Italian Nausicaa Maroni rocked her way to triple victory aboard Rockabella at the 2013 CDI Arezzo in beautifuly Tuscany, Italy on 27 - 29 September 2013. Maroni dominated her home ground CDI and drew attention to her talented equine partner at this international event which co-incided with the Italian Dressage Championships at FEI level.
Maroni and her star mare took first place in the Prix St Georges, Intermediaire I and the Inter 1 Kur with 68.158%, 68.289% and 70.275% in Arezzo. "I am very happy with my participation in Arezzo and the Italian Championships," Nausicaa told Eurodressage. "I really wanted to round off my adventure with Rockabella in the small tour and I think I achieved my goal!"
Returning home with a three-day victory in the CDI and a double gold at the Italian Championships, Nausicaa feels that the feedback of these highly trained judges is very exciting. "Really, what more could I ask for?"
Certain that Rockabella was in great shape, Nausicaa believes her mare is becoming every more athletic with each passing day and she is very sure of the horse's potential. "I had just wonderful sensations in the arena during the recent competitions," she explained.
Rockabella is a 9-year old Hanoverian mare by Rosentau x Weltmeyer and, according to Nausicaa, she is a very sensitive mare with a great desire to do everything she can for her rider, especially in competition. "Sometimes she can be a bit too much but little by little you climb up to her level and I think this aspect of her character will help me a lot in the more challenging exercises.''
Nausicaa has had the mare since September 2010, first meeting her golden girl at the 2010 Equine Elite in The Netherlands. The pair each chose the other on the spot. "Plus, when I read that she was born the same day as my mom, I took it as a sign of destiny," Nausicaa confessed.
Nausicaa began her dressage career rather late at age 31 and after skipping the whole process of junior and Young Rider levels, the now 39-year old feels that in 8 years she has done pretty well to get to where she is. "To reach these levels I had to really train hard but if you really believe in something, you sure can give it a go," she said.
Together with her husband, Maroni runs a stable in the south of Milan and trains an average of around 18 to 20 horses. "We prefer to buy young horses and prepare them up to Grand Prix level. This is also because my husband, Roberto, who came from the Spanish school, is specialized in the piaffe-passage work,'' she stated.
Maroni started in dressage with Italian team trainer Laura Conz, who is responsible for establishing Nausicaa's knowledge of the basic pyramid of training. The Italian then spent a few months with French trainer Marc Boblet, before finding her current very well-known German trainer Ton de Ridder. "Now I am proud to be fitted with Ton de Ridder, who perfectly understood my mare and is driving us forward flawlessly.
This victory and this increase in my technical ability, is definitely due to him," she said.
Ready now to end the small tour and train for the Grand Prix, Nausicaa will practice on the Grand Prix schoolmaster she has at home and transfer her knowledge to Rockabella. "Together with my trainer, we will begin to deal with all the exercises and put them in sequence.
Some are already confirmed, others yet to be confirmed," she said. "For next year, we surely hope to produce more international young horses and together with Ton debut a Grand Prix Rockabella when the time is right."
by Sarah Warne for Eurodressage
Photos © Astrid Appels
Related Links
Scores: 2013 CDI Arezzo
Berni, Mauro, Citelli, Truppa Win 2013 Italian Dressage Championships