrich of Switzerland. Ulrich drove his team of three Lusitanian horses and a Swiss-bred gelding very fast through the eight difficult obstacles, designed by Gabor Fintha from Hungary. The thermometer at the start of the marathon indicated no less than 39 degrees Celsius, but the Portuguese Lusitanian horses proved that they are used to the heat and took Ulrich into first place. Koos de Ronde had to take an extra loop in the last obstacle which cost him precious seconds and the victory in this exciting phase. Zoltán Lázár finished third in the marathon. Weber was further down the order in sixth, but still held onto the overall lead going into the cones.

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Dressage Radio Episode 106 – Equine Biomechanics & KDA

Author Karin Blignault unravels the basic philosophies behind Equine Biomechanics for Riders and we have a report from the Kentucky Dressage Association’s spring show. Plus two new features begin on this week’s episode so take a listen right here.

Dressage Radio Episode 106 – Show Notes and Links:

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In Memoriam: Henri Chammartin (SUI), 1918-2011

Henri Chammartin (SUI) and Woermann during their winning test at the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games

Lausanne (SUI), 2 June 2010 – Olympic and European Dressage champion Henri Chammartin (SUI) passed away this week at the age of 92. A legend in the Dressage world, he competed in five consecutive editions of the Olympic Games – Helsinki 1952, Stockholm 1956, Rome 1960, Tokyo 1964, and Mexico 1968 – winning a total of five medals.

During his first Olympic participation in 1952, Chammartin was a member of the Swiss team that claimed team silver. He received his second Olympic medal – a team bronze – in 1956.

Henri Chammartin became Olympic champion in 1964 and also won his second team silver that year. He rode the 13-year-old Swedish-bred Woermann which had travelled to Tokyo only as a reserve horse to his stablemate and reigning European champion Wolfdietrich, which was unfortunately lame.

Tokyo 1964 was the first Olympic Games to which horses were flown by aircraft. The Swiss team departed from Amsterdam on 28 September at noon and arrived, with a stop-over in Anchorage, Alaska, on 29 September at 3pm.

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This Week in International Disciplines – June 1, 2011

Dressage

Dressage preparations for the Pan American Games continued as Prix St Georges and Intermediaire I competition took place at CDIs across the country. Jan Ebeling swept the small tour at CDI Flintridge with Rosenzauber 8, scoring 70.263% in the Prix St Georges, 70.702% in the Intermediaire I and 70.292% in the Freestyle.

For complete results please visit www.cornerstonedressage.com/results/2011_7.pdf.

At the CDI Lexington, Lisa Wilcox and Pikko del Cerro HU dominated the Small Tour. They scored 71.008% in the Prix St. Georges and 76.624% in the Intermediaire I. Claire Darnell won the Intermediaire I Freestyle with a score 73.458%.

For more information, please visit: http://www.kentuckydressageassociation.org/.

In the small tour at CDI Allentown in New Jersey, Canadian Ashley Holzer took the top spot in the Prix St. Georges, but Cesar Parra, the 2010 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF National Intermediaire I Dressage Champion, was second on Grandioso with a score of 70.395%. Holzer continued her winning ways in the Intermediaire I, where Endel Ots took second with Toscano on a score of 69.430%. Parra then went on to win the Freestyle with a score of 72.417% Holzer also won the Grand Prix on her veteran Pop Art, local rider Lauren Sammis was second with Sagacious HF with a score of 67.851%. They repeated the one-two placings in the Grand Prix Freestyle.  Melissa Taylor was third behind Sammis in the Grand Prix but led the victory celebration in the Grand Prix Special with Schumacker Solyst on a score of 65.792%.

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Linda and Pat Parelli Invited to Join Xenophon Society during Successful European Tour

L-R: Linda Parelli, Pat Parelli, Anabel Balkenhol, and Klaus Balkenhol. (Photo courtesy of Barbara Schnell)

Ocala, FL (May 31, 2011) – Linda and Pat Parelli, the founders of Parelli Natural Horsemanship, Inc., recently returned from a successful European tour where they demonstrated their training techniques in front of sold out crowds.  The couple also met with Olympic gold medalist and dressage coach, Klaus Balkenhol, who expressed his approval of the Parellis’ natural horsemanship training by bestowing upon them membership in the Xenophon Society. The society was founded to preserve and promote the classical principles of dressage, and the Parellis were thrilled with their induction as their training methods reflect the basic principles of classical training.

