Junior rider Jena Dick from Baldwin, Kansas, earned an extra round of applause and a lap of honor around the arena at the conclusion of the Cornhusker Classic II, June 19-20 in Freemont, Neb. The previous day she and the bay, Dutch Warmblood gelding Braveheart achieved their U.S. Dressage Federation bronze medal after riding to a score of 62.88 percent in third level, test 3.

Braveheart, a former jumper, was purchased 21¼2 years ago. Since then, he has developed into a powerful, regular third level mover. “With all the commotion he tends to be a little scared,” Dick said, “so all my rides have been very strong and tense. He used to be a very insecure horse, and now he and I are really close.”

Dick’s coach, Jami Kment, credited her student with building Braveheart’s confidence. Indeed, obedience issues surfaced in all three of their rides, but Braveheart compensated for them with his remarkable extended and lateral movements. He broke his collected trot into canter right after the salute in their first qualifying ride, but despite that mistake he scored 66.42 percent and earned the third level high-score. As she did last year, Dick also qualified for the dressage seat equitation finals.

At second level, Melissa Lundy of Lincoln, Neb., earned the high score aboard the 15-year-old, Quarter Horse cross Chics Good Fortune. They scored their winning 64.51 percent in second level, test 4. In the five years that Lundy has ridden the gelding, they have placed second in the region at training and first levels and now are qualified for the regional championship in St. Louis, Mo., in October.

Lundy also used this show to try out a second level freestyle of her own design. It allowed her to showcase Chics Good Fortune’s flexibility and fluidity in a combination of cantered loops and circles and received a qualifying score of 70.83 percent.

Lundy trains with Debbi Sedlacek, who also coached junior Victoria Van Heaton to a winning debut in second level, test 2 (63.78%) and junior Meredith Kenyon to her victory in training level, test 2 (64.61%).

The top-scoring rider at first level was adult amateur Carol Fowles on the 10-year-old, Paint mare, Paris. They also qualified for the regionals in the first level, test 4, ride (63.33%), despite a mistake in the canter on the diagonal.

Junior Rachel Maas and her 6-year-old, Holsteiner mare Nicolodean stormed training level. Maas comes from Fullerton, Neb., a town so small that she is the only dressage practitioner for many miles around. She drives six hours to Kansas every time she takes a lesson from Kment (who also coaches Jena’s sister Tessa Dick, junior qualifier in first level, test 4, Maas and Nicolodean scored 70.00 percent on their first trip to the arena.

“It’s just nice to be together and have the hard work pay off,” Maas said.

At the same level, amateur Cathy McCloud with the 8-year-old Appaloosa Duck topped the test 4 class (67.30%), qualifying for the regionals. Duck is a jack-of-all-trades, having won novice hunter under saddle at Appaloosa Nationals. He is now in his first year of dressage.

For many riders the Cornhusker Classic is the first chance to ride in a recognized show and test themselves in its formal setting. Cynthia Johnson, president of Nebraska Dressage Association, said many people are coming to dressage from the Western disciplines.

“People in this area of the country are setting their goals higher and becoming more sophisticated about the horses they’re using for dressage,” she said. “Warmbloods or warmblood crosses outnumbered other breeds at the Classic. And, by and large, the Quarter Horses, Appaloosas, Arabs and other non-warmbloods that people are now riding are, as individuals, much better suited to dressage than those we saw in the past.”

The Saturday night breed show included the Cosequin/USDFBC Championships. Jana Wagner lent her experienced handler’s hand and presented owners Larry and Kathy Childs of Topeka, Kan., with winners: the 2-year-old Dutch Warmblood Versailles won the filly championship, and yearling Westar of the same breed took the colt championship and the grand championship. The Cosequin mare championship and the mature horse championship went to the 4-year-old American Warmblood, Medley, owned by Emily Wagner from Glennwood, Iowa.