(Yellow Horse Marketing) – Burbank,CA – Final championship ribbons were presented Sunday in Burbank, CA for the 45th Anniversary California Dressage Society Championship Show Presented By HorseShow.com, held in conjunction with the CDS Young Horse Futurity (including the Cal-Bred Futurity), the Great American Insurance Group/USDF Region 7 Dressage Championships, and the Great American Insurance Group/USDF Breeders Championships West Coast Series Final. In an event which organization officials report as the largest championship show in CDS’ 45-year history, riders, owners, and spectators enjoyed four days of spectacular dressage, camaraderie from across the region, and special anniversary celebrations marking four and a half decades of CDS service to its members and the sport.

Having spent the summer in Europe for the 2012 Olympic Games, U.S. Team and CDS member Jan Ebeling still made time to come to the Championships, an event which he has attended for more than twenty years. “The CDS Annual Show is always a very prestigious occasion, and this year I was most impressed because of how large a show it turned out to be,” said Ebeling, who coached three students with four horses over the weekend. “They worked all year to get here, they all did really well, and are very happy. We had a great time.” Mackinzie Cameron traveled south to Burbank from Santa Cruz to attend her very first CDS Championship Show, and in addition to winning three championship titles with her horse “Damian DG”, she was thrilled with her experience and the atmosphere. “I’ve had such a good time here,” Cameron said. “Everyone involved with the show has been so welcoming and encouraging, and it’s been a great experience for both me and my horse.” Trainer Karen Ball of Coto de Caza, CA brought six students to the show, which was her 15th CDS championship. “We were super happy with this show, and for several of my students it was their first time,” she noted. “It’s always one of the highlights of our year.”

With bragging rights, perpetual trophies, and thousands of dollars in prize money on the line, competition for CDS Horse of the Year awards on this last day of the championships remained intense. D’Re Stergios of Petaluma won her second Adult Amateur Grand Prix class of the weekend, this time claiming the CDS Horse of the Year title and the Rubinstein Memorial Trophy with her Oldenburg gelding “Johnny” (68.723%). The Pelton Family Trophy for Open Intermediaire II was awarded to Carolyn Adams of Pleasanton, CA riding her Hanoverian stallion “Winterprinz” (70.066%), while in the Adult Amateur division, Dani Judy of La Mesa, CA rode her Oldenburg partner “Antaeus” to the blue ribbon with a score of 63.947%. During afternoon freestyles, Echo Casale (Trabuco Canyon, CA) was triumphant at First Level with her American Warmblood “Abeta Storm” (68.333%), while the Second Level win went to the Bulgarian gelding “Apel”, earning a score of 73.917% with rider/owner Anne Howard of Ben Lomond, CA. Tigger Wright made the trip from Oakland, CA worthwhile by winning the De Medici Perpetual Trophy for Third Level Freestyle with Cynthia Rowland’s Friesian mare “Hilde Fan’t Alddjip” (69.500%).

In a fight for the CDS Open Training Level Horse of the Year honors, “Donar’s Diablo” proved that size doesn’t matter as Kim Crandall’s half-Welsh pony gelding topped the field on an overall score of 71.734%, winning the Peter and Bonnie Lert Perpetual Trophy with rider Kelly Phillips of Fallbrook, CA. From a field of twenty Adult Amateurs contesting Training Level, once again emerging victorious was Mackenzie Cameron riding her four-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding “Damian DG”, winning both rounds of competition for a total average of 70.661% to claim the Melissa Creswick Perpetual Trophy. The Full Cry Perpetual Trophy for Adult Amateur First Level was awarded to Janet VerPlank (Fairfield, CA) who swept both classes in her division with her Dutch Warmblood gelding “Baronchelli” to finish on an overall score of 69.373%. Nancy Szakacs of Hollister and her Westfalen gelding “Rudi Regali” were the strongest performers in the Adult Amateur Second Level division, winning the Two-Tone Malone Trophy on an overall score of 68.247%. Adult amateur rider Yvette Diuri of Rancho Santa Fe, CA scored her second decisive victory in two days at Third Level with a score of 70.927% to win the Stanford Dressage Club Trophy with her Dutch Warmblod gelding “Winsome”, while Susan Halasz Martin of Simi Valley and Karen Drown’s Oldenburg mare “Natasha” took home the Judith Elias Perpetual Trophy for CDS Open Third Level Horse of the Year with 71.335%. Wrapping up the CDS Horse of the Year classes was Adult Amateur Jacqueline Real-Salas, who with her own Oldenburg gelding “Rustringer” earned 66.740% to top their Fourth Level division and take the Fox Run Perpetual Trophy home to Temecula, CA.

