2018 Equestrian Canada

Belinda Trussell and Jill Irving
Dance into Day One of Dressage
at FEI World Equestrian
Games™ Tryon 2018

Mill Spring, NC, Sept. 12, 2018 – Belinda Trussell from Stouffville, ON and Jill Irving of Moncton, NB earned Canada a provisional standing of ninth after the first of two days of dressage team competition on Sept. 12, 2018 at the FEI World Equestrian Games ™ Tryon 2018 (WEG) in Mill Spring, NC.

Canada is holding ninth place on a current team score of 68.634%. Germany is in the lead with 76.677%, followed by Sweden on a total of 75.248%, while the United States is third (74.860%).

Trussell, 47, was the first team member to enter the U.S. Trust Arena at the Tryon International Equestrian Center (TIEC) for the Grand Prix, which acts as both the team competition and the first individual qualifier for dressage. A veteran of Pan American, Olympic and World Equestrian Games, Trussell has a team silver medal under her belt from the 2015 Toronto Pan American Games, and has broken multiple Canadian records for high scores in individual and team competition.

Having retired her veteran partner, Anton, following the 2016 Rio Olympics, WEG 2018 represented Trussell’s major games debut with her current top horse, Tattoo 15 (Tuareg x Ramiro’s Son), a 15-year-old Westphalian gelding she co-owns with her husband, Mark Trussell.

Trussell guided Tattoo 15 to a strong performance, earning impressive scores for many of the individual movements, including a 7.4 for her opening halt, and 7 for both an extended trot and passage. The judges awarded her an overall score of 68.634% for a provisional placing of 16th following the first 38 of 77 total entries.

Belinda Trussell of Stouffville, ON put in an impressive performance aboard Tattoo 15 during the first of two days of dressage team competition, helping Canada to a provisional placing of ninth at the FEI World Equestrian Games ™ Tryon 2018.
Photo Credit - © Cealy Tetley - www.tetleyphoto.com

“Tattoo was really, really good,” Trussell said of the striking dark bay gelding she purchased in 2013 and brought up to the grand prix level. “I was happiest with his flying changes. I was praying to the gods we’d get the one-tempis. We did, and they were good, so I think that was the biggest highlight. What has been a huge improvement is our extended trot. It wasn’t so great earlier in the year, and now there is a big improvement.”

Speaking to the hard work and progress she has made since bringing Tattoo 15 up to the grand prix level in 2017, Trussell continued, “He is really spooky, and very dramatic and emotional about it. But today he didn’t look at a thing. I am so proud of him, because I know that’s hard for him. He sees everything, he feels everything, and there’s emotion attached to what he sees.”

Trussell was also thrilled to have the former owner and rider of Tattoo 15, Monica Theodorescu of Germany, onsite to watch his major games debut.

“Monica trained Tattoo up to the Prix St. Georges level, and she hasn’t seen him since I bought him,” explained Trussell. “So, for Monica to see him as a grand prix horse, and at WEG - and for her to be really happy - meant so much to me because I have so much respect for her.”

Irving, 55, also had plenty to be thrilled about after her major games debut for the Canadian Dressage Team riding Degas 12 (De Niro 6 x Regazzoni), a 16-year-old Hanoverian gelding she co-owns with Windhaven Farm.

“It’s a dream to be here (representing Canada and the Maritimes),” said Irving, who was a highly successful hunter and jumper competitor before turning her focus to dressage and skyrocketing her way to the FEI level in 2013. In 2015 she was first named to the Canadian Dressage Team for the CDIO 3* FEI Nations Cup in Wellington, FL, and in 2017 she helped Canada win for the first time in the history of the event.

Irving’s inaugural WEG performance was highlighted by scores of 7.4 for the opening halt and 7.3 for an extended trot, with an overall score of 67.888%, resulting in a provisional standing of 19th.

“Degas was unbelievable,” said Irving. “He was really well behaved, and wasn’t bothered by the crowd. He is 16, and he’s got fire, but we had to really manage the heat for the last three weeks with all our horses. His passage felt great and I thought the halt coming in was the highlight. It’s hard when you fire them up to do other movements, then say, ‘Oh, by the way, you have to stand still.’ I was thrilled, he felt great.”

Jill Irving of Moncton, NB made her major games debut aboard Degas 12 at the FEI World Equestrian Games ™ Tryon 2018 on Sept. 12, putting a strong score of 67.888% on the leaderboard for the Canadian Dressage Team.
Photo Credit - © Cealy Tetley - www.tetleyphoto.com

Day two of the dressage Grand Prix on Sept. 13, 2018 will see the final two Canadian Dressage Team athletes take centre stage. First up will be Megan Lane of Loretto, ON, who is competing in her second consecutive WEG, partnered with Zodiac MW (Rousseau x Amethist), a 14-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by Deer Ridge Equestrian. Closing out the team competition for Canada will be Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu of Saint Bruno, QC and her silver medalist partner from the 2015 Pan American Games, All In (Tango x Damiro), a 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding she owns with her husband, Marc-Andre Beaulieu and father, Craig Fraser.

Following the conclusion of the team competition on Sept. 13, the top 30 athletes will move forward to compete for individual honours in the Grand Prix Special on Sept. 14. From there, the 15 best-placed athletes will have the opportunity to perform their custom choreography set to music during the fan-favourite Grand Prix Freestyle on Sept. 16.

Canadian Equestrian Team (CET) athletes will also compete in the disciplines of eventing and reining on Sept. 13. For the full schedule, live results and more info visit https://tryon2018.com.

For full EC coverage of WEG 2018, including results news releases for all CET disciplines, breaking news, and games insider features, visit www.equestrian.ca/events-results/games/ridetotryon. Also be sure to check out EC’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube for unique content, including a daily WEG photo album.

2018 Equestrian Canada

Canadian Equestrian Team
Kicks Off FEI World Equestrian Games™ Tryon 2018 in Style

Mill Spring, NC, Sept. 11, 2018 – Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu of Saint Bruno, QC, proudly represented the maple leaf as the flag bearer for the Canadian Equestrian Team (CET) during the Opening Ceremony to kick off the FEI World Equestrian Games ™ Tryon 2018 at the Tryon International Equestrian Center (TIEC) in Mill Spring, NC on Sept. 11, 2018.

“To walk in and hold the flag for Canada is a real privilege,” said Fraser-Beaulieu, who will be competing in dressage at WEG, partnered with All In, a 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding she co-owns with her husband, Marc-Andre Beaulieu and father, Craig Fraser. “Thank you to all of my peers who have chosen me to do this. I wish all of the Canadians the best of luck here in Tryon.”

Fraser-Beaulieu is competing at her second major games, having helped the Canadian Dressage Team earn the silver medal at the 2015 Toronto Pan American Games.

“This is my first World Equestrian Games, and I couldn’t be more excited to compete here at Tryon. All of our teammates are best friends and we are a strong team this year, she said.”

Flag bearer and dressage athlete, Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu of Saint Bruno, QC,
proudly represented the maple leaf during the Opening Ceremony for the FEI World Equestrian Games ™ Tryon 2018.

Photo Credit - © Cealy Tetley - www.tetleyphoto.com

“Brittany was nominated as an individual who best personifies the flag bearer, and she did a fabulous job carrying the standard proudly as we march forward into WEG 2018” said Jon Garner, EC Director of Sport and Chef de Mission for the CET at WEG. “Everybody within the team has really pulled together, the athletes are in great spirits and the horses are all in great shape. We are very much looking forward to competition getting underway.”

Canada is being represented by a total of 39 athletes from seven FEI disciplines at WEG:

Canadian Equestrian Team members get ready to celebrate and show their Canadian pride at the Opening Ceremony.
Photo Credit - © Cealy Tetley - www.tetleyphoto.com

Competition gets underway on Sept. 12 with dressage, endurance and reining. For the full schedule, live results, and more info visit https://tryon2018.com.

For full information on EC’s WEG coverage, click here. More information on the CET at WEG can also be found at www.equestrian.ca/events-results/games/ridetotryon.

2018 Dressage-News.com

Canada’s All Female Dressage Team Named for Tryon World Equestrian Games

Brittany Fraser and All In. © 2018 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

OTTAWA, Ontario, Sept. 1, 2018–Canada’s dressage team for the World Equestrian Games in Tryon in 10 days was announced Saturday, that with Switzerland is one of two all-female squads for the championships.

The team:

* Brittany Fraser, 29, and All In, 13-year-old KWPN gelding, owned by Brittany and Marc-Andre Beaulieu;

* Jill Irving, 55, and Degas, 16-year-old Hanoverian gelding, owned by Jill Irving/Windhaven Farm;

* Megan Lane, 26, and Caravella, 17-year-old KWPN mare, owned by Megan Lane, Cathy Lane & Kelsey Lane, and, reserve:
Zodiac MW, 14-year-old KWPN gelding, owned by Deer Ridge Equestrian, and

* Belinda Trussell, 46, and Tattoo, 15-year-old Westfalen gelding, owned by Belinda.

Reserve:

* Diane Creech, 55, and Diana C, 11-year-old Hanoverian mare, owned by Diane and Louise Leatherdale.

Brittany Fraser and All In, the Canadian combination ranked hghest on the world standings at No. 40, were on the 2015 Pan American Games silver medal team. The  duo competed at Grand Prix in Europe in 2017.

Jill Irving and Degas. © Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

Jill Irving has not previously ridden on a chanpioship team for Canada. She took both Degas and Arthur to Europe in 2017 to compete at four major shows, in addition to extensive competitions on several other horses, including Pop Art that was competed by her coach, Ashley Holzer, at the 2008 Olympics and 2010 WEG in Kentucky.

Megan Lane and Caravella competed for Canada at the 2014 WEG in Normandy and the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro as well as on the 2015 Pan Am Games silver medal team. She and Zodiac MW began their Big Tour career on last winter’s Florida circuit and have since logged six victories in Canada and the United States.

Megan Lane and Caravella. © 2018 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

 

Megan Lane and Zodiac MW. © 2018 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

 

Belinda Trussell and Tattoo. © 2018 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

Belinda Trussell is one of Canada’s most accomplished international dressage riders, having competed at the 2004 and 2016 Olympics, 2002, 2010 and 2014 World Games as well as on the 2015 Pan Am Games silver medal team and at the open European Championships in Hickstead, England in 2003. She competed Tattoo at small tour in both North America and Europe from 2012 to 2016 then moved up to Grand Prix in 2017.

Diane Creech and Diana C. © 2018 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

 

Diane Creech has competed extensively on both sides of the Atlantic, including on the Canadian silver medal team at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro. She began competing Diana C at CDI small tour in 2015 and moved up to Grand Prix last year. The horse is owned by Diane and Louise Leatherdale of Long Lake, Minnesota.

2017 Equestrian Canada

Canadians Dominate CDI-W/3* Dressage at Devon

Ottawa, ON, Oct. 3, 2017 – A large contingent of Canadian dressage athletes headed to Devon, PA from Sept. 26 to Oct. 1, 2017 for the CDI-W/3* Dressage at Devon, where they dominated the leaderboard, sweeping the small tour and winning two of the four big tour classes. 

Leading the Canadians in the big tour was Diane Creech of Caistor Centre, ON. Riding Chrevi’s Christo (Chrevi’s Cavallo x Matador), a 14-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding she co-owns with Louise Leatherdale, she started on a high note, scoring 70.920% to win the CDI-W Grand Prix (for Grand Prix Freestyle) on Sept. 29. 

“Mrs. Louise Leatherdale and I are so proud of Chrevi’s Christo,” said Creech, who has been competing at the FEI level with Chrevi’s Christo since 2013, bringing him up through the small tour ranks and into the big tour by 2015. “This was his first time in Devon, and also his first time competing under the lights. He was super in this atmosphere and stayed with me in the Grand Prix.”

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Diane Creech & Chrevi’s Christo 
Photo Credit – Susan J. Stickle

From their Grand Prix victory, the duo moved forward into the CDI-W Grand Prix Freestyle on Sept. 30, taking second place on a score of 73.150%. 

“This was only the second time Christo has competed in the Grand Prix Freestyle, so it still feels a little unfamiliar to the both of us,” explained Creech, who first entered a Freestyle with Chrevi’s Christo during a trip to Europe this summer, taking third place at the CDI 3* Hartpury in Great Britain. “With a little more routine, I believe we can improve our performance further, but our time in Europe was amazing and helped to develop Christo to become a better competitor. Riding amongst so many great riders sharpens your horse and yourself.” 

As for their future plans, Creech explained, “Christo will now have some time to rest, which will definitely include lots of hacking and enjoying this beautiful fall weather. Then we will start getting ready for the Florida season, and hopefully the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games.” 

Claiming a Grand Prix Freestyle win for the second week in a row was Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu of Ottawa, ON and All In (Tango x Damiro), a 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding she co-owns with her husband, Marc-Andre Beaulieu and father, Craig Fraser. After earning their first big tour victory during the CDI-W NEDA Fall Festival in New York, Fraser-Beaulieu and All In added another Freestyle win to their record and set a new personal best score after earning a score of 75.500% in Devon. The duo also picked up third place in the CDI-W Grand Prix on Sept. 29 on a score of 69.720%. 

“To win the Freestyle, and to have a personal best score at the same time is just a bonus,” said Fraser-Beaulieu, who has been competing at the FEI level with All In since 2013 and was part of Canada’s Silver Medal Dressage Team at the 2015 Pan American Games. “My freestyle was created by Joost Peters, who composed the music, and this was my fourth time riding this Freestyle.” 

Next for Fraser-Beaulieu will be riding in the Carl Hester Syposium set for Oct. 21-22, 2017 in Palgrave, ON, possibly followed by Toronto’s Royal Horse Show in November. She will then kick off the new year by traveling to Wellington, FL to compete at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) in the hopes of qualifying for the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG). 

London 2012 Olympians, Jacqueline Brooks of Cedar Valley, ON and D Niro (D-Day x Napoleon 625), an 18-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding owned by Mary Brooks and Brookhaven Dressage Inc., ensured Canada took all three top spots in the CDI-W Grand Prix Freestyle. Canadian veterans known for their freestyle performances, the duo have been delighting crowds within Canada and internationally for many years. In Devon, they earned their third place finish on a score of 70.875%. 

Fellow Canadian Olympian, Belinda Trussell of Stouffville, ON earned back-to-back second place finishes in Devon, riding her up-and-coming partner, Tattoo 15 (Tuareg x Ramiro’s Son), a 14-year-old Westphalian gelding. They started out with a score of 66.780% in the CDI 3* Grand Prix (for Grand Prix Special) on Sept. 29, then improved their score to 68.529% the following day in the CDI Grand Prix Special. 

Trussell also dominated the highly competitive small tour - which featured 25 entries from Canada, the United States and even Germany – this time partnered with Carlucci (Contendro I x Compliment), a 12-year-old Hanoverian gelding owned by Barbara Holden Sinclair. To kick things off, they scored 72.982% to win the CDI Prix St. Georges on Sept. 29, then earned a second win on Sept. 30 in the CDI Intermediate I on Sept. 30 (73.465%).

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Belinda Trussell & Carlucci 
Photo Credit – Susan J. Stickle

Ensuring a Canadian sweep of the small tour was Lori Bell of Beaverton, ON and her up-and-coming partner, Flirt (Florencio x Donnerhall), a nine-year-old Oldenburg gelding. Together they scored 74.350% to win the CDI Intermediate I Freestyle on Oct. 1. 

Also representing Canada in the top three in the small tour was Tom Dvorak of Hillsburgh, ON, paired with Cyrus (Contucci x Cor Noir), an eight-year-old Oldenburg gelding owned by Carla Bahr. The duo earned second place finishes across the board, beginning with the CDI Prix St. Georges on a score of 70.658%. They returned the following day to earn 69.956% in the CDI Intermediate I, before capping off Devon with a score of 74.000% in the Intermediate I Freestyle. 

David Ziegler, 24, of Beiseker, AB, also made a return to the CDI dressage ring at Devon. An up-and-coming Canadian athlete in both dressage and eventing, Zeigler made a name for himself after an incredible performance at the 2014 FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships (NAJYRC), where he won medals in both dressage and eventing. 

