When Noel Williams said she wanted to be like her father, professional George Williams, she backed it up by winning the FEI high-score award at Dressage at the Horse Park, July 1-3 in Allentown, N.J.

Noel, of Delaware, Ohio, and Anne Whitten’s Pik L finished the first day of the three-day series of individual shows with a score of 68.71 percent for their ride in the Junior Individual class. The high school senior credited help she got from Katie Riley, the assistant to trainer Dr. Cesar Parra, for her success. Noel has been training with them since the Florida winter circuit.

And she didn’t forget her dark bay equine partner, “Pikie,” a Hanoverian stallion she first sat on in June. “He is a puppy dog and never puts a foot wrong in the ring,” said Noel, 16. “He can be tough to ride, though, because you have to ride stallions every single step of the way.”

Pikie had been at Whitten’s New Mexico farm, breeding mares from April through May. When he came back to Parra’s barn in New Jersey, he was out of shape. “He gained weight in the two months during which he was out of hard work while breeding,” said Noel. Now that he is back in training, “he thinks he is starving to death,” she said with a giggle as he voraciously devoured a carrot.

Otherwise, his manners are impeccable. “Maybe one percent of the time he is bad on the ground, but when you are on his back, he is so perfect,” said Noel, who rode her first stallion when she was 4, since her father trained the Temple Farms Lipizzans. “I literally grew up with them and handled young ones.”

A chance meeting with Parra last winter brought Noel under his tutelage. “He asked my parents if they knew of a young rider who could take Pikie. There I was standing, without a horse,” recalled Noel.

Now she hopes to be among the dozen youths from across the country to compete in the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s Junior Dressage Team Championship. Since she did not declare in time for this year’s finals, she will wait a year. In that time she plans to get well acquainted with Pikie.

Karkow Cleans Up

Karen Karkow did a marathon 15 classes with three of Judy Jefferis’ horses, including one Jefferis bred herself. “I didn’t bring home as many [ribbons] as usual. I missed [placing] in two,” said Karkow, Jefferis’ resident trainer.

The best outing Karkow had was with Hosanna, a black Hanoverian (Hohenstein–Welfin). The 7-year-old mare was fourth level champion (69.30%) the first day of the three-day event. Jefferis had tried an embryo transplant from the 16.3-hand mare earlier in the year, but the procedure wasn’t successful.

Although breeding Hosanna next year is not out of the question, for now Karkow, a former eventer, will keep competing “Sanna.” “I am hoping to get her into Dressage at Devon [Pa.]. She has a 68 or 69 average now, and the cut-off point is 62,” said Karkow.

An embryo transfer from Whizzo (White Magic–Lyra) also did not produce an offspring this year. Jefferis saw “Zoie” as a 4-day-old weanling on a video taken by a friend abroad. Jefferis liked the chestnut Hanoverian as a potential broodmare candidate for Jefferis’ Laurel Hill Farm. The mares currently at Laurel Hill are related to Jefferis’ stallion, Obadiah, so Jefferis wants the fresh bloodlines of the 5-year-old Zoie. Zoie became the first level champion (73.70%) the last day of the show.

The same day Uriah, 4, was reserve training level champion (66.15%). Jefferis had bred the son of Consul and Rapture to be her show horse, but when “Reilly” surged past 17.1 hands, she realized the chestnut gelding would be too big for her.

“He is very consistent,” Karkow said. “He got almost the same scores in each of the classes he was in.”

Making Her Own Headlines

Dressage judge Margaret Freeman was back in the ring, but this time she and her Windsong were the ones being judged. The dark bay Friesian crossbred, 5, and Freeman went back to their Mt. Kisco, N.Y., home with a tricolor in what was “Windy’s” second recognized show.

“I was thrilled with such a good outing. She more than exceeded my hopes and expectations. After being training level champion [with a 70.83%] on Saturday, I bumped her up to first level, and she did better than I had hoped she would,” said Freeman, an equestrian journalist.

After years of weekends filled with judging duties and 9-to-5 weekdays devoted to her writing/editing responsibilities, Freeman wanted to return to showing. “I was looking for a horse with the potential for me to enjoy for 20 years,” said the Oregon native.

Three decades ago, Freeman had a black mare, one she called “the best horse I ever owned. Since then, I think I have always wanted to have another black mare.”

Friends kidded her about that desire, but last year, a friend in northern Virginia, spotted Windy at a local schooling show. The friend e-mailed information about her find to Freeman, who bought the mare last year. Technically known as a Canadian Warmblood, Windy is by the German Friesian stallion Donius W, out of the Hanoverian/Trakehner mare, Windigo.

“People haven’t seen too much of the Friesian crosses, but I think this particular kind has the potential to be awfully good for the person who has only one horse,” she said. “[She’s] an expressive horse but one with good temperament and movement that can be easily ridden.”

After an absence of seven years from competing, Freeman surprised some riders. “People are used to seeing me in a skirt and hat [while judging], and [now] they were staring and pointing, saying, ‘look, she has breeches on!'” Freeman said with a smile.

“Windy has had two good shows and so far I have been having a lot of fun with her. Now I am trying to qualify for the finals with her. She has exceeded my hopes.”

Getting Competitive

Ana DiGironimo, 15, of Turnersville, N.J., had a so-so outing on Friday but felt she “was a little more on edge” when she and her Cadanz returned to the FEI Junior Individual Test class. Their score of 70.25 percent made the south Jersey teen and her gelding the FEI champions for Sunday.

“I was a little more fired up [than on Friday]. I really, really wanted to win and was aiming for my 70s. So we had a little more of a competition edge on us,” she said. “Cadanz gets pretty competitive and shows off in the ring.”

Since her trainer, Lendon Gray, could not be at the show, DiGironimo, a high school junior honor student, schooled herself and her Cadanz, 12. She bought the 16-hand, gray, Dutch Warmblood (Cabochan–Ramanova) three years ago in Holland in anticipation of outgrowing her FEI dressage pony, Orion.

DiGironimo broke into the dressage ranks after a four-year stint in pony club. She decided she preferred dressage over jumping, the discipline of preference in her barn. “I didn’t mind being the oddball there,” said Ana. “I am glad I chose dressage. It has been rewarding because I am so young and competing at a high level.”

This year her goal is to make the Junior Riders’ team at Dressage at Devon and to qualify for the USEF Dressage Seat Medal finals.

She was second overall in the 2004 Dressage Seat Medal finals, missing the tricolor by two-tenths of a point. “So now I really want that blue ribbon,” she said. “I try to set my goals high.”

A working student of Gray’s, she will return for a month to the New York trainer’s barn this summer for more coaching. “You couldn’t have a nicer trainer than her. She offers such opportunities, so why not take them up and learn from her?” said DiGironimo.