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Hampton Green Farm Year in Review 2011
Hampton Green Farm Year in Review 2011 The headlines use expressions like “gathering steam” and “gaining momentum” to describe the gradual improvement of the American economy now at the beginning of 2012. At HGF, our fortunes have followed a similar course as the national economy over the past few years of downturn—with the devastating loss of our Grand Prix rider Courtney King-Dye and the difficult necessity of a herd reduction sale of our prize babies in 2010—to a year of change and good momentum forward in 2011. The highlights of 2011 have been many, and are already well publicized: --Grandioso III leaves for Spain in January to go to rider Jose Daniel Martin Dockx , who introduced the stallion to the Grand Prix level in May. By October, the pair had competed in one CDI and 3 national shows before going on to win the Spanish National Championships in Madrid. Their first year together, and first year at this level, finished with a surprising Fourth Place at both Grand Prix and Grand Prix Kur at CDI4* Salzburg in December. At the end of the year Grandioso was named to the pre-selection team for Spain in preparation for the 2012 London Olympics. --HGF-bred Encanto XI (Evento x Cantora 2002) was also introduced to the Grand Prix in 2011, with a respectable debut at the Sunshine Tour in March with rider Daniel Martin. The pair later traveled to Saumur to represent Spain in the CDIO, and finished Fifth in the Consolation Grand Prix. --Idilio II and Mica Mabragana spent the winter in the highly competitive international small tour classes in Wellington, receiving their qualifying scores for the Pan American Games. Later in the year, they are invited by the National Equestrian Federation of Argentina to represent that country in the Games. Although they did not make the trip to Guadalajara, Idilio completed his best year at international competition and now at 17 is retired from formal dressage competition to enjoy the more relaxing schedule of exhibition work. --HGF-sponsored horse and rider team, Embrujado XI and Rachel Chowanec, take Wellington by storm in 2011 with numerous wins at FEI Junior level. They went on in September to be USEF Reserve National Champion Juniors. --HGF-bred Vaquero (Cuatrero x Encina 2007) qualifies for the National Young Horse Championships in Spain, and from a field of over 60 horses, finishes 9th overall and 5th of all PREs nationally at the Four Year Old level in September with rider Daniel Martin. --HGF-bred Icono, (Idilio x Escapada, 2006), owned by Martin Schaudt and ridden by Jasmin Schaudt, places first or second in three large FEI Five-Year Old competitions near Stuttgart, Germany—a first in Germany for a PRE at the Young Horse levels. --HGF-bred horses around the United States achieve over 70% at their respective levels with their owners and riders, including: Decoroso HGF and Cindy Ramirez Smith Innato HGF and Suzanne O’Brien Icaro HGF and Annie Morris Fiero HGF and Nicholas Fyffe --In 2011, HGF continued its commitment to Dressage4Kids by hosting the first Lendon Youth Dressage Festival Midwest in July, along with the first annual Emerging Dressage Athlete Invitational clinic. Of that event, 5 Midwest riders were among 18 total riders under 21 who were selected to attend the year-end Robert Dover Horsemastership Week and Mega-clinic in Wellington, where HGF had the honor of hosting the final dinner for the young people and their parents. Looking forward to 2012 with great excitement…We have 6 foals on the way and Sandy Talbot and her team are now managing many fields of young horses again… Our two Grand Prix horses are getting ready for the Sunshine Tour in February, along with 5 year old Vaquero...Mica Mabragana is preparing Cuatrero for the International Small Tour this winter in Wellington, while Rachel and Embrujado enter the Young Rider division…Our dates for the Lendon Youth Dressage Festival Midwest and EDAP Clinic are set for July…The TEAM70 horses are moving up the levels…and finally, the American economy seems to be back on track…Hang on, its full steam ahead!