Great American Insurance Group/USDF Region 7 Championships also concluded today, with titles awarded at First, Third, Fourth, and Intermediaire I levels, as well as for Young Riders. In a highly-competitive Open First Level Championship, the top eight horse/rider combinations scored over 70 percent; but ultimately emerging victorious was Julia Mineikis of Reno, NV riding her own Oldenburg gelding “Felix” to a top score of 76.048%. Juniors and Young Riders contested both First and Third Levels, with the Hanoverian gelding “D’Esprite” carrying Chelsea Peroni of Wilton, CA to win with 66.290% at First Level, while Kalynn Harrington of Agoura Hills, CA followed up on Thursday’s freestyle championship with another victory at Third Level with Elly Schobel’s American Warmblood “Raison D’Etre” (66.795%). Louise Koch of Westlake Village, CA, riding her own Westfalen stallion “San Shivago”, added another accomplishment to their roster by winning the Open Fourth Level Regional Championship on a score of 71.438%, while Jacqueline Real-Salas won her second championship of the day with “Rustringer”, scoring 70.938% to win the Adult Amateur class. In the Open Intermediaire I division, San Diego’s Rebecca Rigdon rode her elegant Holsteiner mare “Solei” to the win with 71.776%, while in the Adult Amateur division, Elizabeth Keadle of Rancho Santa Fe, CA added a Regional Championship title to yesterday’s CDS Horse of the Year victory by earning a score of 71.842% on her Rheinlander gelding “Rower Be”. Mackinzie Pooley of Coto de Caza, CA finished off her weekend with another victory, this time with her NAYRC partner “Brigadier” (Oldenburg gelding owned by Deena Smith) in the he Young Rider Team Test Championship (65.197%). Ryan Bell of Rancho Mirage, CA rode his own Hanoverian gelding “D’Aristocrat” to win the JR/YR Intermediaire I Region 7 Championship on a score of 61.184%. Finally, In the USEF Dressage Seat Medal Semi-Final (13 and under division), Taite Hylton of Los Angeles rode “Pink” to victory with a score of 79.000%. Bryce Quinto (Studio City, CA) also earned a ticket to next year’s Medal Finals in Colorado by winning the 14-18 division with “Karenin” on 75.000%.

Click here for full results from Sunday at the California Dressage Society Championship Show.
Complete results and event coverage for the 45th Anniversary California Dressage Society Championship Show Presented By HorseShow.com is available on the CDS website, www.california-dressage.org.

Photo Courtesy of Yellow Horse Marketing by Jennifer Keeler – Small but mighty: pony “Donar’s Diablo” won the CDS Training Level Open Horse of the Year title, with rider Kelly Phillips and owner Kim Crandall

(USPEA) – New York, NY – October 8, 2012 – On Wednesday October 10th, U.S. Paralympian Rebecca Hart of Unionville, Penn. will be showcased on ABC’s Good Morning America. Hart will accompany Ann Romney, wife of Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney in New York’s Times Square. Mrs. Romney and Rebecca Hart will be speaking about how horses have provided a unique form of therapy for them. Both equestrians will also touch on the 2012 London Paralympics and the equestrian sport. Mrs. Romney will be co-hosting the 8 a.m. (Eastern Time) news hour with George Stephanopoulos on Wednesday where she is filling in for Robin Roberts, who is on extended medical leave.

Rebecca Hart, horse Lord Ludger (owned by Jessica Ransehousen), and U.S Parlaympic Chef d’Equipe Missy Ransehousen will present a previously recorded segment from October 8th showcasing the Paralympic Dressage duo at Blue Hill Farm. In addition to Rebecca Hart and Lord Ludger’s Times Square debut, Ann Romney will accompany Hart riding Ireland’s Bronze Medal Team horse, Orlando, owned by James Dwyer.

