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HGF Horses at Adequan Global Dressage Festival 2017
Hampton Green Farm competed five horses over the course of the 12 weeks of the 2017 Adequan Global Dressage Festival, in both the national and international levels. Our riders this season were Head Trainer Maria Lithander, and working students Kerrigan Gluch, Nicole Pelfresne and Sophia Schults. Our MVP of the season was clearly Maria Lithander with Barbara HGF (Bolero x Huelvana), who debuted at the Developing Horse Prix St. George level with scores reaching 74%. Barbara HGF is a powerful, talented 8-year-old gray mare owned by Maria, who first competed her at the PSG last summer. This season, they will secure their place in the USEF ranking with hopes of participating in the Young Horse Finals at the Festival of Champions this summer, a first for a PRE mare. HGF-sponsored young rider Kerrigan Gluch presented HGF Brio in several national classes at Inter II and U25 last fall, receiving scores above 70%, prior to entering the international ring in January. Following the 5*, a small injury sidelined the pair for the majority of the season, but they were ready when called to represent the United States in the first-ever U25 Nations Cup held during Week 11. As part of the three-member team for the US, Kerrigan and Brio completed their 2017 winter season with a Gold Medal. Throughout the winter, Kerrigan and Vaquero continued to work with Wellington-based trainer Oded Shimoni, as they prepare the horse for the U25 Grand Prix next year. At the end of the season, Kerrigan showed Vaquero at Inter I, placing well both days in large Open classes with scores in the mid-60s. Junior rider Sophia Schults presented Idolo Americano HGF at the Junior level with accuracy and consistency throughout the season. The pair won several national Third Level classes prior to showing the FEI Junior test. They did two CDIs (which includes all three Junior tests—Team, Individual and Freestyle) with success, averaging 65% and placing as high as Third in the final outing. This is the first time Idolo has competed in the international arena and we are very proud of how well Sophia presented him. Sophia trained Idolo with Anne Gribbons this winter. Wellington first-timer Nicole Pelfresne brought her own Diva HGF to the big rings this winter with the assistance of Maria Lithander. Nicole’s parents purchased Diva as a two-year old at the HGF Top Ten auction in 2010, and seventeen-year-old Nicole has trained her from the start. She joined the HGF team last summer as a working student, and both Nicole and her nine year old mare by Cuatrero (out of Luz/Idilio) have flourished in the program. Diva, who has outstanding gaits, has been known to be a strong ride, but became much more seasoned in the show ring this winter, eventually scoring close to 67% at First Level. We are very proud of Nicole and excited to see what she and Diva will do in the future. Additionally, former working student and HGF family member Sarah Roda and Quintanillo JJ (purchased from HGF) had a successful first season together at Third Level--so successful, in fact, that the pair were the High Scoring PRE of the Palm Beach Derby and second highest scoring pair overall for the whole show with 75.641%! Sarah is trained by Maria Lithander. All the horses will return to Michigan some time this spring. Maria and Kerrigan’s upcoming plans are to work with Daniel Martin Dockx, who will come to HGF for extended clinics several times over the summer. Special thanks to Marketing Intern Lily Forado for the beautiful photo coverage of our season.
