Rakker’s name might mean “little rascal,” but he showed a striking maturity at Dressage At Waterloo, July 20-22 in Grass Lake, Mich., to earn the Prix St. Georges and Intermediaire I championships.

Judy Kelly rode Rakker to win two classes of Intermediaire I (66.50% and 67.75%) and one at Prix St. Georges (69.75%). “My goal this season is to break 70 percent,” said Kelly.

“I’m knocking at the door. He’s a solid Grand Prix prospect. He and I are more of a union this season. I won at Prix St. Georges last year, so this year I didn’t need to learn the movements, but we needed more polish, more precision, more self-carriage. Now, after this winter’s work, it all flows better.”

Rakker and Kelly had their relationship tested just before one of their Intermediaire I tests. There was confusion about the scoring for the rider before Kelly, so she and Rakker had to circle the ring for quite a while until the problem was resolved. Kelly said that last year, the delay would have made Rakker go crazy, but he showed his maturity by performing fluidly to earn a 66.50 percent and win. 

Kelly, of Clarkston, Mich., is showing only Rakker this season as she has 25 students at home at Topline
Dressage in Clarkston and usually coaches eight at the shows. Kelly’s popularity as an instructor is based on her goal, “to set up a training program that best suits both the rider and the horse,” she said.

One of Kelly’s students, Chris Graye, had a moment to remember at Dressage at Waterloo. She received a standing ovation from judge Christopher Kitt after her winning test in adult amateur, third level, test 3 (69.07%). “It’s the best thing that ever happened to me,” said Graye.

“I felt good as we rode the test. At the end, I raised my head from the salute, and I saw Colonel Kitt stand up, and he looked straight at me, and he clapped for me. He didn’t say a word! He was very deliberate about it. And on the test his only comment was ‘Well done.’ ”

Graye also claimed the adult amateur, fourth level championship after winning both classes of adult amateur, fourth level, test 1 (67.90% and 63.95%).

“Today’s success was a result of horse, trainer and rider in sync,” Graye said. “I was having trouble in the warm-up, and Judy came over and fixed it. The horse and I went into the ring confident and ready. In the test, I felt the horse was having as much fun as I was.”

Graye began riding hunters as a child. “As an adult,” Graye said, “I got back into hunters and then did a bit of eventing. Eventing introduced me to dressage, and I loved it. Now I only do dressage—it’s been seven years of only dressage.”

Perfection
Judge Lilo Fore was heard to exclaim happily on Sunday afternoon during a break, “I gave a 10 this morning!”

That score of 10 went to Laurie Moore and the dark bay Hanoverian Rolero at their first show doing first level. Explained Moore, “She gave it on the trot stretchy circle.” Moore was especially pleased since Rolero’s initial halt in the test drew only a 5 from Lilo, but it was all uphill after that in terms of performance.

“Lilo is tough, but she gives you a good score when you earn  it,” said Moore. “She’s not afraid to use the range of the scoring system. Besides the 5 and the 10, I got a 7, 8s and two 9s and the collected remarks were all 8s.”

Moore and Rolero (Rohdiamant—Bijou) earned the open first level championship after winning three classes of open first level, test 4 (73.94%, 67.10%, 75.78%).

“He’s a wonderful horse,” said Moore about the 17.3-hand Rolero, owned by Cynthia and Allen Hunting. “He’s only 5 but he has the brain of an old soul. He’s very balanced. He’s sensitive. He has great natural rhythm.”

Laurie’s entire Lowell, Mich., barn, Timberlane, has been on a roll. Her student Emma Leemsta rode the Dutch gelding Polensio to win classes in junior/young rider training level and first level, capping last month’s high when the pair received that magical score of 10, presented by Michael Poulin. Moore jokes they’ll start a “10” club at the barn.

Leemsta leases Polensio from her friend and stablemate Robyn Weston. Weston had a few wins of her own at Waterloo, however.

She rode her Hanoverian, Willow, 7, to the junior/young rider third level championship after winning six classes at the level.

As is the case with many of the horses and riders at Moore’s barn, they help each other progress. “I imported Polensio as a 5-year-old five years ago,” said Weston. “I rode him training level through the FEI junior division. Last season, Polensio and I earned the third level musical freestyle championship in Region 2 with a high score of 68.15 percent. Now Polensio is leased to Emma for this show season.”

Pierucci Is A Prodigy
Hannah Pierucci might be just 13, but she’s already a very seasoned competitor. At Dressage at Waterloo, she rode Camaron to win the junior/young rider fourth level, test 3 (65.61%) and junior/young rider fourth level, test 2 (61.81%).

Pierucci rides out of her family’s Hampton Green Farms, a PRE breeding facility in Fruitport, Mich., where her mother, Patti, is the trainer. They also have a winter base in Wellington, Fla., where Pierucci goes to school.

Pierucci may be a budding dressage star, but at heart she’s a farm kid. At home, she’s as likely to do dressage bareback in the pastures as she is to work under saddle in the arena.

Her mount, the Andalusian Camaron, 12, by Grandioso, is light on his feet and offered her an accurate, forward ride followed by balanced downward transitions in her fourth level, test 3, test. “I’m his person,” said Pierucci. “I was happy with it all even though the canter pirouettes were hard because in this test they are performed on the short sides.”

While Camaron has gone Prix St. Georges with Pierucci’s mother in the saddle, Camaron and Pierucci will spend some time at fourth level. And while horses are her main passion, Pierucci finds time to branch out.

“I also do a little bit of cheerleading at school, but riding is definitely something I want to do for the rest of my life. I’ve done some jumping and western, too, including some barrel racing, when I was 6,” she said.
Pierucci isn’t the only one with a big future. Carrie Van Cise rode Claybrook Farm’s rangy 17.2-hand, Dutch, homebred stallion Voyager to a 77.60 percent in the 4- and 5-year-old stallions and geldings materiale class.

Voyager’s entrance was certainly eye-catching. His lovely, sweeping serpentines and stunning mediums as well as solid downward transitions made him easy to watch. Voyager, 5, is by Consul out of Claybrook’s Noline.

Van Cise was pleased with his work. “I feel like he is my horse today,” she said. “Sometimes I have to remind him to stay on the aids because he’s so young. He’s very elastic and willing to use himself.”

Voyager and Van Cise also won open first level, test 2 (71.38%) and were second in the FEI 5-Year-Old test (70.40%).

Claybrook Farm’s owners Waino and Susan Pihl bought investment land in Ithaca, Mich., a few years ago and decided that they’d start a Dutch Warmblood breeding farm. On good advice from Ithaca neighbor Klaus van der Ploeg, they purchased mares from VDL stud in the Netherlands. The farm’s management is in the hands of both the owners and trainer Carrie Van Cise, who does all the groundwork and riding.

Tania Evans