Barbara Bertschingerof Switzerland Claims Piaffe Performance Adult Amateur Achievement Award

 

Wellington, FL (March 30, 2015)— With the 2015 Adequan Global Dressage Festival drawing to a close, sponsor Piaffe Performance has definitely left its mark in the adult amateur ranks. Week after week, adult amateur riders have been chosen by Piaffe Performance to win an award for excelling in their division. A recent winner of the Piaffe Performance Adult Amateur Achievement Award is Barbara Bertschinger of Zurich, Switzerland, with her homebred gelding, Sonnensbergs Solisco. After her ride on the gelding in the FEI Prix St. Georges class, she was very thankful to the founder of Piaffe Performance, Dr. Cesar Parra. “I think it’s so nice that you do something for the amateurs, because I think the amateurs are really important for the sport,” said Bertschinger to Dr. Parra as he presented her with the Piaffe Performance Adult Amateur Achievement Award.

Bertschinger’s class for adult amateurs in Prix St. Georges was extremely competitive, and she and her bay Swiss Warmblood found themselves up against nine other riders. “I still have some problems in the canter with the flying changes, but it’s only an eight-year-old horse. I think he did a good job today,” said Bertschinger after her ride. “His biggest problem is standing still because he likes to piaffe, so I am very proud of him showing that he has the patience to walk and wait.”

Sonnensbergs Solisco (Sancisco x Brenda Lee, by Brentano II) was bred by Bertschinger. The 2007 gelding is a grandson of Sandro Hit on his sire’s side and a grandson of Brentano II on his dam’s side. Bertschinger bred him from her stallion Sancisco. “I broke him myself, and I trained him myself,” said Bertschinger. “He is a very good horse. He has a lot of energy, like his father. Sancisco is an international horse now. He is doing well.”

Sonnensberg Solisco has been also been doing well at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival this season— he placed first in Third Level Test 3 during two different weeks, with scores of 71.795 percent and 73.462 percent. He showed for the first time at Prix St. Georges and won against seven other horses with a score of 67.368 percent.

Sonnensbergs Solisco had a great first year under saddle with an immediate qualification and a ninth place at the Swiss Championships in Avenches in the class for four-year-old Swiss-born horses, ridden by Nadja Brunner. He has also placed third in a medium (M) level dressage test with Christoph Koschel, Bertschinger’s trainer. He currently resides in the Koschel stables in Hagen am Teutoburger Wald.

Bertschinger also showed Dream of Nymphenburg in Prix St. Georges to finish second with a score of 65 percent behind Rachael Hicks and Don Cartier.

It is Bertschinger’s first time showing in Wellington. “I think it’s a great place,” she said. “I will come back because I think it provides a very good infrastructure for riders. We have everything here that we need, and the people are very friendly and very welcoming. The weather is fine as well.”

This year at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival, adult amateur riders over age 25 competing in the Small or Medium Tour level were able to compete in a CDI Amateur International division during every CDI week. Piaffe Performance is proud to recognize exceptional adult amateurs like Bertschinger throughout the show series.

Dr. Cesar Para, a Pan American Games Gold medal winner, provides top-notch training for both riders and horses at Piaffe Performance. Piaffe Performance, which is based out of Jupiter, Florida, and Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, also sponsors the 2015 Adequan Global Dressage Festival. Piaffe Performance specializes in selecting, training, and showing, and also facilitates the sale of top dressage prospects for riders at every level. For more information on Piaffe Performance, visit www.piaffe-performance.com.

 

Photo: Barbara Bertschinger (right), riding Sonnenbergs Solisco, is presented the Piaffe Performance Adult Amateur Achievement Award by Dr. Cesar Parra (left) of Piaffe Performance with her trainer Christoph Koschel (center) at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival

 

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