Belinda reflects on the bond of trust they’ve gained over
their journey and their successes thus far. “Anton has given me personal best scores over and over. So far our highlight was the Pan Am Games. Achieving a Canadian record in the Grand Prix Special was incredible. Anton is very afraid of applause, and he was terrified going around the outside of the ring, but he put his trust in me. It is an amazing feeling to have that kind of trust from him.”
Healthy and Happy Belinda and her Oakcrest Farm staff, Lynsey Rowan, Carl Callahan and Erin Haug, have developed a routine tailored to Anton to keep him happy and healthy. The regimen includes regular visits from Usha to keep up with acupuncture and chiropractic support. Usha is also with them at every CDI show. Regular turn out is also high on the list. “I’m a big believer
Piaffe is one of Anton’s fortes, shown here at the 2015 Royal Winter Fair $20,000 Dressage Invitational, which he and Belinda won with a 77% score. Belinda says that Udo Lange told her that Anton must have piaffed in his dam’s belly.
Usha, who serves as the team physiotherapist for the
Canadian dressage and eventing teams, talks about her goals in treating the team horses. “It goes beyond trying to treat a problem. It is all about preventing the problem from happening in the first place by making sure that the horse is comfortable and supple and that there is no restriction or pain through their entire body in order to create that maximum performance. I want that horse to be 100 percent there for his riding partner. I want everything to be working in harmony. The big thing is to make them feel like they can do anything. So, everything that I do focuses on the whole animal.”
Back to the Show Ring! Over the summer of 2013 Belinda took Anton to some national shows in Canada. Next they went to Florida to compete for the winter season in 2014 with some hope of qualifying for the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in France. In late January 2014 they finally set foot in the FEI ring again, taking a seventh at Grand Prix and a fifth in the Special in the CDI-W in Wellington. Their scores continued to improve throughout the 2014
winter season in Florida and they qualified to represent Canada at the Alltech World Games in Normandy, where they earned a 71.614 percent in the Grand Prix and 72.409 in the Special. With their second World Games under their belt, their focus turned to the 2015 Pan American Games to be held at Caledon Equestrian Park north of Toronto. After their super Pan Am performance, they took a second
at the prestigious Dressage at Devon show in the Grand Prix and third in the Freestyle. Cycling back home last November, they won the Royal Winter Fair Dressage Invitational with a 77 percent, their highest score so far, riding a very technical test that included a one-handed piaffe.
in turn out,” says Belinda. “When I can, especially when we are home, he’s turned out a minimum of five hours a day, some- times eight hours a day. Motion is lotion. He’s also a horse that gets bored very easily, so it’s good for him mentally too. If he doesn’t get ridden enough, he gets really fresh.” According to Belinda, Anton has a certain schedule and
prefers that everyone sticks to the plan. “Anton thinks, ‘Lynsey grooms me, Belinda rides me and Carl and Erin feed me.’ He
Anton’s expressive extended trot during the Grand Prix test in the 2015 Pan American Games in Ontario.
Warmbloods Today 31
Allen MacMillan/MacMillan Photography
Shelley Higgins/MacMillan Photography
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