Horses Etc. LLC: August 2016

Saturday, August 27, 2016

Aussie Craig Stanley Rides His American-Bred Habanero to USA Four-Year-Old Championship

Craig Stanley and Habanero CWS, USA Four-Year-Old Championship winners. © 2016 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

WAYNE, Illinois, Aug. 27, 2016–In a saddle borrowed from another competitor, Australia's Craig Stanley rode Habanero that he bred in America to the United States Four-Year-Old Championship Saturday, an experience he described as “amazing, very surreal.”

Craig who is based in Madera, California–wine country southeast of Silicon Valley-and the KWPN gelding won the championship after placing second in both the four-year-old tests that gave the pair an average of 82.560 per cent.

Justine Wilson of Aiken, South Carolina on Hero BHS that had won the four-year-old preliminary test but was unusually “explosive” in the warm-up was runner-up on 82.080 per cent.

Craig, who planned to stay in the United States for a year when he first arrived, is still here 17 years later having married an American woman he met.

Craig bought Caliente DG from the well known D.G. Bar Ranch in Hanford, California to breed to the Dutch Warmblood stallion Idocus that stands at the stud and was competed by Marlies van Baalen of the Netherlands at the 2004 Olympics before Courtney King-Dye of the United States took over the ride to show on both sides of the Atlantic. Caliente was ridden by Craig to win both the 2011 CDS Four-Year-Old Futurity and Cal-Bred Championship.

Habanero qualified at local shows for these championships and made the 2,000 mile/3200km 30-hour journey here in a convoy with other Northern California competitors for his third championships appearance.

“There's an elegance about him I don't really see because I'm riding,” Craig said. “He's got such a good brain. The warm-up was not fun today but at the end we put it together.”

He was still riding the final in the saddle borrowed from fellow Californian Kelly Casey for the preliminary test because he hadn't been able to get his own saddle fixed.

Habanero is 17.2-hands and Craig jokes that he thinks he will not grow taller.

He would like to keep the horse but the reality of cost will determine that.

Results:

USEF 4 Year Old Test

E: Weatherwax, Foy – USA

C: Zang, Ayers – USA

RIDER	NAT.	HORSE		TOTAL	Pl.
Burnley, J T	USA	Won Million		83.200	1
Stanley, Craig	AUS	Habanero CWS	]	82.800	2
Wilson, Justine	USA	Hero BHS		81.600	3
Wood, Anna		Hotshot	7	78.900	4
Gentry, Kim	USA	Fine Art		78.400	5
Warlimont, Petra	USA	Dark Star		77.200	6
Wetterau, Jennifer		Hartog		77.000	7
Chumley, Lauren	USA	Hotstreak Cf		76.400	8
Schwartsman, Nadine		Harvard R		75.800	9
Davis, Jessica	USA	Romeo		74.300	10
Bragdell, Michael	USA	David Bowie MF		73.600	11
Lewis, Amy	USA	Florentius		67.200	12
Yap, Ryan R	USA	Harrison SGS		67.000	13

Olympic Equestrian Clean of Drugs–FEI

Olympic dressage medal teams on the podium--Germany (gold), Great Britain silver) and USA bronze. © 2016 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

LAUSANNE, Switzerland, Aug. 27, 2016–All Olympic human and horse samples taken during the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro this month were all negative, the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) reported Saturday, for the second straight Games.

A total of 60 equine samples–30 per cent of the 200 competing horses–were tested during the Games and samples sent to the FEI's Central Laboratory in Newmarket, England. The final batch of results were returned to FEI Headquarters this week.

Human testing, which is conducted by the International Olympic Committee, during the Olympics, also returned 100 per cent negatives for the equestrian athletes that were sampled, FEI President Ingmar De Vos said.

“Keeping our sport clean is a central part of our daily work at the FEI, but to have back-to-back clean Games in London and Rio is something for any sport to be proud of,” Ingmar said, “especially as we were testing for more substances than ever before.”

All individual medalists' horses were tested, plus all fourth-placed horses. Additionally, at least one horse was tested from medal-winning and fourth-placed teams. Random testing was also carried out, with horses being picked by computerized selection, and there was also targeted testing.

For human testing across the Games, all top four finishers, plus two other athletes selected at random, were tested by the IOC, along with other individuals selected at random.

Friday, August 26, 2016

Endel Ots & Lucky Strike, Two-Time World Championships Duo, Win USA 6-Year-Old Prelim

Endel Ots and Lucky Strike in the USA Six-Year-Old Championships. © 2016 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

WAYNE, Illinois, Aug. 26, 2016–Endel Ots and Lucky Strike, that competed for the United States at the 2015 and 2016 world young horse championships, won the United States Championships Six-Year-Old preliminary competition Friday.

