Monday April 7, 2003

2003 Dressage at Equestrian Estates

Tara Stegen and New Tango

Winning both the Prix St. Georges and Intermediaire 1 qualifying tests at Equestrian Estates will help pave the way for Tara Stegen to represent the United States at her first International team competition. Though she has ridden on teams at the North American Young Riders Championships and represented the US at the 2001 World Breeders Young Horse Championships in Verden, Germany, in the six-year-old division, placing tenth overall, Stegen, an accomplished rider, has never competed on a US team on foreign soil.

New Tango is a special horse for Stegen, who has trained him since he was a youngster. His explosive extensions and clean changes of lead helped the nine-year-old gelding by Contango take home the two blue ribbons. Not needing a freestyle score, they took a rest on Sunday.

Stegen trains with Robert Dover and Sjef Janssen. Previously she spent a year and a half in the Netherlands training with Janssen and his partner, world champion dressage rider Anky van Grunsven. While she misses her friends in Holland, Stegen said that it’s fun to be home and she loves that her parents can come watch her ride when they want to.