DECEMBER 2022 THE RIDER /41


Exclusive to the Digital Edition of The Rider


DECEMBER 2022 Vol. 4, Issue No. 2


CELEBRATING YEARS


One Dollar ‘Rockstar’ Horse Takes Final Title Of 2022 US Dressage Finals Presented By Adequan®


with 74.867% on Shmoky Quartz. Manuskript delivered a second win in the Second Level Open final. His 72.341% per- formance delivered Mason win number seven of a victory- stuffed week. Not to be outdone, her nine-year-old Oldenburg gelding New Beginnings added another reserve champion title, finishing behind Bursey.


Ronin Finds His Groove Under Martin Kuhn Martin Kuhn was the only


Bridget Bursey and Forty Creek in their winning lap of honor. Photo by SusanJStickle.com


November 13, 2022 - Lexington, KY - Under a dusting of wintry snow, the Kentucky Horse Park played host to the fourth and final day of action in the 2022 US Dressage Finals presented by Ad- equan® on Sunday, November 13. The remaining 11 champions of the year were crowned at a show where competitors travel from all over the country to vie for the more than $120,000 in prize money. Bridget Bursey’s powerful,


harmonious test on the “wild child” mare Forty Creek, which she bought for one dollar, van- quished all comers in the Fourth Level Freestyle Open. Two judges awarded the pair over 74%, and they finished on 72.989% to net the biggest win of their career to date. “I’m super excited because


‘Stella’ has had a couple of in- juries and a baby,” said Bursey of the 12-year-old by UB40. “I started her at four, and she be- came mine when she was five — I got her for $1. She was a wild child, but we got along pretty


well, so my clients decided she was best with me. I can’t thank them enough because she’s won- derful — my little rockstar.” Bursey was due to compete


in this class last year, but injury ruled them out just before the show. This year the mare, who was bred by Susen Shumaker, picked up two eights for music, to a score compiled by Hailey Guard of Guardian Dressage — who also owns Forty Creek’s full sister.


“It was worth the wait;


Stella’s a fantastic horse,” added Bursey, who hails from Stillwa- ter, Minnesota, and drove 14 hours to ride at Finals. “She’s a diva, she likes things her way, and you have to do it that way; then you’re good to go.” Before lunch time, the


hard-working Heather Mason had already picked up two cham- pions’ sashes and a reserve cham- pion title. She dominated the top two placings in the First Level Freestyle Open championship, winning on Manuskript SCF with 72.341% and following behind


Linda Kimbell and Louis Vuitton MTA will soon head to Florida — as the AA First Level Freestyle champions. Photo by SusanJStickle.com


75.784% — bolstered by a high score of 77.647% from the judge at C. Ronin was bred by Marcia Boeing, and the Kuhns bought him as a two-year-old. The pair shone in a strong class of 23 in which the top eight all achieved over 70%. “He was with me every


step of the way, which hasn’t his- torically always been the case,” said Kuhn, who is based out of Springfield, Illinois. “He has struggled with confidence but he’s coming into his own now. I just wanted him to have the best possible experience. “It’s always fun here. There


“I just had to have her,” says Kristen Ortt of her AA Prix St. Georges champion, Rita Mae Johnson (69.559%). Photo by SusanJStickle.com


are very few shows where we get to see our friends from all over the country, and there’s good ca- maraderie,” added Kuhn, whose pre-show training paid dividends. “We were very fortunate to have [Canadian Olympian] Cindy Ishoy come to coach us, and we


man to pick up a championship title on a day otherwise filled with girl power. He piloted Ronin, his wife Kathryn Flem- ing-Kuhn’s nine-year old gelding by Blue Hors Romanov, to


credit her with a lot of the suc- cesses here, as well as our long- time coach and mentor, Gerhard Politz.”


Rita Mae Johnson Is ‘On The Money’ for Kristen Ortt “Out of my mind happy”


was how Kristen Ortt described her winning result in the AA Prix St. Georges championship. The three judges unanimously gave her and Rita Mae Johnson the nod and a final score of 69.559%. “I had good expectations


for the show because we have taken a step back this year to make a lot of changes and fix a lot of holes in our riding,” rea- soned Ortt, who has brought the mare up from Training Level. “I’ve trained really hard, and I said that I thought she could do it. Today she was just on the money.” Ortt bought Rita three years ago from her trainer, Babsi Neid- hardt-Clark, who bred her. She is by the Ramiro Z son R.John- son, out of a Dutch Harness Horse mare. “I got to ride her and


loved everything about her, and I just had to have her,” said Ortt, who is a commissioner on the Cecil County liquor board. “I have such a great support team. I live in Mary- land and keep Rita in Pennsylvania


about


half an hour away.” So how will she cele-


brate her win? “With food — and maybe a couple of cock-


tails,” she grinned.


Back With a Bang — After a 27-Year Break Laurie Saldana-Rich was


shocked to win the AA Third Level Freestyle title after a dres- sage showing break of 27 years during which she raised Thor- oughbred/Quarter Horses. Riding her horse of 18 months, the eight- year-old Straight Horse De Milla, the 55-year-old scored 70.244%. “I never even thought I’d


come to Finals,” said Indiana- based Saldana-Rich, who trains with Jennifer Conour — herself a winner here too. “I just hoped that I would show and do okay and not make a fool out of my- self. To get a first place — I never dreamed it. Cynthia Collins did my freestyle, but I can’t tell you what the music is because the mare picked it out. I rode outside yesterday so this [the Alltech


Martin Kuhn and Ronin claim the Open Prix St. Georges title with 75.784%. Photo by SusanJStickle.com


Arena] was way better. I just had to get over my nerves of going in there.”


De Milla came from Hel-


gstrand Dressage and is by De Niro out of the Blue Hors Zack mare Zackonik, who herself is at Grand Prix level under Chris Hickey. “Stella [De Milla] is a Fer-


rari,” added Saldana-Rich, who winters in Florida where she trains with George Williams. “She’s the perfect little red- headed amateur mare. She’s the exception to the rule. I know when I’m doing it right with her because I don’t have to do much, and she just takes me. It’s so ex- citing to be back showing again.” Another of Jennifer Co-


nour’s students was victorious in the AA First Level Freestyle. Linda Kimbell was so happy with Louis Vuitton MTA’s 72.211% win that she shed happy tears. “I’m shocked,” she said.


“You dream about this. This is my fifth trip to Finals. Louis came last year at Training Level and was 11th, so we hadn’t done


the lap of honor — and then he won. And then I cried.” Kimbell bought the Cana-


dian-bred six-year-old gelding by Totilas two years ago, and she keeps him at home in Indiana, where he lives out all day. Both best friends Saldana-Rich and Kimbell will head to Florida for the winter season, where they stay together and ride with George Williams. “My goal is to get Louis to


Grand Prix — I’ve never done it before, so I don’t know how lofty or realistic that is, but we’re both learning together,” added Kim- bell, who is a retired veterinarian but works remotely doing book- keeping and property manage- ment.


From Rodeo to Ribbons When Catherine Bowman


took a young Felix to his first show, they were kicked out “be- cause it was like a rodeo.” On Sunday, the seven-year-old geld- ing by Fashion Maker held it to-


Continued on Page 42.


Linda Kimbell and Louis Vuitton MTA will soon head to Florida — as the AA First Level Freestyle champions. Photo by SusanJStickle.com


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