DressageDaily: 2003 Zada WEF Dressage Classic: Harding and Kestrel's Thunderous ride at Wellington

Thursday March 20, 2003

Zada WEF Dressage Classic CDI***/Y Draws Strong Contenders For Pan Am And Championship Qualifiers

Harding and Kestrel's Thunderous ride at Wellington

Harding In the final class of the four-day event, Shawna Harding rode Kestrel to the win in the Open Intermediaire Freestyle under distracting weather conditions – thunder, lightning and a downpour. Though the weather had been hot and dry during the four-day competition – making jackets optional for all but FEI competitors – management had to stop the show for 15 minutes after two rides in the I-I Freestyle until the weather cleared enough for the last three to go.

A former working student for the late Dr. Reiner Klimke, Shawna, 33, of Versailles, Kentucky, after an interrupted warm-up ‘took the ring by storm’ on Kestrel, an 11-year-old Dutch gelding, and earned a 71.750% for the victory.

Hanne Valentin, ‘O’ judge from Denmark and president of the Ground Jury for the Zada Enterprises, LLC WEF Dressage Classic CDI***/Y, summed up her impression of the event after the final ride on Sunday, “The quality of the show is very professionally done. It’s just as professional as in Europe. The scribes are some of the best. They are very good, very professional, they know what they’re doing, and are very well prepared."

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