(Global Dressage Festival) – Wellington, Florida – Ashley Holzer of Canada won the FEI Olympic Grand Prix Special in the $50,000 Wellington Dressage CDI-W, presented by Magnolia Farm, on Sunday, the final day of the 2012 Global Dressage Festival’s (GDF) inaugural event.

Holzer was aboard Pop Art, the horse that she rode in the 2008 Olympic Games.  The pair scored an impressive 71.867% in spite of Holzer’s mistake.

“My horse was great, his jockey today was not stellar,” said Holzer. “Because this Olympic Special is a bit different from the Grand Prix Special I normally do, I had a moment of confusion on the centerline after the first pirouette, and made a mistake on the one tempis. I am happy with my horse though, he feels like a young horse again.”

This FEI Olympic Grand Prix Special is a shortened version on the traditional Grand Prix Special test. The International Equestrian Federation (FEI), the governing body for international equestrian competitions, created the shorter test to help with the time constraints during the Olympics.  For some nations, the test is a requirement for those seeking to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games in London.  Canada is one of those nations as well as the United States.

James Koford, of Wellington, FL, finished second in the Special on Rhett with a score of 68.133%. Dong Seon Kim of Korea was third on Bukowski scoring 66.089%.

In the national show, Dorie Addy-Crow of Lancaster, PA, rode all three horses owned by Pam Liddell to blue ribbon winning performances on Sunday. Zaphire scored a 68.571% in Fourth Level Test 1, Rachael won the Third Level Test 1 scoring 63.092%, and Usher won the Prix St George with 67.368%.

“I think the footing and the barns are awesome,” said Addy-Crow. “The horses all did great. The ring has such a large atmosphere. We’ll be back.”

For a complete set of results, please visit the GDF website at www.globaldressagefestival.com under the link for dressage show information on the main homepage.

Photo Courtesy of Global Dressage Festival by Sue Stickle