USEF Festival of Champions 2014 - Grand Prix

The top three of the Grand Prix (L to R): Jan Ebeling and Rafalca, Steffen Peters and Legolas, Tina Konyot and Calecto V

Steffen Peters & Legolas

There were no surprises when Steffen Peters and Legolas pulled off the first victory of the Festival of Champions big tour (75.160%). The contact with the bridle was much more consistent, though Legolas still bobs his head down towards his chest at times. The extended trots were nicely evenly matched in the striding in front and behind, but Legolas still needed more reach and suspension in them. The piaffe and passage is extremely light and springy, though some of that spring could push more forward than up in the passage. They were both quite regular. There was plenty of overtrack in the slightly slow extended walk. There were mistakes in the two tempis. In the canter half-passes, Legolas could step more under behind. The one tempis were clean, but get a bit flat footed instead of big round strides. The final line of piaffe and passage was effortless and light in front.

Jan Ebeling & Rafalca

Jan Ebeling & Rafalca

Second with a impressively well-ridden test was Jan Ebeling and Rafalca (73.320%). With finesse, Ebeling seemed to eke out every possible point—it was a delight to watch. Rafalca does not have a naturally big, elastic trot, but the half-passes had lovely swinging crossing. The piaffe-passage transitions were consistently very good. Ebeling had to work to maintain the elevation of the passage, and sometimes the power would be lost for a step. The piaffes were absolutely regular and in place and sitting. Another highlight was the fluid and uphill two tempis. Rafalca's balance in the canter zig-zag was excellent, though the canter got a bit flat. The pair's uphill canter pirouettes could have had a hair more jump to them. The engagement in the final passage was super.

Jan Ebeling & Rafalca with a very nice final centerline.

Tina Konyot & Calecto V

Tina Konyot and Calecto V narrowly pulled off third (72.620%). Though the basic trot tour was rather weak—the extended trots were limited and the half-passes had lots of crossing, but not enough power—the piaffe and passage were strong. Konyot kept Calecto's extremely bouncy and powerful passage nicely regular, though it would score even higher if he carried more of his weight behind in each step. The two tempis and extended canter were super. The zig-zag was uphill and powerful. Calecto lost some impulsion in the one tempis and became a little close behind in a few of them. The pirouettes were tiny and Konyot had Calecto sitting beautifully in them. The final piaffe-passage transitions were, unfortunately, not quite clean.

Adrienne Lyle & Wizard

Incredibly, there was a three way tie for fourth between Adrienne Lyle, Caroline Roffman, and surprise of the show Laura Graves (72.540%). Lyle's Wizard is in good form these days with a much smoother test—he has always been powerful and eye-catching. In the first halt, Wizard stood a bit out behind with a leg resting. The extended trots had lots of shoulder freedom and expression in front, though Wizard could reach more underneath himself behind. Lyle got Wizard very nicely compressed and uphill in the trot half-passes and he reaches well sideways in each stride. The collected walk was slightly irregular. The passage was powerful, but with slightly more elevation in the left front than the right. The two tempis were wonderfully uphill, though one was close behind. There was an error in the twos. The final line of piaffe and passage was impressively expressive.

Caroline Roffman & Her Highness O

As a newcomer to Grand Prix level, Her Highness O under Caroline Roffman still looks a bit over-
faced: though the movements are of quite good quality, they are executed with a lot of tension, including a frequently curled lip. The extended trots were very floaty, but needed more overtrack. In the half-passes, the trot got a bit quick, but Roffman rode them with excellent bend and crossing. While the passage had lots of elevation, the mare could engage her hind legs more underneath herself in it. She also occasionally becomes irregular, reaching forward with a front leg, rather than merely elevating her knees. The piaffes were sitting, springy, and regular. Roffman rode a bold and uphill extended canter. The one tempi changes could cover more ground. The first canter pirouette was uphill, the second less so, and both were active and small. The piaffe-passage transitions on the final centerline were very good.

Laura Graves & Verdades

Caroline Roffman & Her Highness O

Laura Graves and Verdades started their test had an excellent trot tour with high power extensions and lots of reach sideways in the half-passes. The first passage could have been a bit more elevated and collected, the second was better. The passage was very regular and the rhythm was uninterrupted into the powerful piaffe. The transition up to collected canter was super. The one tempis could have jumped a touch more uphill and forward. The canter rhythm of the pirouettes was excellent, though both the pirouettes and piaffe would have been even better with a bit more sit. The horse is a powerful and rangy mover, and Graves piloted him beautifully through the test with her soft and upright seat.

