PrintDespite a spooky arena and snapping flags, this duo dominated the Grand Prix.
Jan Ebeling and Rafalca blew away the competition at the Pebble Beach CDI, July 3-6 in Pebble Beach, Calif. They led the Grand Prix with a score of 68.04 percent, 4 percent higher than second-placed Karen Ball and Luciano.
“Pebble Beach is a pretty difficult arena,” said Ebeling. “The flags are low and right by the arena, and when it gets cold and the flags start to snap back and forth, it’s difficult for the horses. Rafalca handled it quite well. She was a little tense at first, but after going once around the arena she was fine.
“In the collected walk there was a big gust of wind and the flags were snapping and making a lot of noise, and I thought, ‘Oh no, not right now in the collected walk!’ But she didn’t care,” Ebeling continued with a laugh.
The 49-year-old trainer from Moorpark, Calif., said he felt a huge improvement in Rafalca since last year. She had a minor injury in Germany last fall that set her training back three or four months, but now she’s 100 percent. He’s been working mostly on the basics with the 11-year-old Oldenburg (Argentinus—Ratine) this year.
“All the movements in the Grand Prix test, of course, but mostly transitions, transitions and more transitions,” Ebeling said. “A lot of transitions within the gaits and between the gaits. A lot within the gaits like collecting the trot, speeding up, then passage, piaffe and back to trot. All those things that make the horse more submissive, more supple and build strength.
“There are always things that need to improve, of course,” continued Ebeling. “She’s green, and we’re still working on improving the balance in the piaffe and passage and working on expression. She’s got a really good natural rhythm, and her frame’s pretty good. Overall, I’m really happy with her Grand Prix. She’s a horse that goes in the show ring and does pretty much what she does at home. So you know what you’re going to get, which is nice.”
Rafalca also won the Grand Prix freestyle in the CDI. She performed to music from the movie The Mission. Karen Robinson of Applause Dressage in Vancouver, B.C., did the music, and Ebeling put together the choreography. The freestyle had a difficult beginning, starting off with one-tempis and then going into 1 3⁄4 pirouettes right in front of the judges and then two-tempis on a loop. This was the first time Ebeling performed his new freestyle, and the judges loved it, giving them a 72.10 percent.
“There are still a couple of things that I want to change on it,” said Ebeling. “Not really anything drastic. My trot extensions are going away from the judges, and I think it’s better if they go toward the judges. I think you never really get done with your freestyle.”
The freestyle also features half-pass in passage and ends with passage down the centerline, then piaffe at X in a fan motion, first left and then right, and then back to the passage down the centerline to a halt.
Jan Ebeling and Rafalca blew away the competition at the Pebble Beach CDI, July 3-6 in Pebble Beach, Calif. They led the Grand Prix with a score of 68.04 percent, 4 percent higher than second-placed Karen Ball and Luciano.
“Pebble Beach is a pretty difficult arena,” said Ebeling. “The flags are low and right by the arena, and when it gets cold and the flags start to snap back and forth, it’s difficult for the horses. Rafalca handled it quite well. She was a little tense at first, but after going once around the arena she was fine.
“In the collected walk there was a big gust of wind and the flags were snapping and making a lot of noise, and I thought, ‘Oh no, not right now in the collected walk!’ But she didn’t care,” Ebeling continued with a laugh.
The 49-year-old trainer from Moorpark, Calif., said he felt a huge improvement in Rafalca since last year. She had a minor injury in Germany last fall that set her training back three or four months, but now she’s 100 percent. He’s been working mostly on the basics with the 11-year-old Oldenburg (Argentinus—Ratine) this year.“All the movements in the Grand Prix test, of course, but mostly transitions, transitions and more transitions,” Ebeling said. “A lot of transitions within the gaits and between the gaits. A lot within the gaits like collecting the trot, speeding up, then passage, piaffe and back to trot. All those things that make the horse more submissive, more supple and build strength.
“There are always things that need to improve, of course,” continued Ebeling. “She’s green, and we’re still working on improving the balance in the piaffe and passage and working on expression. She’s got a really good natural rhythm, and her frame’s pretty good. Overall, I’m really happy with her Grand Prix. She’s a horse that goes in the show ring and does pretty much what she does at home. So you know what you’re going to get, which is nice.”
Rafalca also won the Grand Prix freestyle in the CDI. She performed to music from the movie The Mission. Karen Robinson of Applause Dressage in Vancouver, B.C., did the music, and Ebeling put together the choreography. The freestyle had a difficult beginning, starting off with one-tempis and then going into 1 3⁄4 pirouettes right in front of the judges and then two-tempis on a loop. This was the first time Ebeling performed his new freestyle, and the judges loved it, giving them a 72.10 percent.
“There are still a couple of things that I want to change on it,” said Ebeling. “Not really anything drastic. My trot extensions are going away from the judges, and I think it’s better if they go toward the judges. I think you never really get done with your freestyle.”
The freestyle also features half-pass in passage and ends with passage down the centerline, then piaffe at X in a fan motion, first left and then right, and then back to the passage down the centerline to a halt.