Competing in FEI dressage for the first time since Devon 2016, Ziegler entered the small tour with multiple mounts, but it was with Fie Guldbjerg (Don Schufro x Kanudos XX), a nine-year-old Danish Warmblood mare owned by Jean Good that he saw the most success. Their highest result came in the CDI Prix St. Georges, where a score of 68.904% put them into third place. 

Fellow up-and-comer, Vanessa Creech-Terauds, 17, of Caistor Centre, ON (daughter of Diane Creech), also had an impressive showing, competing in two divisions with two different partners. 

Riding Devon L (De Niro x Wolkenstein II), a 17-year-old Hanoverian gelding owned by her mother and Louise Leatherdale, Creech-Terauds earned to-three placings across the board in the CDI Under 25 (U25) division. A score of 63.632% for third place on Sept. 29 kicked things off for the duo in the CDI-U25 Intermediate II. They went on to earn 67.884% in the CDI-U25 Grand Prix on Sept. 30 for second place, then finished on Oct. 1 with third place (68.775%) in the CDI-U25 Grand Prix Freestyle.

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Vanessa Creech-Terauds & Fleur de Lis L 
Photo Credit – Stacy Lynne Photography

Creech-Terauds saw even more success in the CDI Young Rider division, earning a hat trick by winning all three classes aboard Fleur de Lis L, her partner from NAJYRC 2016, where she picked up double individual silver medals and team gold. In Devon, their first win came in the Young Rider Team Test on Sept. 29 after scoring 68.289%. On Sept. 30, they won with a score of 66.816%, then completed the hat trick on Oct. 1 after earning 72.350% in the Young Rider Freestyle. 

Canada’s Junior athletes were equally successful. Ava MacCoubrey, 16, of Cobourg, ON mirrored Creech-Terauds success by putting a second hat trick on the board for Canada. Returning to the ring for the first time since June with Ritter Benno (Rolls Royce x Weinberg), a 16-year-old Westphalian gelding owned by Hicholas Hansen, MacCoubrey topped the CDI Junior Team Test with a score of 68.468% on Sept. 29. She followed up with scores of 70.263% and 72.900%, respectively in the Individual and Freestyle classes.

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Ava MacCoubrey & Ritter Benno 
Photo Credit – Stacy Lynne Photography

Close behind in the result with two different horses was Allison Youngdale, 17, of Osgoode, ON. Riding RF Cosima 201(Conello x Sir Shostakovich xx), her 12-year-old Holsteiner mare, Youngdale had her best results, taking second place across the board in the Team (67.072%), Individual (66.079%) and Freeestyle (66.775%). Riding her NAJYRC 2017 partner, Ramiro (Blue Hors Don Romantic x Rambo), her 10-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding, she also picked up third place in both the Team (67.027%) and Individual (64.947%). 

Adding even more wins to Canada’s tally at Devon was Eiren Crawford, a Canadian who currently resides in Sparks Glencoe, MD. In addition to earning top-10 placings in the big tour, Crawford brought along a young string of horses to contest the FEI Young Horse classes. 

Her best results came aboard Bacary, owned by Lisa Smith, in the 5-Year-Old division. They won both classes, with impressive scores of 78.400% on Sept. 28 and 78.800% on Sept. 29. Paired with Godot SSF, a Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by Scot and Carole Tolman and sired by Sir Sinclair, Crawford began on Sept. 28 with a second place finish on 79.600%, then returned the following day to score 77.200% for the win. 

For more information and full results from the CDI-W/3* Dressage at Devon, visit www.dressageatdevon.org.

 

2017 Dressage Today

Photo:  Nancy Jaffer/Dressage Today

Watch Nancy Jaffer's video interview with Belinda and read the article on Dressage Today.

2017 Chronicle of the Horse

Trussell and Carlucci Sweep Small Tour At Dressage At Devon

Sep 30, 2017 - 2:10 PM

Sept. 30 – Devon, Pa.

Belinda Trussell and Carlucci continued their winning ways at Dressage At Devon today, taking the Intermediaire I CDI on a 73.46 percent. Their next closest competitor was fellow Canadian rider Tom Dvorak on Cyrus, who scored a 69.95 percent.

We caught up with Trussell yesterday about her win in the Prix St. Georges.

In the Intermediaire A CDI, Jessica Jo Tate and the Connemara cross Kynynmont Gunsmoke’s Gideon smoked the competition, taking home blue on 65.61 percent. Read about the pair, who competed in the CDI last year at Devon.

Scroll down to see photos of some of the action in the Intermediaire I.

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Belinda Trussell and Carlucci. Photo by Lindsay Berreth.

For full results click here.More photos

2017 Chronicle of the Horse

Trussell Leads A Canadian Sweep At Dressage At Devon Prix St. Georges CDI

Sep 29, 2017 - 2:14 PM

Sept. 29—Devon, Pa.

Just a week ago Canadian rider Belinda Trussell was leading the victory gallop at the Saugerties CDI-W (N.Y.) on Barbara Holden Sinclair’s Carlucci, and she got to do it again this afternoon at Dressage At Devon.

Trussell topped the Prix St. Georges CDI on a score of 72.98%. The next five placings were also filled with Canadian riders, including Tom Dvorak and David Ziegler, who each rode two horses, and Lori Bell, also coming off a win at Saugerties.

“He’s had a bit of success in the CDIs this season, but I didn’t expect him to win,” said Trussell. “I just wanted to go and do my best with him and enjoy it, and just be grateful for the outcome. He really was great. He’s been a wonderful horse to work with. He’s a very kind horse. He can be a little nervous in big atmospheres. This is the biggest atmosphere he’s ever been to. He just clocked it. I didn’t know if he’d be afraid of the crane [across the street] or [the other ring], but he was wonderful.”

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Belinda Trussell and Carlucci. Photo by Lindsay Berreth.

Trussell’s been riding the 12-year-old Hanoverian gelding (Contendro I—Christin, Compliment) for 2 ½ years.

Sinclair bought him from Germany but soon realized he was a bit big and strong for her small frame.

“I fell in love with him, and then he grew and I didn’t, so I needed some help. His movements were bigger than what I can handle, so that’s where Belinda came in,” she said. “He’s really sweet. He’s huge, but he’s a teddy bear.”

Trussell said Carlucci was a spunky young horse, but has been coming into maturity as he’s progressed up the levels. He’s been learning the pieces of the Grand Prix, but probably won’t try it out in competition until next year.

“He knows how to do each movement separately. He just learned 15 one [tempis] about four weeks before we came here, and I’m praying that I can turn the button off at the Prix St. Georges!” she said with a laugh. “We’d like to bump him up to the medium tour when he’s ready, but he’s not quite ready to put it all together. But come Florida, do some national shows when he’s confident with that.”

Trussell credited much of Carlucci’s success to Sinclair. “He would not have success without her. I know it. The amount that she puts into him, and her committement—” she said.

“I could say the same thing about her! It does take a team,” Sinclair added.

For full results click here.

Additional photo gallery 

2017 Equestrian Canada

First Big Tour Win for Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu 
& All In at CDI-W NEDA Fall Festival

Ottawa, ON, Sept. 27, 2017 – Canadian dressage athletes had stellar performances and multiple wins at the CDI-W New England Dressage Association (NEDA) Fall Festival, held Sept. 22-24, 2017 in Saugerties, NY. 

The Canadian highlight at the CDI-W NEDA Fall Festival proved to be Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu of Ottawa, ON, who hit a major milestone after earning her first Big Tour victory aboard All In (Tango x Damiro), her 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding. Not only did Fraser-Beaulieu win the CDI Grand Prix Freestyle on Sept. 23, she also set a new personal best score of 75.090%. 

“This is a new freestyle for me and All In, and I was very pleased with my ride,” said Fraser-Beaulieu, who has been having a standout season in 2017, highlighted by her European debut after she was invited to compete at the prestigious CHIO Aachen, GER in July. “I have been competing at Saugerties for the past four years. I have had many successes at this show, but (the Freestyle) was a personal best for me.”

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Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu & All In 
Photo Credit - © Studio Equus - Amy E. Riley

Fraser-Beaulieu and All In also placed third in the CDI Grand Prix on Sept. 22 with a total score of 69.440%. 

“All In and I have been a pair since he was five years old,” explained Fraser-Beaulieu, who was part of Canada’s Silver Medal Team at the 2015 Pan American Games aboard All In, and moved up to the Big Tour level shortly after. “We have travelled the world together, and I couldn’t ask for a better partner.” 

Canadian Olympian, Belinda Trussell of Stouffville, ON also brought home top honours in the Big Tour, winning the Grand Prix Special astride Tattoo 15 (Tuareg x Ramiro’s Son), her 14-year-old Westphalian gelding, with a score of 69.706%. 

“This is Tattoo’s first year doing the Grand Prix,” explained Trussell, who is bringing along a new string of horses after retiring her Rio 2016 partner, Anton, from the international level. “My goal is to be able to continue to improve his quality in the ring with cleaner tests each time we compete. He is a very special horse and I love working with him and continuing to develop him to a wonderful Grand Prix horse.”

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Belinda Trussell & Tattoo 15 
Photo Credit – Carole MacDonald

Canada was also represented in the top-three on the Grand Prix leaderboard by Jacqueline Brooks of Cedar Valley, ON and her 2012 London Olympic Games partner, D Niro (D-Day x Napoleon 625), an 18-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding owned by Mary Brooks and Brookhaven Dressage Inc. Known for their impressive freestyles, the pair didn’t disappoint in Saugerties, racking up a score of 71.455% for third place in the Grand Prix Freestyle. 

In addition, the CDI-W NEDA Fall Festival marked Lindsay Kellock’s debut with a new partner in the international ring. Kellock, a Canadian currently residing in Wellington, FL, rode KGS Horgaard Hustler (Blue Hors Hertug x Weltmeyer), a 17-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding, owned by Enterprise Farm LLC to a third place finish in the CDI Grand Prix Special with a final score of 65.804%. 

Canada was equally successful in the Small Tour. Returning to Saugerties for a third time in the small tour was veteran, Lori Bell of Beaverton, ON. Bell and her up-and-coming partner, Flirt (Florencio x Donnerhall), a nine-year-old Oldenburg gelding, took the win in the CDI Prix. St. Georges with a score of 71.053%. They were also Canada’s highest-placed in the CDI Intermediate I Freestyle after scoring 71.542% for second place. 

“The highlight absolutely was winning the Prix St. Georges and hearing the national anthem of Canada being played for me and Flirt,” said Bell. “This was a first for us and was very moving, especially being in a foreign country.”

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Lori Bell & Flirt 
Photo Credit – Carole MacDonald

The Small Tour also saw Trussell return to the winner’s circle, this time partnered with Carlucci (Contendro I x Compliment), a 12-year-old Hanoverian gelding owned by Barbara Holden Sinclair. Together they scored 71.974% to win the CDI Intermediate Ι. They also took second place in the CDI Prix St. Georges on a score of 70.088%. 

“This is my first year showing Carlucci, and my primary goal for him this year was to build his confidence in the ring,” explained Trussell. “He is a very kind, yet timid, horse and can lose his confidence in new atmospheres. The Intermediate I test in Saugerties was the best test we have had together. He was wonderful, and so much fun to ride.” 

Capturing third place in both the CDI Intermediate I (68.728%) and CDI Intermediate I Freestyle (70.750%) was Tom Dvorak of Hillsburgh, ON aboard Cyrus (Contucci x Cor Noir), an eight-year-old Oldenburg gelding owned by Carla Bahr. 

The CDI-W NEDA Fall Festival was also a big success for next generation athlete, Allison Youngdale of Osgoode, ON. Fresh off the 2017 FEI North American Junior and Young Rider Championships (NAJYRC), Youngdale contested the CDI Junior division with two horses. 

Impressively, Youngdale achieved a hat trick with her NAJYRC partner, Ramiro (Blue Hors Don Romantic x Rambo), her 10-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding, winning the Team (66.802%), Individual (65.833%) and Freestyle (67.583%). 

Coming back into the ring with her 12-year-old Holsteiner mare, RF Cosima 201 (Conello x Sir Shostakovich xx), Youngdale earned back-to-back second place finishes in the CDI Junior Team and Individual classes, scoring 66.081% and 63.289%, respectively. 

For more information and complete results from the CDI-W NEDA Fall Festival, visit www.neda.org.

 

CDI-W New England Dressage Association (NEPA) Fall Festival – Top 10 Canadian Results 

CDI Grand Prix 
Placing / Rider / Horse / Owner / Score 
3rd / Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu / All In / Brittany & Marc-Andre Beaulieu & Craig Fraser / 69.440% 
4th / Belinda Trussell / Tattoo 15 / Belinda Trussell / 67.680% 
5th / Jacqueline Brooks / D Niro / Mary Brooks & Brookhaven Dressage Inc. / 67.000% 
6th / Lindsay Kellock / KGS Horgaards Hustler / Enterprise Farm LLC / 66.000% 

CDI Grand Prix Special 
Placing / Rider / Horse / Owner / Score
 
1st / Belinda Trussell / Tattoo 15 / Belinda Trussell / 69.706% 
3rd / Lindsay Kellock / KGS Horgaards Hustler / Enterprise Farm LLC / 65.804% 

CDI Grand Prix Freestyle 
Placing / Rider / Horse / Owner / Score
 
1st / Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu / All In / Brittany & Marc-Andre Beaulieu & Craig Fraser / 75.090% 
3rd / Jacqueline Brooks / D Niro / Mary Brooks & Brookhaven Dressage Inc. / 71.455% 

CDI Prix St. Georges 
Placing / Rider / Horse / Owner / Score
 
1st / Lori Bell / Flirt / Lori Bell / 71.053% 
2nd / Belinda Trussell / Carlucci / Barbara Holden Sinclair / 70.088% 
5th / Tom Dvorak / Cyrus / Carla Bahr / 66.886% 
8th / Mary Ambrose / Xenophon SMF / Sandra Perry / 66.228% 
10th / Tom Dvorak / Ribot / Carla Bahr / 65.614% 

CDI Intermediate I 
Placing / Rider / Horse / Owner / Score
 
1st / Belinda Trussell / Carlucci / Barbara Holden Sinclair / 71.974% 
3rd / Tom Dvorak / Cyrus / Carla Bahr / 68.728% 
4th / Tom Dvorak / Ribot / Carla Bahr / 68.684% 
5th / Lori Bell / Flirt / Lori Bell / 68.614% 
8th / Mary Ambrose / Xenophon SMF / Sandra Perry / 66.579% 

CDI Intermediate I Freestyle 
Placing / Rider / Horse / Owner / Score
 
2nd / Lori Bell / Flirt / Lori Bell / 71.542% 
3rd / Tom Dvorak / Cyrus / Carla Bahr / 70.750% 

CDI Junior Team 
Placing / Rider / Horse / Owner / Score
 
1st / Allison Youngdale / Ramiro / Allison Youngdale / 66.802% 
2nd / Allison Youngdale / RF Cosima / Allison Youngdale / 66.081% 

CDI Junior Individual 
Placing / Rider / Horse / Owner / Score
 
1st / Allison Youngdale / Ramiro / Allison Youngdale / 65.833% 
2nd / Allison Youngdale / RF Cosima / Allison Youngdale / 63.289% 

CDI Junior Freestyle 
Placing / Rider / Horse / Owner / Score
 
1st / Allison Youngdale / Ramiro / Allison Youngdale / 67.583%

2017 DressageNews.com

 

Canada’s Belinda Trussell & Tattoo Win Saugerties CDI-W Grand Prix Special

 

Belinda Trussell and Tattoo. File photo © SusanJStickle.com

SAUGERTIES, New York, Sept. 24, 2017–Canada’s Belinda Trussell and Tattoo won the CDI-W Grand Prix Special Sunday, the fifth victory in eight starts since beginning Big Tour five months ago.

The 14-year-old Westfalen gelding that Belinda competed at small tour before moving to Grand Prix scored 69.706 per cent for the win.

Ashley Holzer of New York on Havanna placed second on 68.412 per cent and Lindsay Kellock of Canada on KGS Horgaards Hustler third on 65.804 per cent.

