Photo
Credit: Nancy Later and Alexis-D, a 14-year-old Oldenburg mare, win Grand Prix
Special Division. Sue Stickle
Wellington,
FL December 2, 2006 The second day of Zada Enterprises, LLC Dressage
at the National brought a crowd of spectators and a blue ribbon in the Grand Prix
Special for Nancy Later.
In
its fifth year at 123rd The National Horse Show and Family Festival, dressage
is gaining support and attention among the traditional hunter and jumper disciplines
featured at the show.
Riding
her own Alexis-D, a 14-year-old Oldenburg mare, Later scored a 65.8 percent for
the win, despite a bit of commotion on the part of a few noisy children playing
in the spectator seating.
³I
was very pleased. That¹s the first time we¹ve shown this weekend
is the first show in more than six months. I¹m really happy with her relaxation
in that atmosphere and in that ring,² Later said, adding that her mare¹s
nervousness and trouble relaxing is the biggest impediment to the pair¹s
success.
During
the walk sequence of her test, Later motioned to the group of children and asked
them to quiet down, while at the same time, the announcer made a similar request
to prevent them from spooking the horses.
³It
was a little bit distracting. (They were) announcing over the
loudspeaker
to the kids to stop running up and down the hill, and they weren¹t getting
that message. In the test you come around and have to piaffe, right on the center
line. I was just trying to bring it to their attention that it was them that the
lady on the loudspeaker was talking to. It¹s possible for the horses to lose
their attention and a piaffe-passage is a really tense time. It¹s easy to
lose our horses in that moment,² she explained.
Later¹s
plans for Alexis-D depend on the horse¹s ability to be able to continue to
settle in the ring. This season will be the pair¹s second year competing
at the Grand Prix level, and Later expressed an interest in international competition,
as well as a venue to show off the bay mare¹s talent. Later and Alexis-D
were second in the Grand Prix, test ³B² on Friday with a score of 66.146
percent, which was just behind Jan Brons¹ winning score of 67.50 percent
with Jourdan.
The
second place finisher in the Grand Prix Special was Colombian native Marco Bernal,
riding Diamore. The pair also competed in the Grand Prix on Friday and came in
third. His scores were a 64.00 percent on Saturday and 65.938 percent on Friday.
However, the field of horses for the Grand Prix was half that of the day before,
with only five horses competing at the highest level on Saturday.
One
more day of competition remains in Zada Enterprises, LLC Dressage at the National.
Sunday¹s competition will include a variety of lower-level tests from Training
Level through Fourth Level. However, the main attraction will be the Freestyle
divisions, where riders choreograph a special test with accompanying music. There
will be an FEI Intermediare Freestyle, USDF Freestyle, and FEI Young Rider and
Grand Prix Freestyles. Only a single ring will be used in the Mogavero Arena,
beginning at 7:30 a.m.
