Sunday, March 21, 2006

Ocala Winter Dressage at the Florida Horse Park

Dana Fiore and Redford Earn Highest Score at Ocala Dressage
By Shaneen Kohler

One of the riders who was hoping to make a splash, practically started a tidal wave, even though no body of water exists anywhere near the Florida Horse Park. Dana Fiore of Boynton Beach, Fla. made the trip up to North Central Florida to compete in Ocala Dressage after talking to Eleanor Rawle. Rawle, who is based in Pennsylvania, was planning on bringing her stallion Waldaire to Ocala Dressage to compete. Fiore sold Waldaire to Rawle after owning him for 10 years. “We kind of made a plan to meet here and show together,” said Fiore. “I could watch her do the Grand Prix on Waldaire and I could show my new horse, Redford.” Redford is a Hanoverian gelding by Riccione and out of a W-Line Hanoverian mare.

But neither of them were ready for what judge Barbara Ebner had in store for Redford.

In what was only Redford’s third show, he scored a 77.692%, the highest score at the show and one of only a few scores in the 70s. When Fiore showed Redford at the January dressage show at the Florida Horse Park, she scored a 64.23% in both of the classes they competed in. “The 77% is the highest score I have ever gotten on Redford,” said Fiore proudly, though, in the back of her mind remembering an 81% she got on Waldaire once at the Tropical Park show in Miami judged by Hilda Gurney. “I have to try to top that. It is going to be tough,” she laughed.

Fiore trains with German trainer, Holger Bechtloff of Wellington, Fla., and is full of praise for his training style. “Sometimes he doesn’t even have to speak and I am doing it. It is like he transmits his brain waves,” said Fiore, who is a trainer at Johnson’s Folly Equestrian Center in Delray Beach and owns D&G Tree Farm and grows palm trees.

Fiore’s next steps for Redford, whom she intends on bringing up to Grand Prix Level, is to show him in the 5-year-old Young Horse class in two weeks at Dressage at the Equestrian Estates. Then, watch for them on the leader board at Regionals in both Training and First levels, if all goes as planned.

“Redford is brilliant. He is beautiful to watch and expressive and obedient,” said Fiore, who doesn’t question his potential to go all the way.