Winter Competition 2016
HGF horses were active participants in the Global Dressage Festival circuit this past winter in Wellington. The past four years have seen growth in all of the international levels in dressage in Florida, but none more than the youth divisions. With the exception of Pony, all of the youth divisions in the Wellington shows have more than doubled in class size, and have brought out top riders from as many as 7 countries. Scores have risen to world-class levels and the same can be said of the quality of the horses of the top competitors. The PREs of HGF continue to place among the top scorers in these divisions, attracting more young people to consider a PRE for their competition horse of choice. 19-year old Kerrigan Gluch competed nine year old Vaquero HGF at the Young Rider division throughout the season, achieving consistently good scores from the best judges in the sport. She finished the season with several distinctions: Fourth Overall (and Second American) in the Young Rider Division at the Florida International Youth Dressage Championship; multi-time USPRE High Point winner; and as of 1 April, 27th in the FEI Individual World Dressage Rankings. Kerrigan also debuted HGF Brio at the U25. Brio is a 12 year old black stallion, imported from Spain, with some special abilities for the Grand Prix. Both Kerrigan and Brio are learning this level and becoming more experienced in the ring together, learning to ride clean tests and balance expression with accuracy. This past winter, as their first year at the Grand Prix, they posted scores as high as 69% in the national classes, and 66% in the CDIs. They are hoping their scores are good enough to qualify for the Festival of Champions in August. Kerrigan trains both horses with Wellington-based trainer Oded Shimoni, who has been the significant factor in the development of this young rider and her two horses. Additionally, working students Sarah Roda and Katja Creswick, under the training of Maria Lithander and Lendon Gray, showed HGF schoolmasters Lentisco and Idolo Americano, gaining experience and learning many lessons about competing in the large, high-profile shows. Sarah moved up from the national classes to her first CDIs at the Junior level with Lentisco, and Katja was selected to ride for the Charlotte Bredahl USEF clinic with Idolo. Both Katja and Sarah were part of the 2016 Winter Intensive Training program run by Lendon Gray for Dressage4Kids, held annually at Hampton Green. Marketing Intern Lily Forado from Barcelona provided an unforgettable photo diary of the entire Global Festival. Meanwhile in Spain, Daniel Martin competed Bolero CXLVIII at the Grand Prix in two CDIs—Jerez and Valencia. These were only the third and fourth time Bolero has competed at Grand Prix, and he has shown consistently in the 66-68 range in the GP tests, and over 70% in the Freestyles. Dani is very pleased with the progress of Bolero, who at 12, is becoming more confirmed at the level with much more to offer as he matures. In February, in transit to the Jerez show, Grandioso sustained an injury to the synovial membrane (or sheath) of the left hind tendon. The decision was made in March to do surgery. The minimally invasive procedure removes the torn tissue and any adhesions, and allows the tendon to move freely again. The surgery was done on March 22. As there was no injury to the tendon itself, we predict the horse will be back under saddle in mid-May, with hopes of returning to competition in the summer prior to Rio.
Wellington Show Season Wrap-Up 2015
The Global Dressage Festival 2015 is now a memory. It’s been one month since the Nation’s Cup ended—the final of 7 International Shows in Wellington, highlighted by 3 CDI-Ws, a 4*, 5* and the CDIO. This season exceeded all expectations for participation by both riders and spectators. The VIP Pavilion was sold out in September and word has it that there are more than 40 names on a waiting list for tables for 2016. Friday night freestyles were performed to a packed house, week after week, regardless of weather. The Grand Prix and Small Tour classes were filled to capacity, with show management needing to move the start earlier in the week to accommodate all the rides during the last month of the Festival. Numbers of national rides also increased, and the shows held in between the CDIs were as full as the big weeks. The Youth Festival, held in mid-March, was a highlight as four top youth riders from Europe flew in with their horses to bring a taste of European competition to our Junior and Young Rider classes. The international classes for the youth were the biggest on record for the Festival, bringing riders from many other countries including Spain, Canada, the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium. In addition to having Dani in Wellington with Grandioso and Bolero, HGF sponsored three riders in the youth divisions this past winter. A quick summary of our season is below: Daniel Martin Dockx and Bolero—Bolero traveled with Grandioso to begin his Grand Prix career in Wellington. They started out strong with a score of close to 71% in a large national class judged by international judges, but were disqualified as our rider was wearing a top hat instead of a helmet. The new rule (since 2014) requiring helmets in the national Grand Prix is unique to America, but the mistake was ours in failing to be aware of the change. They went on, however, in the CDI 3* the following week, to do a green and somewhat insecure first international Grand Prix, finishing in the middle of the class, but placing fourth in a more confident Freestyle the next day. Bolero benefitted from the pressure of the electric Wellington environment and we are confident that with more experience, he will be the next PRE to watch. Chelsea Reed and Faralay II—Chelsea is a longtime HGF working student who has spent most of her time working with our young horses, however she got the chance to compete at higher levels this winter with one of the United States’ most well-known PRE breeding stallions, Faralay II owned