Kathleen Raine just started showing Breanna this year, but in only her third show, she won the 6-year-old division of the USEF/Markel Young Horse Western Selection Trials for the FEI World Breeding Championships.

The win, earned May 26-28 in Flintridge, Calif., seemed easy for the Brentano II mare, co-owned by Raine and Jennifer Mason of Orange, Calif. The mare showed nice cadence and rhythm in the trot, a good, ground covering walk and a very uphill canter. Scoring 8.58 on Saturday and 9.00 on Sunday gave the pair an overall score of 8.80.

Breanna was purchased at the Verden Hanoverian Auction in Germany two years ago. David Wightman, Kathleen’s husband, called her saying he had found her horse. He thought the horse was a cross between her past Grand Prix horses, Avontuur and Fidelia.

“He was extremely excited about her,” Raine said, although he was not looking for a horse for her at the time. “She was tense in the beginning, but I’m thrilled with how she’s matured at each show.”

At Flintridge, Raine was thrilled with her rides. “She was really relaxed in the ring. She’s a really fun horse because when she’s relaxed you can really push since there’s so much in her to bring out, and she gets better as she goes,” she said.

Raine has not decided whether she will take the mare to Kentucky for the USEF/Markel Young Horse Dressage National Championships in September. “We’ll just play it by ear. She’s really a fun horse to work with. There’s so much talent there; we’re very lucky to have her.”

Immediately following the show, Raine took the mare to a breeding farm for an embryo transfer. The mare already has a two-month-old colt on the ground from a transfer last year. “We’re very excited about him,” said Raine. “He’s very leggy and super uphill.”


Spousal Rivalry
Wightman rode Brigadier, owned by Deena Smith of Olathe, Kansas, to the reserve championship. Brigadier, by Batido, was the highest scoring U.S.-bred horse at the National Young Horse Championship last year.

At the horse’s first show this year at Los Angeles Equestrian Center (Calif.), Wightman had some problems with the horse spooking. “So then, I took a little bit of time at home working on suppleness,” he said. “I think it’s really paid off. At DG Bar [Calif.], he did very well, winning a couple of classes at third level with scores into 70 percent. At this show, he had a score of 69 percent in third level. This horse has a lot of movement, big gaits. He has a powerful trot and expressive canter.”

Judges Jayne Ayers, Natalie Lamping and Jessica Ransehousen commented that Brigadier “covers a lot of ground in the trot and shows appropriate ability to collect. The walk has good scope with wonderful elasticity and reach. The canter showed very nice cadence and rhythm in the collection but needs a bit more engagement. The horse has a wonderful work ethic. He is very willing and obedient and appears to genuinely enjoy his job which is really nice to see.”

Brigadier earned a two-day score of 8.27.

Big Winner
Big Tyme, a Belgian gelding by Saros and owned and ridden by Marisa Festerling of Newbury Park, Calif., earned the 5-year-old championship with an overall score of 8.68.

Festerling has ridden the gelding for 11�2 years. When she and her trainer, Marie Meyers, first saw him in his stall, they thought he was huge. But after watching his video, Meyers was really impressed with the way he moved. And after husband Frank Meyers saw the video, the Meyers decided to buy him.

In January of this year, Festerling sold her other young horse and purchased Big Tyme from the Meyers with the help of an investor at their barn.

Even though the horse has reached 17 hands, Festerling said, “He’s built like a ladies horse. He’s very refined, and he’s not a heavy horse. He has a super mind and a really good character, yet he was a little scared at first. He really tries his hardest to listen to the rider when he’s in the arena.”

Festerling has shown Big Tyme only a few times, and, after receiving a high score of 80 percent at first level, she won the Young Horse Test at Del Mar (Calif.) with a score of 8.4.

“I was very proud of him for that,” stated Festerling, “because that’s a very big and sometimes overwhelming horse show.”

She thought the best part of Saturday’s test was the trot work: “He makes it look very easy and elegant. He has a very beautiful look about him. He’s like no horse I’ve ever felt before. His gaits are super with natural ability. He’s very light in the mouth and very honest in the ring.”

The judges’ comments included that Big Thyme “has a wonderful cadence in the trot with uphill balance and natural ability to collect.”

Festerling hopes to be one of the top two to qualify for the World Breeding Championships in Germany.

Wightman also claimed the reserve championship in the 5-year-old division on Wellcome S, a Hanoverian gelding by Weltruhm, owned by Lisa Bradley of Aliso Viejo, Calif.

Wightman thought Saturday’s test was “really good, except that I rode the trot a little too forward. The judges said slow down to try to get more expression and swing from his natural gait. But the rest of the test was pretty good.”

Bradley rides Wellcome S, who was purchased at the Verden auction, when Wightman isn’t showing him. “That’s what is special about this horse. He’s so wonderful at home and he’s very good with her,” said Wightman. “He’s very comfortable to ride and very good in the contact. Yet I can get on him and ask for a little more, and he rises to the occasion. He’s a really nice horse with an exceptional walk that scores 9s and 10s.”

Wightman thinks the horse has a lot of potential. “He’s very trainable and has good ability for collection.”