Granted access to the heart of global dressage ten US horse-and-rider combinations were chosen for funding that would enable them compete in CDI shows throughout Europe in preparation for the 2014 World Equestrian Games.
Criteria for the grants, according to Kathleen Raine, one of the chosen ten, were based on competition results. As a representative of dressage USA, Kathleen feels very lucky to have the support of her federation. "USEF and the USET foundation have offered me one of these positions to train and compete in Europe and I'm taking Breanna, my 13 year-old Hanoverian mare that we bought as a 4 year old," Raine told Eurodressage.
Showing the horse in Grand Prix for a few years now, Kathleen received her first grant 2 years ago and will be returning to train again at the same centre she chose in 2011.
"I will again be going to Johann Hinnemann. Last time I went there with Breanna and it was a great experience for both my horse and I."
Visiting Johann since 1993, Kathleen loves his training and his intuition on how to work with different types of horses. "I'm planning on going for 6 weeks and I hope to include 3 shows in my schedule. My goal is to get consistency. I think this is a great opportunity to prepare for future international competitions."
Also very honored to have been selected to show in Europe, David Blake received the grant as a developing rider for the US and is so grateful to the High Performance committee for giving him this chance. "It will allow me to gain the experience I so desperately need for the future," said Blame. "My hope is to represent the US well in the European CDI's, gain the knowledge to compete abroad and develop the necessary skills to represent the US as a high performance rider."
Making the journey with Ikaros, a 13 year-old Danish gelding owned by Melanie Pai, he is a horse with a natural talent for passage, a talent that helps him maintain his hind leg during the very difficult trot tour in the Special. "My trainers (Guenter Siedel and Steffen Peters) have always warned me not to do too much passage in the warm-up before the Special. They both feel it takes a lot of energy out of the horse leaving very little for the end of the test. These little insights I've been fortunate enough to receive are an integral part of my success with Ikaros," Blake explained.
Set to compete in two shows in Germany, the first will be Lingen and the second Perl. "Lastly we will be traveling to England to compete at Hickstead in the Nation’s Cup," he added.
Excited about his European adventure, David's trainer and fellow grantee, Guenter Seidel, has been gracious enough to allow David tag along with him to Europe and the pair will stable together at Klaus Balkenhol's.
"Stabling at Klaus Balkenhol's barn is a dream come true for me. I am going to be getting my eyes on the ground from Guenter and he will also be showing me the ropes of showing in Europe. I am also looking forward to working with Robert Dover in Perl. He offers to help me in Perl since Guenter will be competing in a different competition. I have to say getting help from both of these high level trainers that I have admired for years is pretty amazing to me."
If he is able to return home knowing that he had respectable rides in the European CDI's, David feels he would be greatly satisfied. He knows that if these dressage greats are willing to share what they know with him, he is definitely willing to listen.
Joining David on his adventure, Guenter Siedel said the dressage committee chose the combinations by looking mainly at the past show results and the pairs' overall ability to perform. "I have done 3 CDI's here in CA and I was quite happy with my horse Coral Reef Wylea and our results. I applied for the grant because this is a new horse for me and I need to get to know her more in the show ring. Our CDI's here in California are almost over and I think it is a good opportunity to expose her to some European CDI's," said Guenter.
Undecided as to exactly what shows he wants to attend, or what shows will be made available to the grant nominees, Guenter and his 13 year-old Westfalian mare won't have much trouble fitting in to Guenter's home away from home as she was purchased from Balkenhol. "When I'm in Europe I will be training and stabling with Klaus Balkenhol, as I have for the past 15 years. I will most likely stay for about 5 weeks and hope to get some valuable training and showing accomplished in that time," he said.
Originally scheduled to head to Europe in May, Adrienne Lyle had to postpone her trip as her 14 year-old Oldenburg gelding Wizard got a bone bruise in his foot and was forced to take time off. "So we went back to the drawing board and came up with a "Plan B". I wanted to make sure we gave Wizard ample time to make a full recovery and have plenty of time to build back his fitness before going in the show ring again," Lyle stated. "We would have been right on the edge if we had tried to have him ready for the summer competitions in Europe, so we made the decision to hold off and take a more conservative route.”
Now planning on doing a German tour in November and December, Adrienne will hit 3 CDI competitions over 7 weeks and will also be training with Klaus Baleknhol. "I had the chance to take Wizard to Germany in 2010 and it was an incredible experience and we both learned so much. Now, three years later, we have a lot more experience under our belt and I am exited to get back in that environment again!"
Certain that the chance to compete in Europe, against the top riders in the world, is imperative if you want to stay at the top of your game, Adrienne believes it is too easy for riders in the US to stay in their comfort zone. "It’s a big wake up call to see up-close and personal what the top horses and riders in the world really look like," she explained. "A big benefit of being over there, for me, is to be able to sit ring side and watch the top riders warm up and observe their training techniques. I always learn so much by just sitting and observing."
With the updated timing of her German trip, Adrienne is now hoping to go directly from Germany to Florida for their show season and carry the momentum of her European tour into the spring show season.
"This will be really nice because being from Idaho, I usually have several months of no showing and then go right into the big competition season. Hopefully, this time we will come into next show season feeling more prepared and ready to go," she said.
by Sarah Warne for Eurodressage
Photos © Sheryl Ross - Lindsay McCall - Astrid Appels
Related Links
Ten U.S. Elite Grand Prix Riders Receive Training Grants to Compete in Europe
American Combinations Selected to Compete at 2013 CDIO Aachen