Monday September 11, 2006

It’s a Double at the 2006 USEF/Markel National Young Dressage Horse Championships!

Leopold Q, Top U.S. Bred Horse in 5-year old Division

John Seger, of title sponsor Markel Insurance, said that he was pleased with the quality and quantity of horses at the championship. “I am also impressed with the quality of riding,” he said. “We hoped when we began this program that it would give riders with young horses a goal. In Europe there are riders who specialize in young horses and it’s very prestigious. We are hoping that this program will give trainers incentive to focus on the young horses that are the future of the sport.”

Judge Axel Steiner commented, “The quality of the four and five year olds is very high. It was refreshing to see the top two horses in the four-year-olds (and later the six-year-olds) US-bred. I’m sure we’ll see more in the future; we have the same quality that they have in Europe , just not the quantity.”

The top US horse in this division was Leopold Q, owned by Dianne Anderson of Alpharetta , GA and ridden by Jules Anderson. The bay Hanoverian gelding (Loerke – EM Felicitous by ES Wertherson) was bred by Suzanne Quarles of Maryland. The award was sponsored by Elly Schobel of The Homestedt in Aiken, SC.

Jules Anderson said, “Looking at the four, five and six-year-olds, the standard of US-breds has gone up every year. It’s important to recognize that breeding is heading in the right direction in the US."

HorsesDaily "On the Scene" at the 2006 USEF/Markel Young Horse Dressage National Championship