Results:

CDI-W Grand Prix Special

 
 Judges–E: Maribel Alonso H: Jayne Ayers C: Francis Verbeek M: Bo Jena B: Lois Yukins
 
 
1.  

Tattoo 15

CAN

Belinda Trussell

  E

69.608% (1)

H

66.078% (2)

C

71.667% (1)

M

71.863% (1)

B

69.314% (1)

Total

69.706

     
2.  

Havanna 145

USA

Ashley Holzer

  68.431% (2) 67.647% (1) 68.824% (2) 68.824% (2) 68.333% (2) 68.412
     
3.  

KGS Horgaards Hustler

CAN

Lindsay Kellock

  66.078% (3) 65.000% (3) 64.804% (3) 68.039% (3) 65.098% (3) 65.804
     
4.  

Whitman

 

Sahar Daniel Hirosh

ISR 60.647% (4) 64.510% (4) 62.412% (4) 64.569% (4) 63.882% (4)  63.204
 
 

2017 Equestrian Canada

 

Winning Weekend for Canadian 
Dressage Athletes at CDI 3* Cedar Valley

 

Ottawa, ON, June 23, 2017 – It was a winning weekend for Canadian riders at the CDI 3* Cedar Valley, held June 16-18, 2017 at the Royal Canadian Riding Academy (RCRA) in Cedar Valley, ON.

Leading the way in the big tour was Canadian Olympian, Belinda Trussell. The Stouffville, ON native rode Tattoo 15 (Tuareg x Ramiro’s Son) to a pair of impressive victories. Trussell and her 14-year-old Westphalian gelding earned their first win in the CDI FEI Grand Prix on June 16, wowing the crowd and the judges to score 69.880%. 

“Tattoo is starting to develop more quality in the Grand Prix,” noted Trussell. “I am very excited his talent is starting to show through. We still have mistakes, which are costly, but I am thrilled with his performance at Cedar Valley. Each Grand Prix gets better as the season progresses.” 

Fellow Canadian and hometown favourite, Jacqueline Brooks finished second in the Grand Prix, earning 66.360% aboard D Niro (D-Day x Napoleon 625), an 18-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding owned by Mary Brooks and Brookhaven Dressage Inc. Elizabeth Steacie of Brockville, ON, took third with a mark of 64.560% riding Callahan (Cordoba x Matcho AA), a 12-year-old Hanoverian gelding she co-owns with Deborah Dudgeon. 

Trussell’s second win came just one day later when she and Tattoo 15 dominated the competition in the CDI FEI Grand Prix Special. Improving on their earlier performance, the pair scored 70.765% to secure their place atop the leaderboard. 

“The highlight was getting a 9 for Tattoo's one tempis on the center line,” exclaimed Trussell. “He has enormous quality in the changes and he was able to perform it!” 

Eiren Crawford also landed near the top of the leaderboard in the Grand Prix Special, taking second (63.471%) aboard Warello (Warkanson x Lord Vancouver XX), her 14-year-old Canadian Warmblood gelding. 

Brooks and D Niro danced their way to victory in the CDI FEI Grand Prix Freestyle on June 18. With a stunning routine performed near flawlessly, the duo earned high praise from the judges through their final mark of 72.225%. Guatemala’s Esther Mortimer took second on a score of 67.625% aboard Diamond Geezer. Steacie and Callahan once again brought home third, this time with a mark of 65.600%. 

In the small tour, Tom Dvorak of Hillsburgh, ON rode Cyrus (Contucci x Cor Noir) to victory in the CDI FEI Prix St. Georges on June 16. He and the eight-year-old Oldenburg gelding owned by Carla Bahr scored 70.351% to secure the win over Trussell and Carlucci (Contendro I x Compliment), a 12-year-old Hanoverian gelding owned by Barbara Holden Sinclair, who earned 69.386%. Fellow Canadian, Christilot Boylen, piloted her 10-year-old Westphalian mare, Rockylane (Rock Forever x Rombach), to a third-place finish with 69.386%. 

On June 17, Dvorak once again found himself in the winner’s circle, this time in the CDI FEI Intermediate I. He and Cyrus had a final mark of 69.693%, narrowly besting Boylen and Rockylane who finished second with 69.298%. Trussell and Carlucci took third, scoring 68.553%. 

“Our results really showed we’ve done our homework,” explained Dvorak. “Cyrus performed the Prix St. Georges with ease. He was perfect in the bridle and fun to ride. In the Intermediate I he’s still a bit green, so I sometimes feel like I have to help him a bit. Cedar Valley’s test was our most consistent to date. He felt a little tired part-way through, but stayed with me.” 

In the CDI FEI Intermediate I Freestyle, it was Boylen and Rockylane who took the win. The pair earned a remarkable 77.583%, breaking their personal best score of 77.000% from the CDI 3* Ottawa Dressage Festival in May. 

Lori Bell of Beaverton, ON, and Flirt (Florencio x Donnerhall), her nine-year-old Oldenburg gelding, finished second with 71.750%, while Ute Busse of Breslau, ON, and Stiletto (San Amour I x Rosenkavalier), a nine-year-old Oldenburg mare she co-owns with Patricia Scherrer, landed in third with 70.083%. 

In the Young Rider division, Alexandra Meghji of Toronto, ON took home top honours in the CDI FEI Young Rider Team test on June 16. Scoring 66.447%, she earned the victory riding Rigo (Rotspon x Weltmeyer), a 16-year-old Hanoverian gelding owned by Diana Belevsky. Finishing second was Sophie Dean-Potter of Caledon, ON, who earned 64.167% riding Wendy Dice (Redford x Welt Hit II), a 14-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare owned by Helena Dean. 

It was once again a one-two finish for Meghji and Dean-Potter in the CDI FEI Young Rider Individual test on June 17, with Meghji earning 67.939% and Dean-Potter scoring 65.965%. In the CDI FEI Young Rider Freestyle on June 18, Dean-Potter came out on top. She and Wendy Dice brought home the win with 70.500%. Meghji wasn’t far behind, scoring 70.042% for a close second. 

Ava MacCoubrey of Coburg, ON, swept the CDI FEI Junior division with Ritter Benno (Rolls Royce x Weinberg), a 16-year-old Westphalian gelding owned by Nicholas Hansen. She kicked things off with a score of 65.856% to take the win in the Team test on June 16, and then followed up with her second win after scoring 69.781% in the Individual on June 17. Posting her best score of the competition, MacCoubrey earned 71.750% to complete the hat trick in the CDI FEI Junior Freestyle on June 18. 

Allison Youngdale of Osgoode, ON captured second and third in the Team test riding RF Cosima 201 (Conello x Sir Shostakovich XX) and Ramiro (Blue Hors Don Romantic x Rambo) with scores of 64.189% and 62.432%, respectively. RF Cosima 201 is her 12-year-old Holsteiner mare, while Ramiro is her 10-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding. In the Individual test, Youngdale’s horses swapped places with Ramiro in second (65.482%) and RF Cosima 201 in third (64.781%). 

Youngdale and Ramiro again finished second in the Freestyle with 70.708%, while Maryse Bousquet landed in third with 63.250% riding Marzipan (Mattgold x Rheingold), a 20-year-old Hanoverian gelding owned by Chantal Hurtubise. 

For more information and full results from the CDI 3* Cedar Valley, visit www.rcra.ca.

 

CDI 3* Cedar Valley – Top Canadian Results 

CDI FEI Grand Prix 
Placing / Rider / Horse / Owner / Score
 
1st / Belinda Trussell / Tattoo 15 / Belinda Trussell / 69.880% 
2nd / Jacqueline Brooks / D Niro / Brookhaven Dressage / 66.360% 
3rd / Elizabeth Steacie / Callahan /Elizabeth Steacie and Deborah Dudgeon / 66.360% 
4th / Eiren Crawford / Warello / Eiren Crawford / 63.100% 

CDI FEI Grand Prix Special 
Placing / Rider / Horse / Owner / Score
 
1st / Belinda Trussell / Tattoo 15 / Belinda Trussell / 70.765% 
2nd / Eiren Crawford / Warello / Eiren Crawford / 63.100% 

CDI FEI Grand Prix Freestyle 
Placing / Rider / Horse / Owner / Score
 
1st / Jacqueline Brooks / D Niro / Brookhaven Dressage / 72.225% 
3rd / Elizabeth Steacie / Callahan / Elizabeth Steacie and Deborah Dudgeon / 65.600% 

CDI FEI Prix St. Georges 
Placing / Rider / Horse / Owner / Score
 
1st / Tom Dvorak / Cyrus / Carla Bahr / 70.351% 
2nd / Belinda Trussell / Carlucci / Barbara Holden Sinclair / 69.386% 
3rd / Christilot Boylen / Rockeylane / Christilot Boylen / 68.026% 
4th / Ute Busse / Stiletto / Ute Busse and Patricia Scherrer / 67.982% 
5th / Evi Strasser / Super Tyme / Evi Strasser / 65.746% 
6th / Lori Bell / Flirt / Lori Bell / 65.570% 
7th / Maya Markowski / Daedalus / Gail Tittley / 65.351% 
8th / Tanya Strasser-Shostak / Deja Vu Tyme / Evi Strasser and Erika Murphy / 65.175% 
9th / Chris Sanders / Lyric / Chris Sanders / 65.000% 
10th / Tiffany Randall / Sunset / Tiffany Randall / 63.860% 

CDI FEI Intermediate I 
Placing / Rider / Horse / Owner / Score
 
1st / Tom Dvorak / Cyrus / Carla Bahr / 69.693% 
2nd / Christilot Boylen / Rockeylane / Christilot Boylen / 69.298% 
3rd / Belinda Trussell / Carlucci / Barbara Holden Sinclair / 68.553% 
4th / Lori Bell / Flirt / Lori Bell / 68.246% 
5th / Ute Busse / Stiletto / Ute Busse and Patricia Scherrer / 67.500% 
6th / Evi Strasser / Super Tyme / Evi Strasser / 66.842% 
7th / Tanya Strasser-Shostak / Deja Vu Tyme / Evi Strasser and Erika Murphy / 66.667% 
8th / Chris Sanders / Lyric / Chris Sanders / 65.746% 
9th / Maya Markowski / Daedalus / Gail Tittley / 65.658% 
10th / Mary Ambrose / Xenophon SMF / Sandra Ammonn / 64.956% 

CDI FEI Intermediate I Freestyle 
Placing / Rider / Horse / Owner / Score
 
1st / Christilot Boylen / Rockeylane / Christilot Boylen / 77.583% 
2nd / Lori Bell / Flirt / Lori Bell / 71.750% 
3rd / Ute Busse / Stiletto / Ute Busse and Patricia Scherrer / 70.083% 
4th / Mary Ambrose / Xenophon SMF / Sandra Ammonn / 65.458% 
5th / Tiffany Randall / Sunset / Tiffany Randall / 64.333% 
6th / Maya Markowski / Daedalus / Gail Tittley / 63.833% 

CDI FEI Young Rider Team 
Placing / Rider / Horse / Owner / Score
 
1st / Alexandra Meghji / Rigo / Diana Belevsky / 66.447% 
2nd / Sophie Dean-Potter / Wendy Dice / Helena Dean / 64.167% 

CDI FEI Young Rider Individual 
Placing / Rider / Horse / Owner / Score
 
1st / Alexandra Meghji / Rigo / Diana Belevsky / 67.939% 
2nd / Sophie Dean-Potter / Wendy Dice / Helena Dean / 65.965% 

CDI FEI Young Rider Freestyle 
Placing / Rider / Horse / Owner / Score
 
1st / Sophie Dean-Potter / Wendy Dice / Helena Dean / 70.500% 
2nd / Alexandra Meghji / Rigo / Diana Belevsky / 70.042% 

CDI FEI Junior Team 
Placing / Rider / Horse / Owner / Score
 
1st / Ava MacCoubrey / Ritter Benno / Nicholas Hansen / 65.856% 
2nd / Allison Youngdale / RF Cosima 201 / Allison Youngdale / 64.189% 
3rd / Allison Youngdale / Ramiro / Allison Youngdale / 62.432% 
4th / Maryse Bousquet / Marzipan / Chantal Hurtubise / 61.622% 
5th / Catherine Andrews / Jazmine JSH / Keith Andrews / 55.946% 

CDI FEI Junior Individual 
Placing / Rider / Horse / Owner / Score
 
1st / Ava MacCoubrey / Ritter Benno / Nicholas Hansen / 69.781% 
2nd / Allison Youngdale / Ramiro / Allison Youngdale / 65.482% 
3rd / Allison Youngdale / RF Cosima 201 / Allison Youngdale / 64.781% 
4th / Maryse Bousquet / Marzipan / Chantal Hurtubise / 62.895% 
5th / Catherine Andrews / Jazmine JSH / Keith Andrews / 59.982% 

CDI FEI Junior Freestyle 
Placing / Rider / Horse / Owner / Score
 
1st / Ava MacCoubrey / Ritter Benno / Nicholas Hansen / 71.750% 
2nd / Allison Youngdale / Ramiro / Allison Youngdale / 70.708% 
3rd / Maryse Bousquet / Marzipan / Chantal Hurtubise / 63.250% 
4th / Catherine Andrews / Jazmine JSH / Keith Andrews / 62.792%

 

2017 DressageNews.com

Belinda Trussell & Tattoo Post Personal Best at Cedar Valley CDI3* Grand Prix Special for 4th Straight Victory

1 day ago admin Comments Off on 
Belinda Trussell and Tattoo. © SusanJStickle.com

CEDAR VALLEY, Ontario, June 17, 2017–Belinda Trussell and Tattoo posted a personal best score to win the Kawartha Lakes CDI3* Grand Prix Saturday for their fourth straight victory.

Belinda and the 14-year-old Westfalen gelding (Tuareg x Ramiro’s Son) scored 70.765 per cent in the third Special in six Grand Prix starts. The previous best for the double Olympic rider and Tattoo, that won the Grand Prix Friday to kick off the duo’s third Big Tour event, was 69.843 per cent at Ottawa last month.

Eiren Crawford and Warello placed second on 63.471 per cent in the first Big Tour event for the Canadian rider and the horse.

Results:

CDI3* Grand Prix Special  
E: Milanese – H: Lopes – C: Minor – M: Clarke – B: Whitham –
    Rider Nat. Horse       E Rk. H Rk. C Rk. M Rk. B Rk. T Pl.  
    Trussell, Belinda CAN Tattoo 15       71.471 1 69.020 1 67.941 1 71.471 1 73.922 1 70.765 1  
    Crawford, Eiren CAN Warello       66.373 2 63.725 2 60.098 2 64.314 2 62.843 2 63.471 2  

2017 DressageNews.com

Belinda Trussell & Tattoo Win Cedar Valley CDI3* Grand Prix

 

Admin
Belinda Trussell and Tattoo. File photo. © 2017 SusanJStickle.com

CEDAR VALLEY, Ontario, June 16, 2017–Canada’s double Olympic rider Belinda Trussell rode Tattoo to victory in the Kawartha Lakes CDI3* Grand Prix Friday in only the third Big Tour competition for the partnership.

Belinda and the 14-year-old Westfalen gelding (Tuareg x Ramiro’s Son) scored 69.880 per cent in the third straight win in five Grand Prix starts for the partnership beginning with Tryon, North Carolina two months ago.

Jacqueline Brooks and D Niro were second on 66.360 per cent well into the sixth years at CDI Grand Prix for the popular gray Swedish Warmblood gelding now 18 years old. The pair list the 2012 Olympics and the 2013 World Cup Final on their resume.

Elizabeth Steacie and Callahan were third on 64.560 per cent.

