Marlando hadn’t competed since winning the USEF National Intermediaire Championship last June in Gladstone, N.J. But he and Steffen Peters picked up right where they left off by claiming the USEF High Performance Intermediaire I at the Mid-Winter Dressage Show in Burbank, Calif., Feb. 24-26.

“I believe you have to give them time off,” said Peters, of San Diego, Calif. “It’s hard to keep them at their peak all the time.”

Peters thought that Lila Kommerstad’s 12-year-old, Dutch Warmblood wasn’t at his best in Friday’s Prix St. Georges class, where he placed third (68.41%). “He had some tension, especially in the collected walk and halts,” said Peters. “He was very excited. There were plenty of things for me to be pleased with, but he is not as good as he was last year.”

Peters was out early Saturday, at 7 a.m., for an extensive warm-up, with 45 minutes of work and a half-hour walk. Then, after 11?2 hours back in his stall to relax, he walked him around a few minutes and then went down centerline for the Intermediaire I. The plan worked as Marlando won the class with a 72.58 percent. “Everything worked in the Intermediaire I. The judges were very complimentary about everything, even though the last halt was not very steady,” said Peters.

Peters is unsure of his goals for the year with Marlando. Since he won the National Intermediaire Championship last year, the horse is not eligible to compete in it again this year.

Peters hopes to compete at the World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany, this year on his High Performance Grand Prix winner, Laurelyn Browning’s Floriano. “We are not going to try for the [FEI World Cup Final, in Amsterdam] since there would be a lot of travel for the horse, and, at 16 years old, it would be too much,” he said.

Peters had one mistake in the two tempis in the Grand Prix. “And there was not quite enough expression in the first passage,” he said. “However, he had very good half passes and the pirouettes were quite good.

He scores well on all of the coefficient movements–the trot half passes, the collected and extended walks, the canter pirouettes and canter half passes. All of these movements worked well. Overall, it was a pretty solid test.”

Peters has ridden Floriano very carefully since the FEI World Cup Final in Las Vegas last year as the intense atmosphere of the event created some tension in the horse. “After training in Germany this winter, he is going better,” said Peters. “Some horses come along later. You just have to wait a bit longer.”

Judges Cara Whitham, Gary Rockwell and Jane Weatherwax awarded Floriano first place in the Grand Prix (72.36%) and second place in the Grand Prix Special (69.73%).

“I am blessed with wonderful sponsors,” said Peters of Kommerstad and Browning. “I also have a wonderful wife who coaches me at shows. I am a lucky guy.”

Peters also rode Browning’s young stallion, San Rubin, to wins at second level with scores of 74.46 percent and 77.66 percent. “We wanted to show him at second level for a couple of shows and then we will show him in the FEI 6-year-old Young Horse tests in March,” said Peters.

New Stars
Guenter Seidel won Friday’s Prix St. Georges (71.50%) on his young horse Princeton, whom he co-owns with Dick and Jane Brown of Carlsbad, Calif.  “This is his first season at this level,” said Seidel of Cardiff by the Sea, Calif. “He’s only been shown at this level three times, so I am very pleased.”

Seidel bought the 8-year-old Westphalian from a jumper barn as a 4-year-old. Seidel’s student Lauren Ogden showed the horse a few times at second and third levels last year.

“But he doesn’t have any other show experience,” said Seidel.

Princeton had a bit of a time with the Intermediaire I on Saturday. Seidel said, “It was a little too much for him still. I had to do a lot of riding to keep him together, and there were a couple of mistakes.”

Seidel attributed part of this to Princeton’s size. The big gray stands more than 18 hands tall. “He’ll be good, but sometimes the bigger ones take a bit longer,” he said. “If he is comfortable at this level, I’ll [try to qualify for the National Intermediaire Championship in June]. But if he’s not, I won’t push it for this year.”

Jan Ebeling of Moorpark, Calif., placed second in the High Performance Prix St. Georges and Intermediaire I riding Rafalca. Owned by Ann Romney of Massachusetts, the 9-year-old, Oldenburg mare is by Rubenstein out of an Argentinus mare.

