2004 USEF/Markel Young Horse Dressage National Championships
By Sara Kominsky
Nineteen of the best five year old horses in the country were invited
to the Kentucky Horse Park for the Young Horse National Championships,
held the second weekend in September. They came from states such
as Nebraska, Texas, Vermont, Wyoming, Florida, and of course, Virginia!
While the majority of horses were Hanoverian or Dutch, there was one lone
baroque horse- the Pura Raza Espanola stallion Heroico Pequeno.
On Sunday, each horse would have a single opportunity to perform the
FEI dressage test for 5-year old horses before a panel of three judges.
The test, equivalent to First/Second Level, must be mastered by the spring
of their five year old year in time to qualify. Unlike a regular
dressage test, there are no marks for individual movements. Instead,
a horse receives five scores on a scale of 1-10 on the following directives;
Trot (rhythm, suppleness, elasticity, impulsion, swinging back, ground
cover, willingness to collect), Walk (rhythm, relaxation, activity, ground
cover), Canter (rhythm, suppleness, elasticity, natural balance, impulsion,
willingness to collect, ground cover, uphill tendency), Submissiveness
(suppleness, contact, straightness, obedience, ability to self-carry),
and General Impression (potential as a dressage horse, standard of training).
The scores are averaged for a final mark, the test must be ridden from
memory in a snaffle bridle, and no whips are allowed in the Championship
class.
On Saturday morning, there was an inspection in front of the jury, which
was comprised of the judges and a veterinarian. Each horse was carefully
scrutinized then trotted on a hard surface. This process was not
without some nerve-wracking moments. One horse almost didn’t pass the inspection
due to an unevenness behind. Another gave the attending vet an intimate
view of his hind shoes. Finally, the “favorite” was late and almost
disqualified for it.
Saturday afternoon the FEI 5 year old warm-up class was held with 17
entries. Heroico started his warm-up by ponying another competitors
terrified horse down to the competition area. Overall, he had a steady
test with some exceptionally nice moments combined with a few elements
that could stand some improvement. Although the canter work could
have showed more suppleness and the walk more swing, we received a fair
score of 7.62. It was good enough for 7th place, just two hundredths
out of the ribbons and only 0.6 out of first place. It was a very
encouraging start to be so well situated against such talented company.
On Sunday morning, it began to rain right before our warm-up, an annoying
trend that continued until the end of our test. The ring was a sodden
mess, and Heroico was spattered up to his stifles with mud; so much for
all that grooming! Thankfully, the footing maintained its integrity
and did not get slick, although the same could not be said for my reins.
Heroico was concerned about the crowd in the grandstand and judges pavilion,
but tried his best despite his apprehension. Unfortunately, as he
picked up on my tension, we had a few mistakes. There was a small
shy by the judges stand right before the turn-on-the-haunches, one very
late walk-canter transition due to a horse-eating puddle, a miscommunication
during our free walk, and some additional loss of concentration.
(Lions, and tigers, and bears, oh my!) Even one such error is decidedly
inopportune in such intense competition, several are simply fatal.
Heroico ended up with a 6.44 which dropped him to 14th place.
Royal Prince, ranked 4th in the
world, had a stellar round for the win. The reserve horse, Sir
Sinclair,
scored an impressive 8.26. Third went to Donnervogel with a 7.90,
4th to Saint Simmon with a 7.46, fifth to Savanna with a 7.44, and 6th
to Silverado with a 6.90. It's was too bad that Heroico wasn’t able
to hold on to his 7.62 performance from Saturday, but that's the way it
goes sometimes. Dressage is a team effort, and neither Heroico nor
I were on top of our game that day. The parting gifts were very nice
at least!
While a top ten finish would have been wonderful, I was not displeased
with being ranked 14th in the country. The Championships were a terrific
experience for both of us, especially with my family there supporting me.
For Heroico to even make it to that level after one year under saddle was
a huge accomplishment that speaks volumes for his character and ability.
Currently, he is schooling the movements for the FEI six year old test,
which is equivalent to Third/Fourth Level. After all, it's never
too soon to prepare for next year……
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