News & Horses:
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News Articles
Grandioso Achieves Personal Best Grand Prix at 2013 European Championships
The 2013 FEI European Dressage Championships were hosted by Denmark and held during the week of August 20-27 at a sports complex outside of Herning. 14 countries fielded teams of 3 or 4 horses, and several more countries—including Spain—were represented by individual riders. Both of the Spanish pairs—Jose Daniel Martin Dockx with Grandioso and Jose Antonio Garcia Mena with Norte—achieved personal bests, representing Spain and the PRE breed with dignity and fine performances that placed both in the top 25 horses in Europe. But this outstanding achievement on their part was bittersweet, as the participation of Fuego and Juan Manuel Munoz was greatly missed as well as the opportunity to go to Herning as a team. Daniel and Grandioso were in top form for the Grand Prix. They scored a personal best of 72.204%, ranking 17th on the first day, in a field of 65 of the most competitive Dressage horses in the world. The Grand Prix Special was similarly ridden, receiving a conservative 71.220. In the end, Daniel and Grandioso finished the Championship ranked 22nd. These European Championships were sponsored by Blue Horse Stud and Performance Sales International (in addition to Ecco shoes), and the festivities, galas, stallion presentations, and marketing were strongly geared to the sponsors. This was truly a celebration of the horse and equestrian discipline as defined by Northern Europe. Dressage is alive and well in this part of the world, where the stands were full on the final day for the Kur, to see the Princess retire her lovely Digby, and to watch new world record scores be broken and reset with every class. We can only hope that the same attention will be made to the wonderful Iberian breeds if and when the Olympics come to Madrid in 2020… What an amazing year it has been for Daniel and Grandioso, who in their second year at international Grand Prix, are now ranked within the top 22 horses in the world, and are still maintaining an upward trend. Grandioso made the long trip home again and will now rest and relax until the end of the year, reward for a job well-done. Photo Credit: www.Dressage-News.com
USPRE News
USPRE Annual Meeting in California USPRE Annual Meeting is next week in City of Industry, CA on Friday, March 23rd at 5pm at the Pacific Palms Hotel and Conference Center. This year's Annual Meeting is held in conjunction with the Feria del Caballo Espanol PRE Breed Show. Come and meet members of the Board of Directors and new LG Administrator Tanya Duffey. Following the meeting, USPRE representatives will be available at the USPRE booth at the show. For more information, see Revision News The first Revision Tour of 2012 has been scheduled for next month, beginning April 9th. Revision is the process of approving your 3 year old for breeding stock in the PRE Studbook in Spain. All HGF horses born in 2009 are eligible for revision. Revision sites will be determined by breeders, based on numbers of horses to be presented. At this time there are plans for a central Michigan location for revision in mid-April. Please contact Joan at 231-865-6000 for more information, or see . Requests for Revision service must be made on-line at with payments received by March 27.
HGF at Dressage at Devon
We are quite happy to be back from our week in Devon. Ana and Will put four 3 year old colts on the truck early Monday morning and made the 15 hour drive to the historic showgrounds. In tow were Icono and Genio, Martin Schaudt's two colts who are leaving HGF for the first and last time. Following the show, they were picked up by a van for Dutta Corp and taken to Rigby Farms for quarantine prior to travel to Martin's farm outside of Stuttgardt, Germany. Also leaving the farm for the last time was Icaro--on his way to Glenedon, Lendon Gray's farm, and to his new owner Annie Morris, one of Lendon's students and riders. The fourth colt, Decoroso, was the only horse to return back to Michigan following the show. Its hard to say good-bye to these young horses that we have lived with and into whom we have put so much in their early years, but not so hard when we know they are going to riders such as these and their wonderful new homes.The Breed Show at Devon was very competitive. Firstly, Devon is best categorized as a warmblood breed show, and those horses that vary from the conformational type and movement norms of warmbloods often suffer in scores. Secondly, the nation's top young warmblood stock is always there in every class to represent the leading sport horse breeding farms of the US. And thirdly, the majority of the farms represented are from the North East region and many are able to bring their horses in and take them home daily.We ended showing on the day following the horses' long and grueling ride, and our young horses did their best in spite of their exhaustion. We finished up placing in the large 3 Year Old Colts and Geldings class--a Fifth Place for Decoroso and a Sixth for Icono. Later in the evening, following a 2 hour delay, poor Decy decided we'd asked enough of him and refused to trot in the Eastern Region GAIG Championship, but we weren't in the least disappointed. We were happy to again bring home ribbons from Devon--we were the only non-warmbloods in the class and we represented the PRE breed with dignity!On Thursday, we were happy to compete in the inaugural USPRE Breed Class. Although there were only three of us in the class, we made a new friend--Susan Holtz and her lovely Brujo--and we garnered quite a bit of attention with our horses' extravagant movement. Icono took first place, with Genio and Brujo following close behind. We hope to continue to promote this class at Devon, for no other reason than that the PRE Horse must be represented among the Sport Horse breeds. Many other handsome breeds were represented in their respective classes, however the PRE horse is the only non-warmblood breed that has represented its country on an international dressage team and the only breed to bring home Olympic Dressage Team Silver. We will continue to encourage the riders and breeders of PREs to participate in this prestigious show.Our thanks again to expert handler Tom Reed, who ran quietly and showed the horses brilliantly without yelling, chasers or mayhem. Also, we were happy to have the assistance of summer intern Brianna Lemson-Ibarra, who filled in everywhere we needed her.And now our thoughts turn to warmer climes . . . Photo Credits: Hoof Prints
HGF Launches Site for the Top Ten Herd Reduction Sale
The Top Ten are now online atwww.hamptongreenauction.com . HGF has selected 10 top quality young horses from their herd to offer at promotional prices on August 21. These young colts and fillies are from their champion show sires and each has been chosen on the basis of showing exceptional promise for dressage training. The site offers details about each horse and sire, as well as information about the PRE breed and how to evaluate a growing horse. Registration for the sale and bidding may be done online.
Robert Dover Finds His FIERO at Hampton Green Farm
Hampton Green Farm is proud to announce that Robert Dover, six-time United States Olympian for Dressage and current Technical Advisor and Coach for the Canadian National Dressage Team, has recently purchased an outstanding 2008 son of Grandioso III. For several years, HGF has worked with Robert in the training of some of our top horses, including Grandioso, and we have always been aware of his respect and admiration for the PRE breed. During those years, Robert expressed his interest in finding a young PRE of a certain type that would meet his standards for athleticism and temperament. Conversations with Robert began earlier this summer following his announcement on DoversWorld.com that he was looking for an international prospect for himself, which eventually culminated in his selection of FIERO HGF (Grandioso III x Ibiza). FIERO is a virtual replica of his sire, Grandioso III--trained and competed by Courtney Dye--a stallion with whom Robert has had much interaction and influence. Robert was immediately attracted to the son who, in his words, "has 3 exceptional paces and an extremely uphill expression already as well as a lot of scope." At Hampton Green Farm, we have been aware of this colt's exceptional potential and we are happy to know that he will go to one of the world's top trainers and the sport's greatest showman, and we are happy that FIERO HGF will be trained, like his sire, with the hope of joining the United States Dressage Team in the future!