Raleigh, NC (June 1, 2011) – After a four year hiatus from the show arena, dressage rider Suzanne Dansby-Bollman and Cooper, an 18.3 hand Holsteiner gelding, are getting back in the groove as they make their way along the big tour circuit. The pair put in very competitive Grand Prix tests during the 2011 CDI3*Y/J Capital Dressage Classic in Raleigh, where they placed second in the Grand Prix with a score of 66.298%, only .021% behind leader Susan Dutta. “It was a compliment to place so closely with such a wonderful and elegant pair as Susie Dutta and Currency DC,” said Dansby-Bollman.
“Cooper and I are back on the international circuit again, and we returned with a mixture of brilliancy and inconsistency,” Dansby-Bollman said. “We competed at both the Allentown CDI and the Raleigh CDI. In the Grand Prix at Raleigh, our scores from all five judges were within one percentage point of each other, which indicated to me that they were really being fair and that the movements performed looked the same from all of the different angles. I loved that,” Dansby-Bollman said. “It was only our fifth Grand Prix ride this year, and I immediately felt as we were finishing the test that it was one of our best rides ever.”
Dansby-Bollman added that she is thrilled to be back in the ring with her Grand Prix partner. “We were competing and winning in the international dressage arena four years ago, before Cooper was sidelined with an injury. He has made a miraculous comeback and we returned to showing in February,” she said.