The flashy Friesian Eeltsje F turns heads everywhere he goes, and he stole the spotlight today at the Colorado Horse Park's Dressage in the Rockies I. Nicole Glusenkamp rode him to a score of 66.9 percent to secure the win in the Grand Prix Open. According to Glusenkamp, the 13-year-old stallion, who is owned by Paula Marsh of Wyning Edge Friesians in Boerne, TX, loves showing off for the crowd. “He likes to compete, and he likes people – the more people are standing around, the more special he feels,” she laughed. Glusenkamp has had the ride on Eeltsje F since he was 4 and has brought him up through the levels. He achieved top 10 finishes as a 5- and 6-year-old at the Markel/USDF Young Horse Championships and was 10th as a 7-year-old at the Developing Horse Championships. This is his second year competing in the Grand Prix. Glusenkamp said she appreciates the stallion’s levelheadedness, which makes him easy to handle and compete. “He is very uncomplicated in everything,” she noted. “He breeds and he has babies on the ground, but he acts more like a gelding than any gelding we have. I can ship him with mares, I trail ride him with mares, and I have little children sit on him. I’ve had mares trying to get to him, and he won’t do anything. He won’t scream; he won’t do anything. Sometimes I’m not sure if he is still a stallion or not!” “This is one of the highlights of him for sure,” she added. “I can trust that horse with all I have and never worry with him. I don’t care about the weather. We can have the world come to an end and he will still do it.” Glusenkamp lives in Elizabeth, CO, and trains and rides with Sharon and Grant Schneidman. She is a big fan of the Colorado Horse Park, where she boarded for a while after coming to the United States from her native Germany in 2000. “The Horse Park has always been super good to us,” she said. “I love the improvements they’ve made. The footing is awesome. Every year there’s something that makes competing easier and better for us. It’s a good facility – you bring your horse into a safe environment. The stables are safe. The ground is safe. And the staff have always been so helpful.” Dressage in the Rockies is organized by the Colorado Horse Park and managed by Glenda McElroy of Cornerstone Event Management. Taking second in the Grand Prix Open was Allen Swafford on Romantic, a 16-year-old Oldenburg gelding. The pair earned a score of 65.9 percent, and Swafford was happy with how well Romantic has been performing at the Grand Prix level. Lisa Darling, a client of Swafford’s, partnered with him to purchase the horse in September 2013. This is Swafford’s third time competing Romantic in the Grand Prix. “We’re very excited about him,” Swafford said. “He teaches me a lot, and we’re a good partnership, I hope. He’s really fun. His one-tempis were great today, but we added two at the end, so we had 17. But the rest of the work felt really nice.” Swafford’s goal is to qualify Romantic for the U.S. Dressage Finals in Lexington, KY. Prix St. Georges Open Swafford also has high hopes for another of his mounts who performed well today: BiCampeao HM, who scored 68.684 percent to win the Prix St. Georges Open. The Lusitano gelding owned by Carolyn Feakes will turn 9 this fall. Like Romantic, BiCampeao HM is showing at this level for just the third time, but he proved he can be quite competitive. “He’s really fun,” Swafford said. “He’s learning a lot. He’s more than enthusiastic but has that nice quiet demeanor, and he’s very soft.” Swafford traveled to Dressage in the Rockies from his home base in Santa Fe, NM, and he is coaching seven of his clients at the show. He said he enjoys making the trip to compete at the Colorado Horse Park because he feels it is a great venue, and he appreciated the opportunity to get the horses comfortable with the facility before the Great American/USDF Region 5 Dressage Championships in September. “We love the footing – they have great footing,” he said. “Colorado’s always so welcoming and so nice to us when we come. Our goal here is to gain confidence since our championships are here. The horses are getting used to the golf carts and the tractors, all those little distractions, since it’s more indoors where we’re from.” Prix St. Georges Amateur/Junior/Young Rider Christine DeHerrera’s persistence is paying off with Festivo, whom she rode to victory in the Amateur/Junior/Young Rider division of the Prix St. Georges. The pair earned a score of 64.079 percent to come out on top of the class. “The highlight today for me was how relaxed he was and how much he was listening to me,” DeHerrera said. “I had a lot of fun in the extended trot. It felt like we were both really together. I was smiling to myself while I was riding.” DeHerrera, who has owned the 13-year-old Westphalian gelding since he was 5, said he was “super athletic” and a bit of a challenge as a youngster. She credited her trainers with giving her and Festivo the support they needed to