Mary Haskins Gray and her elegant, Russian gelding Fregat won the 2003 North American Young Riders Championships individual gold medal, but a suspensory injury sidelined the 10-year-old gelding last year.
The March Magic Dressage Show in Williamston, N.C., March 26-27, was the pair’s comeback show, and they claimed the FEI championship, posting scores of 68.25 percent in the Prix St. Georges and 69.00 percent in the Intermediaire I.
Gray, a native of Greensboro and a student at N.C. State University, trains with Dennis Callin of Raleigh, N.C. She hopes to qualify for the USEF Intermediaire I championships in Gladstone (N.J.) this June.
“We’ve been working toward the Grand Prix at home,” Gray said. “It’s a lot of fun; he knows more than I do. But then we have to back off before a show so he’ll do the threes and fours [instead of one-tempis].”
Diane Ritz won another Prix St. Georges class (65.50%) on Nan Pieroni’s new Dutch gelding Juneau. Ritz found the horse at Mette Peterson’s barn in Virginia just two months ago, called Pieroni and said, “I’ve found your horse.”
Meredith Weiner and her Rubinstein gelding Ricco Letto claimed the open fourth level high score (64.88%) against tough odds. A runaway horse, breaking glass, and noisy spectators conspired to upset her rides, but they persevered and topped some large fourth level classes. “I got fours on the movements where he spooked, but then he came right back,” Weiner said.
The upper level junior/amateur championship went to newcomers to the Carolinas. Meredith Whaley, a newlywed, relocated to Southern Pines from New Jersey. She posted a 70.93 percent at fourth level with her black warmblood mare, Croquet.
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Carla Wennberg of Robersonville, N.C., only showed one day but dominated third level with her Spirit (68.22%). Wennberg, a former American Quarter Horse Association Youth World Champion, serves on the AQHA task force to recognize dressage performances for Quarter Horses.
A strong entry at second level made for close competition, but Canadian Olympic event rider Bruce Mandeville earned the championship by .3 points on Kathryn Scheltema’s big, Trakehner gelding Lindos. Scheltema traveled from Michigan to jump start their season, and her 9-year-old daughter Elizabeth also won an introductory class (66.50%) on her beautiful, 12-hand Welsh pony, Stonehedge Rose.
Susie Wiedman rode Carol Kelly’s Fiddler to the first level open championship (69.25%) and managed to organize a large group of clients during a frenzied week. A closing on a new farm fell through, and Wiedman was anticipating homelessness for herself and 20 horses by the end of the month.
“I must love chaos,” said Wiedman, who also coached Kris Daniel and her 4-year-old, Friesian mare Farina to the open training level championship (68.18%).
Alison Coyle, 12, of Apex, N.C., posted 70 percent rides with her 14.1-hand, Connemara-Thoroughbred cross Stormy Weather. Coyle won the training and first level junior/amateur titles and claimed the training level trophy. Coyle trains with Elizabeth Moore of Apex, N.C.
Seven horses and riders danced for the $1,175 purse in the freestyle sweepstakes. Rebecca Nelles and Rytmik emerged victorious (66.45%) with a lively first level test to upbeat classical music, choreographed by her trainer Kay Meredith.
Andrew Weniger and his 6-year-old gelding Wylie Q were the Dover/USDF adult amateur champions. Wylie Q, by Weltbekannt, was a finalist in the national 5-year-old breeding championships last year and is prepping for the 6-year-old division, with the upcoming 2005 USEF Young Horse Eastern Selection trial in Weniger’s home town of Raleigh.