Results:

CDI3* Grand Prix  
E: Clarke – H: Milanese – C: Whitham – M: Lopes – B: Minor –
    Rider Nat. Horse       E . H . C . M . B . T Pl.  
    Trussell, Belinda CAN Tattoo 15       71.200   69.000   70.700   68.700   69.800   69.880 1  
    Brooks, Jacqueline CAN D Niro       66.300   65.100   67.800   65.000   67.600   66.360 2  
    Steacie, Elizabeth CAN Callahan       66.300   64.000   64.200   62.800   65.500   64.560 3  
    Crawford, Eiren CAN Warello       63.900   64.400   65.900   60.800   60.500   63.100 4  
    Mortimer, Esther GUA Diamond Geezer       62.700   61.000   59.400   60.800   59.400   60.660 5  

 

 
 
 
 

2017 DressageNews.com

Belinda Trussell & Tattoo Win Ottawa CDI3* Grand Prix Special for Double Victory

Admin
Belinda Trussell and Tattoo. File photo. © 2017 SusanJStickle.com

OTTAWA, Ontario, May 20, 2017–Belinda Trussell and Tattoo wrapped up the first Big Tour event at home to win the CDI3* Grand Prix Special Saturday for back-to-back victories at the Ottawa Dressage Festival.

Belinda and the 14-year-old Westfalen gelding scored 69.843 per cent compared with 65.804 per cent in the only other Special for the partnership that made their Big Tour debut at Tryon, North Carolina a month ago.

The two-time Olympic rider for Canada and Tattoo won the Grand Prix Friday.

 

Results:

 CDI3* Grand Prix Special  
E: Majewska – POL H: Minor – CAN C: Storr – GBR M: Holler – GER B: Ebert – GER
    Rider Nat. Horse       E . H . C . M . B . T Pl.  
    Trussell, Belinda CAN Tattoo 15       69.510   69.118   68.725   73.039   68.824   69.843 1  
    Peirce, Julia CAN Zimbro       64.706   66.078   63.235   68.529   64.020   65.314 2  
    Losos de Muniz, Yvonne DOM Aquamarijn       65.784   61.275   61.373   60.000   58.529   61.392 3  
 
 
 

2017 Equestrian Canada

Christilot Boylen Dominates Small Tour 
at CDI 3* Ottawa Dressage Festival

 

Ottawa, ON, May 24, 2017- Canadian dressage athletes danced into Ottawa for international-level competition on home soil during the CDI 3* Ottawa Dressage Festival, held May 18-21at Wesley Clover Parks in Ottawa, ON. 

Six-time Olympian, Christilot Boylen of Loretto, ON made her mark in the small tour, earning impressive personal best scores aboard Rockylane (Rock Forever x Rica), her 11-year-old Westphalian mare. 

Boylen took second place in the Prix St. Georges on a score of 70.746% on May 19 before moving on to claim back-to-back wins in the Intermediate I (72.632%) on May 20 and Intermediate I Freestyle (77.000%) on May 21. 

“I will always treasure the memory of the Freestyle with Rocky in Ottawa, where she received her first huge score, and the first ‘10’ from one of the international judges,” explained Boylen, who was also presented with the CDI Leading Athlete Award. 

Boylen continued, “Rocky and I began our journey about a year ago. She is a very special horse – light on her feet, elegant, and quite sensitive. We are building our relationship quietly and steadily. The Florida competitions gave me the opportunity to identify the training issues in the ring, and we have been working hard to solve the problems as they arise. In Tryon I felt we had made some great progress, and now Ottawa has shown me that it wasn’t a fluke – we have cemented our progress.” 

“I must thank all the wonderful people who have helped me reach this spot,” said Boylen. “Udo Lange, who is my eyes on the ground, my daughter, Billie, who has built a very special rapport with Rocky, my blacksmith, Luke, my vets, and the whole team that is involved in looking after a horse at this level. Thank you to Deer Ridge Equestrian in Loretto, ON for allowing me to train out of their top class facility. It is a pleasure every day! I also want to thank the organizers of the Ottawa Dressage Festival for a great job running this event.” 

In the big tour, Canadian Olympian, Belinda Trussell from Stouffville, ON earned back-to-back wins aboard her 14-year-old Westphalian gelding, Tattoo 15 (Tuareg x Ramiro’s Son). The duo started out with a score of 70.540% in the Grand Prix on May 19, before returned to the ring May 20, achieving a score of 69.843% in the Grand Prix Special. 

The final big tour win went to fellow Canadian Olympian, Jacqueline Brooks of Cedar Valley, ON. Riding her 2012 London Olympics partner, D Niro (D-Day x Napoleon 625), an 18-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding owned by Mary Brooks and Brookhaven Dressage Inc., she topped the Grand Prix Freestyle on a score of 72.400%. 

Veteran, Elizabeth Steacie of Brockville, ON also earned success in the big tour. Partnered with Callahan (Cordoba x Matcho AA), a 12-year-old Hanoverian gelding she co-owns with Deborah Dudgeon, Steacie earned third place in both the Grand Prix (67.000%) and Grand Prix Freestyle (67.650%). 

“I was very pleased with the Grand Prix test; it was the first time we were able to put it all together for a clean test, and happily, the judges were able to give us a good score,” explained Steacie, who is a member of the Equestrian Canada (EC) Dressage Committee, and has been involved in the equestrian community as a rider, trainer, and competitor for over 50 years. “I think we are on the right track now and will continue to improve. The Freestyle was fun. I have to do a little work on it. Now that the technical parts are coming together, we need to improve the degree of difficulty and choreography.” 

Speaking to her partnership with Callahan, Steacie said, “I have had Callahan since he was five years old. I feel that we have developed a great partnership. He is not always an easy horse, but we have a lot of trust together now and it is great fun to ride him. So far, he continues to exceed my expectations for him, so we will hopefully continue to progress.” 

Other Canadians with top placings in the big tour included Julia Peirce of Rigaud, QC, who rode her 13-year-old Lusitano gelding, Zimbro (Liso x Rico) to a score of 65.314% in the Grand Prix Special for second place, and Alexandra Dvorak from Hillsburgh, ON, who took second place in the Grand Prix Freestyle (67.875%) aboard Fling (Florestan I x Montmartre), a 17-year-old Westphalian gelding owned by her father and fellow competitor, Tom Dvorak. 

Additional success stories in the small tour included Trussell, this time aboard Carlucci (Contendro I x Compliment), a 12-year-old Hanoverian gelding owned by Barbara Holden Sinclair. They started out with a win in the Prix St. Georges after scoring 71.667%, followed up by a second place finish in the Intermediate I with 70.307%. 

Tom Dvorak of Hillsburgh, ON rounded out the top three in the Prix St. Georges, scoring 70.570% with Cyrus (Contucci x Cor Noir), an eight-year-old Oldenburg gelding owned by Carla Bahr. He was also third in the Intermediate I on a score of 69.167%. Tanya Strasser-Shostak of Ste-Adele, QC was the third-place finisher in the Intermediate I Freestyle riding Déjà Vu Tyme (Dauphin x Werbellin), a 10-year-old Hanoverian gelding owned by her mother, Evi Strasser, and Erika Murphy. 

Canada’s up-and-coming dressage athletes also made their mark at the Ottawa Dressage Festival. Vanessa Creech-Terauds of Caistor Centre, ON, who was a double silver medalist at the 2016 FEI North American Junior and Young Rider Championships (NAJYRC), won the CDI-U25 Grand Prix on May 20 on a score of 67.132% with Devon L (De Niro x Wolkenstein II), a 17-year-old Hanoverian gelding owned by her mother, Diane Creech, and Louise Leatherdale. She was also third in the Young Rider Freestyle (69.542%) on May 21, this time aboard Rob Roy (Rubin Royal x Glorieux), a 13-year-old Hanoverian gelding also owned by Creech and Leatherdale. 

In the Young Rider division, Alexandra Meghji of Toronto, ON - a Team Silver Medalist from NAJYRC 2016 - picked up two wins in as many days, topping the Young Rider Individual with 69.123% and the Young Rider Freestyle with 73.958% aboard Rigo (Rotspon x Weltmeyer), a 16-year-old Hanoverian gelding owned by Diana Belevsky. 

Yanina Woywitka of Merrickville, ON was also a common sight on the leaderboard after competing with two partners. Riding R’Myattack (Rheirattack x Wanderbursh II), a 10-year-old Oldenburg gelding owned by Susanne Dutt-Roth, Woywitka won the Young Rider Team on May 19 with 68.333%, then earned second in both the Young Rider Individual (68.684%) and Young Rider Freestyle (71.542%) on May 20 and 21, respectively. 

Paired with Bakari (Belissimo M x Dream of Glory), an eight-year-old Hanoverian gelding owned by Wanda Jamieson, Woywitka was second in the Young Rider Team (66.930%), and third in the Young Rider Individual (67.544%). 

Sophie Dean-Potter of Caledon, ON filled the remaining spot in the top-three on the leaderboard after taking third place in the Young Rider Team on a score of 66.754% with Wendy Dice (Redford x Welt Hit II), a 14-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare owned by Helena Dean. 

The Junior division saw Ava MacCoubrey of Cobourg, ON earn a hat trick with Ritter Benno (Rolls Royce x Weinberg), a 16-year-old Westphalian gelding owned by Nicholas Hansen. Under the guidance of her coach, Jacqueline Brooks, MacCoubrey started with a 70.000% in the Junior Team on May 19, and then moved on the following day to receive 70.307% in the Junior Individual. She capped off the weekend with a score of 72.667% in the Junior Freestyle on May 21. 

Allison Youngdale from Osgoode, ON and Molly Gunyon from Hudson, QC swapped off for the second and third place positions in the Junior division. Riding her 12-year-old Holsteiner mare, RF Cosima (Conello x Sir Shostakovich xx), Youndale was second in the Junior Team with 66.937%, third in the Junior Individual on a score of 65.202%, and third in the Junior Freestyle (64.917%). Gunyon rode her 16-year-old Hanoverian mare, Weltwunder (Waikiki x Wittinger), to third place in the Junior Team, scoring 65.991%, then earned second place in both the Junior Individual (66.009%) and Junior Freestyle (65.208%). 

For more information and complete results from CDI 3* Ottawa Dressage Festival, visit www.nationalcapitaldressage.ca.

 

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PHOTO – Six-time Olympian, Christilot Boylen of Loretto, ON earned back-to-back wins in the small tour aboard Rockylane, plus was presented with the CDI Leading Athlete Award at the CDI 3* Ottawa Dressage Festival, held May 18-21 in Ottawa, ON. 

PHOTO CREDIT – Cealy Tetley 

Top 10 Canadian Results - CDI 3* Ottawa 

CDI 3* Grand Prix 
Placing / Rider / Horse / Owner / Score
 
1st / Belinda Trussell / Tattoo 15 / Belinda Trussell / 70.540% 
3rd / Elizabeth Steacie / Callahan / Elizabeth Steacie & Deborah Dudgeon / 67.00% 
4th / Jacqueline Brooks / D Niro / Mary Brooks & Brookhaven Dressage Inc. / 66.680% 
5th / Julia Peirce / Zimbro / Julia Peirce / 63.960% 
6th / Alexandra Dvorak / Fling / Tom Dvorak / 62.800% 

CDI 3* Grand Prix Special 
Placing / Rider / Horse / Owner / Score
 
1st / Belinda Trussell / Tattoo 15 / Belinda Trussell / 69.843% 
2nd / Julia Peirce / Zimbro / Julia Peirce / 65.314% 

CDI 3* Grand Prix Freestyle 
Placing / Rider / Horse / Owner / Score
 
1st / Jacqueline Brooks / D Niro / Mary Brooks & Brookhaven Dressage Inc. / 72.400% 
2nd / Alexandra Dvorak / Fling / Tom Dvorak / 67.875% 
3rd / Elizabeth Steacie / Callahan / Elizabeth Steacie & Deborah Dudgeon / 67.650% 

CDI 1* Prix St. Georges 
Placing / Rider / Horse / Owner / Score
 
1st / Belinda Trussell / Carlucci / Barbara Holden Sinclair / 71.667% 
2nd / Christilot Boylen / Rockylane / Christilot Boylen / 70.746% 
3rd / Tom Dvorak / Cyrus / Carla Bahr / 70.570% 
5th / Chris Sanders / Lyric / Chris Sanders / 67.719% 
6th / Evi Strasser / Super Tyme / Evi Strasser / 67.632% 
7th / Emanuelle Bressan / Siglavy Brezica / Caroline Lemaire / 66.842% 
8th / Tanya Strasser-Shostak / Déjà Vu Tyme / Evi Strasser & Erika Murphy / 64.211% 
9th / Emilie Buys / Napoleon / Emilie Buys / 62.588% 

CDI 1* Intermediate I 
Placing / Rider / Horse / Owner / Score
 
1st / Christilot Boylen / Rockylane / Christilot Boylen / 72.632% 
2nd / Belinda Trussell / Carlucci / Barbara Holden Sinclair / 70.307% 
3rd / Tom Dvorak / Cyrus / Carla Bahr / 69.167% 
4th / Emanuelle Bressan / Siglavy Brezica / Caroline Lemaire / 67.368% 
6th / Evi Strasser / Super Tyme / Evi Strasser / 65.307% 
7th / Tanya Strasser-Shostak / Déjà Vu Tyme / Evi Strasser & Erika Murphy / 65.263% 
8th / Emilie Buys / Napoleon / Emilie Buys / 64.518% 
9th / Chris Sanders / Lyric / Chris Sanders / 64.211% 

CDI 1* Intermediate I Freestyle 
Placing / Rider / Horse / Owner / Score
 
1st / Christilot Boylen / Rockylane / Christilot Boylen / 77.000% 
3rd / Tanya Strasser-Shostak / Déjà Vu Tyme / Evi Strasser & Erika Murphy / 68.292% 
4th / Emanuelle Bressan / Siglavy Brezica / Caroline Lemaire / 67.958% 
5th / Evi Strasser / Super Tyme / Evi Strasser / 66.250% 

CDI U25 Grand Prix 16-25 
Placing / Rider / Horse / Owner / Score
 
1st / Vanessa Creech-Terauds / Devon L / Diane Creech & Louise Leatherdale / 67.132% 

CDI-Y Young Rider Team 
Placing / Rider / Horse / Owner / Score
 
1st / Yanina Woywitka / R’Myattack / Susanne Dutt-Roth / 68.333% 
2nd / Yanina Woywitka / Bakari / Wanda Jamieson / 66.930% 
3rd / Sophie Dean-Potter / Wendy Dice / Helena Dean / 66.754% 
4th / Alexandra Meghji / Rigo / Diana Belevsky / 66.228% 
5th / Vanessa Creech-Terauds / Rob Roy / Diane Creech & Louise Leatherdale / 64.386% 

CDI-Y Young Rider Individual 
Placing / Rider / Horse / Owner / Score
 
1st / Alexandra Meghji / Rigo / Diana Belevsky / 69.123% 
2nd / Yanina Woywitka / R’Myattack / Susanne Dutt-Roth / 68.684% 
3rd / Yanina Woywitka / Bakari / Wanda Jamieson / 67.544% 
4th / Sophie Dean-Potter / Wendy Dice / Helena Dean / 64.912% 
5th / Vanessa Creech-Terauds / Rob Roy / Diane Creech & Louise Leatherdale / 64.430% 

CDI-Y Young Rider Freestyle 
Placing / Rider / Horse / Owner / Score
 
1st / Alexandra Meghji / Rigo / Diana Belevsky / 73.958% 
2nd / Yanina Woywitka / R’Myattack / Susanne Dutt-Roth / 71.542% 
3rd / Vanessa Creech-Terauds / Rob Roy / Diane Creech & Louise Leatherdale / 69.542% 
4th / Sophie Dean-Potter / Wendy Dice / Helena Dean / 69.125% 

CDI-J Junior Team 
Placing / Rider / Horse / Owner / Score
 
1st / Ava MacCoubrey / Ritter Benno / Nicholas Hansen / 70.000% 
2nd / Allison Youngdale / RF Cosima / Allison Youngdale / 66.937% 
3rd / Molly Gunyon / Weltwunder / Molly Gunyon / 65.991% 
4th / Catherine Andrews / Jazmine JSH / Keith Andrews / 62.658% 
5th / Devlin Abergel-Preston / Perpetual Motion / Elisabeth Preston / 62.297% 
6th / Devlin Abergel-Preston / Wake Up / Elisabeth Preston / 60.045% 

CDI-J Junior Individual 
Placing / Rider / Horse / Owner / Score
 
1st / Ava MacCoubrey / Ritter Benno / Nicholas Hansen / 70.307% 
2nd / Molly Gunyon / Weltwunder / Molly Gunyon / 66.009% 
3rd / Allison Youngdale / RF Cosima / Allison Youngdale / 65.202% 
4th / Devlin Abergel-Preston / Perpetual Motion / Elisabeth Preston / 65.088% 
5th / Catherine Andrews / Jazmine JSH / Keith Andrews / 63.114% 
6th / Devlin Abergel-Preston / Wake Up / Elisabeth Preston / 57.044% 

CDI-J Junior Freestyle 
Placing / Rider / Horse / Owner / Score
 
1st / Ava MacCoubrey / Ritter Benno / Nicholas Hansen / 72.667% 
2nd / Molly Gunyon / Weltwunder / Molly Gunyon / 65.208% 
3rd / Allison Youngdale / RF Cosima / Allison Youngdale / 64.917% 
4th / Catherine Andrews / Jazmine JSH / Keith Andrews / 59.042%

 
 

2017 EuroDressage.com

Belinda Trussell's Anton Retired from Top Sport, Tattoo Takes Over Torch

 
eurodressage.com
Mon, 05/01/2017 - 03:07
 

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Belinda Trussell and Anton at the 2014 World Equestrian Games
Photo © Astrid Appels
 
Canadian Dressage News

Canada's long-time Grand Prix team anchor horse Anton has been retired from top level sport. Belinda Trussell rode her last competition on Anton at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in August 2016. Anton will continue on as a schoolmaster for Abbey Simbrow, while Belinda will focus on Tattoo as her new Grand Prix ride.