Meet Mica Mabragana
Mica Mabragana, 24 years old from Buenos Aires, Argentina, is our resident rider this winter in Wellington. Mica has spent the last five years in New Yord as a working student for Lendon Gray and has accomplished quite a bit in those five years. She is a USDF Certified instructor (Training through 4th level), and a USDF Bronze, Silver and Gold medalist. She represented Argentina at the NAJYRC 2007 on Ballywhim Ardan Mor and at the Young Rider World Cup 2007 in Germany on Granada, Oded Shimoni's recent mount for Israel at the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky. Mica has won several CDI classes as a Young Rider and in 2010 made her Grand Prix debut. At the Region 8 Championships, Mica was the Grand Prix Reserve Champion on Nexus. This winter Mica will be riding HGF's Idilio II, with sites on qualification for the Pan American Games next year, and along with Lendon Gray will continue the schooling of Cuatrero, Grandioso's younger brother who had been in training with Courtney until last spring. We welcome Mica and her clients to HGF
April Plans:
April 10--Mica leaves Wellington for New York April 16-17 Gold Coast Grand Finale, and final USPRE High Point Challenge of FL Season April 22--Molly, Idilio and Bolero head to New York April 28-May 1 CDI Saumur Other Notes: Head Groom Molly Reynolds will accompany Mica to New York for the summer to care for Idilio while he continues to prepare for the Pan American Games with Mica, at Fritz and Claudine Kundrun's Bedford facilities. Molly will also be taking her Bolero, for continued training with Lendon and Mica. We will miss them all this summer at HGF. Rhianna is taking time off to spend the summer with her family in Alaska. We hope she enjoys her break and hope to see her again in Florida in the fall. Foaling season starts in May, just as the Florida team returns to Michigan. Sandy, Lora and the Michigan staff have weathered another winter in Fruitport and expect to send all herds back outside round the clock in another week or two. The Michigan winter has been good for the horses there, mares are strong and active, and the young horses are well-boned and hearty. Check back for more news about our summer plans--training, clinics, events, and sales. Good things are in the works for summer 2011...
Hampton Green Farm's IDILIO II and Mica Mabragana Invited to Represent Argentina at the Pan American Games
We have just received word that the Federacion Ecuestre Argentina has invited Mica Mabragana and Idilio II to represent Argentina at the upcoming Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico. Mica took over the training of Idilio last December, and competed him for qualifying scores in the International Pan Am qualifiers in Wellington this past winter. The pair maintained a consistent and respectable average against a high standard of performance among American and Canadian contenders. Long-time protegee of Lendon Gray, 25 year old Mica has represented Argentina as a young rider in both the NAJYRCs and in the Young Rider World Cup in Germany in 2007. This was Mica's first year to show at the international levels in Wellington, and she has begun to be noticed for her quiet, correct and effective riding. Idilio II is a foundation breeding stallion for Hampton Green Farm. At sixteen years old, Idilio was one of the first PRE stallions to compete successfully in Wellington at the FEI levels, which he has done for the past 8 years. He is also a highly successful breeding stallion, sire to many winning young dressage horses in the United States including Idolo Americano (2003), Champion US Bred Stallion, Devon 2007, Region II Second Level Champion 2010 and Icono HGF (2006), owned by Martin Schaudt, who has earned top placings and winnings in several large FEI Five-Year Old classes in Germany this summer. All of us at HGF are very proud of Mica, and happy to see our beloved stallion achieve this distinction at this point in his long career.