excel. “My horse got to this level with Kathleen Raine and David Wightman,” she explained. “My friend Anna Wood works for them, and she’s the one that did all the riding and training of him in the last year, making him into such a fun horse to show.” DeHerrera, an amateur rider, lives in Parker, CO, and trains locally with Shannon Dahmer, a student of Raine’s. She keeps busy when she’s not riding by raising her two children and writing women’s fiction novels. “Between the horse and my kids and writing, it’s super busy and crazy,” she admitted. “But I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to do all of those things.” She competed at High Prairie Dressage at the end of May and is happy to be back at the Colorado Horse Park for Dressage in the Rockies. “I love showing at the Colorado Horse Park,” DeHerrera said. “Hopefully we’ll come back and do the [GAIG/USDF Region 5 Championships] in September. It’s just a great facility. It literally rained for days and we were able to show today.” Dressage in the Rockies I wrapped up with a chance for exhibitors to kick back and relax at a party sponsored by Markel Insurance. Competition continues at the Colorado Horse Park with Dressage at the Rockies II and III on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday’s offerings include a full slate of performance classes, the $250 Add Back Rising Star Challenge for 4-, 5- and 6-year-old horses, and the Great American/USDF Sport Horse Breed Show. Results: Dressage in the Rockies I August 1, 2014 Judge for Ring 1: Donna Richardson Grand Prix – Open 1. Nicole Glusenkamp/Eeltsje F/66.900% 2. Allen Swafford/Romantic/65.900% 3. Julie Burt/Genuine Gem/61.800% 4. Jenny Baldwin/Discovery/60.100% Grand Prix – Amateur/Junior/Young Rider 1. Suzie Halle/Tennyson-ISF/54.900% 2. Ann Edelman/Boucheron/53.500% Prix St. Georges – Open 1. Allen Swafford/BiCampeao HM/68.684% 2. Stephanie Leahey/Alaric/62.895% 3. Dee Packard/Get Ready/61.053% 4. Stephanie Leahey/Rubecca/58.684% 5. Gloria Knight/Misha/56.447% Prix St. Georges – Amateur/Junior/Young Rider 1. Christine DeHerrera/Festivo/64.079% 2. Mary Allyn/Rock On/56.711% 3. Kate Ernst-Todd/Bente fan Meren State/53.289% Intermediaire I – Open 1. Shannon Dahmer/Lakota Lace/68.816% 2. Julie Burt/SV Percy Sledge/68.684% 3. Gloria Knight/Dancon/63.947% 4. Layne Sandercott/Rolex Tyme/61.974% Intermediaire I – Amateur/Junior/Young Rider 1. Jennifer Kirch/Paladin/60.263% Intermediaire A or B – Open 1. Jessica Greer/Matinee SF/63.214%
The flashy Friesian Eeltsje F turns heads everywhere he goes, and he stole the spotlight today at the Colorado Horse Park's Dressage in the Rockies I. Nicole Glusenkamp rode him to a score of 66.9 percent to secure the win in the Grand Prix Open. According to Glusenkamp, the 13-year-old stallion, who is owned by Paula Marsh of Wyning Edge Friesians in Boerne, TX, loves showing off for the crowd. “He likes to compete, and he likes people – the more people are standing around, the more special he feels,” she laughed. Glusenkamp has had the ride on Eeltsje F since he was 4 and has brought him up through the levels. He achieved top 10 finishes as a 5- and 6-year-old at the Markel/USDF Young Horse Championships and was 10th as a 7-year-old at the Developing Horse Championships. This is his second year competing in the Grand Prix. Glusenkamp said she appreciates the stallion’s levelheadedness, which makes him easy to handle and compete. “He is very uncomplicated in everything,” she noted. “He breeds and he has babies on the ground, but he acts more like a gelding than any gelding we have. I can ship him with mares, I trail ride him with mares, and I have little children sit on him. I’ve had mares trying to get to him, and he won’t do anything. He won’t scream; he won’t do anything. Sometimes I’m not sure if he is still a stallion or not!” “This is one of the highlights of him for sure,” she added. “I can trust that horse with all I have and never worry with him. I don’t care about the weather. We can have the world come to an end and he will still do it.” Glusenkamp lives in Elizabeth, CO, and trains and rides with Sharon and Grant Schneidman. She is a big fan of the Colorado Horse Park, where she boarded for a while after coming to the United States from her native Germany in 2000. “The Horse Park has always been super good to us,” she said. “I love the improvements they’ve made. The footing is awesome. Every year there’s something that makes competing easier and better for us. It’s a good facility – you bring your horse into a safe environment. The stables are safe. The ground is safe. And the staff have always been so helpful.” Dressage in the Rockies is organized by the Colorado Horse Park and managed by Glenda McElroy of Cornerstone Event Management. Taking second in the Grand Prix Open was Allen Swafford on Romantic, a 16-year-old Oldenburg gelding. The pair earned a score of 65.9 percent, and Swafford was happy with how well Romantic has been performing