Thursday, March 21, 2001

Mary Anne and Walter McPhail Produce 10th Annual Derby

The 10th annual Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI****/CDIY was held March 1-3 at the Horse Park at Equestrian Estates in Loxahatchee, Florida. The four-ring show featured qualifying classes for the USET Grand Prix and Intermediaire I Championships at Gladstone and the World Equestrian Games Selection Trials, as well as USA Equestrian classes from Training Level through Grand Prix, including ABIG/USDF qualifiers.

Mary Anne and Walter McPhail have produced the Palm Beach Dressage Derby at their facility since 1999. The show started in 1983 at Hanover Farm in White Fences, but when it outgrew that site and was in danger of being discontinued, the McPhails purchased 40 acres behind that property and built the current show site to accommodate the Derby. In 2000, the USET held the final Dressage Team Selection Trials for the Olympic Games at the McPhail's Horse Park.

This year's Palm Beach Dressage Derby hosted more than 400 exhibitors, an FEI Judges Clinic, a Breast Cancer Research Foundation Benefit Luncheon, and a Grand Prix Pas de Trois.

"We're just thrilled with the way it went," said Mary Anne McPhail. "Everything went so well. We had wonderful competitors, wonderful judges and the weather finally got nice for us, so we're very happy with the way everything worked out."

Walter McPhail agreed. "I must have had 50 people ask me if we would have more shows here," he said. "And we had well over a 100 entries that we couldn't handle. You can't do any better than that."

The couple said that adding more shows to their series is a possibility.

The next show scheduled at the Horse Park is Dressage at Equestrian Estates, March 29, 30, and 31, 2002.

Mary Hilton for DressageDaily.com