Hickstead is truly a big deal this week on many different levels. For Canada, it is the final qualifier for those trying to earn a spot on the Dressage Team for the World Equestrian Team. Evi Strasser is actually competing there and as she now has 3 of 4 qualifying scores necessary to complete the selection criteria for Canada, I want to send out a. big “GOOD LUCK” to her and Quantum Tyme. All of the other short-listed riders are enjoying some well deserved down-time before we ramp it up again so our Team peaks perfectly in Lexington.

Hickstead is holding both a 3* and 5* CDI simultaneously and besides a huge amount of prize money for those stars coming for the Masters, it is also a qualifier for the British Team. I’ll be watching for the score of Liebling and Carl Hester who need a good showing here as they were not able to use Hartbury after the horse suffered a small cut on his tongue and was eliminated from the Grand Prix there.

Hickstead is also a great jumping competition which many countries are using to help select their WEG Teams. All in all, it is going to be an exciting week of equestrian sport!

And next week the United States will hold its first of 2 weekends of final selection trials for its WEG Dressage Team in Gladstone, New Jersey. I’m going to go out on a limb and predict that Steffen Peters and Ravel will be awarded an automatic bye and be named directly to the team as well he should be. But more than a dozen other combinations will compete for the other 3 spots on the Team. It is a little wierd for me to think that this will be the first time in decades that I will not be present for the trials, but as the Canadian Coach/ Technical Advisor, I feel that it would not be in good taste to be there. Still, I would be lying if I said I didn’t wish I could be in Gladstone to watch my friends and some of my students trying out. I wish everyone good luck!

Cheers!

RD

Posted: Wednesday, July 28th, 2010 at 6:05 pm
Filed under: Uncategorized