August 21, 2013–The future of U.S. Dressage will be on display this week at the Lamplight Equestrian Center in Wayne, Illinois, as 59 of the most exciting rising stars go to task in the 2013 Markel/USEF Young & Developing Horse Dressage National Championships presented by HorseShow.com. National Titles will be up for grabs in four-, five-, and six-year-old divisions as well as at the Prix St. Georges and Grand Prix levels.
The 2013 Markel/USEF Young & Developing Horse Dressage National Championships presented by HorseShow.com will be held in conjunction with the Dressage At Lamplight August show, August 22-25. All horses will compete in a Qualifying Class which accounts for 40% of the overall score and a Championship Class which will determine the remaining 60%.
Young Horse Dressage Championships- Four-Year-Old Division
In the Four-Year-Old Division, 14 horse-and-rider combinations will kick off their championship competition with the Qualifying Class on Thursday. In their first class, entries will perform the USEF Dressage Test for Four-Year-Old Horses. They will close out their championship on Saturday and once again ride the USEF Dressage Test for Four-Year-Old Horses.
The combinations occupying the top two spots on the Markel/USEF National Young Horse Dressage Ranking List presented by HorseShow.com in the Four-Year-Old Division both head to Lamplight. Amy Miller (Fullerton, Calif.) has ridden her own KWPN gelding Encore (Jazz x Aloha SE/Sir Sinclair) to an overall average of 8.580. Occupying the second spot on the ranking list is High Valley Hanoverians’ Rebellienne HVH (Rotspon x EM Whitney/Welser). The Hanoverian mare has been piloted by Brandi Benedict (Lovettsville, Va.) to an overall average of 8.410.
Young Horse Dressage Championships- Five-Year-Old Division
A field of 13 of the best from the 2008 foal crop line up for the 2013 Five-Year-Old Championship. Competition in this division gets underway on Thursday with the FEI Five-Year-Old Preliminary Test. They will return to the arena on Saturday for the Championship Class and display their talents in the FEI Five-Year-Old Final Test.
Last year’s Four-Year-Old champion, Hemmingway (Hofrat x SPS Alsonara/Archipel), returns to Lamplight and again looks to secure a National Title. Theresa Schnell’s Oldenburg stallion will once again be ridden by Micahel Bragdell (Colora, MD).
Ashlyn DeGroot (Hanford, Calif.) brings the top two horses from the Markel/USEF National Young Horse Dressage Ranking List presented by HorseShow.com in the Five-Year-Old Division. DG Bar Ranch’s KWPN mare Dalina DG (Jazz x Satina/Contango) tops the Ranking List with an overall average of 8.440, while DG Bar Ranch’s KWPN mare DG Dancing Queen (Jazz x Princes Lincom/Junior) ranks in second place on an overall average of 8.140.
Young Horse Dressage Championships- Six-Year-Old Division
Twelve entries will go head-to-head in the Six-Year-Old Championship, which begins Friday with the Qualifying Class and the FEI Six-Year-Old Preliminary Test. Competition will come to a close on Sunday with the FEI Six-Year-Old Final Test.
Headlining the Six-Year-Old Championship are Charlotte Jorst (Reno, NV) and Skagen Holdings’ KWPN stallion Vitalis (Vivaldi x Tolivia/Donnerschwee). The pair has recently returned from Verden, Germany, where they represented the U.S. at the FEI World Breeding Championships for Dressage Young Horses. The pair also head to the Lamplight on top of the Markel/USEF National Young Horse Dressage Ranking List presented by HorseShow.com for Six-Year-Olds.
Last year’s Five-Year-Old Reserve Champion, Elfenfeuer (Florencio x Elfensonne/Sion), looks to go one better in 2013. Alice Tarjan (Oldwick, N.J.) will ride her own Oldenburg gelding and hopes to showcase his progression over the last 12 months.
Developing Horse Prix St. Georges Championship
A talented group of 14 developing horses have traveled to Lamplight with their sights set on earning National Titles over the weekend. Competition kicks off Friday with all entries performing the FEI Prix St. Georges Test. Championship competition comes to a close on Sunday with the USEF Developing Horse Prix St. Georges Test.
Last year, Emily Wagner (La Cygne, Kan.) and her own Wake Up (Wagnis x Maiden Montreal/Macho) were the second place finishers in this championship and will look to claim the Championship Title in 2013. The eight-year-old American Warmblood gelding already has a National Title to his name; in 2011 he earned top honors in the Six-Year-Old Championship. The pair currently stands second on the 2013 Markel/USEF National Developing Horse Prix St. Georges Dressage Championship Ranking List presented by HorseShow.com.
The top-ranked combination on the 2013 Markel/USEF National Developing Horse Prix St. Georges Dressage Championship Ranking List presented by HorseShow.com will also head to Lamplight this weekend. Karen Lipp (Ball Ground, Ga.) has piloted Melody Jackson’s nine-year-old Oldenburg gelding Fortune and Fame (Florencio x Hauptstutbuch Rinette/Bonjour) to an average score of 73.971.
Developing Horse Grand Prix Championship
A small but mighty field of six will vie for National Title honors in the Developing Horse Grand Prix Championship set to begin with the Qualifying Class on Thursday. The Championship comes to a close on Saturday with Championship Class. On Thursday, competitors will complete the FEI Intermediaire II Test and on Saturday combinations perform the USEF Developing Horse Prix St. Georges Test.
The top-ranked combination on the 2013 Markel/USEF National Developing Horse Grand Prix Dressage Championship Ranking List presented by HorseShow.com, Zandor (Florencio x Nancy BS/Amulet) and Laura Wharton (Woodstock, Ga), look to showcase his talent over the weekend. Owned and ridden by Wharton, the nine-year-old KWPN gelding has an overall average of 70.657. The pair was eighth in last year’s Prix St. Georges Championship.
The fifth-placed combination on the 2013 Markel/USEF National Developing Horse Grand Prix Dressage Championship Ranking List presented by HorseShow.com also will be in Lamplight over the weekend. Holly Reimers’ 10-year-old Oldenburg stallion Sandomere (Sandro Hit x Romina DE/Ramiro’s Match DE) has earned an average of 66.063 throughout 2013.
To learn more about the 2013 Markel/USEF Young & Developing Horse Dressage National Championships presented by HorseShow.com and find entry lists visit: http://usef.org/_IFrames/breedsDisciplines/discipline/alldressage/DressageChampionships.aspx