The now 17-year old Saxonian bred Anton (by Antaeus x Melit) is owned by Robyn Eames and Marc Trussell. Since 2010 he was Canada's number one Grand Prix horse representing his country at the 2010 World Equestrian Games. The bay gelding needed a long break due to injury between 2012 and 2014. He returned to full fitness and competed at the 2014 World Equestrian Games in Caen, 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto and 2016 Rio Olympics.

“He had a 2.5 year absence from the sport and the vets didn’t think he could come back,” explained Belinda. “My vet, Dr. Usha Knabe, was the one who brought him back for me and he was better than ever. The best thing I ever did was bring this horse back.” Mark Trussell added, “His major injury devastated us all, and it was with amazement that two years later he was totally healed and stronger than ever. We can easily say he is the greatest horse we’ve ever known.”

When asked what her career highlight on Anton was, Belinda replied, "I think my biggest highlight was the Pan American Games in Toronto. Competing in front of the home crowd was exhilarating. Anton never let me down in the ring, even when he was scared of the applause, he did his job. Another highlight was winning my first Grand Prix at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival last year. It blew me away to win the class, when the steward came to me with the blue ribbon, I told him, ‘That can’t be for me?’ It was a very special moment."

A New Chapter for Anton with Abbey Simbrow

Abbey Simbrow with Anton
 

Anton will not retire to the field, but will become a schoolmaster for 36-year old Abbey Simbrow, who came to Belinda's yard for training and advice almost two years ago. Anton has now been leased to Simbrow, who began riding the gelding in September 2016."I knew Anton needed a new role and Abbey helped me feel confident he would be happy and in a great place. Abbey and I decided to do a test month before committing to a lease. Watching Anton with Abbey and seeing how happy he was with her showed me it was the right decision. She is grateful each day she rides him, she constantly apologizes to him if she makes a mistake. I told her she does not need to apologize all the time – Anton is fine! I love to see how much Anton gives her and how much Abbey gives Anton back in return. He really likes her, I can see it in his eyes."

Simbrow leaves the door open for Anton's return to the show ring as she aims to become a better Grand Prix rider.

"My goals are to continue on the path to refining my skills as a dressage rider," said Simbrow. "I have a fabulous young horse who will only gain in training from what I obtain from riding Anton, along with my clients and their horses. With the guidance and training from Belinda, my goal competitively is to create a partnership strong and exact enough to experience the big ring with the master!"

Tattoo Takes Over Torch

Trussell's 14-year old Westfalian gelding Tattoo (by Tuareg x Ramiro's Son) has taken over the torch from Anton. At the 2017 CDI Tryon on 21 - 23 April 2017, Trussell and Tattoo were 8th in the Grand Prix (65.820%) and third in the Special (65.804%).

Belinda Trussell and Tattoo at the 2017 CDI Tryon
 

“This is Tattoo’s first year competing at the grand prix level,” explained Trussell. “We did three national shows in Florida, and Tryon was our first CDI. A horse in their first year of grand prix often has ups and downs. We had some amazing tests in Florida. Considering we had quite a number of errors in Tryon, I was pleased with his scores. The judges were all very positive and encouraging.”Belinda reflects on no longer having Anton around at competitions.

“It’s a very strange feeling not having Anton at the shows,” continued Trussell. “Anton was such a professional and knew his job so well. Bringing along the green horses, you never know what you might get in the ring. But it is also nice to bring along new horses and learn about their personalities. I enjoy the process of learning how to develop each horse to their top potential. It takes time and patience. Each horse is on their own personal journey which cannot be rushed.”

Photos © Astrid Appels - private - Sue Stickle

2017 Equestrian Canada

Canadian Dressage Athletes Enjoy 
Successful World Equestrian Games Test Run 
at CDI 3* Tryon

Ottawa, ON, April 28, 2017- Canadian dressage athletes had the opportunity to test out the environment of the future site of the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG) during the CDI 3* Tryon, held April 20-23, 2017 at the Tryon International Equestrian Center in Mill Spring, NC. 

Canadian Olympian, Belinda Trussell of Stouffville, ON danced into the top three in the big tour aboard Tattoo 15 (Tuareg x Ramiro’s Son), her 14-year-old Westphalian gelding. One of Canada’s most successful dressage athletes, fans are accustomed to seeing Trussell paired with Anton, her long-time partner that took her all the way to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. However, following Anton’s retirement from international competition in 2017, Trussell has stepped Tattoo 15 up to the big leagues. 

“This is Tattoo’s first year competing at the grand prix level,” explained Trussell. “We did three national shows in Florida, and Tryon was our first CDI. A horse in their first year of grand prix often has ups and downs. We had some amazing tests in Florida. Considering we had quite a number of errors in Tryon, I was pleased with his scores. The judges were all very positive and encouraging.” 

Despite the few bobbles, Trussell and Tattoo 15 earned a top-10 finish in the CDI 3* FEI Grand Prix, then moved on to take third place in the CDI 3* FEI Grand Prix Special, scoring 66.961%. 

“It’s a very strange feeling not having Anton at the shows,” continued Trussell. “Anton was such a professional and knew his job so well. Bringing along the green horses, you never know what you might get in the ring. But it is also nice to bring along new horses and learn about their personalities. I enjoy the process of learning how to develop each horse to their top potential. It takes time and patience. Each horse is on their own personal journey which cannot be rushed.” 

Fellow Rio 2016 Olympian, Megan Lane from Loretto, ON was also successful in the big tour, with her best result coming in the CDI 3* FEI Grand Prix Freestyle, where she placed second with San d’Or on a score of 72.660%. Also relatively new to the CDI big tour, San d’Or (Sandro Hit x Cocktail), an 11-year-old Westphalian gelding owned by Deer Ridge Equestrian, is Lane’s chosen partner in her bid for WEG 2018. 

“This is a really exciting time for San d’Or, who has been very successful in his debut year at the big tour CDI level,” said Lane, who debuted San d’Or at the CDI level during the Adequan Global Dressage Festival this past winter, earning many top-five results. “I came to Tryon in preparation for next year’s WEG. It’s not often we can show in the venue where such an event takes place, and with WEG potentially being San d’Or’s first real international event, I wanted to allow him to experience the impressive stadium prior to next year.” 

In the small tour, Canada was well represented by six-time Olympian, Christilot Boylen aboard Rockylane (Rock Forever x Rica), her 11-year-old Westphalian mare. After taking third place with 69.553% in the FEI Intermediate I, the duo moved on to the FEI Intermediate I Freestyle, where they scored 72.600% for second place. 

Ariana Chia of Winnipeg, MB, swept the Young Horse division at Tryon, partnered with her Oldenburg gelding Fiderflame (Fidertanz x Abanos). Together they scored 70.200% in the FEI Preliminary Test for 7 Year Olds, and then wrapped up with 72.400% in the FEI Final Test for 7 Year Olds. 

For more information and complete results from CDI 3* Tryon, visit http://tryon.coth.com.

 

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PHOTO – Canadian Olympian Belinda Trussell and Tattoo 15 earned top three results in the CDI big tour during the CDI 3* Tryon, held at the site of the upcoming 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games in Mill Spring, NC. 

PHOTO CREDIT – Susan J. Stickle

Top 10 Canadian Results - CDI 3* Tryon 

FEI Grand Prix 
Placing / Rider / Horse / Owner / Score
 
4th / Megan Lane / San d’Or / Deer Ridge Equestrian / 67.700% 
8th / Belinda Trussell / Tattoo 15 / Belinda Trussell / 65.820% 

FEI Grand Prix Special 
Placing / Rider / Horse / Owner / Score
 
3rd / Belinda Trussell / Tattoo 15 / Belinda Trussell / 65.804% 

FEI Grand Prix Freestyle 
Placing / Rider / Horse / Owner / Score
 
2nd / Megan Lane / San d’Or / Deer Ridge Equestrian / 72.660% 
7th / Ariana Chia / Teo / Ariana Chia / 63.735% 

FEI Prix St. Georges 
Placing / Rider / Horse / Owner / Score
 
4th / Belinda Trussell / Carlucci / Barbara Holden Sinclair / 67.579% 
5th / Krystalann Shingler / Fidelio / Krystalann Shingler / 67.553% 

FEI Intermediate I 
Placing / Rider / Horse / Owner / Score
 
3rd / Christilot Boylen / Rockylane / Christilot Boylen / 69.553% 
6th / Krystalann Shingler / Fidelio/ Krystalann Shingler / 67.395% 
9th / Belinda Trussell / Carlucci / Barbara Holden Sinclair / 65.579% 

FEI Intermediate I Freestyle 
Placing / Rider / Horse / Owner / Score
 
2nd / Christilot Boylen / Rockylane / Christilot Boylen / 72.600% 
8th / Krystalann Shingler / Fidelio / Krystalann Shingler / 65.250% 

FEI Preliminary Test for 7 Year Olds 
Placing / Rider / Horse / Owner / Score
 
1st / Ariana Chia / Fiderflame / Ariana Chia / 70.200% 

FEI Final Test for 7 Year Olds - Final 
Placing / Rider / Horse / Owner / Score
 
1st / Ariana Chia / Fiderflame / Ariana Chia / 72.400%

2017 Tryon Spring I CDI3*

Ashley Holzer Captures FEI Grand Prix Freestyle CDI 3* presented by Adequan® Aboard Havanna 145
 
Page and Dr. House 2 Victorious in FEI Grand Prix Special CDI 3* presented
by Adequan®
 
For Immediate Release
 
Mill Spring, NC - April 22, 2017 - Ashley Holzer (USA) and Havanna 145 rode to their first major international win today in the FEI Grand Prix Freestyle presented by Adequan® at the Tryon Spring Dressage I CDI 3* hosted at Tryon International Equestrian Center (TIEC). Holzer and Havanna 145 scored a 73.735% for the win, while Megan Lane (CAN) and San D'Or rode to second place, receiving a 72.660%. P.J. Rizvi (USA) and Breaking Dawn rounded out the top three finishers earning a 71.650%. Competition concludes tomorrow with the final day of international and national dressage at the venue, featuring the FEI Intermediaire I Freestyle presented by Adequan®.
 
Holzer, who is representing the United States for the first time internationally after representing Canada at the highest levels of competition for majority of her career, guided the mare to an impressive win in the George H. Morris Arena. In their Large Tour debut, the pair picked up a seventh place finish in yesterday's FEI Grand Prix presented by Adequan® before returning to finish atop the class today.
Ashley Holzer and Havanna 145
 
"This was the choreography that we used with Dressed In Black, so I know the pattern really well. I changed a few things for her and did change a bit of the music to suit her better," explained Holzer. "I'm very aware of the music and I think the difficult part of the freestyle is the positioning of each movement. You have to have the movements exactly where the music is going to be and I thought that it would be a good introductory routine for us."
 
The 2007 Hanoverian mare (Hochadel x Rodgau) owned by Diane Fellows, is a new mount for Holzer, as she only arrived to the United States in December 2016. Working on strength and conditioning throughout the winter season, as well as getting to know Havanna 145's personality, Holzer feels that the mare is something incredibly special for the future.
 
Megan Lane and D'Or
 
"I was thrilled with today because it felt like she totally understood what I was asking her. I now am seeing that if she understands what I'm asking her to do, she's going to do her best to do it. There's a willingness and trust there that is very promising," she added.
 
While Havanna 145 had only shown in the Small Tour in Europe before her purchase, Holzer felt confident the mare had the talent and drive necessary to move to Large Tour quickly. Holzer elaborated, "This is our first CDI together and really only one of the first few shows that we've done. Her personality is amazing. She just is one of those horses that only gets better every single day. Every time you see her it's just better."
 
P.J. Rizvi and Breaking Dawn
 
As for competing internationally as an American for the first time, Holzer said the competition has been emotional, but overall a very positive experience. Noting that Canada and her memories competing as a Canadian will always be held close to her heart, beginning a new chapter in her competition career is an exciting venture and ultimately the right choice.
 
Ashley Holzer and Havanna 145 in their presentation ceremony with judge Janet Foy (USA) and Allyn Mann of Adequan®.
 
"I am thrilled. I feel so embraced by the Americans and this program. I'm cantering around and they're cheering for me. It's thrilling for the owners of my horses who now get to see them competing under their own national flag. This country has been amazing to me. I've been here for more than 25 years and I feel American," Holzer said. "Jumping across that threshold was terrifying, but for me personally, I'm thrilled to be competing as an American. It was the right choice that came at the right time."
 
Page and Dr. House 2 Victorious in FEI Grand Prix Special CDI 3* presented by Adequan®
 
Arlene "Tuny" Page (USA) and Dr. House 2, a 2005 Oldenburg gelding (Don Schufro x Krack C) owned by Page, secured the win in the FEI Grand Prix Special CDI 3* presented by Adequan® with a final score of 68.336%. Ashley Holzer (USA) and Sir Caramello finished in second place on a 66.784%, while Belinda Trussell (CAN) and Tattoo 15 collected third place honors after finishing with a 65.804%.
 
Arlene "Tuny" Page and Dr. House 2
 
Dr. House 2 is the newest member of Page's talented string, accompanying her already confirmed Grand Prix mount, Woodstock. In just their third CDI competition together, Page feels that their relationship and communication skills are vastly improving, making each test more expressive and accurate than the last.
 
"He was good. He just goes from strength to strength. Every time we bring him out I learn something about him. The most important thing that I've learned is that he's incredibly honest and just wants to please," commented Page.
 
Ashley Holzer and Sir Caramello
 
Developing strength and stamina is key when perfecting the movements of the Grand Prix test and Page has been committed to helping the flashy gelding find his own confidence in the ring.
 
"At this stage, you have to have that strength to carry more expression. He's so honest and does the exercises easily, and now has to develop that power in the ring to really move. Today, I felt many more moments where he took over in a good way. He was telling me where he could give more."
 
Belinda Trussell and Tattoo 15
 
After a minor mechanical mishap when Page's helmet chin strap came undone as the pair rode down the centerline, the duo did not let the distraction impact their test and continued on with poise and accuracy.
 
"I'm sure you saw, as soon as I came up the centerline my chin strap came undone. I was trying to think of where in the test I could manage to secure it back," she smiled, admitting that while the situation was not ideal, ended up working out with a great result. "I kept reminding myself to keep my head very still. He was a good boy and went along with everything like a veteran."
 
Arlene "Tuny" Page and Dr. House 2 in their presentation ceremony with Allyn Mann of Adequan® and judge
Janet Foy (USA).
 
Heather Blitz (USA) and Praestemarkens Quatero took their second class of the week in the Small Tour at TIEC, finishing the FEI Intermediaire I presented by Adequan® with a score of 71.211%. Ashley Holzer (USA) guided Radondo to second place after earning a 70.553%, ahead of Christilot Boylen (CAN) and Rockylane, who completed their test with a score of 69.553% for third.
 