In seventh place was Lisa Wilcox and Denzello (72.220%). Wilcox rode a very polished Grand Prix, though the contact was a bit hard sometimes, causing Denzello's mouth to come open. The crossing in the trot half-passes was excellent, but became just barely irregular for a few steps. The extended trot was ground-covering with power from behind. Denzello sat superbly in the piaffes with plenty of expression. The very regular passage could travel a bit more forward. Denzello showed no two tempis (just a few random ones). The one tempis pushed off stiff hind legs. Their final centerline was very impressive.

Lisa Wilcox & Denzello

Shelly Francis and Doktor on their final centerline.

Shelly Francis & Doktor

Kathleen Raine & Breanna

Shelly Francis and Doktor pulled into eighth place (71.800%). Doktor is quite a small, compact horse and gets rather tense, but he is also quite a powerhouse. Francis rode him quite uphill, but requiring lots of little half-halts that weren't quite smooth and disrupted Doktor's rhythm at times. The extended walk needed to step more actively into the bridle. Doktor got so closed at the base in the second piaffe that it almost developed a backwards tendency. The passage was high-stepping, though Francis lost it a few strides before the transition to canter. They had a small error at the end of the two tempis. Overall, the canter work was good quality, though the collected canter in general could be a little rounder in its strides. The final piaffe and passage was top class, with Doktor regularly and willingly pushing off the ground.

Kathleen Raine had a very nice test with Breanna (71.460%). Raine rode the mare beautifully into the bridle. Breanna was consistently quiet in the mouth, and Raine kept her long neck sufficiently open at the throat-latch. The trot half-passes lost some of their push from behind. Breanna's regular passage had lots of engagement behind, though it could have had a bit more elevation in front. The extended walk did not reach quite enough under behind. In the zig-zag, the canter half-passes traveled well across the centerline. The first canter pirouette was a little fixed behind and Breanna broke from the canter for a stride in the second.

The highlight of Arlene Page and Alina's test (70.920%) was definitely the passage, regular with beautifully lifted knees. The crossing in the half-passes was superior, but it came at the expense of some of the trot's suspension. Alina takes lovely long strides in the extended trot. The transitions out of piaffe were weak. The ones were uphill with nice shoulder freedom. Alina's canter pirouettes were sitting, but lost some jump at the end. A similar issue plagued the last piaffe, which was sitting and diagonal, but a bit earthbound.

Katherine Bateson-Chandler and Wellnetta give a nice impression of quality, but their test had too many errors for the pair to score higher (69.820%). The trot half-passes were nicely swinging. The first passage needed a slightly more collected elevation. Wellnetta's piaffe was regular, but crept forward slightly. The mare tripped into the collected canter. The pair had an error at the end of her round two tempis. Bateson-Chandler kept Wellnetta consistently uphill in the canter zig-zag. The one tempis were big, but the mare swung her croup slightly. At times, the mare climbed a bit in the bridle, pushing out her under neck, though she never became truly braced or hard in the mouth.

Sharon McCusker's mount Wrigley is a lively mover, but needs to develop a little more power (68.940%). The extended trots had a lovely open frame and plenty of overtrack and reach in front. Wrigley was a little resistant in his movement sideways for the trot half-passes. The extended walk was active and long-strided. The

Sharon McCusker & Wrigley

regular second piaffe drifted to the right and lost a little energy before the transition out, making the transition less clean. The tempis were very good, with Wrigley stepping way underneath himself. The zig-zag was laboured. The canter pirouettes were small, but not wholly balanced in turning.

Cesar Parra & Van the Man

Charlotte Jorst & Nintendo

Cesar Parra's Van the Man is a powerful horse, but Parra seemed not yet to have figured out how to focus his ability (68.360%). The horse got quite sticky in the trot half-passes. The extended walk was restricted in the back, limiting the overtrack. The piaffe had nice sit, regularity and spring. In the canter zig-zag, Van the Man became a bit short in the neck—creeping above the bit—and a bit low in the shoulder. The horse fell into cross-canter in the pirouette left. The final piaffe was super in place, but again the horse was coming slightly above the bit.