by Betsy Ketcham of Ketcham Ranch. Faralay was sent to HGF to expose him to more challenging competition venues and with Chelsea he proved that he could handle the additional distractions and pressure, bringing home scores in the mid-60s at Prix St. George and Young Riders Tests in the national classes. Faralay will return to Ketcham Ranch this Spring to fulfill his busy breeding schedule. Ayden Uhlir—We also had the pleasure of hosting Ayden Uhlir and her wonderful Sjaepoor for the winter. Sjaepoor is a Dutch warmblood and together they have several national youth championships under their belt. This winter they showed in both the CDI Small Tour and later in the CDI Young Riders, where they were often the highest scoring American pair. Ayden's other talents include singing, and she was a finalist in Robert Dover’s American Equestrian’s Got Talent. Ayden’s immediate plans are to qualify for the USEF European Tour this summer. Kerrigan Gluch with Vaquero HGF and HGF Brio—Kerrigan and Vaquero made big strides this winter, a season of growth for both of them. Now 18, Kerrigan has moved up from Juniors to Young Riders, with the help of trainers Robert Dover and Daniel Martin. Vaquero HGF (Cuatrero x Encina/Idilio), newly returned from Spain last fall, is also new to this level. He had just begun to compete in the Small Tour with Dani in Spain, after a successful Young Horse career in that country. At 7 ½ years old, Vaquero was the youngest horse in the Young Rider classes this winter, often by 7 or 8 years. Yet the pair made a name for themselves this first season together—maintaining an international average of 66-67% and swapping places several times with Ayden and Sjaepoor. Kerrigan and Vaquerowere regulars in the ribbon ceremonies and hope to continue to grow together into an even stronger team for summer competitions. Kerrigan also received the ride on HGF Brio—a 10 year old black Spanish stallion who is new to HGF. Brio has been introduced to all the Grand Prix exercises by his first owner in Spain, and now Kerrigan is taking her time figuring out this dynamic and talented prospect for an eventual go at U25 in the next year or so. This winter they competed twice at national Prix St. George scoring close to 67%. The next competition in Europe for Grandioso and Bolero will be the CDI in Madrid in May, which kicks off the summer schedule that we hope will lead to the European Championships in August. Both horses have been named to the A Team long list for Spain, and we will keep you posted on their results. Kerrigan plans to stay in Florida to train with her two horses. She hopes to qualify for the North Americans in July and the Festival of Champions in August.
HGF January 2012 News
The Winter Season kicks off with a super-busy month of January. Some of our activities include: January 16 Grand Opening and Dedication of New Arena at Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center January 18--USDF Trainers Seminar, to be held at HGF January 19-21 Gold Coast Opener, with new levels for HGF horses--Mica and Cuatrero at PSG/I-1, and Rachel and Embrujado at Young Riders January 26-28 World Dressage Masters January 27-28--USET Board Meeting and Olympic Gala January 31--Sunshine Tour Opens (Vejer, Spain) for 3 HGF Horses--Grandioso, Encanto and Vaquero Additionally, this month HGF is happy to be hosting the Canadian Para-Olympic Team for the interim week between the Gold Coast Opener and the Wellington Sunshine Challenge. In USPRE News, we are working on setting up the new office in Wellington and putting together the annual USPRE Wellington Event. This year's event will be held on Wednesday night, February 15 at the new Global Dressage Festival showgrounds, and features riders and clinicians Tina Konyot, Lendon Gray, Endel Ots, Mica Mabragana, Emily Copeland and others. A Spanish dinner and a night of dancing horses will be a highlight of the USPRE sponsored Florida Dressage Classic CDI-W. The USPRE Board of Directors will meet that week as well, the new office will have its "Grand Opening", and the new Regional Directors will be flying in for a training seminar. Stayed tuned for more information. This week, USPRE will announce the names of the three recipients of the Dressage Scholarships for 2012, and our own Suzanne O'Brien of Battle Creek, Michigan, and Innato HGF (Idilio x Relimpia) are the 2012 Scholarship recipients for Amateur category. Seewww.usprea.com for comments by Scholarship advisor Robert Dover and for the names of the other winners. Congratulations, Suzanne!
5* Week at HGF
5* Week at HGF Wrapping up a terrific week of dressage at HGF in Wellington! On Monday, Daniel Martin Dockx took a week away from his work with Grandioso and the other horses in Spain to come to Wellington to work with Mica Mabragana and Cuatrero. During these days, a number of other riders had the opportunity to school with Daniel, including Endel Ots, Robin Lubert, Bruce Miller, Maddy Guthrie, Joli Burrell, and Mica with Infanta HGF. In addition to the training, HGF was part of the Global Dressage Festival's 5* West Palm Beach, with Mica competing Cuatrero in the National Prix St George and Intermediare I. For Mica and Cuatrero, this competition is preparation for the upcoming Nations' Cup in two weeks--the final show in the GDF Series and North America's first Nations Cup featuring 10 teams at the Small Tour. Cuatrero came back strong from his rest following some soreness after the Palm Beach Derby, and with Daniel's help on the ground, the pair won the Open PSG class with 71.4% on Saturday, leading a class of top-ranked horses and riders. Again on Sunday, Mica and Cuatrero received 68% and Second in the Open Intermediare 1 (placing First by one of two judges).At this past weekend's show--which featured the 5* Freestyle extravaganza on Friday night to a full house--the PREs dominated the Open and AA Small Tour classes, posting First or Second Place all weekend. Congratulations to riders Endel Ots, Lily Zilo, Janne Rumbaugh and of course our own Mica, and many thanks to Dani for his help on the sidelines!
