- Kassandra Barteau traveled 27 hours from Maple Park, Ill., to ride three horses at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby. She won the FEI Young Rider Team and Individual tests in the CDI-Y with GP Raymeister and placed second in the freestyle. “He’s still young, but he always tries hard,” said Barteau of Ginna Frantz’s 10-year-old Holsteiner stallion (Rantares—Miss Nickel Annie). “He has lots of energy. He was a little frisky on Friday, but I’m really happy with the way he was yesterday in the individual test. He’s a joy every day.”
- To seriously compete in dressage, you’ve got to go to dressage shows, and two eventers, Melissa Ransehousen and Lillian Heard, were there to tune up their event horses for the season. Ransehousen won her open third level, test 1, class with Critical Decision (70.25%), and Lillian Heard took her Morven Park CCI* (Va.) winner Share Option in a second level class.
- Rebecca Hart, a U.S. Paralympic Team member from the 2008 Paralympic Games, was also there competing. Although she only does walk-trot in her para-equestrian test, she competed in a regular adult amateur/young rider fourth level, test 1, class and placed third with Norteassa (67.67%).
- Courtney King-Dye has a new rising star in Bogner B. The pair won the Intermediaire freestyle and placed third in the Prix St. Georges in the CDI. The 11-year-old Oldenburg gelding is owned by Jeff Fuqua and will eventually become his horse, but King-Dye hopes to compete him in the Collecting Gaits Farm/U.S. Equestrian Federation Intermediaire Championship and finish him to Grand Prix.
- Michael Barisone rode a new Grand Prix horse, Olympus, to a win in the Grand Prix for the Special. Nancy Binter bought the 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood to be her Grand Prix horse, but she decided to let Barisone put some miles on him first. He formerly belonged to the Netherlands’ Alex van Silfhout.
- Colombia’s Marco Bernal continued his winning ways with Halbgott in the small tour classes. The 13-year-old Trakehner (Partout—Hatari) won the Intermediaire I (72.28%) and placed second in the Prix St. Georges and Intermediaire freestyle. Halbgott has struggled with allergies this winter, but that didn’t keep him from trying his hardest. “He takes the centerline, and no matter how he’s feeling, he goes for the blue ribbon,” said Bernal. “It’s a very nice feeling to have from a stallion. He’s a special horse, well behaved, beautiful. I love this horse.”
