When Grand Prix dressage star Steffen Peters received a phone call from Akiko Yamazaki, the owner of his famous Olympic and World Games partner Ravel, he had no idea the conversation would land him back on the legendary, retired Dutch Warmblood to prepare for the inaugural Central Park Horse Show presented by Rolex, to be held Sept. 18-21 in New York City.

“Akiko called me all excited about it, and I was equally excited,” said Peters, of San Diego. “It’s such an exciting event in Central Park, such a unique horse show. We feel like we have to do anything we can to support it.”

Ravel last competed with Peters in 2012 after a career that launched them to the front of the world dressage stage, including an individual fourth at the 2008 Olympic Games in Hong Kong, wins in the 2009 Rolex FEI World Cup Final (Nev.) and the 2009 Aachen CDIO (Germany), two bronze medals at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (Ky.), and two U.S. Equestrian Federation National Grand Prix Championship titles. 

The exciting event, held in the Trump Rink at Central Park, will showcase the world-renowned duo once again. 

Ravel, now 16, spent the majority of his retirement at Yamazaki’s Four Winds Farm in Woodside, Calif. “So Akiko has had a wonderful teacher since 2012,” said Peters. “Then Akiko was generous enough to send him down before [the USEF Dressage Festival of Champions at] Gladstone for Dawn [White-O’Connor] to learn a bit more of the Grand Prix movements.

“When I received Akiko’s excited phone call, we thought about it and clearly decided that it’s too much for Legolas to come home after the World Games and go straight to New York,” added Peters of his current top mount. 

Watch Ravel’s test on Saturday night, Sept. 20, in Central Park. Click for information on the show schedule and tickets. Follow all the Central Park Horse Show updates by “liking” the Facebook page Central Park Horse Show.