Katie Riley and Zanzibar. (Photo courtesy of SusanJStickle.com)
Whitehouse Station, NJ (July 31, 2013) – “Fiderhit is amazing to watch develop. She has tremendous gaits and elasticity and has improved greatly in her confidence in the ring,” said Katie Riley, referring to Piaffe Performance’s rising young talent, the striking Fiderhit OLD (Fidertanz x Sandro Hit), owned by Michael and Sarah Davis.
Ridden by Nadine Buberl in the First Level Test 1 at USEF/USDF-recognized Dressage at the Ranch, June 15-16 at Hawk Hollow Ranch, Bedminster, NJ, the five year-old Oldenburg mare won her class and delivered the show’s high score: 82.759%.
“In her mare performance test in Germany, she received a nine in rideability,” Riley said. “She is all-around ‘wow factor.’ She is beautiful, has spectacular gaits and fantastic rideability.”
“Competing at Dressage at the Ranch was part of the plan that we have, leading up to the Markel/USEF Young Horse Championships,” explained Parra , who knows, when it comes to the most important event of the year for young dressage prospects, timing is everything. “We want her to be at her very best there.”
The Markel/USEF Young Horse Championships, August 22-25, at the Lamplight Equestrian Center in Chicago, IL, showcases those equine athletes whose outstanding talent and training make them prime candidates for future careers at the FEI level and for participation on US High Performance teams.
The Piaffe Performance team is also excited about Katie Riley’s prospects in Chicago at the Markel/USEF National Developing Horse Championships, where she plans to ride her own Dutch Warmblood gelding, Zanzibar (Consul x Farmer), in the Developing Horse Grand Prix Division. At the Centerline Events show in Saugerties, NY, in June, they were off to a strong start, with Zanzibar winning (67%) his Developing GP test.
“I’ve always had the feeling that he was a future Grand Prix horse,” she said. “He has always had a desire to work and is so clever and eager. Last year I showed him at Fourth Level, including placing second at Devon. He also won a few national tests at Prix St. Georges with Cesar so Cesar and I were trying to decide at the beginning of the year whether to move to small tour CDIs or give the Developing Grand Prix at try.
“We tried Intermediaire II for the first time in March and although there were mistakes he felt like happy doing the work, so we made the plan to qualify for Chicago. He is developing very well and improving immensely from show to show. The Developing Horse Program is terrific; it gives horses like him a place in the ring and a chance to get comfortable at that level.”
The Markel/USEF National Developing Horse Dressage Championships are for seven- to nine-year-old horses competing at the FEI PSG level, and for eight- to 10-year-old horses competing at Grand Prix level.
Follow the progress of Piaffe Performance’s rising stars and meet more of its sale and dressage prospects at www.piaffe-performance.com.
For more information contact:
Dr. Cesar Parra
drcesarparra@msn.com
www.piaffe-performance.com
410-977-8352
