PrintCarol Lavell's weekend at the Col. Bengt Ljungquist Memorial Championships at the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington,Oct. 21-24 started with near disaster.
She was riding Much Ado in a schooling area full of riders when the speaker system emitted an unexpected screech on Wednesday evening, causing havoc.
"Horses were ricocheting off one another," said Lavell, of Fairview, N.C. "I needed help getting him to go back into the ring."
Lavell and Much Ado, a 17.3-hand, Dutch Warmblood gelding, won the Prix St. Georges at the Virginia Horse Center a year ago.
"He was just fine [then]," said Lavell. "But in truth, he's a really hot, spooky horse, and he got thoroughly panicked by the noise. It took him three days to get over it."
Despite the mishap, Lavell won both the BLM Intermediaire II (65.61%) and Grand Prix (68.12%). By the Grand Prix on Sunday, Lavell's horse was tired, but "he pulled it together and made beautiful one[-tempis]," she said.
After Much Ado's first few tests of the weekend, Lavell said, "In my [Intermediaire II], I had a couple of, 'No, not that agains,' and I had one again today [in the Grand Prix]. But it really didn't matter, because you're not just riding to get through the test, but you're telling the horse that you really have to do it."
Lavell said her final piaffe may not have been in the right place and there wasn't a transition into the movement. "I had to restart him but he went," she said. "I can go home saying at least he tried. He didn't back up, didn't shake his head, didn't resist in a disobedient way."
Over the winter, Lavell's plans include big trots and canters uphill to build strength. "It takes ages to build muscle," she said. "He's got some spectacular things that he loves to show. The ball's in my court to ride him well."
The 22nd annual BLM finals, hosted by the Virginia Dressage Association in conjunction with the VADA Fall show, also featured, for the first time, $10,000 in prize money for the freestyle championship classes. Patton Equine Legal Services donated the money in honor of The Dressage Foundation's Dancing Horse Fund.
The pas de deux team of Laura Cross of Edinburg, Va., and Andrea Martens of Remington, Va., on their perfectly matched chestnuts, Sir Quincy, a Quarter Horse and Ad Infinitum, a Hanoverian cross, wowed the crowd and the judges. They were honored for their efforts with a freestyle high score of 79.87 percent.
"We don't see pas de deux very often," judge Lilo Fore said. "There was such har-mony between those two, and that is what dressage is really all about."
"When they did their leg yields together, their boots were almost touching. It just needed to be rewarded," added Jane Weatherwax, who judged from C. "It was a true performance."
Freedman Shifts Her Focus
Erin Brooke Freedman won the BLM fourth level freestyle (66.77%) riding Good Lookin'. The pair also won the open show's FEI Young Rider Prix St. Georges (62.62%).
The win was sweet after the difficulties of the past summer for the 20-year-old James Madison University (Va.) student and her family. Earlier this year, her father lost his leg in a work-related accident. "It was a rough summer," Freedman admitted.
She was riding Much Ado in a schooling area full of riders when the speaker system emitted an unexpected screech on Wednesday evening, causing havoc.
"Horses were ricocheting off one another," said Lavell, of Fairview, N.C. "I needed help getting him to go back into the ring."
Lavell and Much Ado, a 17.3-hand, Dutch Warmblood gelding, won the Prix St. Georges at the Virginia Horse Center a year ago.
"He was just fine [then]," said Lavell. "But in truth, he's a really hot, spooky horse, and he got thoroughly panicked by the noise. It took him three days to get over it."
Despite the mishap, Lavell won both the BLM Intermediaire II (65.61%) and Grand Prix (68.12%). By the Grand Prix on Sunday, Lavell's horse was tired, but "he pulled it together and made beautiful one[-tempis]," she said.
After Much Ado's first few tests of the weekend, Lavell said, "In my [Intermediaire II], I had a couple of, 'No, not that agains,' and I had one again today [in the Grand Prix]. But it really didn't matter, because you're not just riding to get through the test, but you're telling the horse that you really have to do it."
Lavell said her final piaffe may not have been in the right place and there wasn't a transition into the movement. "I had to restart him but he went," she said. "I can go home saying at least he tried. He didn't back up, didn't shake his head, didn't resist in a disobedient way."
Over the winter, Lavell's plans include big trots and canters uphill to build strength. "It takes ages to build muscle," she said. "He's got some spectacular things that he loves to show. The ball's in my court to ride him well."
The 22nd annual BLM finals, hosted by the Virginia Dressage Association in conjunction with the VADA Fall show, also featured, for the first time, $10,000 in prize money for the freestyle championship classes. Patton Equine Legal Services donated the money in honor of The Dressage Foundation's Dancing Horse Fund.
The pas de deux team of Laura Cross of Edinburg, Va., and Andrea Martens of Remington, Va., on their perfectly matched chestnuts, Sir Quincy, a Quarter Horse and Ad Infinitum, a Hanoverian cross, wowed the crowd and the judges. They were honored for their efforts with a freestyle high score of 79.87 percent.
"We don't see pas de deux very often," judge Lilo Fore said. "There was such har-mony between those two, and that is what dressage is really all about."
"When they did their leg yields together, their boots were almost touching. It just needed to be rewarded," added Jane Weatherwax, who judged from C. "It was a true performance."
Freedman Shifts Her Focus
Erin Brooke Freedman won the BLM fourth level freestyle (66.77%) riding Good Lookin'. The pair also won the open show's FEI Young Rider Prix St. Georges (62.62%).
The win was sweet after the difficulties of the past summer for the 20-year-old James Madison University (Va.) student and her family. Earlier this year, her father lost his leg in a work-related accident. "It was a rough summer," Freedman admitted.