Charlotte Jorst had her hands full with a rather jazzed up Nintendo (67.780%), who had a tendency to get rather short and high in his neck and off the contact. The trot work was a little hurried. The extended trot was noticeably tense, lacking the required stretch. The piaffe and passage were regular with easy transitions between them, though Nintendo should come more under behind. A few passage strides before the canter lost a bit of elevation. There were a couple of errors behind in the one tempis.

Michael Barisone & Ellegria

Michael Barisone was the only rider with two horses in the Grand Prix: Ellegria (67.540%) and HF Victor (66.700%). Barisone's riding was quite nice, but both horses are rather small, light chestnuts without the natural presence that makes for an international quality horse. Ellegria was quite hard in her mouth, which was frequently open. The trot half-passes got a bit quick, but had nice shoulder freedom. The extended walk had nice overtrack, but the mare got a bit deep in the bridle. The passage did not have the best elevation and got quite flat before the canter transition. The tempis were decently expressive. Ellegria stepped under well in the canter zig-zag, but should have been a bit more uphill. The final piaffe was correctly in place and quite light in front, though Barisone had to work quite hard to keep it going.

Like Ellegria, HF Victor could have been more consistently up and closed in his frame. HF Victor was a little resistant to the bend and sideways movement during the trot half-passes. The horse has a nice tendency to sit in the piaffe, though he could not consistently carry his weight. The transition up to canter was not quite clean. The extended canter was safe, the ones rather straight-legged. Barisone rode nicely round and uphill canter pirouettes.






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USEF Festival of Champions 2014 - Prix St. Georges

            In the first class of the USEF Festival of Champions, Steffen Peters won the Prix St. George with Rosamunde on 75.974%. She is a fluid and light-footed mover with plenty of power. Peters rides her very nicely into a soft consistent contact. The trot work was very good with lots of suspension, though the young mare is still a touch slow in her rhythm. The walk pirouettes leaned a little to the inside. In the canter half-passes, Rosamunde was stepping well underneath herself and pushing strongly sideways. The left canter half-pirouette was more uphill than the right, though the one to the right was more balanced as it turned. In the tempis, the changes to the left were a hair restricted, but both were big and beautiful. This is a lovely mare for the future.

            Steffen also finished second on his student Brandi Roenick’s mare Apassionata with 72.921%. Peters also keeps a soft contact with this mare, but it is less consistent, with the reins sometimes getting a bit of a loop in them. In trot, Apassionata’s gait sometimes gets a bit mechanical and she flicks her toes in front. This tendency went away in the trot half-passes, though she was almost out behind. The shoulder-ins flowed nicely. The canter pirouettes were tiny and active, but could become more uphill. In general, the mare could be more consistently up in the shoulder.

   Third was Olivia Lagoy-Weltz on Rassing’s Lonoir, a bay with lots of presence in the arena (72.211%). The horse has a lovely uphill frame without getting tight in the bridle, though there were a few moments where he tilted his head a little in the bend. In the lovely half-passes the trot almost got too passage-y. Lagoy-Weltz’s kept the canter pirouettes small and balanced. The tempis could have jumped more forward, but Rassing’s Lonoir had excellent uphill spring.

            Fourth went to Elizabeth Ball on Avanti (70.947%). Ball rode her test really boldly, though at times this resulted to a number of small losses of balance. The first big extended trot was a tiny bit unsteady in the contact. Ball rode the voltes very nicely, maintaining the energy of Avanti’s trot without any loss of balance. The canter half-pirouettes were a bit big—a smart move to keep the energy of the canter—and the single flying changes after had lots of expression.

            Kimberly Herslow and Rosmarin finished in fifth (70.816%). Herslow and Rosmarin make a lovely harmonious picture, but with the jump to the big tour in their future, they need to start showing a little more dynamism in their tests. After their initial halt, Rosmarin was pulling down a bit in the bridle, but Herslow lifted him up for an excellent trot extension with lots of shoulder-freedom and overtrack. The trot became a little slow in the lateral work and the gelding dove down a little in the voltes. The canter pirouettes were tiny and Rosmarin could really sit, but they needed a bit more jump. Though there was an error at the end of the extended canter, it was uphill and impressive.

Kasey Perry & Goerklintgaards Dublet (70.605%)

This horse has a super active hindleg, with no changes in rhythm or uphill tendency in at any point in the trot work. The walk pirouettes were unbalanced. While the canter half-passes got a bit out behind, the second pirouette developed too much sit, and the horse broke coming out of it. The flying changes had lots of expression.