Both Rebecca Hart and James Dwyer were recent competitors at the 2012 London Paralympics in Para-Dressage. Rebecca Hart earned a 4th in the team competition, 5th place in the freestyle, and 11th place in the individual test competition. Rebecca Hart was part of the seventh-place U.S. Paralympic Team featuring the late Jonathan Wentz and NTEC Richter Scale, Donna Ponessa aboard Wes Dunham’s Western Rose, and Dale Dedrick on Bonifatius.

James Dwyer was one of the four athletes representing the Bronze Medal Ireland team. Alongside James Dwyer and horse Orlando were Eilish Byrne aboard Youri, Geraldine Savage on Blues Tip Top Too, and Helen Kearney on Mister Cool.

As an elite equestrian and co-owner of 2012 U.S. Olympic Dressage horse Rafalca ridden by Jan Ebeling, Ann Romney can relate to Hart’s and Dwyer’s recent accomplishments and therapeutic use of riding. Ann Romney, who was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 1998, is an advocate for Multiple Sclerosis. Mrs. Romney began riding as a form of therapy and found it to benefit her life in many ways. Hart and Mrs. Romney met in June 2012 where Hart was presented with the 2012 USEF Para-Equestrian Dressage National Championship. “This whole year has been a whirlwind,” noted Hart. I met Mrs. Romney in June, rode down the Prime Meridian at the London Paralympics for my team in August, met the President of the United States in September, and now will be riding in Times Square. You don’t often get asked to ride in Times Square and I am very excited for this opportunity.”

The program is scheduled on ABC’s Good Morning America Wednesday October 10th at 8 a.m. (Eastern Time). Please check your local listings for your local ABC channel.

View the June 2012 press release about Ann Romney presenting Rebecca Hart her award by clicking this link.

For press related inquiries, comments or questions please e-mail Lindsay McCall at Lindsay@uspea.org.

Photo Courtesy of USPEA by Lindsay McCall – Rebecca Hart (USA) and Lord Ludger, owned by Jessica Ransehousen

Wellington, FL (October 9, 2012) – Accomplished Wellington-based dressage rider
Caroline Roffman’s new and updated Lionshare Dressage website is the perfect place
to find your next dressage dream horse. A comprehensive “Sale Horses” page on the
website offers a variety of dressage horses, everything from prospects to grand prix
schoolmasters.

“I am very pleased with our new website and know that it will be a great tool for
anyone looking for a new horse,” Roffman said, adding that she has partnered with
dressage rider Endel Ots to open Lionshare Dressage. “The website not only offers
horses for sale, but also features information about Lionshare, news, services and a
great deal more.”

Lionshare’s new logo is also prominently on display on the new website, featuring
their new colors – red, blue and yellow – the colors of a championship ribbon. “The
new website really does have a dynamic sales page,” Roffman said. “When you buy a
horse you are investing in your hopes and dreams. We want everyone to start the
process of finding their next equine partner by giving them a chance to see great
photos and detailed information on the horses we offer for sale.”

The website will also feature beautiful photos of the Wellington facility, as well
as photos and up-to-date show news on both Roffman and Ots. Roffman has made her
mark on the dressage world as both a rider and a trainer. She recently won the
Intermediaire I National Championship at the 2012 Festival of Champions aboard Pie,
a horse she trained herself. “I bought Pie as a four-year-old, and he was
challenging,” said Roffman. “Some didn’t think he’d ever settle down enough to be a
successful dressage horse, but I’m so pleased with his progress this year.”

Roffman’s partnership with Ots has resulted in the duo quickly being able to build a
reputable training and sales farm. “I am certainly in my element whether competing,
riding or training,” Roffman said. “I am thrilled to be in partnership with Endel.
We compliment each other with our riding and training skills.”

