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Articles: Press Release
Guenter Seidel and U II Win the 2008 USEF National Developing Horse
Dressage Championship Sponsored by the Dutta Corporation and
Performance Sales International
Contact:
United States Equestrian Federation, Inc.
4047 Iron Works Parkway
Lexington, KY 40511-8483
Tel: (859) 258-2472
Fax (859) 231-6662
Web site: www.usef.org
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 16, 2008
By Stacey Meier
Lexington, KY- In the newly created 2008 United States Equestrian
Federation (USEF) National Developing Horse Dressage Championship
sponsored by the Dutta Corporation and Performance Sales International,
Guenter Seidel and U II had a strong showing Sunday to win the
championship with a total score of 70.873.
Similar to the Young Horse championship, the competitors faced high
winds which made their rides difficult and a spooky environment for the
horses. Seidel felt he was lucky to draw an earlier time since the winds
were not as strong as what the other riders had to face later in the
day. Seidel felt that U II (pronounced You Too) did very well with his
test.
"Yesterday was a little more difficult, today he was a little more in
front of me and even while he was spooky, he didn't get himself too
short and tight," said Seidel. "Especially for his age, I thought a very
solid test."
Last year Seidel attended the championship as a spectator to observe the
first year of the Developing Horse program. Coming back this year as a
competitor, Seidel commented that his strategy going into the
competition was clearly to win.
"You have to do the best your horse can do on that day," said Seidel.
"You have to work with what you have in the warm up and take that in the
ring and make the best of it."
Seidel has been riding U II since he was three-years-old and he hopes to
have him ready to compete in the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian
Games.
Taking Reserve Champion with a total score of 69.282 was Susan Dutta and
Golden Choice DC, who were the leaders going into Sunday's competition.
Golden Choice DC (Gran Cru x Wesbe by Westbury) is a chestnut Hanoverian
mare bred in Germany by Hermann Stemmann and owned by Tim Dutta, Inc.
"I think that I had two really good rides on Golden Choice," said Dutta.
"Both times she was really super. Yesterday I really felt that I had a
mistake-free ride. I was really happy with that. Today I had maybe one
small mistake but I was so pleased with her because she still focused on
me and she listens to me no matter what. She's just such a good girl
that I was really very, very happy with her."
By the time Dutta and Golden Choice DC had their test, the winds were
gusting so much that Dutta's strategy to help calm Golden Choice DC was
to act like nothing was wrong.
"I thought if I really give her reassurance and I don't react to the
weather maybe she won't react to the weather," said Dutta. "It was a
little hard at times though when it was really almost blowing me over."
Susan's husband Tim Dutta along with Performance Sales International
(PSI) have been instrumental in supporting the Developing Horse program,
helping to grow and promote the championship. Collectively they have
significantly contributed to the success of the program. Dutta said that
her husband Tim and PSI really believe in the Developing Horse program
and that it was fun for her to do so well.
The Developing Horse championship for seven to nine-year-old horses was
created to provide a step between the Young Horse ranks and the High
Performance level. Since winning the inaugural Developing Horse
championship last year, Michelle Gibson and Don Angelo have moved up the
ranks to higher level competition, including recently winning the USEF
National Intermediaire I championship at the Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF
Festival of Champions. The pair demonstrates the success of the
Developing Horse program with their accomplishments.
For more information, contact Jennifer Keeler, USEF's National Director
of Dressage, at (859) 225-2024 or via e-mail at jkeeler@usef.org.
ENDS
The vision of the United States Equestrian Federation(r) 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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