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Dressage Preparation for Palgrave Yields Results

August 12, 2008

Palgrave, ON --- July 12th, 2008 was the third anniversary of the Eastern Zone Dressage classes. These classes, which are open to Canadian-bred horses, have been graciously held by Cornerstone Farms at their Summer Festival for each of the three years. During this three year period, the increasingly high standard of entrant preparation has been notable. The FEI tests for young horses which are used for the classes require a high standard, and the results for 2008 reflected this well.

The four-year-old field was led by a petite grey and piloted by her equally petite rider, Ascacia Griffiths to a very good score of 74. The Canadian Warmblood, by the Holsteiner stallion Lintas and out of Megan II, was bred by Jennifer Verhulst of Lakefield, Ontario.

Second in the class was Stiletto Dancer, who was ridden by Stephanie Jensen on behalf of the owner and breeder Linda Todd. The Canadian Warmblood mare is by Elute, the Hanoverian jumper who was successful under Canadian Team member Mac Cone, and out of a Thoroughbred mare.

The five-year-old class also saw the translation of strong jumping pedigrees into dressage success under international standards, with a winning score of 81.60. Oskar K, the Canadian Warmblood gelding by Popeye K and out of Nikita III, was presented by trainer Sue Ziereisen on behalf of owner Joanne Walker.

“Although he comes from jumper lines, his movement and conformation as a three-year old suggested he would be a good dressage candidate,” said Sue of Huntleigh Equestrian Centre near Ottawa. Commenting on his ongoing preparation for the dressage ring, she elaborated that, “He has been champion or reserve at every show he has been to. Our intention is to continue to develop him as a dressage horse as far as his potential allows”

Judges Joan McCarthy and Lorraine MacDonald made projections of Oskar’s future based on observations of his performance in the class with the comment that he had a, “good future as a dressage horse”.

Second in the five-year-old field was a young stallion by the name of VDL Windsor H. The Canadian Warmblood by the Dutch Warmblood Indoctro and out of Fanieta, an Ahorn mare, has been making his debut in the Canadian Jumper Development Series. Concerted preparation in a relatively short timeframe, by rider David Marcus, shed light on his potential to do well in an alternate discipline.

The classes for other disciplines under the Eastern Zone will be held in the coming weeks. The Hunter classes will be run at Halton Place’s Canadian Country Classic on Wednesday, August 27th, while the Jumper classes will be held at Tournament of Champions on Saturday, September 20th.

The Canadian Performance Futurity, which is open to registered and Canadian bred horses, is funded in part by the Canadian Breeders' Initiative Fund (CBIF). CBIF supports Canadian breeders of horses for the FEI disciplines, providing financial assistance to initiatives which profile multiple breed registries, with a preference to Canadian organizations. The CBIF is administered by Equine Canada and funded with charitable donations.

More on the Canadian Performance Futurity, including information for nominating horses, can be found at

www.CanadianPerformanceFuturity.com.

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