Heather Blitz and Praestemarkens Quatero
 
Competition at the Tryon Spring I CDI 3* presented by Adequan® concludes tomorrow featuring numerous international and national classes, including the FEI Intermediaire I Freestyle. To learn more about TIEC, please visit www.tryon.com.
FEI Grand Prix Freestyle CDI 3* presented by Adequan® Results
Place, Rider, Nationality, Horse, Horse Information: Judge E%, Judge H%, Judge C%, Judge M%, Judge B%, Total % 
1. Ashley Holzer (USA), Havanna 145, 2007 Hanoverian mare by Hochadel x Riviera x Rodgau, owned by Diane Fellows: 74.575%, 72.125%, 72.375%, 72.500%, 77.100%, 73.735%
 
2. Megan Lane (CAN), San D'Or, 2006 Westphalian gelding by Sandro Hit x Pavarottie W x Cocktail, owned by Deer Ridge Equestrian: 69.125%, 73.750%, 71.750%, 73.125%, 75.550%, 72.660%
 
3. P.J. Rizvi (USA), Breaking Dawn, 2001 Dutch Warmblood gelding by Akribori x Eveline x L. Ronald, owned by P.J. Rizvi: 69.875%, 71.625%, 70.125%, 72.625%, 74.000%, 71.650%
 
4. Katie Poag (USA), Zonnekoning, 2004 Dutch Warmblood stallion by Florett As x Maraba, owned by Katie Poag: 69.125%, 72.375%, 69.500%, 71.375%, 72.125%, 70.900%
 
5. Arlene "Tuny" Page (USA), Woodstock, 2003 Dutch Warmblood gelding by Havel x Mirania x Contango, owned by Arlene Page: 69.125%, 69.000%, 71.750%, 67.000%, 70.425%, 69.460%
 
6. Karen Lipp (USA), Whitney, 2005 Hanoverian mare by White Star x Hauptstutbuch Grace x Grand Cru, owned by Kathleen Oldford: 68.750%, 69.875%, 70.500%, 66.000%, 68.950%, 68.815%
 
7. Ariana Chia (CAN), Teo, 1999 Dutch Warmblood gelding by Democrat x Helga x Uniform, owned by Ariana Chia: 64.875%, 63.625%, 63.125%, 62.625%, 64.425%, 63.735%
FEI Grand Prix Special CDI 3* presented by Adequan® Results
Place, Rider, Nationality, Horse, Horse Information: Judge E%, Judge H%, Judge C%, Judge M%, Judge B%, Total %
1. Arlene "Tuny" Page (USA), Dr. House 2, 2005 Oldenburg gelding by Don Schufro x Rinerfa JS x Krack C, owned by Arlene Page: 70.000%, 68.137%, 66.275%, 66.969%, 70.302%, 68.336%
 
2. Ashley Holzer (USA), Sir Caramello, 2007 Oldenburg stallion by Sir Donnerhall x Katharina x Feiner Stern, owned by Peacock Ridge Farm: 70.000%, 68.137%, 66.275%, 66.969%, 70.302%, 68.336%
 
3. Belinda Trussell (CAN), Tattoo 15, 2003 Westphalian gelding by Tuareg x Renaissance x Ramiro's Son, owned by Belinda Trussell: 65.294%, 65.000%, 66.471%, 66.961%, 65.294%, 65.804%
 
4. Stacy Parvey-Larsson (USA), Benidetto, 2004 Hanoverian stallion by Belissimo M x Crispy Sweet x Cordob, owned by Stacy Parvey-Larsson: 64.608%, 63.137%, 62.157%, 62.941%, 63.431%, 63.255%
 
5. Pamela Aide (USA), Bon De Niro P, 2006 Dutch Warmblood gelding by Son De Niro x Vasti x Ferro, owned by Pamela Aide: 63.431%, 62.941%, 61.863%, 62.255%, 62.059%, 62.510%
 
Photo Credit ©SusanJStickle.

2017 Equestrian Canada

Equestrian Canada Dressage Athlete of the Year:  Belinda Trussell

equestrian.ca  April 15, 2017

2016 DRESSAGE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: BELINDA TRUSSELL

Belinda Trussell from Stouffville, ON has been named the 2016 Dressage Athlete of the Year based on her outstanding results throughout the 2016 season, capped off by her appearance at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

CealyTetley-Rio-pic

Partnered with Anton (Antaeus x Shirley), a 17-year-old Sachsen-Anhaltiner gelding owned by Robyn Eames and Mark Trussell, Belinda kicked off 2016 early in the year at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) series in Wellington, FL where she earned multiple wins at the CDI level, and set a new national record for the highest score achieved in the Grand Prix Special (75.529%).

Her success with Anton continued in the spring when she travelled to the Ottawa Dressage Festival in Ontario and added another National record to her name after scoring 73.780% in the CDI Grand Prix.

Due to their success throughout the year, Belinda and Anton were named to the Canadian Dressage Team for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, BRA. There, Belinda added yet even more records to her name after achieving the highest scores received by a Canadian at an Olympic Games in both the Grand Prix (72.214%) and Grand Prix Special (75.529%).

2017 Horses Daily

Adrienne Lyle and Belinda Trussell Clinch The Horse of Course High Score Awards During Final Weeks of Wellington Dressage

Horsesdaily.com  April 14, 2017

 
 

Wellington, FL – Olympians Adrienne Lyle and Belinda Trussell finished the final weeks of the Adequan® Global Dressage Festival in style by winning The Horse of CourseHigh Score Award. Returning sponsor, The Horse of Course, was thrilled to wrap up the 2017 season by rewarding each of the highest scoring riders for the last two weeks, Lyle and Trussell, with an embroidered Horse of Course cooler and a beautiful tri-colored ribbon for their winning performances down the centerline.
Marty and Beth Haist owners of premier Oklahoma-based tack shop, the Horse of Course, presented week 10’s The Horse of Course High Score Award to international dressage competitor Adrienne Lyle of Ketchum, Idaho, for her winning ride on Hanoverian Riccidoff (Riccione x Don Sarina) owned by title sponsor Betsy Juliano of Havensafe Farm.

Lyle pulled out all the stops when she entered at A aboard Riccidoff, posting a sizzling score of 77.237 percent in the FEI Intermediate I. In only her first season showing Riccidoff, Lyle demonstrated the continuity in performance that is so essential to long-term success. The highly accomplished rider, who is sponsored by Juliano and who represented the USA in the 2012 London Olympic Games, said, “This is my first year competing Riccidoff, and this is only his second show doing the Intermediate I. He was quite a good boy! Riccidoff is a really fun horse. He’s got a lot of power. He’s very little, but he moves big and can be a powerhouse when he gets going. He’s green with me in the show ring, so getting to watch his training and progress is fun.”

Canadian Olympian Belinda Trussell topped off a successful show season aboard the bay 11-year-old Hanoverian Carlucci (Contendro 1 x Christin), owned by Barbara Holden-Sinclair. The worthy pair was awarded The Horse of Course High Score Award for achieving the high score of Week 11 – 76.053 percent in the FEI Prix St. Georges.

Belinda Trussell (left) and Barbara Holden-Sinclair (right)  accept The Horse of Course High Score Award from Beth Haist (middle).

Belinda Trussell (left) and Barbara Holden-Sinclair (right)  accept The Horse of Course High Score Award from Beth Haist (middle).

Trussell, from Ontario, has trained numerous horses and riders to FEI level and represented Canada at the 2016 Rio De Janeiro Olympics, World Cup, World Equestrian Games, and Pan American Games. She commented on her partnership with Carlucci, saying, “I had him a long time ago as a five-year-old, but ended up going to Europe. Carlucci went off to one of our friends, and then we reconnected about a year ago. He is a kind horse with a huge heart. He does not have the word ‘no’ in his vocabulary; he doesn’t know that word, he only tries his best. He’s a very powerful-looking horse. I say he’s a mouse in a lion’s body! My job is to bring out his confidence, and by bringing out his confidence he has become a superstar. He’s just been amazing and a pleasure to ride. And I have to say that his owner is extraordinary, with every detail she thinks about and gives to him. There is no way I could have gotten that score without her.”

Holden-Sinclair, overjoyed with Carlucci’s progress, said, “I love this horse. As a matter of fact, this horse is a love story that started five years ago when Belinda was involved with his purchase. While he did take a detour while she was in Europe, she kept up on what was happening with his life. I remember that so clearly and was so grateful for it. For me, it’s been magical watching Belinda mold him into what he has become. It has been a journey of patience, perseverance, and tenacity. Every single part of the journey there has been loads of laughter. It’s been happy; magical. For the future, it’s one day at a time and just enjoying the journey.”

Trussell and Holden-Sinclair plan to next compete Carlucci in Tryon, North Carolina, and then compete in two more CDIs in Ontario, Canada later this summer. “We absolutely will be back to Wellington, Florida, next year, for sure,” said Holden-Sinclair.

The Horse of Course, known for having the best and latest in equestrian fashion, presents The Horse of Course High Score Award to top dressage riders at shows across the United States. The premier tack shop, based in Claremore, Oklahoma, offers top brands such as KEP Italia, Ronner, IAGO, Style Stock, Micklem, Dobert, LotusRomeo, EGO7, euro-star, Passier, Neue Schule, König, Grand Prix, and Pikeur, plus innovative new products, customized saddle fitting, and customized bit fitting. For more information on the company’s selection of quality tack, apparel, and other merchandise, visit the official Facebook, Instagram, and www.thehorseofcourse.com, or call 888-494-6773.

 

2017 Equestrian Canada

Honouring Anton: A New Chapter for Iconic Canadian Dressage Horse

Equestrian.ca  February 6, 2017

Two-time Canadian Olympian, Belinda Trussell of Stouffville, ON, recently announced her decision to retire her long-time partner, Anton, from international competition. The next chapter for the iconic Canadian Equestrian Team horse – who has been well known and well-loved in the equestrian community for nearly a decade – will be to partner with up-and-coming dressage athlete, Abbey Simbrow, 36, from Toronto, ON.

About Anton

EC Exclusives - Anton Retirement - Belinda & Anton AGDF Action by Cealy Tetley.jpg

Photo Credit – Cealy Tetley

A 17-year-old Sachsen-Anhaltiner gelding, Anton (Antaeus x Shirley) is owned by Belinda’s mother, Robyn Eames and husband, Mark Trussell of Stouffville, ON.

Together Belinda and Anton have had a profound effect on the sport of dressage in Canada and the Canadian Dressage Team, attending four major games and breaking many national records along the way.

In 2016 alone, they had a record-breaking season that began at the prestigious Adequan Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) winter series in Wellington, FL. Not only did the pair pick up numerous wins at the CDI level, they set a new national record for the highest score achieved in the Grand Prix Special (75.529%).

Their incredible success continued throughout the season, and they picked up yet another national record in May for their score of 73.780% in the CDI Grand Prix at the Ottawa Dressage Festival in Ontario.

Rio Records

EC Exclusives - Anton Retirement - Belinda Trussell & Anton Rio GP by Cealy Tetley.jpg

Photo Credit – Cealy Tetley

Belinda and Anton’s landmark season led to their selection to represent Canada at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil. Together, they once again set new records, this time for the highest scores achieved by a Canadian at the Olympics in both the Grand Prix (72.214%) and the Grand Prix Special (75.529%).

These accomplishments added to Belinda and Anton’s domination of Canadian records at major games, having also earned record-breaking scores at the 2014 FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG) in France and the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto – where they helped the Canadian Dressage Team take the silver medal and set a new record for the highest team average score Canada has earned at a major games to date.

EC-Exclusives---Anton-Retirement---Pan-Am-Silver-Medal.jpg

Photo Credit – Courtesy of Belinda Trussell

“It’s been a wonderful journey with Anton,” said Mark Trussell who, along with Robyn Eames, was named the 2016 Dressage Owner of the Year. “We remember Anton’s early competitions as a six-year-old in Devon, where we learned he loved the ring, but had some big fears of the applause. We were so proud of how he developed and grew up, going to WEG 2010.”

The Comeback Kid

EC Exclusives - Anton Retirement - Rio Celebrating Ride by Cealy Tetley.jpg

Photo Credit – Cealy Tetley

Anton’s incredible accomplishments were made all the more sweet for his team due to the fact that in 2013, he suffered an injury that vets believed could sideline him for life.

“He had a 2.5 year absence from the sport and the vets didn’t think he could come back,” explained Belinda. “My vet, Dr. Usha Knabe, was the one who brought him back for me and he was better than ever. The best thing I ever did was bring this horse back.”

Mark added, “His major injury devastated us all, and it was with amazement that two years later he was totally healed and stronger than ever. We can easily say he is the greatest horse we’ve ever known.”

EC-Exclusives---Anton-Retirement---Rio-Kiss-&-Cry-by-Cealy-Tetley.jpg

Photo Credit – Cealy Tetley

Next Chapter

So what’s next for Anton? Keep reading to hear about Anton’s next chapter straight from the sources – Belinda Trussell and Abbey Simbrow.

Belinda Trussell

EC Exclusives - Anton Retirement - Belinda & Anton AGDF by Cealy Tetley.jpg

Photo Credit – Cealy Tetley

EC: How did you come to the decision to retire Anton from international competition?

Belinda: I don’t like using the word, ‘retire.’ There is something so final about that word. I think it is probably my own emotions coming through! It was just a feeling I had, and it started at the beginning of 2016. He had a stellar year in 2016 - the best of our career together. I felt Anton gave me everything he was born with and was capable of that year. I felt in my heart he had reached his maximum potential. At the Olympics he also did his absolute best. Knowing how much he gave me and knowing he has reached his potential brought me to the decision for his next chapter. I believe horses know when they are doing well and they are proud of themselves. It was important to me to stop competing so he ends our time together with that pride. Anton is a champion and deserves to always feel like a champion.

EC: Throughout the years you competed with Anton, what were some of the highlights that stick out in your mind?

Belinda: There are so many. I still clearly remember competing with him at Paxton Farms in Fourth Level. I was so scared to ask for the medium canter, I thought I might end up in the next State! I also smile when I think of the Masters in Wellington when we rode at the jumper venue. The judge commented, ‘Not in control,’ during our extended canter. I remember these moments with him so fondly because that energy is what made Anton a top Grand Prix horse. And he is still like that today! Although I generally have control now in the extended canter. I think my biggest highlight was the Pan American Games in Toronto. Competing in front of the home crowd was exhilarating. Anton never let me down in the ring, even when he was scared of the applause, he did his job. Another highlight was winning my first Grand Prix at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival last year. It blew me away to win the class, when the steward came to me with the blue ribbon, I told him, ‘That can’t be for me?’ It was a very special moment.

EC: What made you decide to lease Anton?

Belinda: I knew I could never sell Anton. I am so lucky that my Mom owns him and she is so supportive and treats Anton as part of the family. I think it was the right place at the right time when Abbey asked me about leasing him. Abbey really helped me with the idea, concepts, and gave me the support to come to that decision. Abbey is so respectful of my feelings toward Anton. I knew Anton needed a new role and she helped me feel confident he would be happy and in a great place. Abbey and I decided to do a test month before committing to a lease. Watching Anton with Abbey and seeing how happy he was with her showed me it was the right decision.

EC: How did you meet Abbey?

Belinda: Abbey came to me almost two years ago with a very difficult horse. She had just bought a young horse and he was very reactive. She asked if I would work with the two of them and see if they were the right match together. After about six weeks, I told her he was not the horse for her, and I recommended she sell him. Once he was sold, Abbey asked me to help her find a young horse. She bought a beautiful Westphalian mare last spring, Rosa Red, that she brought to me and my assistant, Lynsey Rowan for training.

EC: What made Abbey an ideal new partner for Anton?

Belinda: Abbey’s respect and gratitude for Anton. She is grateful each day she rides him, she constantly apologizes to him if she makes a mistake. I told her she does not need to apologize all the time – Anton is fine! I love to see how much Anton gives her and how much Abbey gives Anton back in return. He really likes her, I can see it in his eyes.

EC: How do you feel their partnership has been progressing to date?

