2022 U.S. Breeder Excellence Grant Recipient Maurine Swanson, Rolling Stone Farm
I was the lucky recipient of the very generous 2022 US Breeders Excellence Fund through The Dressage Foundation. I used the grant money to put towards a trip to the Longines FEI/WBFSH World Breeding Dressage Championships for Young Horses in Ermelo, Netherlands from September 8-11. My husband, Jim, decided to accompany me, much to my surprise. He has been a supportive horse-husband for 45 years, but I cautioned him that sitting for four days solid doing nothing but watching horses compete may become boring for him. He ended up having a great time, and he surprised me with sometimes very good observations. Because I was meeting my warmblood breeding friends there from around the world, we decided as a group of seven that we would share a table. This would allow us to sit in a prime viewing spot and be able to have conversations among ourselves, rather than being in a straight row of seats in the bleachers. My knowledgeable friends came from the Netherlands, England, Scotland, and the US. All are well-known warmblood breeders, so sharing opinions and knowledge was invaluable.
The experience certainly raised the bar for me on the judging of young dressage horses and on the quality of the young dressage horses that were presented. For me to breed high-quality dressage horses, I need to see what the highest quality in the world is. At least this time after returning home, I didn’t feel so bad about the direction my breeding program is taking.
The competitors had qualified their horses to represent their nations. Not all competitors rode horses that were from their home country, though. For example, Charlotte Fry rode Dutch-bred horses but represented Great Britain in the competition. We, therefore, saw the best four, five, six, and seven-year-old dressage horses that their home countries could choose. The USA probably gets the prize for shipping their horses the furthest. Besides a young dressage horse competition, there was a CDI 3* Grand Prix, Grand Prix Special, and Grand Prix Freestyle competition, a good reminder of where these young horses are hopefully headed in their training. Of course, the powerhouse countries of Germany, The Netherlands, Great Britain, and Denmark sent their best, but there were also horses and riders from Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, France, Australia, Belgium, Italy, Norway, New Zealand, Ukraine, Poland, Hungary, Lithuania, Luxembourg, and Greece. We three American spectators were thrilled to see two rider/horse combinations competing for the USA.
The audience was very knowledgeable about dressage and about the quality of the horses. You could download an app that allowed you to do spectator judging, and it was amazing how close those spectator scores and placings were to the actual score and placings. There were audible groans from the stands when a mistake was made (which were, fortunately, few and far between). The quality of the riding of the top horses was amazing. Charlotte Fry weighs next to nothing, and yet she rode her stallions with tact and invisible aids. She must have ice water in her veins. Nothing about the competition fazed her, at least outwardly. She masterfully controlled the stallions she rode - Everdale, Kjento, and Glamourdale - with her seat and steady hands using invisible half halts. It was truly inspiring riding. Seeing her, Glamourdale and Kjento were highlights for me.
On Thursday, Janet Foy of the US was one of the judges for the five-year-old qualifier class. She stayed in my hotel, and we greeted each other at breakfast that morning. The winner was Fashion Prinz by Fuerst Romancier and second place went to the stallion Vitalos by Vitalis. Third place was Lyngbjergs St. Paris by St. Schufro. I really enjoyed seeing all three of these horses, since I had used their sires in my breeding program. In the qualification class for four-year-old dressage horses, Fall in Love by Blue Hors Farrell won, but my favorites were Nanny McPhee by Vitalis and St, Athletique by St. Schufro, once again because I have used their sires in my breeding program. I asked Jim if he would let me buy the fourth-placed horse, a mare named My Precious by Ferguson/Vivaldi, who was a mare I would love to have in my broodmare band. (He said no, by the way, and I doubt she is for sale…)
On Friday, Kjento won the FEI preliminary seven-year-old test with an 84.415%. Escamillo by Escolar, who is owned by a New Jersey neighbor named Kimberly Davis-Slous was second. Escamillo is the sire of one of my two-year-old geldings, so I was especially interested in following him. Third place was the active mover front and behind named Destello, sired by Dimaggio. Also on Friday was the Preliminary test for six-year-olds, which was won by Hesselhoej Down Town by Donkey Boy, with second place going to Las Vegas by Ferdeaux/Wynton ridden by the well-known Emmelie Scholtens. He is an impressive stallion - very tall with stallion presence and three amazing gaits. Third place went to Global Player by Grand Galaxy Win ridden by one of my favorite riders - Eva Moeller. She also rides with invisible aids - amazing!