at the Grand Prix level. Lisa Darling, a client of Swafford’s, partnered with him to purchase the horse in September 2013. This is Swafford’s third time competing Romantic in the Grand Prix. “We’re very excited about him,” Swafford said. “He teaches me a lot, and we’re a good partnership, I hope. He’s really fun. His one-tempis were great today, but we added two at the end, so we had 17. But the rest of the work felt really nice.” Swafford’s goal is to qualify Romantic for the U.S. Dressage Finals in Lexington, KY. Prix St. Georges Open Swafford also has high hopes for another of his mounts who performed well today: BiCampeao HM, who scored 68.684 percent to win the Prix St. Georges Open. The Lusitano gelding owned by Carolyn Feakes will turn 9 this fall. Like Romantic, BiCampeao HM is showing at this level for just the third time, but he proved he can be quite competitive. “He’s really fun,” Swafford said. “He’s learning a lot. He’s more than enthusiastic but has that nice quiet demeanor, and he’s very soft.” Swafford traveled to Dressage in the Rockies from his home base in Santa Fe, NM, and he is coaching seven of his clients at the show. He said he enjoys making the trip to compete at the Colorado Horse Park because he feels it is a great venue, and he appreciated the opportunity to get the horses comfortable with the facility before the Great American/USDF Region 5 Dressage Championships in September. “We love the footing – they have great footing,” he said. “Colorado’s always so welcoming and so nice to us when we come. Our goal here is to gain confidence since our championships are here. The horses are getting used to the golf carts and the tractors, all those little distractions, since it’s more indoors where we’re from.” Prix St. Georges Amateur/Junior/Young Rider Christine DeHerrera’s persistence is paying off with Festivo, whom she rode to victory in the Amateur/Junior/Young Rider division of the Prix St. Georges. The pair earned a score of 64.079 percent to come out on top of the class. “The highlight today for me was how relaxed he was and how much he was listening to me,” DeHerrera said. “I had a lot of fun in the extended trot. It felt like we were both really together. I was smiling to myself while I was riding.” DeHerrera, who has owned the 13-year-old Westphalian gelding since he was 5, said he was “super athletic” and a bit of a challenge as a youngster. She credited her trainers with giving her and Festivo the support they needed to excel. “My horse got to this level with Kathleen Raine and David Wightman,” she explained. “My friend Anna Wood works for them, and she’s the one that did all the riding and training of him in the last year, making him into such a fun horse to show.” DeHerrera, an amateur rider, lives in Parker, CO, and trains locally with Shannon Dahmer, a student of Raine’s. She keeps busy when she’s not riding by raising her two children and writing women’s fiction novels. “Between the horse and my kids and writing, it’s super busy and crazy,” she admitted. “But I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to do all of those things.” She competed at High Prairie Dressage at the end of May and is happy to be back at the Colorado Horse Park for Dressage in the Rockies. “I love showing at the Colorado Horse Park,” DeHerrera said. “Hopefully we’ll come back and do the [GAIG/USDF Region 5 Championships] in September. It’s just a great facility. It literally rained for days and we were able to show today.” Dressage in the Rockies I wrapped up with a chance for exhibitors to kick back and relax at a party sponsored by Markel Insurance. Competition continues at the Colorado Horse Park with Dressage at the Rockies II and III on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday’s offerings include a full slate of performance classes, the $250 Add Back Rising Star Challenge for 4-, 5- and 6-year-old horses, and the Great American/USDF Sport Horse Breed Show. Results: Dressage in the Rockies I August 1, 2014 Judge for Ring 1: Donna Richardson Grand Prix – Open 1. Nicole Glusenkamp/Eeltsje F/66.900% 2. Allen Swafford/Romantic/65.900% 3. Julie Burt/Genuine Gem/61.800% 4. Jenny Baldwin/Discovery/60.100% Grand Prix – Amateur/Junior/Young Rider 1. Suzie Halle/Tennyson-ISF/54.900% 2. Ann Edelman/Boucheron/53.500% Prix St. Georges – Open 1. Allen Swafford/BiCampeao HM/68.684% 2. Stephanie Leahey/Alaric/62.895% 3. Dee Packard/Get Ready/61.053% 4. Stephanie Leahey/Rubecca/58.684% 5. Gloria Knight/Misha/56.447% Prix St. Georges – Amateur/Junior/Young Rider 1. Christine DeHerrera/Festivo/64.079% 2. Mary Allyn/Rock On/56.711% 3. Kate Ernst-Todd/Bente fan Meren State/53.289% Intermediaire I – Open 1. Shannon Dahmer/Lakota Lace/68.816% 2. Julie Burt/SV Percy Sledge/68.684% 3. Gloria Knight/Dancon/63.947% 4. Layne Sandercott/Rolex Tyme/61.974% Intermediaire I – Amateur/Junior/Young Rider 1. Jennifer Kirch/Paladin/60.263% Intermediaire A or B – Open 1. Jessica Greer/Matinee SF/63.214%