Roffman has been on the fast track to dressage success for many years. Recently she
and Her Highness O were the winners of the 2012 USEF National Developing Horse Prix
St. Georges division at the 2012 Young Horse Championships. In 2011 she won the
Young Adult Brentina Cup Championship, one of the most coveted dressage titles in
the country. During the winter circuit at the Global Dressage Festival Nations Cup,
Roffman and Pie helped Team USA clinch the gold, and Pie and Roffman also swept the
Prix St Georges classes at the Nations Cup. Two years ago she was named the FEI
Rising Star by the International Equestrian Federation – a title she has lived up to
in the highly competitive dressage field. Caroline has also racked up the wins with
various wins at the Young Horse Championships, including the Five-Year-Old
Championship in 2010 with Bon Chance and Reserve Champion in the Five-Year-Old,
Six-Year-Old and Developing Horse Prix St. Georges in 2011 with San City, Bon
Chance, and Pie.

Ots also has an impressive resume to his name and in 2011 was the alternate for the
U.S. Pan Am Dressage Team in Mexico. In 2012 he and Agastrofos, a Lionshare sales
horse, were named Reserve Champions in the Developing Horse Grand Prix during the
2012 Young Horse Championships. He is a USDF Bronze, Silver, and Gold medalist and
has finished 2 horses to the Grand Prix. With his mount Bentley he won the
Intermediare I and Intermediare Freestyle during the 2008 Dressage at Devon, and
Bentley was named the 2008 Prix St. George Horse of the Year. In 2009 Ots was named
the Region 2 Great American Regional Champion in Prix St. Georges and Intermediare I
Freestyle on Playboy. Ots is not only a talented rider, but has proven himself as a
trainer and teacher.

For more information on Lionshare Dressage, please visit

http://www.lionsharedressage.com/.

(Yellow Horse Marketing) – Burbank, CA – Exhibitors at the 45th Anniversary California Dressage Society Championship Show Presented By HorseShow.com continued to enjoy a unique championship experience and atmosphere on Saturday at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank, CA. The wildly popular and lucrative CDS Horse of the Year program classes continued, in conjunction with the CDS Young Horse Futurity (including the Cal-Bred Futurity), the Great American Insurance Group/USDF Region 7 Dressage Championships, and the Great American Insurance Group/USDF Breeders Championships West Coast Series Final.

In addition to outstanding dressage competition, CDS hosted a discussion of “The 2012 Olympic Experience: From a Rider, Owner, & Judge Perspective”, featuring U.S. Dressage Team member Steffen Peters; Akiko Yamazaki, a long-time owner of U.S. High Performance dressage horses, including “Ravel”; and FEI “O” judge Gary Rockwell, who was an official for both the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games. The panelists discussed their experiences at this year’s Olympics in London as well as their thoughts on the state of the sport. Peters drew enthusiastic applause when speaking about his appreciation for CDS’ support of Team riders. “We really appreciate everything CDS has done for us,” Peters said. “I guarantee you, we’re going to do all that we can to not only bring more medals home to the States, but also bring them back to the West Coast.”

Future generations of potential Olympic mounts participated in the conclusion of the CDS Young Horse Futurity, showcasing the five- and six-year-old divisions. “Carette MG”, a Dutch Warmblood mare (His Highness x Turette MG by Silvano, bred by Kathy Hickerson) owned by Rya Lahti, was ridden by Bettina Loy of Ramona, CA to earn an overall average of 75.817% and the five-year-old championship. Alice Womble’s young horse star “Sanceo” (Hanoverian stallion San Remo x Rivera by Ramiro’s Son II, bred in Germany by Gerhard Dustmann) earned his third consecutive CDS Futurity title, earning a score of 75.000% today with rider Sabine Schut-Kery of Thousand Oaks, CA, to finish with an overall two-day average of 75.964%. In the Adult Amateur divisions of the Futurity, Sarah Rowntree (Trabuco Canyon, CA) rode her own Oldenburg gelding “San Otto” (San Gregory x Alicia by Rhodiamant) to claim their Futurity title with an overall score of 59.576%, while the six-year-old class was won by the last year’s 5-year-old Amateur Futurity division winner “Rudi Regali” (Westfalen gelding Riccoone x Rubina by Rubiluh), ridden by owner Nancy Szakacs of Hollister, CA to a winning average of 69.599%.

