Monday, April 4, 2005

Dressage World Cup League Finals at the Festival of the Horse CDI***-W
by Charlene Strickland

North American Riders Prove Their Quality

About the overall level of riding, judge Elizabeth McMullen from Canada said, “You should be proud. I think you will be well-represented in Las Vegas.” She was also on the panel for the CDI Grand Prix Freestyle, contested by top Canadian riders Leslie Reid and Evi Strasser. Reid finished first on Mark, with 75.85—a score slightly higher than Morse on Kingston.

She performed a demanding routine to tango music, using her horse's strength and power. The freestyle—the one she'll perform in Las Vegas as Canada's representative—also showed Mark's grace and lightness.

The afternoon of freestyles began with the Intermediare I. Charlotte Bredahl-Baker and Eskada completed their weekend with first place, scoring 69.725. In all, in the three classes on Sunday, spectators watched 18 freestyles.

Judge Valentine said of the Freestyle Championship rides, “All were more relaxed today. Also, you had six horses scoring above 70 percent.” (Besides McDonald, Morse, and Seidel., Steffen Peters and Floriano earned 71.975.) The judge from Norway, Trond Asmyr, agreed: “The quality matches with any country in the world. You have developed more top quality horses.”

Horsesdaily.com 'On the Scene' at the Festival of the Horse CDI***-W