Dawn White-O’Connor & Aristo (69.895)

White-O’Connor has a lovely seat and rode a high-energy test, though Aristo tended to be a bit off the bridle—the contact was a bit too light. The shoulder-in had good swinging crossing. Aristo drove forward powerfully in the extended trot, but should have been a little more elevated in front. The walk pirouettes were big. The tempi changes were huge and effortless.

Heather Mason & Zar (69.289)

After collapsing into the first halt, Mason put together a nice energetic and powerful test. The extended trot was ground-covering, though it could have been a bit more up in the shoulder, a recurring minor issue. Zar also had a tendency to push his under-neck out just a hair. The lateral work in trot was super fluid. The canter pirouettes were small, though Zar could have been a bit quicker behind.

Melissa Jackson & Whirlpool (69.263)

Jackson rode Whirlpool in a slightly too open and low a frame, with the horse sometimes pulling down in the bridle. The trot work was absolutely rhythmical throughout. The extended trot reached forward well in front, but could have had a hair more overtrack. The collected walk was a little sleepy. It was a shame that Jackson had a small error at the beginning of the three-tempis, since the rest of the changes were consistently ground-covering.

Nick Wagman & Zenith (68.579)

Though there were a few irregular steps in the first extended trot, and Zenith had a bit of an inclination to pull down in the bridle, the horse’s strides had lots of power and shoulder-freedom. Zenith steps under very well behind in the trot work. There was a stride in the canter pirouette left where the horse changed behind. The work overall was of quite high quality, but the picture would have been slightly nicer if Wagman had appeared to be working a little less hard.

 

Christopher Hickey & Ronaldo (68.263)

Ronaldo had a number of small irregularities in the trot work as Hickey half-halted to maintain the elevation in the horse’s gaits. Ronaldo tripped in the first extended trot, taking several strides to regain his balance. The trot half-passes had lovely bend and crossing. The extended walk needed more overtrack. The change between canter half-passes was late behind. Ronaldo lost the canter in the half-pirouette left. The final extended canter was really bold and uphill. Though Ronaldo moved nicely forward and fluidly, there were too many mistakes for a top score.

Alix Szepesi & Majco Thunders Hattrick (67.895)

This Knabstrupper is not the most powerful mover, but Szepesi has trained him in such a nice classical way that he scores well and is a delight to watch. The extended trot needed more drive from behind. The voltes were well balanced, without the haunches swinging wide. The walk pirouettes were small and active, though the one to the right got a bit heavy in front. There was only one error in the test: a step of cross canter at the end of the pirouette right.

 

Jackie Ahl-Eckhaus & Wisdom MVS (67.289)

Wisdom moves a little heavy on his feet and not super uphill, giving Ahl-Eckhaus a bit of a challenge keeping consistent suspension in his gaits, but she did a nice job producing power. The horse pulled down a bit in the bridle in the canter half-pass. The canter half-pirouettes were small with the horse carrying himself nicely on his haunches. In the tempis, Wisdom could have pushed more a little more forward in each stride.

Charlotte Jorst & Vitalis (67.263)

Vitalis stands out with his huge gaits—no surprise. He moves very well underneath himself allowing him to move with elevation and shoulder freedom, but he was just too tense and tight in work to get a top score. The trot work was pretty impressive, but Vitalis was not using himself to his full potential in the canter. There were errors in the flying changes between canter half-passes and after the first canter pirouette. In the pirouettes, the young stallion got a bit deep in the bridle. There was an error in the four-tempis, and the tempis overall got a bit stuck and croup-high.

 

Angela Jackson & Allure S (66.763)

Jackson rode Allure nicely in the bridle, but though the work was correct all the way through, it was a bit flat. Jackson needed quite a bit more drive from behind in the extended trots.  The horse got a little close behind in canter for a few changes and at the end of the pirouette right. The half-pirouettes were a little big, but kept an active canter.

Sara Spofford-Bilinski & Lagrima (66.579)

Spofford-Bilinski rode a pleasant mistake-free test. Lagrima became a bit downhill in the voltes, but came up nicely and shortened in the frame for the trot-half-passes. In collected walk, the horse was a bit too open in the frame. The canter half-passes had nice bend and decent crossing, the tempis were nicely forward, but in general the canter was bit flat.