In this format, the top 12 competitors from the preliminary round automatically go through to the final round. There is a consolation test for each level on one of the following days called the small final. The top three horses from this round qualify to go to the final round. These horses are at a disadvantage because they must do one more test than those horses which automatically qualify in the first round, but it gives a second chance to those horses which may have had a costly mistake or shown tension in the first test. It is quite an electric environment for young horses and ambitious riders to cope with.
Saturday and Sunday are when the big crowds show up. The shopping areas are packed with stores and buyers. Did I say shopping??? I bought two bridles and an ear bonnet. After all, I had to buy some souvenirs, right? On Saturday, the consolation test for the six-year-olds took place. One of our American horse/rider teams just missed out on qualifying for the final test. The final for the four-year-olds saw my favorites from the preliminary test go first and second - St. Athletique and Nanny McPhee. The final test for five-year-olds saw Lyngbjergs St. Paris, Vitalos, and Fashion Prinz go 1-2-3. My Precious was fourth and I still coveted her. Before the awards ceremony for the five-year-olds took place, we were treated to an exhibition ride by two famous former winners of the world young horse championships, now competing at international FEI, Glamourdale, ridden by Charlotte Fry, and Hermes NOP, ridden by Dinja van Liere. This demonstration showed that the world young horse championships can and does point out talent for the international FEI ring, “Wow” is all I can say. The Grand Prix and the small final for seven-year-olds took place in the other ring which I did not watch.
On Sunday, I played “I Spy” at the warmup ring where I watched Charlotte Fry be coached by Anne van Olst, Ulf Moeller coaching his wife, Eva (as I said-a beautiful rider), and I saw Edward Gal coaching. Sometimes the warmup ring is more interesting than the competition. The final for seven-year-olds was won by Kjento, with Destello and Escamillo, second and third. The Grand Prix Freestyle was won by Charlotte Fry and Everdale (another sire I have used). The final for six-year-old horses was won by the stallion Global Player by Gran Galaxy Win ridden beautifully by Eva Moeller with Hesselhoej Down Town (by Donkey Boy) second and Lennox US (by Grand Galaxy Win), third. My eye was on the fourth-placed horse, the impressive stallion named Las Vegas (Ferdeaux/Wynton) because Jim and I went into a partnership at the show with our longtime Dutch friend, Emmy De Jeu on a spectacular 2022 colt sired by him out of a very good dam line. Las Vegas just made too many mistakes in his test, but I still love him. Our American representative had made it into the final test, but the atmosphere was just too much for the horse and the test was not sympathetic.
The awards ceremonies were a BIG DEAL. The audience stayed in the stadium or stands and applauded loudly for the ribbon winners, A few of the winners received a Longines watch, but they all received prize money and an embroidered cooler with the logos of the sponsors. The riders all did a victory trot, canter, or passage to a standing ovation. Most of the horses looked like they were used to these exciting victory laps, but the riders had Velcro seats and rode through any occasional horse antics. The country flag of the winner was raised slowly while the national anthem was played. It was quite evident the pride these riders felt in representing their country on this international stage.
One of the educational aspects of this event is that the judges announced their comments as well as their scores after each of the rides in the final tests. Boy, were they picky! A slight inconsistency of rhythm in the walk pirouette or a slight tilt of the head, for example, were noted and penalized in the score. The riders rode in the rain or shine. There seem to be no excuses given for the weather is bad. The owners and breeders of the horses were recognized in the awards ceremonies (something I wish would happen in the US - or at least mention the breeder). The grooms, the unsung heroes behind the scenes, were recognized at this event with flowers and a medal around their necks. Such a nice touch!
My trip to watch this world-class event was wonderful. I came home with a new, more critical eye on my own breeding program, and as a fan of dressage. I believe I will be a better coach to the rider and trainer of my young horses at home. Thank you to the generous sponsors of this fund, who have allowed me a glimpse at the world’s best in breeding dressage horses. The experience was unforgettable and immeasurably important to me!