“Pat and I train with dressage Master Walter Zettl and Walter encouraged us to meet Klaus and his family while we were in Europe. We not only met them but I ended up going to their farm to show how our method helps with behavioral issues,” Linda said. “While we were still in Europe, Klaus made us members of the Xenophon Society which was a huge honor for us.”

The Xenophon Society is named for the famous Greek author of The Art of Horsemanship, an ancient manuscript that describes the proper care and treatment of the horse.  Many of the points made by Xenophon are still considered relevant to horse training today, and the Xenophon Society was founded to uphold these ideas of ethical and classical equestrianism.

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Road to Pan American Games Runs through Raleigh’s Capital Dressage Classic

Raleigh, NC – Some of the dressage world’s best-known horse and rider teams will be wowing spectators at the 2011 CDI3*Y/J Capital Dressage Classic, June 3-5, 2011, at the Hunt Horse Complex in Raleigh, NC.  Among just a few of the world class riders who will be competing are Michael Barisone , Jim Koford, Susan Dutta, Lars Peterson, Karen Lipp, Shannon Dueck, Caroline Roffman, Tami Batts, Chris Hickey, Arlene Page and Julio Cesar Mendoza-Loor.

Scores will be updated and available on the web within minutes of each ride throughout the competition to give enthusiasts around the world a virtual front row seat.  Along with the 2011 Pan American Games qualifying classes, the show is an official qualifying competition for the 2011 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF National Grand Prix Championship; Intermediaire I Championship; FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships; USEF “Brentina Cup” Championships; 2011 Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage Program; and the 2011 USEF National Developing Horse Dressage Championship (sponsored by the Dutta Corp & PSI).

The 2011 CDI3*Y/J Capital Dressage Classic, hosted by the NC Dressage and Combined Training Association, will be managed for the first time by Regina Antonioli of California. As the chairman of the USDF Competition committee, Antonioli believes Raleigh’s Capital Dressage Classic is an essential part of the high-performance competition calendar.

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Motivation from Moshi 64, by Jane Savoie

Patience. I hear it is a virtue. I think it’s a habit that can be developed.

Having patience with your horse is very important. He or she thinks differently than you do, so you have to be able to recognize when he tries to do what you’re asking, even if he didn’t quite get it. Rewarding the “try” is very important.

It’s also very important to recognize why you might be losing patience. Very often it’s because you’re afraid. Fear is very uncomfortable, so many people appear angry when they’re actually afraid. It’s a natural human coping mechanism. Recognizing this fact is very important, especially if you’re working with children and animals.

Do you have a temper? Are you sure it’s anger you’re feeling, and not fear or lack of control? If you suspect this might be true for you, or really don’t know why you get angry, it may be time to take a second look. Next time you feel your temper flare, stop and examine what’s going on. What caused this? What are you REALLY feeling? Could it be fear you’re covering up with a different emotion?

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Colorado Horse Park Three Day Event and June High Prairie Dressage Canceled

Parker, CO — In order to add one more buffer week to ensure that there is no possibility of EHV-1 infection at The Colorado Horse Park (CHP), the organization has canceled the following events scheduled for June 2-5, 2011: Colorado Horse Park Three Day Event and June High Prairie Dressage. This is merely a precautionary measure; no horse exposed to the virus has been on the property. In fact, no horses with EHV-1 symptoms have been identified in Douglas County. FEI veterinarian and CHP consultant, Terry Swanson D.V.M., stated that he believes there is very little likelihood of EHV-1 being discovered at the Park and he felt that the extra buffer week would lay the issue to rest.

“We wanted riders and owners to be absolutely confident that their horses were safe at The Colorado Horse Park,” explained Helen Krieble, founder and president of The Colorado Horse Park. “Our hearts truly go out to the competitors who were planning on showing next week. We are truly sorry for them. However, we want everyone to feel extremely certain about the remainder of the season.” Of course, riders who have already entered the CHP Three Day Event and June High Prairie Dressage Show will receive full refunds.

The remainder of CHP’s show season will run as scheduled, beginning with the first week of the expanded Colorado Summer Circuit on June 8, 2011. “I am confident that with the additional buffer week, the 2011 horse show season will not only be able to continue, but will be extremely successful,” Krieble stated.

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