Report from ZADA WEF Dressage Classic CDI March 21-24, 2008

Wow! Did we have a great show this weekend?  BeSe had a very good Grand Prix test on Thursday and finished 7^th out of 29 competitors. He got a 64.292% which I was a little disappointed with, but still he was near the top of his class.

 Then on Saturday BeSe won the Grand Prix Special with a 67.08%. He felt so good through the whole test, and he had no mistakes in anything! Then as I came to the last extended trot, I couldn’t remember if it was down the long side or across the diagonal. Well, I went across the diagonal and I was wrong! I couldn’t believe that I made that mistake! So I left he ring so happy that BeSe was so good and upset with myself for making that error. I was the last horse to go, so we had to wait for the results, not knowing how much the mistake would hurt me. Finally, Brian O'Connor (the announcer) left the announcer’s box and walked toward me and said quietly: “I had to deliver these results personally to you – you won the class with a 67%.”

 Everyone was so happy for us. Marco Bernal with D’Amore was second with a 63.88%, and Chris Hickey was 3^rd with Regent with a 63.160%. Jodie Kelly was tied for 4^th with Tuny Page & Wild One with a 62.880%.  It was so exciting to do the victory round in the big main jumping stadium at Wellington!

 Then our babies did great also! On Thursday in First Level Test 2 I rode B.W.Callista owned by Leslie Valenti, and she won with a 69.5%. Jen, our working student, rode Kelly Roetto’s Valentino to second place with a 65.167% and I rode Kelly’s Don Leonardo to third place with a 61.833% in the same class. Leo was a little tense from all the jumping commotion going on. We wanted to take the babies here to give them this kind of experience with all the golf carts and jumpers etc. Then Jen did her first ever 4^th level test on Kelly’s Escobar and came in 4^th place with a 60.116%. We were so proud of her! She jumped from 1^st level to 4^th level in one week! Judges gave her 8’s for her changes! Callista ended up as 1^st Level Champion and then we had to scratch our Sunday classes because of the downpours that we had.