Nancy Later Doesn't Wait to Win Grand Prix Special Division at Zada Enterprises, LLC Dressage at the National

Photo Credit: Nancy Later and Alexis-D, a 14-year-old Oldenburg mare, win Grand Prix Special Division. Sue Stickle

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Wellington, FL - December 2, 2006 - The second day of Zada Enterprises, LLC Dressage at the National brought a crowd of spectators and a blue ribbon in the Grand Prix Special for Nancy Later.

In its fifth year at 123rd The National Horse Show and Family Festival, dressage is gaining support and attention among the traditional hunter and jumper disciplines featured at the show.

Riding her own Alexis-D, a 14-year-old Oldenburg mare, Later scored a 65.8 percent for the win, despite a bit of commotion on the part of a few noisy children playing in the spectator seating.

"I was very pleased. That's the first time we've shown - this weekend is the first show in more than six months. I'm really happy with her relaxation in that atmosphere and in that ring," Later said, adding that her mare's nervousness and trouble relaxing is the biggest impediment to the pair's success.

During the walk sequence of her test, Later motioned to the group of children and asked them to quiet down, while at the same time, the announcer made a similar request to prevent them from spooking the horses.

"It was a little bit distracting. (They were) announcing over the loudspeaker to the kids to stop running up and down the hill, and they weren't getting that message. In the test you come around and have to piaffe, right on the center line. I was just trying to bring it to their attention that it was them that the lady on the loudspeaker was talking to. It's possible for the horses to lose their attention and a piaffe-passage is a really tense time. It's easy to lose our horses in that moment," she explained.

Later's plans for Alexis-D depend on the horse's ability to be able to continue to settle in the ring. This season will be the pair's second year competing at the Grand Prix level, and Later expressed an interest in international competition, as well as a venue to show off the bay mare's talent. Later and Alexis-D were second in the Grand Prix, test "B" on Friday with a score of 66.146 percent, which was just behind Jan Brons' winning score of 67.50 percent with Jourdan.

The second place finisher in the Grand Prix Special was Colombian native Marco Bernal, riding Diamore. The pair also competed in the Grand Prix on Friday and came in third. His scores were a 64.00 percent on Saturday and 65.938 percent on Friday. However, the field of horses for the Grand Prix was half that of the day before, with only five horses competing at the highest level on Saturday.

One more day of competition remains in Zada Enterprises, LLC Dressage at the National. Sunday's competition will include a variety of lower-level tests from Training Level through Fourth Level. However, the main attraction will be the Freestyle divisions, where riders choreograph a special test with accompanying music. There will be an FEI Intermediare Freestyle, USDF Freestyle, and FEI Young Rider and Grand Prix Freestyles. Only a single ring will be used in the Mogavero Arena, beginning at 7:30 a.m.