Endel of Wellington, Florida and his father's Hanoverian gelding (Lord Laurie x His Highness) was awarded 86.400 per cent for the win.

Cesar Parra of Whitehouse Station, New Jersey on Don Cesar, a Westfalen gelding that was placed third in the five-year-old national championships ridden by his assistant trainer Katie Riley, placed second on 82.800 per cent.

Michael Bragdell of Colora, Maryland on Sternlicht Hilltop was third on 79.800 per cent.

Results:

6 Year Old Preliminary Test

E: Weatherwax, Ayers – USA

H: –

C: Zang, Foy – USA

M: –

B: –

RIDER	Nat.	HORSE	Total	Pl.
Ots, Endel L.	USA	Lucky Strike	86.400	1
Parra, Cesar	USA	Don Cesar	82.800	2
Bragdell, Michael	USA	Sternlicht Hilltop	79.800	3
Banner, Daniela	USA	Leviana	72.800	4
Wightman, David	USA	Silberpfeil	72.200	5
Jackson, Angela	USA	Figaro H	72.200	6
Clarke, Nicholia	USA	Fling	71.400	7
Wagner, Jana	GER	Willow	69.400	8
Harrington, Nicole	USA	Siri	68.800	9
Hewitt, Hannah	USA	Fidens	66.800	10
Chowanec, Rachel	USA	Wind Phaerie HU	66.600	11
Koford, James	USA	Flavius MF	62.600	12
McGrath, Kenneth	USA	De Blasio	60.800	13

Thursday, August 25, 2016

Adrienne Lyle Rides Horizon to Victory in USA Developing St. Georges Championship

Adrienne Lyle on Horizon in the USA Developing Horse Prix St. Georges Championships. © 2016 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

By KENNETH J. BRADDICK

WAYNE, Illinois, Aug. 25, 2016–Adrienne Lyle returned to the championship arena Thursday for the first time in two years to ride the nine-year-old mare Horizon to victory in the Prix St. Georges for the United States Developing Horse Championship.

Adrienne who took over the ride on the Oldenburg horse about a year ago scored 74.649 per cent in the first show for both outside the Global Dressage Festival national classes in Wellington, Florida where the pair qualified for these championships.

As Debbie McDonald, her coach for the past 11 years, was in Europe and then the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro with her two American team riders Laura Graves and Kasey Perry-Glass, Adrienne emailed videos and had lots of long distance phone calls to maintain the level of training that took her and Wizard to the 2012 Olympics and the 2014 World Games.

Lisa Wilcox of Wellington on Gallant Reflection HU, a seven-year-old Zweibrucker stallion (Galant du Serein x Rohdiamant) bred in the United States by Horses Unlimited and was the six-year-old national champion in 2015, placed second on 71.140 per cent.

Cesar Parra of Whitehouse Station, New Jersey on Fashion Designer OLD was third on 70.658 per cent. Nadine Buberl, who rode for Cesar, rode the horse to 2013 national five-year-old champion and was third in the six-year-old championships.

For Elizabeth Juliano, who bought Horizon (Hotline x Don Schufro) as four-year-old, the win by Adrienne, 31 years old, capped a summer in which she had traveled to Europe and Rio as a major financial supporter of Laura and the U.S. team that won bronze.

She is also a partner in the group that owns the nine-year-old Salvino that Adrienne of Ketchum in Idaho's Sun Valley, is riding with Debbie's training as an American team prospect.

Adrienne Lyle and Horizon at the USA Developing Horse Championships. © 2016 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

Adrienne described Horizon as a “hot mare” with “an incredible work ethic” that she had focused on building a relationship to enable the horse to use her expressive gaits to the full.

“Being a mare,” Adrienne laughed, “she had to give a you a thorough job interview first to make sure you are up to the task. She is a very diferent horse than Wizard–polar opposites in terms of horses. Wizard was a big, tough macho man… he's a man's man so you've kind of got to ride him like that.

“She's very much a lady. She never wants to do anything wrong. Every time she does something wrong and she doesn't understand it's a matter of teaching her to undertand and to earn her trust.

“She's a little different than any horse I've had at this level. She's very sensitive, super good work ethic and a really good brain.

“She hasn't been in the ring since March in Florida. I've been on my own since then, sending videos to Debbie while she was in Europe and Rio with notes, 'I hope I'm not screwing it up?'

