Tuesday, February, 5, 2002

2002 Wellington Dressage Show

Susan Dutta Dominates FEI Freestyles at Wellington Dressage

As the misty morning light began to open the final day of the Wellington Dressage Show, Susan Dutta brought West Side Lady to the warm up arena "to empty the gas tank a bit." It was a strategy that worked when they came back later that morning to perform the first of her two Freestyles.

Susan Dutta of Bedford Hills, New York, and Wellington, dominated the FEI freestyle classes. On Sunday, February 3, Dutta won the Intermediare 1 Freestyle with her West Side Lady, scoring 70.458%. Dutta also won the Grand Prix Freestyle riding her Gumshoes-DC, earning a 68.833%. "I like the freestyle," said Dutta. "It's a lot of fun and I look forward to it, but it's also nerve-wracking because you have to stay with the music."

The I-1 class with West Side Lady was Dutta's first show with the mare and the first time the duo had performed their kur. Choreographer Marlene Whitaker created the freestyle for West Side Lady a year ago, but it was performed by Tina Konyot who rode the mare during Dutta's pregnancy. "It's West Side Story for West Side Lady," said Dutta. "It's very beautiful music. It suits her. It's supposed to be soothing and yet still fun." Dutta said she ran through the kur for the first time the night before the competition. "Everything went really well. I'd heard the music many times and I’d seen Tina do it, so I knew it was going to work."