CDS Horse of the Year titles were awarded at First, Second and Fourth Levels, as well as Intermediaire I. In a hotly contested Open First Level division, Jocelyn Hamann rode her own Dutch Warmblood gelding “Casanova” to take the McLeod Perpetual Trophy home to Reno, NV with an overall combined score of 73.250%. In Open Second Level Horse of the Year, an average score of 72.910% earned the Bengt Lungquist Memorial Trophy for “W Royal Winner”, a six-year-old Hanoverian gelding ridden by Alisa Wilson of Chino Hills for owner Marban Inc. Meanwhile, Sarah Lockman of Chino Hills, CA guided Pamela Munson’s Dutch Warmblood gelding “Vinterpol” to victory in the Open Fourth Level championship with a total combined score of 70.186% to claim the Pal Kemery Perpetual Trophy. Mette Rosencrantz of Topanga, CA and “Mosegaards Rico” (Danish Warmblood gelding owned by Anne Solbraekke) scored small tour CDI wins early this season, and continued their winning ways by earning the CDS Open Intermediaire I Horse of the Year Trophy with a score of 72.105%, while the Adult Amateur division and T.D.I. Systems Perpetual Trophy was convincingly won with a score of 73.026% by “Rower Be”, a Rheinlander gelding ridden and owned by Elizabeth Keadle of Rancho Santa Fe, CA.

Junior riders contested their inaugural CDS Dressage Seat Equitation Challenge for riders 14-21, with Rison Naness of Burbank impressing the judges for a score of 80.000% with her mount “Venezia”. Additional CDS Championships were awarded in the Fourth Level, Intermediaire I, and Grand Prix Freestyle divisions as part of afternoon and evening entertainment. Karen Cornelius (Nipomo, CA) rode Carolina White’s striking black Friesian stallion “Dimer Fan Lutke Peinjum” to victory with 71.167% for their Fourth Level freestyle. Ruth Shirkey of Los Gatos, CA and her Oldenburg gelding “PEC Womanizer” earned the blue ribbon and the Lilian Van Dahn Trophy for CDS Intermediaire Freestyle with a score of 67.750%. Olympian Hilda Gurney claimed her third championship title of the weekend with her own Oldenburg gelding “Wintersnow”, winning the Lt. Col Hans Moeller Trophy for their Grand Prix freestyle with a score of 70.563%.

Great American Insurance Group/USDF Region 7 Championships were also presented in a multitude of divisions, including several in the Junior/Young Rider ranks. At Training Level, Alyssa Buechler from Ventura, CA, earned a top score of 73.900% with Anne McCutcheon’s Hanoverian gelding “Winter Zest”, while NAYRC Region 7 team member Mackinzie Pooley of Coto de Caza, CA rode Sharon Criswell’s Dutch Warmblood gelding “Zoom” to claim the JR/YR Fourth Level Championship (65.375%). Cassidy Gallman from Poway, CA, who had partnered with her Hanoverian “Woden” for CDI-J wins in San Juan Capistrano in April, returned to the winner’s circle in the Junior Team Test Championship on a score of 66.351%.

Topping a large field of Adult Amateurs at First Level was Los Angeles’ Susan Bauer, who earned a winning score of 69.194% with her own Danish Warmblood mare “Rambhina”. In the Open Third Level Championship, Tanya Vik of Sonoma rode Susan Jane Sutton’s Hanoverian gelding “Holy Wonder” to the title (73.077%), while the Adult Amateur division at this level was decisively claimed by Rancho Santa Fe, CA’s Yvette Diuri with her own Dutch Warmblood gelding “Winsome” on a score of 72.436%. In the FEI divisions, topping the leader board in the Open Prix St. Georges Championship was Sabine Schut-Kery, who piloted Margaret Carrera’s PRE gelding “Tardon” to a winning score of 68.816%. Suzanne Smith (Palos Verdes Estates, CA) rode her own Dutch Warmblood gelding “Spencer” to earn the Adult Amateur Prix St. Georges Regional Championship, earning a score of 66.974%. Kathleen Raine and her longtime High Performance partner “Breanna” (owned by Raine and Jennifer Mason) added another championship to their resume by winning the Region 7 Grand Prix Open Championship with a score of 69.894%, while D’Re Stergios of Petaluma won the Adult Amateur Grand Prix class with a score of 68.936% on Oldenburg gelding “Johnny”.

