Lisa Slade

Wellington, Fla., Feb. 5

Ashley Holzer and Pop Art’s Grand Prix Special at the Wellington Dressage CDI-W was going perfectly. "Poppy" had done trot half passes and canter half passes and two lines of expressive and clean tempi changes, and the test—the new Olympic version of the Special—was nearly over.

“I was thinking, ‘I’ve got to be really high; he’s going really well,” said Holzer.

Then Holzer, who’s based in New York, N.Y., but rides for Canada, turned on the centerline for the two canter pirouettes with nine one tempis in between.

Wellington, Fla., Feb. 4

Jim Koford started his Grand Prix freestyle aboard Pharaoh with a smile on his face, and he finished the ride the exact same way. After their energetic routine, set to music from The Mask Of Zorro movie, Koford and Pharaoh picked up a 73.70 percent and first in the class of four.

Wellington, Fla., Feb. 3

Last weekend, Canada’s Ashley Holzer placed seventh in the World Dressage Masters Palm Beach (Fla.) Grand Prix freestyle with her new mount, Breaking Dawn. But her veteran partner Pop Art was not to be outdone. "Poppy" put in a nearly flawless test today to win the Wellington Dressage CDI-W Grand Prix—the first show held at the new Palm Beach International Equestrian Center’s Global Dressage Festival facility—on 73.59 percent over Shawna Harding and Come On III (68.59%).

Cesar Parra has sold Grandioso—his team gold medal-winning mount from the 2011 Pan American Games (Mexico)—and a fourth level horse, Federleicht, to Glock Horse Performance Center in Treffen, Austria. The two horses will be competed by Dutch rider Marcel Schoenmakers.

Schoenmakers came over to try both Grandioso, an 11-year-old Westphalian (Grosso Z—Hauptstutbuch Popocateptal, Palisandergrund) gelding owned by Michael and Sarah Davis, and Federleicht, an 8-year-old Westphalian (Fuerst Piccolo—Fatima, Ferragamo) mare also owned by the Davises.

A meeting was held yesterday between trainers and four California state veterinarians at HITS Thermal in Thermal, Calif., to lay out precautionary measures for dealing with the recent case of EHV-1 found in neighboring Indio. 

The affected horse, located at the Empire Polo Club approximately 7 miles from HITS Thermal, was euthanized Jan. 24 after showing neurologic symptoms, and a necropsy confirmed the EHV-1. The polo club has instituted a 21-day quarantine. 

HITS set out the following precautions:

Audrey Goldsmith went to the Bishop Mule Days Celebration (Calif.) in 2001 for fun. But what began as an amusing equine-themed diversion for the hunter/jumper professional became a full-fledged obsession after seeing the mules in action.

“I tried to buy a mule there, but it was already sold,” said Goldsmith. “I stole the breeder’s flyer off the bulletin board and tried for two years to get them to sell me a mule. They called me when Porter was born, and I saw a photo of him at three days old, and I called them back and said I would send a check.

Imagine getting on an ex-racehorse for the first time in a small indoor arena—during an ice storm—in front of a large crowd of people. That’s what the trainers for the Retired Racehorse Trainer Challenge were contending with as the competition kicked off at the Maryland Horse Expo in Timonium on Jan. 20-21.

The Bromont Three-Day Event is adding a CIC*** to the schedule for 2012. The event, which currently hosts a CCI*, CCI** and CCI***, created the additional division to help riders with Olympic qualifications. It will be held June 7-10 in Bromont, Quebec.

Amy Kynaston died on Dec. 4 after sustaining injuries at the Ledges Winter Classic, held Dec. 1-4 in Roscoe, Ill.

“The horse jumped a fence, and then he bolted and swerved to avoid the rail, and she fell off,” said Leigh Anne Claywell, director of competition licensing, evaluation and safety at the U.S. Equestrian Federation. “From the steward’s report, she did not hit the rail or a jump. She just hit the ground.”

Kynaston, Chicago, Ill., walked out of the ring on her own before getting checked out by the EMT.

Anky van Grunsven confirmed she won’t be competing at the upcoming Palm Beach World Dressage Masters, scheduled for Jan. 26-29 in West Palm Beach, Fla.