Nation's Cup at Global Dressage Festival
Mica Mabragana and Cuatrero IV were part of Team Latin America II at the first North American Nation's Cup (CDIO), held this past weekend as the final show of the 2012 Global Dressage Festival. Team Latin America II finished 5th of 8 teams, and Mica and Cuatrero did their first Freestyle together, also their first time under the lights in the International Arena. The pair performed a clean test in front of close to 800 spectators on a night that was characterized by team camaraderie and the excitement of the close competition. We are proud of this young combination for representing both HGF and Argentina with a beautiful, clean and expressive ride to the music of Ravel's Bolero. Mica's scores of 63.6 and 64.5 contributed to the Team's totals for Fifth Place, along with team members Jessica McTaggart of the Cayman Islands on Ray of Light, and Luis Reteguiz-Denizard of Puerto Rico on Nalando. This show marks the end of the 2012 Florida winter season for HGF, where Cuatrero returned to the show ring with a new rider, after four years of no competing. He and Mica showed consistent improvement throughout the season and handled the pressures of new situations extremely well. We expect that Cuatrero will continue to improve as the routine of competition becomes more familiar, and that Mica and Cuatrero continue to develop their partnership into a very competitive combination for the future. For the summer, however, Cuatrero will take a break and return to HGF Michigan, where he will stand to HGF mares.
HGF-bred Young Horses Compete in Wellington 2012
Two HGF-bred young horses were actively competed in Wellington this past season, and both with stand-out results. Mary Magee's Infanta HGF (Idilio x Candela), ridden by Mica Mabragana, was a multiple First Place winner of her Training Level classes, USPRE High Point winner at the Florida Classic Dressage Show (she was also the High Point winner for the show) and the Palm Beach Derby, and Reserve Champion Training Level High Point for the Global Dressage Festival National Circuit (9 shows). Robert Dover's HGF Fiero (Grandioso x Ibiza), ridden by Nicholas Fyffe, was the USPRE High Point winner for the national show at the Nation's Cup, with a 71.6% and First Place at Training Level. He was also the overall High Point winner for that show. Fiero turns 4 in July. Congratulations to riders and owners!
HGF News December 2011
As the holidays approach, Wellington is busy with preparations for a huge show season in 2012 in all the equestrian sports. The new Global Dressage Festival prizelists are now posted atwww.globaldressagefestival.com and the showgrounds is beginning to take shape amidst the trucks, work crews, ditches, pipes and mountains of dirt and footing. The permanent stabling is almost completely up now and the covered arena has been delivered, to be erected in the next two weeks. The week following Christmas will see the first Dover Horsemanship Week for the Emerging Dressage Athletes, held this year at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. 10 riders and 8 auditors, all under 21, were selected from a series of clinics throughout the country given by Lendon Gray and hosted by her Dressage4Kids Foundation. There were 5 riders/auditors selected from the HGF EDAP clinic held last July, as well as HGF-sponsored Junior Rider and Reserve National Champion Rachel Chowanec. From December 26-31, riders will be taught by seven top US trainers including Anne Gribbons, Kathy Connelly and Katherine Bateson Chandler, in addition to Robert, Lendon and Courtney. HGF will host the exhibitor's dinner on Friday night.... more to come! Also seehttp://www.eurodressage.com/equestrian/2011/12/16/us-emerging-dressage-athlete-program-plans-final-2012-clinic And speaking of Robert, Fiero HGF made his show debut in a 3 year old Materiale class two weekends ago. They scored 70.6, and rider Nicholas Fyffe now joins the good company of our TEAM 70! You can see more photos and meet Nick at the Hampton Green Forum on Facebook. Finally, our winter boarders are starting to arrive and we look forward to having Canadian Olympian Jackie Brooks and her clients, as well as a number of other Canadians this year. Good luck to all this winter!