The Flintridge Riding Club facility is a great place to hold a dressage show: the clubhouse and lawns add a touch of elegance, the footing is good, and the whole place feels intimate and peaceful giving the weekend of May 27-30 the perfect setting for Cornerstone’s Dressage at Flintridge.

Three show arenas in the lovely Flintridge venue give the show a boutique nature, yet nearly 200 horses compete.  Despite the show’s intimate feel, the high caliber of exhibitors makes the show feel big. Steffen Peters and Jan Ebeling are among the biggest names, with training level riders competing alongside high performance riders.

Young horses took center stage in the 2010 Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage Western Selection Finals for the FEI World Breeding Championships, and Flintridge is a perfect showcase. Elizabeth Ball went into the Finals leading the country with Selten HW (Cadence LLC, owner) and they continued their dominance with a combined score of 85.640%, over eight points above any other horse in the competition.

“I was very happy for sure,” said Ball of her score. “He’s learned so much lately, and he’s getting stronger.” She noted that Selten won the national championships in his fourth and fifth years, so if he wins this year it will be a triple crown of young horse championships. She said the big horse (about 17.2 hands) is a lot to ride but incredibly talented and honest. “He loves to show. He really lights up and shows off.”

In the past, Selten’s best scores have been on his trot and canter, and his walk was in the mid-sevens. However, at this show she was very pleased that he earned 8.9 on his walk, which is the hardest gait to improve, and 8.8 on his trot and canter.

“I think having this program gives us all goals to get the horses in training and make each year of competition,” she commented. “It helps to develop the horses for the future. John and Lisa Seger (Markel Insurance http://www.markelinsurance.com) are amazing and generous people to sponsor the program.”

Willy Arts is a big supporter of the USEF Young Horse Dressage Program, entering several horses every year. He feels it is very important to the sport and hopes to see more people participating each year. “It’s very important to have people who are able to start young horses and bring them along,” he explained. “Going through all the steps is good for the rider and the horse.” He also pointed out that with the national standings and standardized judging, riders are able to keep track of how well their horses are doing against others in the country. He added, “It’s not just about the winner. It’s about the development of the horse.” He will be taking horses to the national championships in Chicago later this year.

Arts showed two horses in the young horse classes at Flintridge. Amethyst (Joan Williams, owner) placed second in the five-year-old class with a 76%. “I was very happy with both his goes,” Arts commented. “It was a very confirmed test for a five-year-old. He’s a complete horse: he has three good gaits and a good desire to work. He always tries hard and isn’t tense.”

In the six-year-old class, Arts also finished second with 77.360% above Zalona DG (Sandy Harper, owner).  “It was a very reliable test. He had a consistent performance both days.” He added that the horse has excellent potential for FEI and is very willing to do his work.

Jan Ebeling is another big supporter of programs for up and coming horses. He and Rosenzauber 8 (Deborah Harlan, owner) won the USEF Qualifying Developing Horse Test with 70%, and was third in Saturday’s Open Prix St. George with 67.632%, only her second show at this level. “She’s a super talented horse with a lot of potential,” Ebeling said. The eight year old mare is by Rostspun. “The Young Horse Program is crucial for developing young horses. It gives you an incentive, and it makes the horse shows more interesting. It’s a good way to showcase a young horse’s potential, and it’s interesting to hear the judge’s comments after the ride. It’s educational for the spectators, as well.” 

On Saturday evening attendees were treated to the musical freestyle competition where Jan Ebeling was the big winner with Rafalca (Amy Ebeling, owner), scoring 71.917%. “It was good for her to hear the crowds,” Ebeling commented. “It’s not something you get very often. The atmosphere was really electric. It was good exposure.” As for Rafalca, he added, “When she was on, she was really on, and she just kept getting better. She scored eights on her piaffe, so that was really exciting.”

Ebeling continued racking up awards and honors with strong performances, such as in the Grand Prix Special with Sandrina (Ann Romney, owner).  “We wanted to get her in the ring one more time before Gladstone,” he explained. “She’s really talented and the judges like her.” In fact, the judge at this show liked her so much she awarded her a 68.333% and first place in the class.

