UP AND C OMING RIDE R S ON A ME R I C AN-B R EDS Luckiest [Dressage] Girl in the World
Rising dressage star Vanessa Creech-Terauds finds success aboard American-bred Hanoverians.
T
he sport of dressage has consumed 17-year-old Vanessa Creech-Terauds from a young age. Just like her mother Diane Creech, an inter- national Grand Prix competitor and silver medalist at the 2007 Pan American Games, Vanessa fell in love with the partnership and patience dressage required, as well as the aim for perfection through mastering technical challenges. From winning many medals at the
North American Junior and Young Rider Championships to topping the Young Rider division at the 2017 Florida Interna- tional Youth Dressage Championships and earning multiple blue ribbons at Dressage at Devon, Vanessa is well on her way to a successful career as a professional.
Mother as Mentor Balancing her time between Caistor Centre, Ontario, and Wellington, Florida, the dedicated young rider’s close rela- tionship with her mother, who is also her primary trainer, has helped develop Vanessa into a force to be reckoned with in the youth divisions. She says she is inspired daily by her mother’s passion for dressage. “Many people believe that I have a lot of pressure to live
Venessa Creech-Terauds and Fleur de Lis won the Junior Individual and Free- style medals at the NAJYRC in 2016.
By Annan Hepner
topped many prestigious CDI classes and are continuing to develop their Grand Prix training. “Fleur de Lis L is such a great show
mare and clearly knows her job in the ring,” Vanessa explains. “She is able to go into the ring confident and focused, and she tries very hard to do everything I ask. She always stays with me in the ring and that’s what I love about her. I really feel that bond with her and we’re so close. Once we get focused and in sync with each other, it’s the best feeling in the world.” Last summer, Louise Leatherdale,
who recently received the U.S. Dres- sage Breeder of the Year award for the second consecutive year, encouraged the humble young rider to train and compete throughout Europe. “It was my first time competing over- seas and it was such a wonderful experi- ence!” Vanessa exclaims. “I was so proud to represent my country at such competitive shows. My favorite memory was compet-
ing in Elmlohe, Germany. It was very special to me to see Louise present the His Highness Cup. He was one of Leather- dale Farms’ top stallions who passed away in 2007.” Though European breeders have a strong reputation
up to my mom’s expectations, but it just gives me more drive and helps me believe in myself,” Vanessa says. “I am so fortu- nate to have my mom as my trainer. We are able to commu- nicate with each other so well and have such a respect for one another that, whenever a challenge arises, we are able to work through it together.” “Knowing that I have such support from her helps me feel
confident going into the show ring. I always know that even if things do not go perfectly, she will always have my back,” she adds.
Breeder Support With the continuous support of the Minnesota-based Leatherdale Farms, Vanessa has achieved great success in North America as well as Europe aboard their eight-year- old American-bred Hanoverian mare, Fleur de Lis L (First Dance–EM De La Rosa, De Niro), who is by one of their top stallions standing in Kentucky. Last year was only their second year competing together as a pair, yet they have
for developing the world’s best sport horses, Vanessa is a firm believer that the horses bred by Leatherdale Farms have great potential to achieve successful international careers. “Louise and her late husband, Doug, were very commit-
ted to their breeding program from the beginning and they invested in only high-quality mares, while pairing them accordingly to their wonderful stallions to get the best match,” Vanessa explains. “However, a successful breeding program is not only matching the best mare and the best stallion—Louise truly understands the necessity of giving young horses the time and confidence to develop. Their American-bred young horses are not only correctly devel- oped physically but also mentally so they can be world- class athletes. “When you have such a carefully selected breeding
program combined with careful training and, as a result, are successful in the competition ring, people take notice,” she continues. “North American breeders and riders are beginning
Warmbloods Today 35
SusanJStickle.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92
