Amanda Harlan admitted that she entered the Golden State Premiere to test the waters at Intermediaire I. She never imagined that her first show at the level would bring her the FEI high-point award.

Harlan rode her Liberte to win an adult amateur/junior/young rider Prix St. Georges class (69.25%) and her first Intermediaire I class (67.75%) at the show, Feb. 8-10 in Rancho Murieta, Calif.

Harlan hadn’t shown Liberte since the CN North American Junior and Young Riders Championships (Va.) last August, where they helped the Region 7 team claim gold and finished ninth individually. She was using the Golden State Premiere as a warm-up for the four CDIs in California this spring.

“I think we really finally connected and have figured each other out,” said Harlan, 17. “We’re ready to rock and roll.”

Harlan had entered Friday’s Prix St. Georges classes but opted instead for a lesson with her trainer Sue Curry.

Harlan, who lives in Oakville, Calif., in the Napa Valley, trains with Curry when Liberte, a 15-year-old Dutch Warmblood (Flemmingh—Evelina), is in Northern California during the school year. Her primary trainer is Jan Ebeling, who is based in Moorpark, in southern California.

With that lesson under her belt, “Saturday’s Prix St. Georges felt so great,” said Harlan. “He was going really well, really happy, and in front of my leg.”

On Sunday, the Intermediaire I class was the first of the day. “His back was a little bit cold, but overall he felt really good. He knows the test and he was kind of show-ing me around,” said Harlan. “It was nice to do the full canter pirouettes. I thought the test was more fluid than the Young Rider team test. I found it really fun.

“I really liked this show because the judges didn’t just give 6-7-6-7,” said Harlan. “They gave you 3s where you didn’t do well and 8s and 9s where you did do well. They commented on the things I know I have to work on and rewarded me when I did well. I think that really makes a lot of difference. They really gave me good constructive criticism. I needed that for the first show of the year.”

Harlan is planning to ride in the Intermediaire championship qualifiers this year instead of the Young Rider classes. “We have a lot of work to do, but that’s what makes it fun,” said Harlan.

He’s Got A Big Future

Harlan might have reigned over the FEI classes, but a young horse claimed the high score of the show. Merrie Velden rode Sandomere, a 5-year-old Oldenburg stallion, to an 82.40 percent in the qualifying FEI 5-year-old test on Sunday.

The result qualified Sandomere for the West Coast finals of the Markel/USEF Young Horse Selection Trials in May on his first try.

Sandomere, owned by Holly Reimers of Orland, Calif., won’t officially be 5 until August and showed his youth in his exuberance in his first class on Friday. He settled down after that, winning two training level, test 4, classes with scores of 74.40 percent and 74.00 percent.

In Sunday’s Markel/USEF FEI Young Horse 5-year-old qualifying class, judges Jane Weatherwax and Marlene Schneider gave Sandomere an 8.7 on submission, saying that he made everything look easy.

They were especially impressed with his simple changes and that his counter canter was so balanced for a 5-year-old. They thought he was uphill and light in his trot work and that he used his hind end well. Sandomere didn’t show his best walk, and that was his only score below 8.0.

“He’s the most incredible horse to ride,” said Velden, of Fresno, Calif. “He’s got an incredible work ethic. I have to watch out that I don’t teach him too much or ask too much of him because he’ll give it to you. He’s got such natural ability. He’s a lot hotter than he appears to be, and he can get lit easily. He’s highly sensitive and very sensitive to his surroundings.”

Velden found Sandomere (Sandro Hit—Ramiro’s Match, Modus) in Germany at Ulrich Henschke’s barn in the fall of his 2-year-old year when she was shopping for a young stallion for Reimers. Sandomere was owned at the time by Henschke and Paul Schockemohle, and was bred by Marion Menck. Reimers left Sandomere in Germany to complete his 70-day test, and he arrived in California the following August.

“Holly’s the best owner you could ever hope for,” said Velden. “She owned the horse from November to August and only saw him on video and photos. She didn’t see him in person until he came off the plane in Los Angeles.”