Ebeling also had a great show with Widelo (Barbara McLean, owner), a nine-year-old gelding imported from Germany last year. Although he had a successful career in Europe, Widelo had not shown since arriving in the United States. The pair won all three of the large Open Prix St. George classes with scores of 65.263%, 68.158%, and 67.368%. Following the great mileage Ebeling is giving Widelo, McLean is looking forward to taking over the reins to show him herself.

Leslie Webb earned the Keen Trophy by posting the show’s highest scores (76.944%) with Harmony’s Armani (Harmony Sport Horses, owner) in First Level Test 2. The pair also earned
the Open Cornerstone/Markel High Point Series Champion and the Lower Level High Percentage Champion. Scoring eights on her leg yields and a nine on her lengthened trot were big factors in earning the highest score.

The five-year-old mare, purchased from DG Bar, has only been with Webb for six months.
“We’re really just getting to know her, and she’s a gem to be around,” stated Webb. “She has a very powerful high end, she’s expressive, and she’s soft in the bridle. We are going to stay at First Level for the rest of this year, and then we may work toward the six-year-old young horse classes next year. However, she is too good of a horse to push too hard.” Webb will practice patience as she develops the lovely mare.

Webb also showed Harmony’s Sandro in the grand prix classes and earned scores of 62.872% and 60.213%, placing third and fourth respectively. “He’s still pretty green at grand prix,” she explained, “but he’s starting to really sit and listen to the aids. I’m thrilled with him.”

Big scores can be hard to come by at the higher levels, but Marisa Festerling and her Big Tyme earned big enough scores to earn the FEI High Point and High Percentage awards. With a 69.298% in Prix St. Georges and 70.439% in Intermediaire, Festerling said, “I’m very pleased. He was very honest in the ring.” Steffen Peters was less than a point behind the pair with Pallas.

Festerling has been competing at qualifying shows for the USEF National Dressage Championships since February. She was 14th in the nation before Flintridge, and she attended this show in hopes of raising her average score, which she did. The Championships at Gladstone (NJ) are now on her summer schedule.

Many people would be intimidated by entering the same ring as Steffen Peters. However, Festerling handled it well. “He’s a great rider, but every day you just go out and do the best you can, whoever you are. There were a lot of good, clean rides. It was a great class,” she said of Sunday’s Intermediaire class.

Festerling has been working with Big Tyme since he was three and a half. “He’s a really good show partner. He is super to ride, and he is honest and light in the mouth.”

The judges recognized Brandi Roenick with the Mary Sedden trophy, awarded to the junior with the best seat and hands. Steffen Peters coaches Roenick aboard her mare, Pretty Lady. Five years ago she received the Dutch Warmblood (by Iglesias) for her birthday, and it was Roenick’s first horse. Together, they have won two gold medals at the Collecting Gaits Farm Festival of Champions.

Roenick caught the attention of the judges when she won both the NAJYRC/USEF Young Rider Individual Test (68.421%) and the NAJYRC/USEF Young Rider Team Test (67.5%). Those results yielded her the FEI Junior/Amateur High Percentage Championship as well.

“She’s a hot little thing to ride,” said Roenick of her horse, grinning from ear to ear at her accomplishments. “But she’s so easy going and giving. For this mare to come in and win like this really means a lot to me. She’s a little mare, but she has big movement.”

In addition to supporting young horses, the show also supported young riders. As part of the extensive hospitality, a silent auction helped raise funds for the riders eyeing the North American Junior and Young Rider Championships in Kentucky later this summer. (http://www.youngriders.org/) Some of the items offered included bridles, gift baskets and an evening with the Dodgers, and hopefully Roenick will be one of the riders heading to Kentucky to represent Region 7.

For complete results or more information on Cornerstone shows, visit the website at http://www.cornerstonedressage.com/show_results.asp.

Cornerstone heads off to Colorado this weekend for High Prairie Dressage I, II and III, then back to California July 16-18 for the Woodside Summer & Breed Show. August 26-29, look for the Cool August Nights Dressage & Breed show, which will feature the Markel/Cornerstone Championships.