Thirteen rider/horse combinations contested the Grand Prix freestyle at the 31st Dressage At Devon show, but Rocher and George Williams were heads, tails and much more than that above the competition. Winning their third Dressage At Devon freestyle, and they are the only combination to earn that claim of fame, with a 77.85 percent, Williams and Rocher flashed their trademark extended trot-to-die-for and swept away the competition. Cindy Ishoy and Proton, of Canada, finished second with a solid 74.92 and Cesar Parra on Galant du Serein was third.
Williams was delighted with Rocher. “She’s stronger than ever in her carriage and elevation [after returning to competition after being sidelined for almost a year],” he said. “The time off actually helped.”
This is Rocher’s first show in the United States since she showed at the Aachen CDIO (Germany) last month. There she and Williams helped the U.S. team earn a bronze medal in the Nations Cup competition but their scores, in the high 60s and low 70s, did not reflect all the mare’s capabilities. Williams said it was all him.
“I made the joke that after Aachen I was ready for Aachen,” said Williams. “Only after Aachen did I feel really ready to compete at the top level. It takes a while to get into the competition mode. I now remember all the small details of how to get the most points out of every movement, of how to exactly ride that change or this transition to help stay out of her way.”
Williams is still using his Madonna-inspired freestyle and Rocher positively bloomed like the diva she is when the music started and they turned down centerline towards the judges. The mare’s piaffe/passage tour highlighted the freestyle.
Ishoy and Proton’s test was a wonderful testament to a horse’s trust in his rider. The packed stands, the night lights and the electric atmosphere seemed like it might overwhelm the 11-year-old gelding as he first entered the arena, but Ishoy sat deep in the saddle and asked her gelding to trust her. He took a deep breath and then as they entered at A there was a visible transfer of trust. Proton relaxed into Ishoy’s hands and despite his nerves did everything she asked.
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To music from the movies, “The Rock” and “The Pirates of the Caribbean” and for a quirky touch of humor, music from 50 Cent, Ishoy delivered a controlled and deliberate ride.
This was Proton’s first show back after suffering a soft tissue injury in November and like Williams, Ishoy was just counting her blessings to have her horse back in the tack and blooming.
Parra, who’s had a tough time getting the best out off the Selle Francais stallion Galant du Serein, was also just beaming at the end of his ride. He spent the summer in Germany training with Hubertus Schmidt, and said all their work has been paid back in spades and third at Devon is just the proof they needed.
“Because he’s a stallion, he challenges me all the time,” said Parra. “Hubertus helped me learn to think that every time I get on this horse I must think about riding him, not fighting him. You cannot confront this horse, you will lose every time.”
In other Devon news, Noel Williams, George’s daughter won the Junior team test on Pik-L. The 12 junior riders are competing in the 2005 USEF Junior Dressage Team Championship. They will contest the individual test on Sunday.
Lars Petersen won the Grand Prix for the Special on Success and Julia Vysniauskas won the Intermediaire I division on Papillion.
