Around 2000 people attended last night’s Freestyle in Lexington and they were not disappointed. The weather coupled with the gorgeous stadium made for a wonderful evening of world-class performance.

Tina Konyot led the field with a very fun test set to great music with just the right amount of lyrics to bring the house down.

Once again, my Canadians showed they are all making huge improvement. Diane Creech with her Devon L is becoming more reliable with every class and this pair will definitely be one to watch in the future. Jaimey Irwin riding his horse which I have a difficult time calling by its name, “Dover”, also produced a much more correct and refined ride. He and Tina, along with Tina’s Mom, Ute, are all really good riders and I look forward to seeing great futures from them all.

Jacquie Brooks is always a crowd pleaser and with her Balmoral, did not disappoint. With very fun music and an interesting pattern, Jacquie placed third last night. She must also be commended for riding in her tails and crash helmet, showing the way to a new time where safety rules over tradition.

And Chris Van Martels, after only 8 weeks since acquiring the ride on the lovely mare, Naomi, wowed the judges with a very expressive and well ridden freestyle. They came to me afterwards and were extremely complimentary to both rider and horse and feel certain, as do I, that we will see great things from this combination with just a little more time.

All in all, it was a great week of sport at this fantastic venue for the World Equestrian Games and the test of everything from the footing to the terrific staff on hand could only be viewed as a total success. I am already looking forward to coming back in September with a very strong Canadian Dressage Team!

Cheers!

RD

Posted: Friday, April 23rd, 2010 at 7:37 pm
Filed under: Uncategorized