Articles: Horse News
Somer Hit and Her Highness O Produce Classy Performances on Day Two of the
USEF National Dressage Championships
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NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 24, 2012
By Helen Murray
Wayne, IL- The USEF Dressage National Championships continued Friday at
Lamplight Equestrian Center, with competitors producing top class results
for a second straight day. The first tests, counting for 40% of the overall
Championship scores, were held in the Six-Year-Old division of the
Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage Championship and the USEF National
Developing Horse Prix St. Georges Dressage Championship presented by The
Dutta Corp. and Performance Sales International. In the Six-Year-Old
Championship Alice Tarjan and Somer Hit scored a decisive victory in the
Preliminary Test. Caroline Roffman and Her Highness O lead the Developing
Horse Prix St. Georges competition after producing a winning effort on
Friday.
The USEF Dressage Seat Medal Finals presented by Dressage Today also held
its optional Warm-Up class for the 14-18 division to begin the day's
activities in Ring 2. Genay Vaughn and Kaye-Eileen Willard's Anakin topped
the field of eight to win the Warm-Up.
Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage Championships
For the second day in a row, Tarjan (Oldwick, NJ) claimed the lead in the
Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage Championships, this time on her own Somer
Hit (Sandro Hit-Rhussia by Rotspun). The lovely Hanoverian stallion
demonstrated a steady contact and brilliant gaits throughout the
test. Earning 7.9, 8.5 and 8.8 for their walk, trot and canter and further
boosting their final score to 8.38 with marks of 8.2 for submission and 8.5
for general impression, the pair finished well clear of the 11 horse field.
Tarjan was extremely pleased with her test Friday that defied even her own
ambitions.
"It was better than I expected... he's got a beautiful canter, that's the
highlight," said Tarjan who has a simple plan heading into Sunday's
final. "Just keep kicking."
Placing second was Roberta Carleton and Kir Royal (Kopenick-Ronja by
Rotspon), earning 8.4, 7.8 and 7.7 for their walk, trot and canter. The
Warmblood gelding additionally scored 7.7 and 7.8 for submission and general
impression on the way to a 7.87.
Both of Friday's top placing pairs have benefitted greatly from working with
USEF Young Horse Coach, Scott Hassler at Training Sessions and Selection
Trials which are both part of the Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage Program.
The six-year-olds return on Sunday to earn the remaining 60% of their score
in the Final Test in order to crown 2012's Champion.
USEF National Developing Horse Prix St. Georges Dressage Championship
presented by The Dutta Corp. and Performance Sales International
The USEF National Developing Horse Prix St. Georges Dressage Championship
presented by The Dutta Corp. and Performance Sales International is among
the most competitive of divisions of the weekend with just two and a half
points separating the top seven in the FEI Prix St. Georges Test. Roffman
(Wellington, FL) and her own and Jennifer Lind's Her Highness O (Hohenstein
De-SPS Wild Lady O by Weltmeyer) charged into the lead of the championship
on the strength of a powerful, well-executed test earning 71.448%. The
nine-year-old Hanoverian mare defied her experience earning the top spot on
Friday.
"I really was happy with how Her Highness went today. They are all
Developing Horses but this is only our fourth horse show and second time
doing the Prix St. Georges Test, she is very new to the level," Said Roffman
who has competed in many Young and Developing Horse
Championships. "Coincidently, the owner saw me riding at this horse show a
few years ago and that's how I got her. She is a wonderful horse with a
bright future."
Friday's runner-up Emily Wagner (La Cygne, KS) and Wakeup (Wagnis-Maiden
Montreal by Macho) are also no strangers to the show or venue after claiming
the Six-Year-Old Title in the 2011 Markel/USEF National Young Horse Dressage
Championship. The seven-year-old American Warmblood stallion produced an
expressive, accurate test to score 70.571%.
The USEF National Developing Horse Prix St. Georges Dressage Championship
presented by The Dutta Corp. and Performance Sales International wrap-ups
Sunday with the remaining 60% of the overall score being determined by the
USEF Developing Horse Test.
Competition gets back underway at 8:00am CST on Saturday with the USEF
Developing Horse Grand Prix Dressage Championship supported by Hilda Gurney
and Carol Lavell.
ENDS
For Live Scoring and Results click here.
For news and photos from the competition click here.
The vision of the United States Equestrian Federation is to provide
leadership
for equestrian sport in the United States of America by promoting the
pursuit
of excellence from the grassroots to the Olympic Games, based on a
foundation of fair, safe competition and the welfare
of its human and equine athletes
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