Belinda: They are doing really well together! It is not easy by any means, and they look good! The reason the Grand Prix is the Olympic level is because it is damn hard! And Anton expects perfection.

EC: How do you feel about their future together?

Belinda: It means a great deal to me to be part of this next chapter for Anton and Abbey. I have the chance to help a rider achieve her dreams and learn on a wonderful horse. To watch Abbey become a Grand Prix rider, and for Anton to show her the way, is very special to me.

Abbey Simbrow

EC-Exclusives---Anton-Retirement---Abbey-Simbrow-&-Anton.jpg

Photo Credit – Courtesy of Abbey Simbrow

EC: Can you tell us about your background as an equestrian?

Abbey: I started riding at six years old at a day camp called Green Acres. From there I was hooked! I was an incredibly shy and introverted little girl so my parents felt that individualized sport would help me with my confidence. I felt an immediate connection with the horses and I was hooked! I started competing at school barns at the age of six - mostly hunter and jumper in-barn competitions. I had a very bad fall in my late teens and promised my parents I would no longer jump, which initially brought me to dressage. From there I worked up the levels with various horses I owned or leased – starting at training level, second level, third level, then Prix St. Georges.

EC: What drew you to Anton?

Abbey: There were a number of things that drew me to Anton. Firstly, his presence is bigger than life! He is extremely confident, regal, of course beautiful, and intensely powerful. He is extremely playful and extraordinarily talented. But overriding all of that is his kindness – his eagerness to please and his amazing work ethic. He LOVES his job and has energy for days. Alternatively, you can then take him in the forest on a long rein and enjoy a peaceful hack. He is truly one of a kind.

EC: When did you begin riding Anton?

Abbey: I began riding him in mid-September 2016. Belinda and I started talking about a lease, so I had a few lessons, and then I was able to get to know him a bit on my own while she was in Europe with a client. The fact she entrusted me with her Anton was quite the privilege. We all agreed Anton and I were a match and the lease officially started Oct. 1, 2016.

EC: How has the relationship progressed to date?

Abbey: My relationship with Anton has progressed with mutual respect, love, expectation, hard work and appreciation. It has only been a few months, but even in this infancy stage, I already feel a huge connection to him. For such a new partnership, I feel we are right on track. I am reminded by others at the farm that Rome was not built in a day! The support from everyone at Oakcrest Farms has been so warm and encouraging.

EC: What is it like to ride such an experienced horse that has represented Canada at four major games and set new Canadian records?

Abbey: To be honest, at the beginning it was completely overwhelming and intimidating! The first time I sat on him, I asked Belinda to give me 10 minutes before we started our lesson so I could get over the fact that I was actually on him. It is an incredible honour and opportunity for me. He is so impeccably trained with precision and love. Learning all of his buttons and gears has been amazing and at times quite challenging. But with the incredible teaching from Belinda and Anton’s insistence for perfection, my learning and outcome is improving each ride. To have two masters, Belinda and Anton, teaching me, pushing me, encouraging me… I could not be any luckier!

EC: What are your future plans and goals with Anton?

Abbey: My goals are to continue on the path to refining my skills as a dressage rider. I have a fabulous young horse who will only gain in training from what I obtain from riding Anton, along with my clients and their horses. With the guidance and training from Belinda, my goal competitively is to create a partnership strong and exact enough to experience the big ring with the master! Belinda and her family have offered me a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I will make the best use of every minute. It is not an everyday occurrence that you can make someone’s dreams come true, but Belinda has. Along with the people closest to me for helping me make it all come together. Pinch me!

2016 Equestrian Canada

Canada’s Belinda Trussell Moving Forward to Grand Prix Special at Rio 2016 Olympic Games

Equestrian Canada, News Release, August 11, 2016

Rio de Janeiro, BRA – Belinda Trussell from Stouffville, ON qualified to move forward into the Grand Prix Special following the completion of the initial grand prix competition on Aug. 11 at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, BRA.

The Grand Prix saw a total of 60 competitors over two days on Aug. 10 and 11. Trussell, 44, was the first rider into the stadium on the second day. She was partnered with Anton (Antaeus x Shirley), a 16-year-old Sachsen-Anhaltiner gelding owned by Robyn Eames and Mark Trussell. Together, they scored 72.214%, putting them into 28th place and securing their spot in the Grand Prix Special, where the top six teams and top eight individuals, not already qualified through a team, will compete on Aug. 12. During the Grand Prix Special team medals will be decided, and the top 18 individuals will go on to the Grand Prix Freestyle on Aug. 15 to compete for individual honours.

Megan Lane, 25, had her turn in the stadium on Aug. 10, scoring 71.286% in her Olympic debut with the Canadian-bred Caravella (Contango x Riverman), a 15-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare she co-owns with her mother, Cathy Lane and sister, Kelsey Lane. This put her final position at 32nd, unfortunately just outside of the cut-off for the Grand Prix Special.

Currently, the reigning Olympic champions, Charlotte Dujardin from Great Britain and Valegro have the lead with a score of 85.071%. Kristina Broring-Sprehe rode Desperados FRH to a score of 82.257% for second place, and teammate, Isabell Werth is in third (81.029%) with Weihegold Old. In the provisional team standings, Germany has maintained their lead with 81.424. Great Britain is the current runner up (79.252), and the United States rounds out the top three with a score of 76.971.

Trussell, now a two-time Olympian, having represented the Canadian Dressage Team at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, was thrilled about the opportunity to move forward in the competition for Canada.

“For both of us to come in here as two individuals, not a team, and get two really reputable scores is great for our country moving forward,” commented Trussell. “I’m proud of Megan. She came in here and got a great score. I’m really excited about that for Canada.”

She also spoke of her pride in Anton after his first day of competition at the Games. “Anton was very good; he was very concentrated and relaxed. He did everything that I asked him to do. The piaffe was just plain fun to ride, and I was really happy with the changes. Everything just felt like it flowed nicely. There were a few little things I could spark up a bit for another few percentages, but to get a 72, which is just one percent lower than our personal best, at the Olympics – I’m really happy.”

The Grand Prix Special will get underway at 10 a.m. BRT on Aug. 12. Trussell and Anton will be the third horse/rider combination into the stadium.

For more information on equestrian events at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, including the full schedule of equestrian competition and live results, please visit www.rio2016.com/en/equestrian. Further information on the Canadian Equestrian Team can be found at www.equestrian.ca.

PHOTO – Belinda Trussell from Stouffville, ON earned a mark of 72.214% aboard Anton in the dressage Grand Prix on Aug. 11, qualifying to move forward to the Grand Prix Special at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

PHOTO – After a great start in the dressage competition at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games on Aug. 11, Belinda Trussell from Stouffville, ON gives Anton a well-deserved pat.

ALL PHOTO CREDITS - © Cealy Tetley - www.tetleyphoto.com

2016 Equestrian Canada

 

Canadian Equestrian Team Nominated for Rio 2016

TORONTO (July 14, 2016) – On Thursday, the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) and Equestrian Canada (EC) named the 10 athletes nominated to represent Team Canada in equestrian at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games from August 5 to 21.

Both eventing and jumping will field teams of four athletes, while two individuals will represent Canada in dressage. The Canadian Eventing Team earned their Olympic berth after finishing sixth at the 2014 FEI World Equestrian Games in Normandy, France. The Canadian Jumping Team received a team berth after winning the gold medal on home soil at the TORONTO 2015 Pan American Games last July. Although the Canadian Dressage Team did not earn a team berth, spots for two individuals were secured through qualification criteria set by the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI).

The Canadian Equestrian Team’s final preparations for Rio over the next few weeks will include training camps in Florida and Germany. In addition, jumping athletes will compete at the prestigious CHIO Aachen World Equestrian Festival, which began July 11 and will continue through to July 17 in Aachen, Germany.

At the Games, equestrian sport will kick off with eventing, August 6-9. Dressage will follow on August 10, 11, 12 and 15. Jumping closes out the equestrian portion of the Games on August 14, 16, 17 and 19.

Historically, Canada has achieved impressive results at the Olympic Games, earning a total of six equestrian medals. Most recently, Eric Lamaze claimed the individual gold medal in jumping at Beijing 2008. His teammates, Mac Cone, Jill Henselwood and “Captain Canada” Ian Millar also helped secure the silver medal for the Canadian Jumping Team. Millar also set a record at London 2012 by becoming the first athlete in any sport, from any nation, to compete in 10 Olympic Games.

A total of 200 horse and rider combinations from 43 countries will compete at Rio 2016. Overall, Canada expects to field a team of approximately 315 athletes.

All the news is available at Equestrian Canada's new website.

2016 Warmbloods Today

Belinda Trussell Earns Record-Breaking Scores at Adequan Global Dressage Festival

Anton’s Mojo Makes Canada Proud

By Kim MacMillan
Copyright 2016: Warmbloods Today.  Jan/Feb 2016, page 29.  warmbloodstoday.com
Anton-Belinda-im1

PHOTO ABOVE: Belinda and Anton at the 2010 World Equestrian Games in Lexington, Kentucky. It was their first major games appearance. Allen MacMillan/MacMillan Photography

It had been a wonderful Grand Prix Special test at the 2015 Pan American Games in Ontario, capped with a beautiful finish down centerline, halt and salute. The hometown crowd exploded with thunderous applause and raucous cheers for Canadian team members Belinda Trussell and Anton. It was a personal best, scoring a 75.078 percent, the second highest score of the Grand Prix Special entries at the Games and a new Canadian record. Belinda and Anton, riding as the anchor pair, had clinched the team silver medal for Canada in front of family, friends and fans. Belinda beamed in her post-ride interviews and Anton looked fit and happy.

Rewinding four years, the outlook for Anton had been quite different. Belinda and Anton had represented Canada at the Alltech World Equestrian Games in the fall of 2010 in Kentucky; it was their first major games together. Then in 2011 they headed to Europe to work with Christilot Boylen in Germany, who Belinda had been training with since the 1990s. They did two shows in the spring and early summer of 2011, Hagen in Germany and Fritzens in Austria, then suddenly Belinda could feel something wasn’t quite right. Since nothing showed on the radiographs, she was afraid they were searching for a needle in a haystack.

Difficult Diagnosis

As the veterinarians puzzled over Anton’s vague symptoms in Europe in 2011, Belinda knew her partner was hurting. “I knew he wasn’t right, but I didn’t know what was wrong. My first indication was the rhythm in the canter changed. Going to the right he felt heavier in his stride, but did not show any irregularity in the trot. It wasn’t an easy detection as far as lameness and it was hard for my coaches to see. I had one of the vets in Europe at the time look at him and he thought it was a bone bruise. He just said, ‘He’ll be fine, you just have to give him time. You feel that he’s a bit sore because it’s a bruise and it hurts, but he’ll be fine.’ But it just got worse and worse,” shares Belinda.

They moved back to Canada and finally determined with a CAT scan that Anton had a bone lesion. He had surgery and according to Belinda he also “had every single thing known to man done to him to try to help him.” This was all done through the fall at 2011 and still nothing seemed to help. The U.S. veterinarian Belinda was working with at the time thought that with time there was a fifty-fifty chance he might still come back and qualify for the 2012 London Olympics. So she packed up Anton and went to Florida, partly to keep her options open and partly because the veterinarian was based in Florida. By the time the winter was over it was obvious nothing was working to resolve Anton’s problems.

They trekked back to Canada for the summer of 2012. “Our team vet at the time said, ‘I would put him in a field and see what happens.’ But, he didn’t really give me any positive thoughts about Anton recovering. And I think after that period of time they were also feeling very discouraged, because nothing was working or helping him. So I put him in a field in May of 2012. When I found out Anton might have to be retired, it was a feeling of complete devastation. I felt like I lost my best friend,” recalls Belinda.

Enter Two Key Players

Belinda still wanted Anton to feel important, so she continued with his massage therapy even after he was turned out. Paul Wood, Anton’s massage therapist, talks about his role in Anton’s story. “I worked with Anton as his massage therapist for quite some time before his injury and in that time had developed a relationship with him. Anton is a very expressive and emotional horse and has always seemed to know he is special,” he says.

Anton-Paul-Wood-im2PHOTO: Courtesy of Oakcrest Farm

Paul focused on stress relief, maintaining overall muscle tone and pain relief. He included kinesio-taping for physical support of Anton’s injured area. During his sessions with Anton, he noticed something. “During his recovery period, though healing physically, he became depressed; the light was just going out of his eyes, except when he could see Belinda! He just seemed to light up for that moment. I knew then it was his connection to Belinda that he needed most to heal. He needed her and I was pretty sure she needed him. I just went to Belinda and said, ‘Get on him, it’s you he needs. He will improve for you.’”

On Paul’s advice, Belinda moved Anton back into the barn in the late summer/early fall of 2012 so he could feel like he was part of the action. She started riding him at the walk to make him feel needed. “I don’t know if I would have gotten on him again if Paul hadn’t said that, because it was just so heartbreaking. I thought ‘how much do you keep trying and when do you just accept that it isn’t going to work?’ All these questions go through your head. So that’s what I did, I got on and walked him. I walked him for months and months and months. He wanted to do more, but he resigned himself to walking,” says Belinda.

By the early part of 2013 Belinda slowly increased his work, starting to trot again from time to time. She says he actually got better and better but she was still scared to even hope that he would return to top-level competition. Her thought at that point was that maybe he could partner with a rider to teach them the lower levels.

In early winter of 2013 Dr. Usha Knabe, a licensed veterinarian of 25 years who five years ago had also studied Eastern medicine alternative therapies, started coming to Belinda’s barn. Belinda credits Usha for Anton’s return to FEI level. “She’s the one who really turned him around and made him a top international horse again. She did it all through acupuncture and chiropractic work—nothing else. He’s not had injections or anything else since 2011. What she said is that it was a front-end lameness, but his sacroiliac was weak, so he had to compensate and then you get wear and tear on the front.”

“I saw that he was really locked up behind and was really tight. His whole body was not happy,” Usha recounts as she worked on his body. “I wanted to see how he would react. I picked up his leg to see what he would do and he was very suspicious.”

Usha lists two key words in her philosophy in working with horses and people: trust and confidence. “You have to have the rider’s trust, the owner’s trust and work on the horse’s trust. The horse has to have confidence in your ability and that you are not going to hurt him. You can work on a horse all you want but if they don’t have trust and confidence in you, they won’t show you where they are sore. Same goes with the rider—if the rider doesn’t have trust and confidence in you they won’t go down that path with you of trying to fix the problem,” she continues.

Anton-Team-im3PHOTO:  Courtesy of Dr. Usha Knabe

Usha, who serves as the team physiotherapist for the Canadian dressage and eventing teams, talks about her goals in treating the team horses. “It goes beyond trying to treat a problem. It is all about preventing the problem from happening in the first place by making sure that the horse is comfortable and supple and that there is no restriction or pain through their entire body in order to create that maximum performance. I want that horse to be 100 percent there for his riding partner. I want everything to be working in harmony. The big thing is to make them feel like they can do anything. So, everything that I do focuses on the whole animal.”

Anton-Piaffe-im4PHOTO: Shelley Higgins/MacMillan Photography

Back to the Show Ring!

Over the summer of 2013 Belinda took Anton to some national shows in Canada. Next they went to Florida to compete for the winter season in 2014 with some hope of qualifying for the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in France. In late January 2014 they finally set foot in the FEI ring again, taking a seventh at Grand Prix and a fifth in the Special in the CDI-W in Wellington. Their scores continued to improve throughout the 2014 winter season in Florida and they qualified to represent Canada at the Alltech World Games in Normandy, where they earned a 71.614 percent in the Grand Prix and 72.409 in the Special. With their second World Games under their belt, their focus turned to the 2015 Pan American Games to be held at Caledon Equestrian Park north of Toronto.

After their super Pan Am performance, they took a second at the prestigious Dressage at Devon show in the Grand Prix and third in the Freestyle. Cycling back home last November, they won the Royal Winter Fair Dressage Invitational with a 77 percent, their highest score so far, riding a very technical test that included a one-handed piaffe.

