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 13, 2008

By Stacey Meier

Lexington, KY - In the second day of competition at the 2008 Markel/United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) National Young Horse Dressage Championships presented by Collecting Gaits Farm, claiming the title in the four-year-old division was Michael Bragdell and Selten HW, besting 19 other horses to win with a score of 8.56.

Bragdell and Selten HW came into this competition in first place after qualifying. Bragdell decided to ride in the optional warm up class the day before the championship, which helped him and Selten HW get a feel for the arena along with the overall show environment- ultimately they placed first in the class.

"I was pretty confident that he would be okay with all the stuff but you never know- it's a four-year-old," said Bragdell.

Selten HW (Sandro Hit x MS High Princess by Hohenstein) is a black Hanoverian stallion owned by Cadence, LLC., and was bred in the U.S. by Irene Hoeflich-Wiederhold. Selten HW has been at Hilltop Farm since he was a yearling and Bragdell, who is a trainer at Hilltop, started him when he was three years old. Though lightly shown, Selten HW's accomplishments have been big, including starting off his show career with a Reserve Champion at the Devon Horse Show when he was only two years old.

"He's such a super horse," said Bragdell. "He just goes in there, the winds blowing... I felt the wind gust kind of grab a hold of me and he still is just clucking along like nothing. That's the part I love about him-the trainability. He just goes wherever I point him."

Bragdell described Selten HW's personality as very easy going and he knew the horse was special when he sat his first canter on him.

"His canter is unbelievable," said Bragdell. "I guess it takes you away. It's truly an incredible feeling."

Bragdell hopes to build on Selten HW's success and return to the Young Horse Dressage Championship next year to compete in the five-year-old division.

Taking the Reserve Champion spot was Emily Gershberg and her horse Zatino H with a score of 8.24. Zantino H (Sir Sinclair x Karma by Equador) is a bay Dutch Warmblood gelding who was bred by J.A. de Hass in the Netherlands. This was Gershberg's first time showing at the Young Horse championship and she had nothing but praise for her horse when asked about their performance.

"I was very happy with it today," said Gershberg. "I think I have a wonderful, wonderful horse. He's been extremely consistent. He's got a super temperament-he's always been super. He's like a big Labrador-he wants to be in your pockets, he loves attention.... He's just a wonderful easy, easy going horse but when you get on him and you ride him and you ask him for a little, he's there."

Simultaneously as the four-year-old division of the Young Horse championship was taking place, in the adjacent ring was the qualifying class for the USEF National Developing Horse Dressage Championship sponsored by the Dutta Corporation and Performance Sales International. This championship was formed only a year ago and has grown by drawing a higher caliber of horses and riders.

In the Developing Horse qualifying class, it was Susan Dutta and Golden Choice DC who led in the end with a score of 69.417. 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. Placing second was Jason Canton and Grandioso with a score of 68.417. Last year, Canton and Grandioso won the six-year-old division of the Young Horse championship and have taken the next step to Developing Horse. Owned and ridden by Canton, Grandioso is a dark bay Westfalen gelding (Grosso Z x Popocateptal by Palisandergrund; bred in Germany by Willi Hillebrecht). The championship class will be held on Sunday for the title of National Developing Horse.

Earlier in the day was the FEI Five-Year-Old Young Horse Consolation Class. Jodie Sevens Kelly and Dutch Warmblood mare Wencenza who had the top score of 7.592. Owned and bred in the U.S. by Beth and Roy Godwin, Wencenza (Contango x Piacenza by Juventus) is a Dutch Warmblood mare. Right behind Kelly was Angela Hecker-Jackson and Wersace who had the second best score of 7.296. Wersace (Weltmeyer x Geniale by Gelria) is a chestnut Hanoverian mare who is owned by Barbara Wood and was bred in Canada by Jenny Hrobelsky. Both horses and riders will go on to compete in the finals for the five-year-old championship Sunday

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.