Justin Hardin & Wyatt Star (66.447)

The trot work of this combination was quite nice, but the walk and canter were weaker today. The shoulder-ins has nice flow, but Wyatt Star became a bit croup-high and tight behind the saddle in the half-passes. The gelding pulled out of the walk pirouettes. The canter rhythm was frequently not pure, getting quite heavy on the leading foreleg. There was plenty of uphill reach in the tempis, but unfortunately there was a mistake in the threes.

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U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions 2013 - Grand Prix Freestyle

Well, to no one's surprise, Steffen Peters and Legolas were this year's Grand Prix Champions. After a Special that was not their strongest, they pulled off an excellent freestyle with plenty of harmony and expression. The second and third place riders, Guenter Seidel and Kathleen Raine, showed huge improvement on their powerful horses. Also: way to go California dressage for claiming the top three places!


Steffen Peters & Legolas: 79.450%

• Peters's entrance passage and piaffe were nicely controlled and steady, and of course showed Legolas's amazing springiness. Transitioning to canter, the two tempis were straight and looked quite relaxed and ground-covering. The first pirouette was small, but could have taken more weight behind. There was a hitch at the beginning of the ones but the changes themselves were clean, if short in the stride. Peters's classic transition from canter pirouette to piaffe to extended walk was absolutely seamless, showing a horse that was relaxed and absolutely on the aids. The trot work showed nice long strides but could have had a bit more elasticity. The final piaffe pirouettes were excellent for Legolas because they forced him to put some of his energy onto his hind legs in the piaffe, lifting his whole frame. 

Guenter Seidel & Wylea: 76.450%

• The piaffe and passage that Seidel showed at the beginning of his test was rhythmic as a metronome. Throughout the test, the piaffe traveled forward quite a bit, but by doing so, Wylea was able to maintain energy and a clear rhythm. Wylea had super shoulder freedom and lengthening of strides in her extended trot, as well as a nice open frame.  The trot half passes had very good crossing, but looked a little stuck. The beat and cadence of the canter pirouettes was super, with little change from Wylea's collected canter. The one-tempis were nicely uphill. Seidel had a minor counting error in the twos. The final centerline of piaffe and passage was absolutely regular and beautifully expressive. Overall, the mare looked more relaxed in her mouth and eye today. Axel Steiner remarked that it was the best he had seen the horse go, and I whole-heartedly agree.

Shelly Francis & Doktor: 72.225%

• Francis started off with a superb piaffe that had very good sit and rhythm, as well as a nice degree of suspension. She then began her canter work with some one-tempis, but missed a few changes. Doktor got bit tense in the first pirouette, though it was still small and uphill. He took plenty of strides as he turned, but his steps were a little hurried. The extended walk had nice over-track and showed Doktor at his most relaxed. In his trot half-passes, the gelding steped very well up and sideways. The passage was very energetic but could come just bit more under behind. The last line of piaffe and passage was the most engaged, making for a good finish.

Cesar Parra & Van the Man: 70.725%

• After running home from a late meeting, I arrived in time to catch the second half of Parra's ride (he was first in the order of go). Van the Man struggled to keep a clear canter in his pirouette left, getting close and then changing behind, as well as propping up in front. The pirouette right was quite uphill and decently small. The one tempis were ridden on circle but lost a great deal of quality. The final piaffe had clear diagonal steps but the rhythm became rather slow, while the passage had a good deal of power.

Kathleen Raine & Breanna: 70.225%

• Raine began on one tempi changes that were of good quality and to the music, but unfortunately not all of them went through. Her two tempi changes were superb, with nice big uphill strides that were relaxed in the body. In her canter pirouettes, Breanna wanted to swing her haunches out. The extended canter could have shown longer strides. The well-engaged passage hit the beat of Raine's music exactly. The piaffe showed no change of rhythm from the passage, though it could have come under more behind. There were a few bobbles in the passage when an eager Breanna got over engaged behind. The rhythm of the Michael Jackson music for the trot was usually just a hair too slow for Breanna's steps. The trot work traveled powerfully from behind, though there were some moments of hesitancy's or resistance in the transitions between movements. The trot half-pass left showed incredible crossing. 