In addition to a full day of championship rides, in-hand sport horse breeding competition was also featured with the Great American Insurance Group/USDF Breeders Championships – West Coast Final. Jackie Ahl-Eckhaus of Sanger, CA presented “Si Donna MVS” (Sir Donnerhall x Lumara by Flemmingh), a two-year-old Oldenburg filly which she owns and bred, to claim the Filly Championship by earning a score of 78.850% from judges Gail Hoff-Carmona and Melissa Creswick. In the Colt/Gelding Championship, Willy Arts presented the three-year-old Dutch Warmblood colt “Escobar DG” (Vivaldi x Festival by Sandro Hit) for owner/breeder DG Bar Ranch to win the division title with a score of 80.000%. Arts then returned to the ring with Debra Pulver’s four-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare “Dalina DG” (Jazz x Satina by Contango) to win the Mare Championship with a score of 81.300%. In the Current Year Foal Championship, Shelley Housh of Blue Jay, CA handled her own “Sterling’s Brigadier SH”, a grey Shagya colt (Sterling Silver x Nicolatina Star by Starwalker), to a score of 68.650%, while the Stallion Championship was awarded to the six-year-old Oldenburg “Sondheim OLD” (Sandro Hit x Galana by Rohdiamant), presented by Burbank’s Jaye Cherry for owner Marta Kauffman.

Click here for full results from Saturday.

Championship competition concludes on Sunday with final divisions of Regional and CDS Championships. Daily results and complete information about the 45th Anniversary California Dressage Society Championship Show Presented By HorseShow.com is available on the CDS website, www.california-dressage.org.

Photo Courtesy of Yellow Horse Marketing by Jennifer M. Keeler – Bettina Loy and “Carette MG” win the CDS Young Horse Futurity for Five-Year-Olds.

DressageClinic.com and the Illinois Dressage Combined Training Association have teamed up to present a dressage clinic with Sweden’s Jan Brink. The event will be held at the Fields & Fences Equestrian Center in Gurnee, Illinois from October 20-21, 2012. In addition to his many Swedish National Championships, Jan was the 2005 winner of the Dressage Championships in Aachen Germany, and was awarded the Individual and Team Bronze Medal at the 2005 European Championships as well as the Individual Silver medal at the 2003 Individual Championships.

DressageClinic.com has a variety of training videos of Jan Bink now playing on the site. The Illinois clinic will be available on DressageClinic.com starting on November 1. Those who have seen Jan Brink teach or watched his training videos can see that he has a unique approach to understanding his student’s needs at the very begining of each training sessions. He is a master at solving problems and issues with developing horses and riders. Jan is one of the most admired clinicians in the world of dressage.

DressageClinic.com has an exclusive contract with Jan Brink to present his training sessions online via DressageClinic.com the world’s premier educational website for dressage riders around the world.

For further information about ticktet prices, or information about attending the clinic in Gurnee IL, visit www.IDCTA.org.

(Yellow Horse Marketing) – Burbank, CA – Southern California is known for its star-studded attractions and entertainment, and the 45th Anniversary California Dressage Society (CDS) Championship Show Presented By HorseShow.com buzzed with this same excitement today as five arenas of non-stop competition got underway at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank. Offering more than $30,000 in prize money and awards, this show features the popular CDS Young Horse Futurity (including the Cal-Bred Futurity), the Great American Insurance Group/USDF Region 7 Dressage Championships, as well as the Great American Insurance Group/USDF Breeders Championships West Coast Series Final. With almost 340 horses and riders vying for a myriad of trophies and titles for Open and Adult Amateur competitors of all levels ranging from Training to Grand Prix, an esteemed roster of judges from across the country is on hand to officiate, including FEI officials Gary Rockwell (“O” USA), Joan Macartney (“I” CAN), Sarah Geikie (“I” USA), Jane Weatherwax (“I” USA), and Lorraine Macdonald (“I” CAN), in addition to Sandra Hotz (“S” Colorado); Michael Osinski (“S” Washington); Sandy Osborn (“S” Georgia); Marilyn Payne (“S” New Jersey), William Warren (“S” Massachusetts); Melissa Creswick (“S” California); and Gail Hoff Carmona (“S” California).

