Monday, June 19, 2006

USET Foundation Dressage Festival of Champions 2006

Michelle Gibson and Lex Barker Win Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF National Intermediaire I Dressage Championship
by Jeannie Putney/USEF

An impressive class of 12 horses and riders started out the day in the 2006 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF National Intermediaire I Dressage Championship. Not only were there five first-timers, but the newest of them took home reserve champion.

Michelle Gibson of Wellington, FL, and Lex Barker won the title after pulling off a hat trick with wins in the Prix St. Georges, Intermediaire I and Freestyle classes. Lex Barker is a nine-year-old Hanoverian gelding, owned by Elite European Sporthorses, Inc. Gibson, who earned a 78.7% in her freestyle today, was a member of the Bronze-medal winning U.S. Dressage team at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

This was only the third time Gibson and Lex Barker did their test in the show ring, and they were happy with their results knowing how hard they worked. “I haven’t looked at my test yet, I don’t know what the judges thought of it, but I didn’t exactly think it was easy.” Gibson says this will be their last Intermediaire I test, and they will spend the summer working on the grand prix and see where and when that takes them to.

The incredibly talented and exceedingly tall Lex Barker is a mount that Gibson is especially proud of. “He’s good in the ring so whether there is music playing or not playing, when he comes up, he has a little bit of spark to him.” When asked what his personality is like, Gibson’s response was, “he’s the funniest horse, he is just very funny. He’s curious about absolutely everything. We have a jolly ball in his stall for him to play with, and he’ll pull the screen off the wall and walk up to the fan and stick his nose on it. He’s really a very funny horse.”

In second place today and reserve champion overall was Katherine Poulin-Neff with a freestyle score of 75.50%. Poulin-Neff, of Newbury, OH rode her diminutive home-bred nine-year old Dutch Warmblood/Thoroughbred cross Brilliant Too, by her mother's stallion Brilliant.

Poulin-Neff broke the 15.1h horse as a five-year-old and says he is the perfect size for her. This was the first time Poulin-Neff had a professional freestyler compose her test.

“It’s unbelievable. I am just happy to be here. I just wanted to place first through sixth so to be reserve champion is…I don’t even know what to say.”

Anne Gribbons, the judge at C, commented that of all the freestyles in the Intermediaire Championship, it was Poulin and Brilliant Too who had the most clean and accurate ride.

This was only the fifth Prix St. Georges and Intermediaire I test the pair have done. “He’s pretty consistent as long as I don’t lose my cool. I get nervous and lose my focus, and this is a big show. I had to come here with no expectations whatsoever, and just to make it here was an accomplishment. I wanted to come here and not make any mistakes and just do the job.”

Rounding out the top three placings was another nine-year-old horse, Rafalca, an Oldenburg mare, owned by Amy Ebeling and Ann Romney and ridden by Jan Ebeling. Ebeling, of Moorpark, CA, scored a 74.15% on today’s freestyle.

“It was very tight; from second to sixth was a really tough race. Michelle had kind of gone off in the distance, and there was not much we could do anymore.

"I’m really happy. I have a young horse and she’s great. I’m very lucky to have her and very lucky to have the people that helped me to buy the horse.”

HorsesDaily On The Scene at the USET Foundation Dressage Festival of Champions 2006