“She came back for one day before she went to Rio and then one day working here. So we've capitalized on that. But two lessons with Debbie are like 100 lessons with someone else,” she joked.

Debbie McDonald (left) and Elizabeth Juliano appreciating the ride by Adrienne Lyle on Horizon. © 2016 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

What made her happiest about the error-free ride was that Horizon went into the arena not having competed since March and working on their own all summer but “she walked in there and handled it like she'd been doing it her whole life. That's what I'm happiest about; she's a really good show horse, she loves it in there. She's been really consistent in training and you hope that translates into the ring but you don't know until you get in the ring. It's the same horse I've had in the warmup, the same horse I've had every day I've been schooling here and that's huge for a horse you have big hopes for. They have to be consistent and be there for you and she completely was.”

Adrienne said she had been picky on herself in training, working by herself on not getting show-rusty.

She has been working on piaffe and passage, she said, so the plan is to compete Horizon at CDI Small Tour during the next Global winter circuit and then move to Grand Prix.

That could give her both Horizon and Salvino as Big Tour possibilities for the 2018 world championships. A decision has not yet been made by the International Equestrian Federation on where to stage the World Games following the collapse of the Bromont, Canada endeavor and whether to keep the championships together.

“She's progressed so far in a year,” Adrienne said, “I think in another year she'll do better because she can really collect and extend and she has the strength and the energy for the Grand Prix.”

Results:

PRIX ST. GEORGES

E: Hotz – USA

C: Fore – USA

M: Lamping – USA

RIDER	Nat.	HORSE	E	Rk.	C	Rk.	M	Rk.	T	Pl.
Lyle, Adrienne		Horizon	72.500	1	76.842	1	74.605	1	74.649	1
Wilcox, Lisa	USA	Gallant Reflection HU	68.947	6	72.763	3	71.711	2	71.140	2
Parra, Cesar	USA	Fashion Designer OLD	69.868	4	70.526	5	71.579	3	70.658	3
Clarke, Nicholia	USA	Finesse	71.711	2	68.947	8	70.395	4	70.351	4
Clarke, Nicholia	USA	Quincy	69.474	5	72.500	4	68.816	6	70.263	5
Tate, Jessica Jo	USA	Summersby	70.000	3	70.263	6	70.395	4	70.219	6
Casey, Kelly	USA	Emilion SA	66.711	10	73.158	2	68.421	7	69.430	7
Miles, Emily	USA	Sir Sherlock	67.500	8	69.474	7	67.368	8	68.114	8
Saavedra, Rachel	USA	Sueno Hit	66.711	11	68.553	9	67.237	9	67.500	9
Suchanek, Mike	USA	Hero L	68.684	7	66.316	11	67.237	9	67.412	10
Wade, Rachel	USA	Cambria	67.368	9	65.263	12	67.105	11	66.579	11
De Groot, Ashlyn	USA	Dalina DG	65.000	13	65.132	13	66.711	12	65.614	12
Miles, Emily	USA	Floretienne	63.816	14	68.026	10	64.474	14	65.439	13
McCarthy, Heather	USA	Davanna	65.263	12	61.579	14	64.737	13	63.860	14

4-Year-Old Horse Test

E: Lamping, Hotz – USA

C: Gribbons, Fore – USA

RIDER	Nat.	HORSE	E	C	T	Pl.
Wilson, Justine	USA	Hero BHS	82.800	82.800	82.800	1
Stanley, Craig	AUS	Habanero CWS	82.200	82.200	82.200	2
Schwartsman, Nadine		Harvard R	79.800	79.800	79.800	3
Wetterau, Jennifer		Hartog	77.200	77.200	77.200	4
Hoerdum, Caroline	DEN	Jagger	76.200	76.200	76.200	5
Wood, Anna		Hotshot	76.200	76.200	76.200	6
Burnley, J T	USA	Won Million	75.000	75.000	75.000	7
Gentry, Kim	USA	Fine Art	74.400	74.400	74.400	8
Warlimont, Petra	USA	Dark Star	74.200	74.200	74.200	9
Bragdell, Michael	USA	David Bowie MF	73.800	73.800	73.800	10
Yap, Ryan R	USA	Harrison SGS	71.800	71.800	71.800	11
Chumley, Lauren	USA	Hotstreak Cf	71.600	71.600	71.600	12
Davis, Jessica	USA	Romeo	70.800	70.800	70.800	13
Lewis, Amy	USA	Florentius	68.200	68.200	68.200	14