In the inaugural CDS Dressage Seat Equitation Challenge for Adult Amateurs, the large field of competitors warranted two go-rounds of performances in order to determine the top ten ribbon winners. Ultimately emerging victorious with a score of 87% was Elma Garcia of La Quinta, CA, riding her own Hanoverian mare “Wenesa”. “We were very happy to see the popularity of this new division as well as the quality of the riders,” said judge Jane Weatherwax, who officiated with Mike Osinski for the new championship.

Lesley Grove from Gardnerville, NV was presented with the first of the week’s many Great American Insurance Group/USDF Regional Championship titles as she rode her own Dutch gelding “Boticelli’s Colors” to win the First Level Freestyle with a score of 70.583%. Kerstin Laudemann of Camarillo, CA partnered with Karen Schumaker’s Hanoverian “Wild Dancer” to waltz their way to a victorious score of 72.750% in the Second Level Freestyle Championship. In the Third Level Freestyle class, 15-year-old Kalynn Harrington of Agoura Hills, CA topped a field of adults with a score of 71.333% on “Raison d’Etre”, an American Warmblood gelding owned by Elly Schobel, while Polly Limond from El Cajon, CA and her Westfalen mare “Indira” danced to a decisive win at Fourth Level with 71.667%.

The CDS Futurity for four, five, and six-year-olds also got underway as an astonishing 63 horses competed in the first of two tests which will be compiled to determine overall champions in each age division. In the Amateur divisions, Melissa Rogers (Sonoma, CA) rode her own Dutch Warmblood gelding “De Lovely” to an impressive score of 71.250% in Training Level Test 2 to claim the first test of the four-year-old futurity, while Sarah Rowntree and her five-year-old Oldenburg mare “San Otto” earned 62.328% at First Level Test 1, and Nancy Szakacs of Hollister, CA and her 2006 Westfalen gelding “Rudi Regali” rode Second Level Test 1 to 71.500% to take the lead in their respective divisions. In the Open Futurity, the classes were full of talent which was rewarded with more than half the competitors earning scores of more than 70%. Moorpark’s Kim Elsner rode the California-bred Oldenburg mare “Love Potion” (owned by Barbara Parkening) to a high score of 74.554% in the four-year-old class, while Donna Phillips’ Hanoverian gelding “Barbarossa” and Carly Taylor-Smith took the lead in the five-year-old field with a score of 77.672%. Six-year-olds finished the day’s activities on a high note as two-time defending CDS Futurity Champion “Sanceo” (Hanoverian stallion owned by Alice Womble) was ridden by Sabine Schut-Kery to a winning score of 76.929% in the first of two days of young horse competition.

For results go to the the CDS website, www.california-dressage.org.

(USDF) – The United States Dressage Federation is pleased to announce that it has now launched www.USDFScores.com, as the official USDF source for the most accurate and complete dressage scores.  This new site features expanded search functionality, customizable reports with advanced sorting and graphing options, and access to USDF qualifications and standings.  As a supplement to the USDF website, www.usdf.org, users will be able to use their current user name and password to access USDFScores.com.

USDF Group, Participating, or Business members will have access to current competition year score checks and additional related information.  Participating and Business members will also have access to Lifetime and Regional Championship Qualifying Ride score checks.  Through increased functionality and reporting options, USDFScores.com provides a quick and easy way for members to access the scores and information they most need.

“As the only official, and most complete, source for USDF scores, this site will be a valuable resource for competitors, horse owners, and show managers.  This enhanced member benefit also makes lifetime score reports available to Participating and Business members at no additional cost,” added USDF Executive Director Stephan Hienzsch.

For the chance to explore and experience all that this site has to offer, visit www.USDFScores.com and log in.  If you are not a current member and need to renew your membership in order to access all of the features of USDFScores.com, visit www.usdf.org and join/renew today!