Velden was invited to ride Sandomere with Michael Klimke in the USDF Young Horse Symposium in Colorado last fall. She also rode him in the young horse clinic with Katrin Berger of the German Oldenburg Verband last November. Sandomere had a month off after his travels and started back to work in January.

“He’s so much stronger since the Colorado clinic,” said Velden. “He’s still growing. All his parts just came together in the last two weeks.”

Like A Big Rubber Band

Christine Rivlin-Henke of Concord, Calif., brought 17 horses to the show from her barn in Petaluma, riding eight of them herself. Her assistant, Stacy Zwergel, rode six horses, and her students rode the others.

Rivlin-Henke’s Dutch Warmblood gelding Valentino earned the high-score at second level with a 73.15 percent in second level, test 1. Rivlin-Henke only rode Valentino in the one test as he was along to get show experience and she didn’t want to leave him home for the four days she was at the show.

“He does everything at second level,” said Rivlin-Henke. “He’s really uphill and really balanced, but nothing feels super solid. He’s like riding a big rubber band, but he’s really big—17.2 hands. You don’t feel that he’s that big until you have to do something like a 10-meter circle. Then he’s kind of like a big Baby Huey with legs going in every direction. He’s got the best temperament for a 51⁄2 year old—he’s
pretty bombproof.”

Rivlin-Henke wasn’t expecting the score she received in the mistake-free test. Valentino received 9s on his simple changes.

Rivlin-Henke purchased Valentino (Lancet—Herlia) as a 3-year-old. She wasn’t looking for a horse that young or that large, but he was so much fun to ride and was such a good boy that she bought him anyway.

“I gave him to Stacy [Zwergel] to ride for a year and a half,” said Rivlin-Henke with a laugh. “So she could deal with all the baby stuff, and when he was broke I would take him back.”

Rivlin-Henke rode Stacey McCarthy’s Hessen mare Lyra to wins in both of their Grand Prix classes. Lyra just started showing at Grand Prix two weeks before. On Friday, Rivlin-Henke rode through most of the test in the warm-up ring, but Lyra was still too energetic when she entered the ring.

“The problem with Lyra is that she’s really hot—not spooky, just really hot,” explained Rivlin-Henke. “She gets into the show arena, and she’s so fired up and so strong that she just takes over. I have a really hard time keeping her listening. When she starts to take over she’s too much into the bridle, and then I can’t get her sitting and the piaffe doesn’t happen. We had mistakes in the zig-zag and in the twos and problems with the piaffe creeping forward on Friday.”

Rivlin-Henke let Lyra (Lucky Luke—Romy) rest on Saturday.

“In my test on Sunday I didn’t have any mistakes in the piaffe,” said Rivlin-Henke. “It still needs to be better and to be really more on the spot. But I was happy that she stayed with me a lot more and
listened better. The test is long and it’s pretty hard, and she’s really fit, so keeping her listening is not always that simple. She never misbehaves—that’s not her. She just has too much energy for her own good.”

Rivlin-Henke plans to take her time with Lyra this year, as she’s only 12. Owner McCarthy, of San Francisco, Calif., also shows Lyra, and plans to show her at fourth level and Prix St. Georges this year.
Rivlin-Henke also debuted Larissa’s Jas at Prix St. Georges, winning the Sunday class (64.75%). The 11-year-old Hanoverian mare (Lanthan-Flicka) is owned by Nora McGee of San Francisco.
Larissa’s Jas competed at fourth level on Friday and Saturday, winning two classes on Friday. She had problems spooking on Saturday, so neither test was great. But she did win the fourth level, test 2, class at the end of the day.

“Her Prix St. Georges felt great,” said Rivlin-Henke. “The pirouettes need to be a little bit stronger, but she did all her changes and didn’t have any mistakes. So I was pretty pleased with her. She’s got a really good ‘go’ button and is sensitive, but she’s really sensible. Her owner Nora rides her and is going to show her at
second level this year. I really couldn’t ask for a better amateur horse in terms of
temperament. She really just goes out and does her job.”
 
Sheri Scott