TRAINERS’ POINT OF VIEW By Patti Schofler Raising the Bar in California
Symposium riders share their experiences riding with world dressage champion Charlotte Dujardin.
A dressage symposium takes on a new face when the instructor is Great Britain’s Charlotte Dujardin, the FEI’s top-ranked dressage rider. The participat- ing demo riders included two Olympians, and the audience was made up of nearly 500 information- hungry spectators.
T
he 27-year-old star, who won team and individual gold medals at the 2012 London Olympics followed by her 2013 European Dressage Championship on Dutch Warm-
blood gelding Valegro, joined her former trainer and FEI 4* judge Judy Harvey at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center for two days in early March. Organized by Glenda McElroy of Corner- stone Event Management and Pam Lane of The Dressage Life, this was Charlotte’s first experience in the United States.
NO SUGAR COATING! Not all symposiums have the flavor that this one did. And not all give the audience as much bang for their buck. First off, Charlotte was straightforward, at times sharp-tongued, witty and al- ways demanding. Lessons were not for the faint of heart. She is renowned for precision with her own riding and high expectations for her own horses. (For ex- ample, her horses are expected to stand square, even when they’ve finished their work and she is dismounting.) That’s part of the reason why she holds the world records for Grand Prix, Grand Prix Special and Grand Prix Free- style. Fortunately for attendees, both Charlotte and Judy didn’t hold back advice, information and their own experiences. However, the demo horses and riders were in large part
they expose weaknesses that they could perhaps keep secret during a test, and their fellow professionals. The demo riders included two Olympians, FEI judge Hilda
Gurney and Canadian Leslie Reid. Among the other five riders who brought a long list of credentials, we talked to three about how the symposium worked for them: Kristina (Krisi) Harrison- Antell of Burbank, California, who brought the youngest par- ticipant, Barnaby Wilde GCT, a Hanoverian by Brentano II; Mette Rosencrantz of Topanga, California, who rode Cenna, a Danish Warmblood mare by Come Back II with an interesting history; and Vicki Rea of Gavilan Hills, California, whose horse W.H. Roux, a Dutch Warmblood by Fabricius, had never had anyone other than Vicki on his back until the symposium.
KRISI AND BARNABY Barnaby never flinched, or so it seemed from the audience. Just coming five, only started last May, he moved around the arena with amazing confidence and comfort for his age. Bought by Krisi and Patricia Price from a video, the Hanoverian was the easiest baby this Pan Am Gold Medal Team member had ever started. While his immature body and sensitivity to shedding baby teeth de- layed his start, they were out of the round pen in less than a week. “He was scared, but
The current world dressage champion, Charlotte Dujardin, was the main clinician.
responsible for giving the audience what they came for. The horses were varied in type and, although all excellent quality, they were not perfect. And the riders, though all accomplished, were open to learning and ready to ride. They addressed issues with their horses and their riding, exposing themselves to com- ments and criticism, and sometimes struggled to get results. Yet these riders have their careers to think about: the impressions made on current and future clients, judges in the audience as
he’s a horse I feel I can do anything on and he tries,” Krisi says. “He’s hot but not spooky. He’s very kind and very confident. He wants me on his back. I trust him and he trusts me. He was intimidated by the micro- phone, but he moves right on once he figures out what it is.” During the symposium, Charlotte praised his temperament,
Kristina Harrison-Antell of Burbank, California, who brought the youngest horse, Barnaby Wilde GCT, perform a ‘trot stretch’ during their session.
saying, “a championship show is three days of tests. You need sen- sitivity and willingness to keep going. Temperament is the num- ber one priority.” She pointed out that he had a very good walk and canter, the second most important attributes in a horse, and asked Krisi why she hadn’t shown him in young horse classes. Krisi replied that she felt he was not what judges were looking for in these classes. “They want big, springy gaits. He
Warmbloods Today 57
Patti Schofler
Patti Schofler
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