Steffen Peters is no stranger to the Grand Prix dressage ring and he knew that to win the Grand Prix at the Collecting Gaits Farm U.S. Equestrian Federation National Grand Prix Championship in Gladstone, N.J., he’d have to pull out all the stops.
“I took a lot of risks today,” he said on Thursday, June 15, after his ride. Those risks paid off as he won the class aboard Floriano with a 74.50 percent, almost 3 percentage points higher than his next-closest competitors.
Peters traveled all the way from San Diego, Calif. for this event, but there’s more than a Grand Prix title at stake. These four days will determine who goes to Germany to compete on the World Equestrian Games team this August in Aachen as well.
“If Floriano stays at 74, I’d be very happy,” said Peters. “Overall he was so in front of my aids. It was as good as it gets.”
But two other Californians might have something to say about letting Peters make a clean sweep of the competition. Guenter Seidel, riding Aragon, and Leslie Morse, on Tip Top 962, tied for second place with 71.58 percent, and they both believe they can do better.
“My ride was a little on the conservative side,” said Seidel. “In the first test you have to feel him out.”
The 14-year-old Bavarian Warmblood gelding represented the United States at the last Olympics, and Seidel thinks he’s only gotten better and more grown up since then.
Morse’s Swedish Warmblood stallion, Tip Top, may be the greenest of the top three, but she only saw that as an advantage.
“He’s constantly evolving,” she said. “I’m trying to get my horse as strong and as fit as he can be. By August we’ll take it to another level.”
Morse rode Tip Top at the FEI World Cup final in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, this spring. So did the fourth-placed finisher, Arlene (Tuny) Page and Wild One.
Wild One looked confident in the ring after his travels, scoring 70.79 percent. Heather Blitz grabbed fifth place with Arabella (67.00%) and Melissa Taylor rode into sixth place on Succes (65.95%).
The Intermediaire I championship got under way in the morning with the Prix St. Georges class. Michelle Gibson grabbed the lead with Lex Barker (71.55%) over Melissa Jackson on Wellington (69.55%) and Katherine Poulin-Neff on Brilliant Too (69.10%).
The ParaEquestrian National Championship also started in the morning, and Rebecca Hart and Nordkap led the group in the team test (71.66%). Robin Brueckmann and Richmond placed second (68.92%) over Erin Alberda and Ryan O’Riley (65.89%).
Grand Prix Results
1. Floriano, Steffen Peters 74.50%
2T. Aragon, Guenter Seidel 71.58%
2T. Tip Top 962, Leslie Morse 71.58%
4. Wild One, Arlene Page 70.79%
5. Arabella, Heather Blitz 67.00%
6. Succes, Melissa Talor 65.95%
7. BeSe, Catherine Morelli 65.87%
8. Cooper, Susanne Dansby Phelps 65.66%
9. Eminence, Lisette Milner 63.83%
10. Jazzman, Donna Richardson 63.62%
11. Basquewille, Mette Rosencrantz 63.08%
12. Marnix, George Williams 62.95%
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Prix St. Georges Results
1. Lex Barker, Michell Gibson 71.55%
2. Wellington, Melissa Jackson 69.55%
3. Brilliant Too, Katherine Poulin-Neff 69.10%
4. Fandango, Marie Meyers 68.80%
5. Rafalca, Jan Ebeling 68.75%
6. Regent, Christopher Hickey 67.45%
7. Princeton, Guenter Seidel 67.15%
8. Schumacker Solyst, Melissa Taylor 65.45%
9. Avant-Garde, Nicole Bellah 63.40%
10. Lyra, Christine Rivlin-Henke 63.20%
11. Fountainebleau, Teri Hallman 62.95%
12. Millenium, Silke Rembacz 62.15%
