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Sunday, April 13, 2008

Winners of the Markel/Wellington Classic Dressage 2008 Winter Amateur Championships and Their Trainers Receive Awards
By Lynndee Kemmet for DressageDaily.com

Jane Springer and Talent

It wasn’t just the first-placed amateur winners who were excited about the Markel/Wellington Classic Dressage 2008 Winter Amateur Championships, most amateurs were extremely appreciative that the championships were honoring them. Jane Springer, who finished second in the Prix St. Georges level with an average score of 62.50 with her eight-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding Talent said that it was nice to see that “amateurs are getting the support that we so badly need. We try hard at it and spend a lot of time trying to get the best we can out of our horses and it’s great when we get recognized.”

Co-Sponsoring the awards and honoring the trainers was ThinLineInc.com makers of the popular Thin Line saddle pads and other products designed for comfort and performance for both horse and rider. Diane Sasscer of Saddle Fit By Diane, is a year round Wellington resident was on hand to present the awards to trainers John Zopatti, Jan Brons, Robert Dover and Christopher Hickey. Sasscer carries a full line of ThinLineInc products, and gave each trainer a Thin Line saddle pad. ThinLineInc a member of DressageDaily's Virtual Vendor has shown their support through sponsoring several top High Performance riders.

Springer, who rides with Robert Dover, was winner of the Sho Clothes Signature Whip for her Prix St. Georges high score of 66.00 percent at the Wellington Classic Dressage Challenge II. This was Jane's winter, as she devoted herself to her training in Wellington. "I knew this could be Robert's last season, since he has announced he will retire, so I wanted to work with him as much as I could this year.

A mother of three, Springer has had to fit in her riding between running a business with her husband. “I’m glad to see the amateurs get the recognition they deserve. Awards such as this help to keep us motivated,” she said. Springer will be returning to Long Island after the Gold Coast Grand Finale, but not Talent. "He'll stay here in Florida with Robert, as he continues to develop the Grand Prix. I'm going to miss him the next two months, but am excited about the progress we made in Florida this winter.