Wherever he goes, Royal Prince seems to command the attention of his judges, and the USEF/Markel Young Horse Dressage National Championships for 5- and 6-year-old horses, Sept. 12 in Lexington, Ky., was no different.
During the MSEDA Dressage at the Park show, Hilltop Farm’s Royal Prince outclassed the field of 19 5-year-olds with a collective score of 9.14 despite a downpour of rain that cleared shortly after his test. Even second-placed Dorie Addie-Crow, riding Iron Spring Farm’s Sir Sinclair, was nearly a full point behind with her otherwise impressive score of 8.26.
Royal Prince, by Rohdiamant out of the Prince Thatch mare Piri Piri, is the latest addition to Hilltop’s cadre of stallions. He nar-rowly missed third place at the World Championships in Verden, Germany, over the summer. As a 3-year-old, owned by Bernhard Schaefer of Germany, he was reserve champion at the German Bundeschampionat (National Championships) and repeated that honor as a 4-year-old.
Hilltop resident trainer and breeding manager Susanne Hassler, whose husband Scott also rides and trains at Hilltop Farm, in Colora, Md., has been riding Royal Prince since January and will now focus on preparing him for the FEI tests for 6-year-old horses.
At only 5’2″ tall, Hassler likes a sensitive horse, and Royal Prince fits the bill. “He is light and sensitive and so intelligent,” she said. “When you teach him something, he understands it. You have to make sure you teach him right the first time.”
At the selection trials to qualify for Verden, judges Linda Zang, Michael Poulin and Jane Ayers gave Royal Prince a score of 9.82, which gave Hassler the confidence to take him to Germany and show him to his best.
For the Young Horse tests it is important to have a horse with three good gaits and a particular strength, said Hassler, such as suppleness or a particularly good gait, like Royal Prince’s walk.
“It is a challenging test for the age, so trainability and rideability are important,” she said. “It is difficult to say you can be without one part and be competitive.”
No doubt Hassler’s experience at the World Championships served her well in Kentucky, since these tests are not scored in the same way that traditional dressage tests are scored. Rather, the importance is placed on the horse’s potential, with emphasis on gaits, submission and general impression over precision and accuracy in the test, or the correctness of the rider.
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Consistency Pays
In the 6-year-old championship, Lars Baekgaard rode Mary Hughes’ black, German-bred Oldenburg gelding Revolution (Royal Diamond–Fuela, Furioso), to take first place with a 7.48.
Baekgaard trains out of Eagle Crest Farm in Howell, N.J., and has been riding Revolution since January. This was his first U.S. championship, but he has competed in the FEI Young Horse classes in his native Denmark.
“He is very easy to ride and is a fast learner. He was excellent today,” Baekgaard said. “He was soft and very forward. He felt consistent all the way through the test; I was happy because yesterday he felt tired and only placed fourth. Today he had more energy.”
Hughes plans to compete her horse at the lower levels, while Baekgaard will continue to train the gelding.
Revolution just barely edged out reserve champion Ashley Fornell (7.46) on her Dutch gelding Rykaard (Kimberley–Milonia, Caruso), a horse given to her by her father Richard.Fornell, from Chadds Ford, Pa., competed Rykaard as a 5-year-old in the World Championships in Verden last summer and trained with the Theodorescus until October, also taking Kerido, her Grand Prix horse, with her. Earlier this year they took the reserve championship at the East Coast finals in Allentown, N.J.
“The tests are so different and you have to ride them differently,” she said. “It gives me a new perspective too. I have to keep him supple and show off his gaits while keeping him in control and also showing off his lateral movements. It has really given me insight into the other tests too. You have to be so accurate usually, but these are more fun because you’re just showing your horse to the best he can do.”
Judge Axel Steiner said the 5-year-old group was stronger than the 6-year-old group. “Hopefully in the not-too-distant future we will see even more American-bred horses; our breeders need to get their horses properly prepared to showcase them,” he said.
Steiner noted that Royal Prince stood out from the entire group. “He impressed us throughout the test, and he received the only ’10’ of the day for his excellent walk. Sir Sinclair also showed very nice potential but was not quite as attentive today, receiving low scores for submission.”
The flying changes and lateral work are scored under submission, which perhaps some riders do not understand, said Steiner. “The quality of the horses is impressive, but the quality of riding did not always enhance the horse’s quality,” he said. “We recognize that riders are under a lot of pressure. A lot of owners rode their own horses and maybe they are not used to riding down the centerline in a championship competition, and sometimes this showed.”
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A Quick Study
While long established in the hunt seat and western world, equitation is a relatively new concept in dressage. But Jaclyn Meinen, winner of the 14-and-older dressage seat medal finals, had no problem mastering the competition.
Since the focus is on the rider, competitors may borrow horses, which makes it easier for riders who must travel long distances. Meinen, from Orange County, Cailf., competed on Susan Posner’s Touchee (Leonidas–Antritt), a 7-year-old, Trakehner mare, with whom Posner also won at third level on the morning of the finals.
“She’s a nice mare,” said Posner, who also bred her dam and grand-dam and rode both to Grand Prix level. “We owe her success to my daughter Kristin, who kept her going this summer after I broke my arm in a car wreck.”
Meinen first rode the mare on the Monday before the show in a longe lesson with Cynthia Collins, a freestyle arranger, who set up the borrowed horse from Posner, a freestyle client. Meinen then worked with Posner the rest of the week.
Her silver trophy resting in her lap, Meinen smiled and said, “No matter the results, I’m happy to be here. I’ve really been working on my riding, stretching up through my body and down through the leg, sitting tall and quiet and moving with the horse.”
Meinen spent last summer at the International Academy in Warendorf, Germany and trains with Hilda Gurney in California. “Going to Germany opened my eyes, and I really buckled down and focused after that,” she said. “Hilda has been a huge encouragement. My own horse needed a lot of training so she is also the one who suggested that I ride a borrowed horse in the Finals.”
Julia Warstler, from Dryden, Mich., rode her 10-year-old, 13.3-hand, New Forest Pony Zippity-Do-Da to the 13-and-under win. Last year they claimed the reserve championship at the inaugural finals, but this year they did not have time to go to the qualifier, so she will not be able to compete in the 14-and-overs next year.
Her warm-up was brief, but Warstler’s performance topped the competition with a confident ride. “I was in the warm-up for five minutes, and nobody knew the test or the order of go,” she said. “Lendon [Gray, one of the founders of the class] took us all aside, and we went over it about seven times. Then I only had 10 minutes to warm up and my horse was getting tense, so I had to chill. I just did some rising trot, transitions and leg-yields and I kept talking to him and patted him a lot. It was really hot, especially when we were standing around, and he is shedding so he was itchy, but it was better when we were moving.”
Warstler is home schooled, and she spends winters in Florida to focus on horses. She just started competing at fourth level and is training the Prix St. Georges movements. In the summer she trains with Judy Kelly and in the winter with Susan Dutta.
“It’s a good program,” said Warstler. “It’s great that Lendon did this. I’d like to support it as much as I can. It has helped my riding a lot and given me things to work on.”