Hampton Green Farm's Idilio II to Retire from Competition
Hampton Green Farm's Idilio II to Retire from Competition Hampton Green Farm and Kim Boyer announce the retirement ofIdilio II from formal Dressage competition. Idilio is a coming 17 year old PRE stallion who was one of the first PREs to compete in FEI-level Dressage in the United States and as of this year is the oldest PRE horse competing at the International levels in this country. In September, Idilio was selected by his rider's native Argentina to represent that country in the 2011 Pan American Games. Over the years, Idilio's competitive career has helped to pave the way for other PRE horses in this country by his correct and impressive performances in the show ring, not to mention his exceptional beauty which has attracted many riders to the PRE breed. His legacy lives on in his offspring which have won National Championships in Open Breed divisions, are consistently scoring over 70% with their amateur and professional owners, as well as topping large fields of FEI four and five-year old classes in Germany and Spain. Idilio II was born in the Huelva region of Spain, close to the Portuguese border. His sire was a full-brother to two-time Champion of Movement of SICAB, Spain's national breed competition. Idilio's dam was the daughter of one of Spain's early Grand Prix competitors, Flamenco XII (who is also sire to France's 2011 National Champion Helio II), and derived from much-desired lines for movement from the Yeguada Marin Garcia. Idilio was first discovered in Spain in 1999 by US rider David De Wispelaere who approached Hampton Green Farm with an investment proposal. When the horse arrived in Florida in 2000 as a five year old, HGF owner Kimberly Boyer decided to buy out De Wispelaere's portion and keep the horse, a decision which eventually led to the exclusive focus of HGF as a PRE breeding and showing operation. Idilio was trained to Prix St. George level by De Wispelaere who competed him successfully at the national levels in Wellington prior to David's move to Europe. Afterward, Pati Pierucci took over the training of Idilio. During this period, he was shown at Grand Prix and competed with very promising scores in national classes in both Michigan and Florida. In 2006 German Olympian Martin Schaudt worked with Pati and Idilio and was so impressed with his nature, trainability and athleticism that he purchased one of Idilio's foals, Icono HGF--currently competing with great success at the Five Year Old level in Germany with his wife Jasmin Schaudt. In 2008, Maria Lithander of Wellington Florida took over the ride on Idilio and the decision was made to return to the Small Tour to work out some training issues that had developed following an injury. Maria's work with Idilio eventually saw him ranked in the USDF Top 15 Small Tour horses in the country in 2009. Currently Idilio is ridden and competed by long-time Lendon Gray student and former international Young Rider Mica Mabragana who, following a year of hard work and excellent riding, received the crowning honor of Idilio's career--the invitation from a national federation to represent a country at an international championship. "Now is the right time to take Idilio out of formal competition," says owner Kimberly Boyer. " Mica, Lendon and I feel that Idilio has put in many years under the pressure of multiple riders and lots of competitions, and now he has earned the right to move to the next chapter. Idilio is still very energetic about his work and Mica hopes to play around again with the Grand Prix movements. She is planning to prepare several freestyles for him to be able to perform for exhibition. He is the kind of horse that will want to be worked until his last day, but now without the tension of showing. We are hopeful to showcase his beauty and abilities for many years to come, if he wants it. And of course, he will continue to be a breeding stallion for HGF mares." Idilio did not achieve his full potential at Grand Prix due to many factors, not the least of which was his being one of the first Spanish Horses in the United States to enter the top competitions. There were both ups and downs in Idilio's career, but to all who have seen him or who have had the privilege to sit on him or train him, he is unforgettable. Career Highlights: Over 25 FEI-Level Firsts or Second Placings, 6 at Grand Prix 8 Show or Association FEI High Point Awards In the Ribbons at 3 USDF Regional Championships at FEI-Levels. Multiple USDF All Breeds Champion for PRE Horses at Prix St. George through Grand Prix. Ranked in Top 15 National Prix St. George horses in 2009. Top 20 Adult Stallions at SICAB, 2002. Multiple Breed and Functionality Championships in Spain and US. Offspring: Idolo Americano (2003) --Dressage at Devon Born in the USA Champion Stallion, 2007. Reserve Second Level Regional Champion, USDF Region 2, 2010. Now in training in Spain. Vaquero HGF (2007)--Top Ten Four Year Old at 2011 National Young Horse Championships in Spain. Top 5 PRE nationally. Icono HGF (2006)--Multiple First and Second Placings at FEI-Five Year Old Tests in Stuttgart Germany with Jasmin Schaudt. Watch for upcoming offspring of Idilio II, all scoring over 70% in their first year: Icaro HGF--owned and ridden by Annie Morris Infanta HGF--owned by Mary Magee and ridden by Mica Mabragana Innato HGF--owned and ridden by Adult Amateur Suzanne O'Brien