Gladstone, NJ – Steffen Peters (San Diego, CA) dominated the day at the 2011 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Festival of Champions winning both the Prix St. Georges and the Grand Prix Special with Weltino’s Magic and Ravel respectively. A veteran superstar for the U.S. Dressage Team over the last 10 years, Peters proved that not only is Ravel on top form, but that Weltino’s Magic’s winning streak is still going strong.
“That’s a first,” said Peters of scoring an 80% and a 79% on his two horses.
With selection for the 2011 Pan American Games on the line, there was everything to play for in the Intermediaire I National Dressage Championship and Peters dominated the Prix St. Georges test which serves as the first leg of this three-part Championship. He rode Jen Hlavacek’s Weltino’s Magic to a record score in this specific Championship scoring 79.789% for a huge win.
“I was happy in Aachen,” said Peters. “It was his first time in a really big stadium and in his earlier days he could be a bit spooky… I thought he would be able to handle this arena and he did. He was soft in the bridle, he’s not always the most supple, but today he was.”
Weltino’s Magic put in an excellent test and Peters was impressed with how much the horse, which his wife Shannon rode at the beginning of his career, has matured. He was the 2008 Reserve Champion in the Markel/USEF National Young Horse Dressage Championship with Shannon and she believed in him from the beginning.