Anton-Pan-Am-im5PHOTO:  Allen MacMillan/MacMillan Photography

Belinda reflects on the bond of trust they’ve gained over their journey and their successes thus far. “Anton has given me personal best scores over and over. So far our highlight was the Pan Am Games. Achieving a Canadian record in the Grand Prix Special was incredible. Anton is very afraid of applause, and he was terrified going around the outside of the ring, but he put his trust in me. It is an amazing feeling to have that kind of trust from him.”

Healthy and Happy

Belinda and her Oakcrest Farm staff, Lynsey Rowan, Carl Callahan and Erin Haug, have developed a routine tailored to Anton to keep him happy and healthy. The regimen includes regular visits from Usha to keep up with acupuncture and chiropractic support. Usha is also with them at every CDI show.

Regular turn out is also high on the list. “I’m a big believer in turn out,” says Belinda. “When I can, especially when we are home, he’s turned out a minimum of five hours a day, sometimes eight hours a day. Motion is lotion. He’s also a horse that gets bored very easily, so it’s good for him mentally too. If he doesn’t get ridden enough, he gets really fresh.”

According to Belinda, Anton has a certain schedule and prefers that everyone sticks to the plan. “Anton thinks, ‘Lynsey grooms me, Belinda rides me and Carl and Erin feed me.’ He gets ridden and has his lunch and then when he finishes his lunch he bangs on his stall to tell Erin that he is ready to go outside. Anton is a very confident horse, not arrogant but confident. He is very comfortable in his skin and he believes he is the king of the barn. His people are extremely important to him,” she explains. “Lynsey is his groom and he loves her. My farm manager, Carl makes his own version of ‘stud muffins’; those are Anton’s favorite treats!”

They also ask Anton to do carrot stretches every day and Belinda says that he actually does them on his own if you show him a carrot. Anton is given daily Omega Alpha Pharmaceuticals supplements, including MinerEQ, a mineral supplement, and several of their gastric support supplements including probiotics which Belinda thinks are quite useful in keeping him healthy.

Because he’s so focused on Belinda and bangs on his stall when he sees her, the staff had to move Anton in a stall at the back of the barn. Since Belinda spends much of her time at the barn, his stall relocation helps prevent him from constantly knocking the wall, which might cause him injury.

Though Belinda is the one who rides him most of the time, Lynsey does occasionally fill in exercising Anton when Belinda is away. Anton is not without a sense of humor in showing his opinion when Lynsey gets ready to ride, however. “She’s a wonderful rider, but he’s just funny about it. He thinks she should not be riding him, but should be on the ground next to him. When she leads him up to the mounting block, he’ll go, but if she stands on the mounting block, he turns around and looks at her. He’ll walk off and shake his head, not bad, but just goofy,” Belinda says with a laugh.

Finding Young Anton

Belinda had not been looking to buy a horse when Anton came into her life. In 2006 when her daughter Sophie was just a month old and her son Matthew was 15 months, Belinda and her mother were looking to lease a horse so that Belinda could try to qualify for the Pan American Games the next year. They traveled to her coach Christilot’s and her partner Udo Lange’s farm in Germany to look at a horse there.

That horse didn’t work out, but Belinda’s mom Robyn asked if there were any other horses that they could try in the barn. Anton was there and was for sale because his owner was getting a divorce and could not afford to keep more than one horse. Anton was six at the time. Belinda recalls that he was a nice-looking young horse, but she didn’t think that he looked that special. “But when I sat on him, I loved him. I didn’t want to get off! He was so hot to ride. He was electric beyond belief. I didn’t even know if I could ride him outside. So my mom bought him. It was a kind of ‘meant to be thing,’ because it wasn’t planned.”

Anton, a bay German-bred gelding foaled in 2000, is by Antaeus, out of Shirley by Melit. He was bred by Mirko Glotz in Saxony, Germany. Belinda stays in touch with both his breeder and his former owner and says both are very proud of Anton’s success.

“When I first competed in Wiesbaden with Anton in 2010, Herr Glotz made the six-hour drive to the show to see him. He said, ‘It’s his first international show in Germany. I have to see him.’ He brought me baby pictures; they meant a lot to me to see him out in the field. I could tell it was him in the picture from his signature stance—I call it the Anton pose— and the wild mane. As a baby his mane was everywhere, sticking up like a Thelwell pony’s and it still does that today,” she says with a smile.

What’s Next?

As 2015 ends, the Rio Olympics are on Belinda’s wish list for 2016. They are in Florida this winter to continue training and to try to make one of the spots Canada has open. Though Canada did not qualify an entire team, they have at least one individual spot available and perhaps two. “After Rio he will be 16. I will let him decide if he wants to continue to compete with me at this level or if he would like to teach someone else at that point in his life,” says Belinda.

“Anton is my biggest success in dressage. I feel from him that he wants me to step up my game and perform our best. He loves to compete. Anton has taught me so much about myself and he challenges me to become better. I love Anton with all my heart and I am grateful for every day I have with him and every ride he gives me.”

Anton-medal-im6PHOTO: Courtesy of Oakcrest Farm

2011 EuroDressage.com

 

Grand Prix for Special Finger Licking Good at 2011 CDI Hagen

excerpt:

Trussell Back in Europe

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Belinda Trussell on Anton

The last rider to score above 70% was from a different continent: North America. Australian born Canadian Belinda Trussell is back in Europe for the third year in a row to train with her longtime coach and mentor Christilot Boylen-Hansen until June. Aboard her 11-year old Saxonian Anton (by Anteus x Melit xx) Trussell did what she is good at: riding a clean test with a horse that is always soft in the bridle. The piaffe and passage were elegant, but could have more expression and power. The trot extensions were strong and the pirouettes decent. If one looks at Trussell's individual score sheet, one notices that she scores 7's on almost every single movement. With 70.085 % she completed the top 11.

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Tue, 05/10/2011 - 14:18

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Laura Bechtolsheimer wins big at the 2011 CDI Hagen

Photo © Astrid Appels

2011 CDI Hagen

All was done and prepared for Totilas at the 2011 CDI Hagen -- massive tribunes which stayed half empty as well as the adoption of the theme "Horses and Dreams meets Germany" to glorify the coming of the gold medal winning black stallion to Germany -- but his absence was hardly missed. The Grand Prix for Special on Friday afternoon 6 May 2011 featured 25 riders of which 11 scored above 70%. The quality of riding was so incredibly high that the class was simply finger licking good. It gave spectactors an incredible boost of inspiration of what is to come the rest of the season. Based on what was seen at Hagen, it is very easy to make the bold statement that Great Britain will win team gold at this year's European Dressage Championships in Rotterdam!

Laura Bechtolsheimer and her 16-year old fresh and fit looking Danish warmblood gelding Mistral Hojris (by Michellino x Ibsen) performed at their first outdoor show of the season and first competition since the World Cup Qualifier in London in December 2010. The triple WEG silver medallist is one of three combinations in the world currently able to score round 80% in the Grand Prix. Were Laura B and Alf ready to repeat that feat at Germany's season-opener? Sure!

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Laura B on Mistral Hojris

The bright chestnut is a power horse which reflects in his massive trot extensions, scopey half passes and superbly rhythmical piaffes and passages. He can get a bit strong in the bridle at  times and at the beginning of the test Laura half halted quite visibly but the contact became quieter further along the ride. In the extended walk he had two to three hooves overstep but was slightly distracted by the surroundings. The rhythm in the second piaffe and passage was crystal clear for which they deservedly scored 10s. The canter work was bold and big: very good zig zag, ground covering tempi changes. In the ones the aids should have been more subtle though. Two tiny and well jumped trademark pirouettes finished off the wonderful canter tour. The judges were unanimous in allocating the first place to this British pair with a score of 81.489%

“For his first show of the year it couldn’t have gone better.” Laura told British Dressage, “We are both just getting back into it and as the season goes on I’ll put more and more power into it.” Scoring tens for piaffe and transitions to passage Laura explained, “Alf’s tests will always be good for top marks and it’s nice to be in a position where I can ask for more from him when I need it.”

Balkenhol and Dablino Go Up a Notch

Who is Germany's highest scoring rider at the moment? Isabell Werth with her string of seven Grand Prix horses or young stars such as Anabel Balkenhol, or other absentees Christoph Koschel and Matthias Alexander Rath?

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Anabel Balkenhol on Dablino

In Hagen Anabel Balkenhol brought herself to the fore as a force to be reckoned with and she presented her hypersensitive, spooky Hanoverian Dablino (by De Niro) in an admirable way.

Since Kentucky the level of this pair went up a notch. The rhythm and energy in the trot work was great. Flowing half passes, wonderful extensions. The first piaffe was too forward, the second piaffe-passage was lovely. Dablino's piaffe could have been a bit bigger in general but it was regular in rhythm. Even the walk, Dablino's weak point, had improved. With one to two hooves overstep and a clearer rhythm, the chestnut got 7s and 8s for the gait. The tempi changes were super in ground cover, the pirouettes were small, the zig zag well regulated. They scored a massive 76.723% to finish second.

"I was very happy with the grand prix," Balkenhol told Eurodressage. "Dablino was more relaxed during the whole show. Much better in the walk, piaffe is getting better and the canter work was great. I had a lot of fun in the Grand Prix. It felt that I could relax and I even had to laugh at the end because it was so much fun!!!"

Britain is Chasing for Gold

The British dominance in Hagen was completed by a top three finish from Carl Hester on Sasha Stewart's Dutch warmblood stallion Uthopia (by Metall x Inspekteur).

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Carl Hester on Uthopia

The ponyesque black stallion has a phenomenal extended trot with incredible bounce and ground cover. The first piaffe was sweet but 5 meters before the centerline. The extended walk could have been more ground covering and active. The second piaffe-passage was lovely, especially because of the buoyant suspension, but Uthopia should engage the hindlegs more under the body in passage and could even sit more in piaffe to put those 9s on the scoreboard. The canter work needs extra work to get everything solidified, but the potential is certainly there. The extended canter was impressive but the tempi changes lacked straightness in the body as the hindquarters swung too much from left to right. Carl had a mistake in the one tempi's which made him lose valuable points. The pirouettes were small but there could have a bit more lift in the forehand. At all times Carl had a soft contact with the bit but the black could stay more steadily at the vertical. The pair posted a score of 75.426% and were the shooting stars of the day.

There were several new experiences for me at this show!" Carl told British Dressage, "Uthopia is an exciting prospect for both breeding and as a team horse. I have had him from four years old and he has always been an Olympic prospect for me, ours is a long partnership that is paying off."

Hester and his student Charlotte Dujardin have already become the show stoppers of the 2011 season with their horses Uthopia and Valegro. Both have proven to be able to score round 75% in the Grand Prix and, if all goes well, both could make the European team gold connection with anchor Laura Bechtolsheimer at the 2011 Europeans. The 10-year old Uthopia is a super talented, elastic horse but still a bit green in the test, the 11-year old Valegro (by Negro) already looks more settled and probably is the more "complete" Grand Prix horse of the two at the moment. It's a pity Dujardin did not show him in Hagen, but chose to ride in Saumur last week (where they won the Grand Prix Special and were second in the Grand Prix).

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Charlotte Dujardin on Fernandez

Charlotte Dujardin and the 11-year old Westfalian Fernandez (by Florestan x Weinberg) scored 71.085% in Hagen and finished seventh in the Grand Prix. Her horse had some good energy going in trot. The half passes were big, the two tempi's straight and covering the entire diagonal, the pirouettes small. The horse has a regular rhythm in passage and piaffe, but the rider hollowd her back and leans a bit too much forward in the saddle in piaffe. In collected walk Fernandez should have kept his back a bit more supple to keep a better rhythm. Nevertheless, the test was very solid and of good quality.

Charlotte's mentor Carl Hester commented, "they are an elegant combination and both still in their first year of international grand prix. Charlotte's rise is amazing and she hasn't scored below 70% at this level - there's still alot more to come from them."

Scandinavians Good for Great Style

Swedish Tinne Vilhelmson-Silfven made her European Grand Prix CDI debut with Don Auriello. The combination gained some show experience in Florida this winter, but Hagen was the first CDI for this pair on European soil. The long legged Hanoverian gelding (by Don Davidoff x White Star) is a familiar face as he competed in the Bundeschampionate, World Young Horse Championships and Medien Cup with former rider and owner Birgit Wellhausen-Henschke.

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Tinne Vilhelmson on Don Auriello

Under Vilhelmson the 9-year old gelding developed into a promising horse which showed off a brilliant extended walk and good one tempi changes. The young star still needs to gain more power and strength in the hindquarters as the passage missed collection and the two tempi's lacked straightness. The horse was constantly light in the bridle and had the poll as highest point. They scored 73.128% to finish fourth.

Danish Sune Hansen has set his sights on riding the Oldenburg licensed stallion Blue Hors Romanov (by Rubin Royal x Grundstein II) at the Europeans. The 11-year old dark bay stallion has been schooling the upper level movements for a few years but now he finally turned into a solid Grand Prix horse. He was sweet and soft in the contact but regularly came a bit deep. The passage is lovely and superb in rhythm. The extended walk was decent but in the collected walk Romanov became too quick and lost the clarity in rhythm. The pirouettes were good but there was a slight hiccup in the flying change at X. The two tempi's should have been straighter and the one's more ground covering. Hansen and Romanov are a lovely pair with room for much growth. They ranked sixth with 71.128%.

Germans Climbing the Ladder

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Monica Theodorescu on Whisper

Monica Theodorescu and Ann Kathrin Linsenhoff's Baden Wurttemberger bred Whisper (by Welt Hit I x Weltstar) made their long awaited come back after a period of injury and personal loss of her mother. Monica was certainly going for it as she asked for much engagement and activity from her horse. The trot work was dynamic and forward. In the first passage he twitched to the spur aid and the piaffes were small. The extended walk was good, in the collected he paced. The zig zag was the highlight of the test, but the horse changed lead in one of the pirouettes. All the movements were certainly there in the test, but the ride lacked some refinement and routine. They got 71.915% to rank fifth.

Young rider gone senior Fabienne Lutkemeier made a flawless transition to Grand Prix level aboard her small tour World Record holder D'Agostino (by De Niro x Shogun xx). The horse has an extravagant front leg in trot AND tracks up well from behind. The piaffe lacked some roundness because it appears as if the chestnut gelding is braking with his front legs in the movement. In passage he's regular and rhythmical though the hocks could flex a bit more, especially the right one. The apex of their test were the super straight two tempi changes for which judge Eric Lette at B gave them a well earned 9. The combination totalled 70.915 to place 8th.

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Nadine Capellmann on Girasol

Nadine Capellmann and the new star in her life, Girasol (by Gribaldi x Landioso), take it one step at the time, despite the fact that much is expected from them. The Aachen based rider played it quite safe in the Grand Prix which made their lack of routine obvious. The extended trot and extended canter were conservative, the trot half passes huge. The first piaffe hesitant but the passage had good elevation. The transitions to and from piaffe and passage are not without hitches but both movements are brimming with potential. The two tempi's were fantastic. The rider had slight difficulty with the onset of the right pirouette. They got 70.660% from the judges to place 9th.

Hubertus Schmidt saddled several new horses in Hagen, including Jochem Arl's 9-year old Dutch warmblood gelding Valentino G (by Ferro x Damiro) which was previously trained and competed by Laura Stigler. The trot extensions and half passes were very nice and the passage was regular, but the dark bay gelding struggles in piaffe. He had a hard time finding the rhythm or got crooked in the body, hollowing the back. The tempi changes were wonderful but in the zig zag to the right the hindquarters always preceded the forehand. They posted a score of 70.447% to place 10th.

Trussell Back in Europe

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Belinda Trussell on Anton

The last rider to score above 70% was from a different continent: North America. Australian born Canadian Belinda Trussell is back in Europe for the third year in a row to train with her longtime coach and mentor Christilot Boylen-Hansen until June. Aboard her 11-year old Saxonian Anton (by Anteus x Melit xx) Trussell did what she is good at: riding a clean test with a horse that is always soft in the bridle. The piaffe and passage were elegant, but could have more expression and power. The trot extensions were strong and the pirouettes decent. If one looks at Trussell's individual score sheet, one notices that she scores 7's on almost every single movement. With 70.085 % she completed the top 11.

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