James Koford & Rhett: 69.675%

• Koford entered and struck off into his canter half-passes immediately after his halt. After a single pirouette with quite nice sit, Koford transitioned down to trot. In his extensions, Rhett was a little downhill. The horse tripped at the beginning of the first passage, but the rest was a real highlight with super suspension and elevation of the horses limbs. The one tempi changes were enormous, springing way off the ground, though the horse became touch croup high.  Rhett showed a superb rhythm in the walk work. At the end of his test, Koford rode a double canter pirouette to piaffe, resulting in the best piaffe of the test.  Koford rode lots of transitions between trot and canter work with out there being harsh changes in the music, which made for an interesting program (interesting in a mostly good way!).

Brian Hafner & Lombardo: 67.200%

• Lombardo showed some tension in a half-rear before entering the arena, and it appeared again in the first piaffe. The passage had good suspension. Hafner's half-passes had very nice crossing and lateral reach. The extended trots were ground covering with open strides and good over-track. The second piaffe showed no resistance, though it wasn't very active. The collected walk was very tense and the extended walk lacked over-track.  The horse reared again in the transition out of walk. The tempi changes were uphill and correct though not terribly dynamic. The collection in the canter pirouettes was very good with the horse keeping nicely active and uphill.  The resistances were quite a shame as the picture in the movements was really very good. 

Sharon McCusker & Wrigley: 63.050%

• Beginning with his piaffe and passage, McCusker's horse was expressive in the movements but lost all a lot of energy in his transition out of piaffe. This issue appeared not just on the first line, but throughout the test. The first canter pirouette got stuck and unbalanced. It was followed by uphill, lively one tempis. The twos were peppered with lots of ones. The extended walk had nice over track but the collected walk had a break and some tension. Wrigley's trot half-passes needed more crossing. The horse's quality in each movement is very good but there were two significant to the test: the music was not really expressive enough for a freestyle, and McCusker's aides were often more visible than one would ideally want. 

  

U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions 2013 - Grand Prix Special

For some reason, the evening Grand Prix Special seemed to be sprinkled with unsteadiness, with some of the strongest combinations uncharacteristically showing either mistakes or an air of cautiousness. I thought the most confident ride of the evening came from Shelly Francis on the compact Doktor. Kathleen Raine and Breanna even looked like they might have had the potential to win until the mare's enormous spook. In the end Peters won the class through his ability to judge when to be tactful and when to push, getting the most out of Legolas on a seemingly not-so-good day for the gelding (although Peters is quoted in the USEF press release as being quite happy with how the horse went).


Steffen Peters & Legolas: 74.771%

• Legolas took really nice long strides in his extended trots though he didn't have the power that some of the other horses did. The first passage showed lots of bounce behind, but the bounce led the passage to become croup-high, rather than producing lift and shoulder freedom. The half-passes had supple crossing. The transition from collected walk to piaffe was completely clean and relaxed, and the piaffe was in place with good diagonal rhythm and spring. The passage in and out of piaffe was the best that the combination showed. Peters went off course in the same way Dujardin and Cornelissen did at the European Championships. It was to his benefit, however, since the two tempi changes were much better in the second line, with much more ground-cover.  The ones were very stuck and the horse jumped particularly close behind in the change to the right. They were generously scored. Both pirouettes showed balanced turning and a clean canter, but needed to come up quite a bit more in front. Legolas was quite off the contact today, and not quite secure in the movements.

Guenter Seidel & Wylea: 71.917%

• Despite Seidel's very soft hands, Wylea looked quite busy in her mouth throughout in her test. Like Peters, Seidel could not really push his horse into the bit, and in Wylea's case, this led her to become a bit low in the frame at times. The trot half passes had nice bend and positioning but needed a bit more power sideways. The extended trots had powerfully reaching strides and lots of shoulder freedom, but didn't all quite settle into a rhythm. The passage was consistently springy and even. Wylea's extended walk was very nicely relaxed in the back. The first two piaffes were active, but pulled down slightly and crept forward. The transitions in and out of piaffe were all clean. The flying change at the end of that canter half-passes was quite short. Wylea stepped up and under very well in her two tempi changes—a highlight in the test—but the strides got a bit short behind in the fifteen ones. The nine one tempos between the pirouettes matched the quality of the twos, and Seidel rode the pirouette right uphill and in excellent balance. The last piaffe traveled forward a bit but was absolutely regular, with nice elevation. 

