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Tuesday, February 20, 2007

The Gold Coast Opener Dressage CDI Revisited

High Point Highlights

Among USEF-level rides, the title of highest scoring horse at a show goes to Donavan for his 77.222 percent in the USEF First Level Test 2 Open class. Earning the high score title is becoming a habit for 5-year-old Oldenburg that is co-owned and ridden by Cesar Parra. “The horse is unbelievable,” Parra said.

“He’s shown five times and he’s won each time. Four of those times he was the high score of the show.” Donavan, by Diamond Hit, was a champion before he even set foot in the U.S. He was the 4-year-old champion in the five-year-old reserve champion at the 2006 Budeschampionate (German Federal Young Horse Championships). “This guys is really, really special,” Parra said.

This was only their second show together but already Courtney King and Mythilus are garnering ribbons and titles. Mythilus earned the highest score of any horse in a non-freestyle FEI class when he and King received a 73.55 percent in the FEI Intermediaire I CDI*** competition.

Can he score higher? King certainly thinks he can saying his Intermediaire ride “was a really solid test but there are certainly improvements that can be made.” Improvements will come, she said, as Mythilus becomes stronger and the two of them gain more confidence in each other.