“We just got her from Germany six weeks ago. Folfran Wittig, a long time friend in Germany, found her. She’s a pretty awesome horse. This was her first time out at Prix St. Georges, so I didn’t really know what to expect. I kept it fairly conservative,” said Ebeling. “I called Wittig after the Prix St. Georges and asked for some tips. They definitely worked. She has no problem handling the pressure.”

Ebeling hopes to compete her at Grand Prix next year, but for this year, he has his sights set on the National Intermediaire Championship.

Young Riders And Young Horses
Ebeling’s student Amanda Harlan won two FEI Young Rider Team tests with a horse formerly trained and shown by Ebeling. Liberte, a 12-year-old Dutch Warm-blood, received a 69.33 percent and a 66.00 percent in the FEI Young Rider Team tests.

“It went really well. I was happy with it,” said Harlan, who bought the horse from Ann Romney two months ago. Ebeling has had him since he was a baby. “I didn’t know if it would work at first, but everything is awesome. He’s a great horse with a great work ethic.”

Harlan, of Oakville, Calif., wants to make the Region 7 team for the North American Young Riders Championships. She just missed making the team last year with her Friesian, Onyx.

Jennifer Phillips of Laguna Niguel, Calif., was second in the Team test on her gelding Rambutan II, a 13-year-old Budyonny Russian Warmblood (65.55%). Phillips is also trying out for the Region 7 Young Riders team. Last year, just before the first qualifier, an injury to the gelding sidelined the pair.

“I actually think it worked out for the best as the time off gave him time to refresh,” said Phillips. “He has been going his best since he has been back.”

Phillips attends UCLA and has been working with trainer Jaye Cherry, of Burbank, Calif., for about a year. She said without her trainer and her mother, she wouldn’t even be trying out for the team. Phillips added, “My Mom attends every show.”

David Blake, of Thousand Oaks, Calif., rode Catapult to win two FEI Young Horse tests with scores of 78.80 percent and 76.60 percent. Blake bought the Holsteiner gelding with his mother after its California breeder brought the horse to him to break.

“His training has gone well. He’s easy to train, and his temperament is energetic,” said Blake. “He’s very willing and easy. It was like he was having fun out there.”

Blake hopes to qualify for the Western Young Horse Finals in Flintridge at the end of May. He would love to take the horse to Kentucky for the national championship, and it would be a dream to qualify for the world championships in Germany. “There are a lot of serious competitive horses out there, so we’ll have to see,” he said.

Emily Tears, Coto de Caza, Calif., and her Lopaca won two first level, test 3, junior classes (74.00%, 69.42%). Tears bought the horse as a 4-year-old from the Holsteiner Verband in Germany.

“He’s a very happy horse with lots of expression,” said Tears, who trains with Karen Ball. “Sometimes the judges see it as expression, sometimes they see it as tension. You just never know.”

Last year, the pair earned the California Dressage Society Junior Training Level Championship, 17-21. Although she has decided not to try the FEI 6-Year-Old Young Horse test, Tears is hoping to qualify for the championships at first level this year and move up to second level.

Back Together
After spending last year as a Young Rider horse, Jazzman, owned and ridden by Donna Richardson, made a return to the Grand Prix arena, winning an open Grand Prix class (66.25%).

Richardson, of San Marcos, Calif., and Jazzman were on the 1999 Pan American gold-medal team and finished sixth individually. But while competing at Grand Prix, Jazzman tore a suspensory ligament. Richardson tried several treatments without success and finally decided to retire him.

“It broke my heart,” said Richardson. Three years later, she noticed he was running around and passaging in his field. She knew a young rider, Skyler Evans, who lacked the funds to buy a competitive horse, so she decided to let Evans try to bring him back.

“She spent months walking him and then slowly trotting him. It’s all thanks to her that he was able to come back. I probably would have asked for too much too soon. But Skyler was very patient and took her time,” said Richardson.

Evans made the team, and Region 7 riders earned the team silver medal at the NAYRC. Evans is now over the age limit for Young Riders, so Richardson took over the reins. “I’m not getting any younger and neither is he,” she said.

Richardson, an emergency room doctor who has partially retired, now has more time for her horses, along with reading and the occasional afternoon nap.

“He’s a good old boy. He didn’t put a foot out of place in the class,” she said. “He still needs more expression with power, but it’s great to have him back.”