Kathleen Raine & Breanna: 70.771%

• Raine's half-passes showed nice power sideways though Breanna made the crossing look a bit difficult. The transition to the first passage was a bit unsteady, but the passage itself had lots of spring and the mare stepped under well. Breanna's walk showed nice big strides but her natural rhythm is not the clearest. Raine transitioned to piaffe very early. The piaffes had nice clear diagonal steps and good activity, but Brianna could have sat better and was bobbing her head slightly. Brianna gave a major spook early in the canter work, with some leaping and little rears. The canter at half-passes were very well balanced with good bend. The one tempi changes were uphill with lots of jump. Both pirouettes lost at degree of self carriage in the last stride. The final line was powerful and clean. 

Shelly Francis & Doktor: 69.979%

• Francis and Doktor make a great combination, and she rides a lot out of him in a very pleasant way. In the trot work, Doktor was rather restricted in his back and did not quite show the suppleness to really push forward in the extended trot or to reach sideways in the half passes. The passage had excellent rhythm and elevation. The transition from collected walk to piaffe was a little unsteady and the piaffe never quite settled. Doktor's natural frame in the piaffe is very good, with sitting and elevation, but tension prevents him from finding a steady rhythm. The canter half-passes were nicely uphill. Francis's one tempis were straight and springy though they could have covered more ground. The pirouettes were small and uphill but Doktor tended to jump together a little behind. The last extended trot showed nice power. The pair's final line showed their nice passage, but was slightly lacking in energy. 

Cesar Parra & Van the Man: 67.979%

• Today, Parra was having some trouble with Van the Man's steadiness, with the horse often coming behind the bit. The first extended trot showed nice elevation, and both carrying and pushing powerfully from behind.  The half-pass left was unsteady in the bridle and not totally willing sideways. Van the Man frequently got a bit short in the neck in passage, losing forward impulsion, though the elevation is good. The extended walk was not straight, so the horse lost some of his forward energy into the bit. The piaffes had nice lift in the forelegs and diagonal activity. The horse's haunches lagged significantly in the canter half passes. While the horse could step under more behind in the tempi changes, they are nicely uphill and cover ground well. Van the Man changed behind in the pirouette right. 

James Koford & Rhett: 66.667%

• I discovered last night that Rhett has the same sire as one of the horses I am riding at the moment, but the only things they have in common are that they are both bay and have a tendency to get croup-high in the canter—their ways of going are totally different! In the trot, Rhett struggled to bring his hind legs really underneath himself to carry his movement. In extended trot, he powers himself forward, but needs to show more lift in front. The half-past right had better swing sideways than the one to the left. The passage had nice supple suspension. The extended walk had lovely relaxation and over-track. The piaffes were a bit hesitant and crept forward quite a bit.  Rhett's huge two-tempi changes had lots of unfortunate mistakes. The ones were also enormous but could have come up quite a bit in front. The final line had lots of energy and smooth transitions in and out of piaffe.

Sharon Mccusker & Wrigley: 66.562%

• Wrigley is a nice moving horse, but seemed a bit difficult to ride to his full potential. McCusker had to give some quite strong half-halts to her horse, who had some tendency to pull down and get tight in the jaw. In the half passes, Wrigley seemed quite resistant in his movement sideways. The first extended trot out of passage started very early. The second trot half-pass showed better reach sideways. Wrigley had lots of spring and knee-action in his passage, but needed to take a little more of his weight behind to lift in front. The extended walk was relaxed and ground covering. There was some resistance to the bridle in the collected walk, leading to a bit of rear in the first piaffe. McCusker had to work very hard to get the activity in the passage and piaffe, though they were among the strongest elements of the test. The last piaffe was quite in place with  particularly good elevation and rhythm.

Brian Hafner & Lombardo: 66.167%

• Lombardo is a horse of high quality and as Hafner continues to polish the Grand Prix work, I can see this horse becoming quite impressive. Lombardo had really nice even reach in front and behind in his extended trots, and when they showed a little more pushing power from behind they were top class. The trot half-passes were a little flat. The horse stepped under well and showed nice knee action in passage. The extended walk was short and tense with no over-track. The first piaffe the impression of having a bit of backward tendency, and the horse reared in the second.  The tempis were clean and ground covering but rather flat. The extended canter was uphill and showed a lot of risk. Neither line of ones was quite straight. The canter rhythm in the pirouettes was super and they were very balanced, though they could come up more in front. The last piaffe was secure.