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Friday, March 29, 2024

The Global Dressage Festival concluded with three days of national competition

WELLINGTON, Fla.--The CDI competition at the Global Dressage Festival ended on March 27, but national competition continued April 1-3, with Ellesse Gundersen of the Philippines on Quintessential winning the FEI Prix St. Georges and Kevin Kohmann on Five Star winning the FEI Intermediate II test on Friday, April 1.

Ellesse Gundersenpn Quintessential Susan StickleEllesse Gundersen on Quintessential (Photo by Susan Stickle)That was Quintessential’s first blue ribbon, and his 69.264% in the Prix St. Georges class was enough to win over the 13 horse field.

“We spent a few weeks at the beginning of the circuit just coming to school, and he started off pretty nervous and sharp," said Gunderson. "Over time, that tension became less and less, and he became more and more relaxed and comfortable. It’s one of the many, many great things about this circuit, that we are able to come back to the same show every week. It’s a big atmosphere, but it’s a really great opportunity for the horses to learn how to be a show horse and feel really confident in the show life and going to do that job.”

“Once we did start showing, it showed in the scores and results how quickly he was progressing," she said. "We didn’t expect it to happen this fast, but he’s really coming out of his shell.”

Quintessential is a homebred by Quaterback that was born from Gundersen’s mare, Corlette, that she competed in Young Riders with while training in Frankfurt, Germany.

 

“WE'VE BEEN a big part of Q’s life from the beginning,” said Gundersen. “It was really fun to help with the whole process and be part of that. It’s really cool to have ridden him as a 3-year-old and just really see him develop and grow and to have gotten to spend so much time with him on the ground.”

“He was a little sharp going around the outside, and I thought he might be a little spooky again, but he settled right into the test and did his job," she said. "He was really relaxed and beautiful. My mistake was actually because he was a little too relaxed, and I’m not quite used to that, because even at home he can be a little sensitive.”

“He’s really a horse that has a lot of highlights, like his expressive changes, beautiful half passes, and correct extended trot,"she said. "We showed a lot of that in the test in a more relaxed vibe, which is what we’ve been more concerned with. It was nice to see that all our work has been really paying off, and when I can show more expression, the scores will only get higher. He’s definitely one of, if not the nicest, horse I’ve ever sat on in my life. I have no doubt he will be an Olympic and championship horse, so I’m just grateful for every moment in the saddle I have with him.”

Kohmann has had the ride on Five Star for two years.

Last year he had an extremely successful season and won numerous classes, but this year Kohmann has kept Five Star under wraps to finish training for the grand prix level.

“He is the smartest horse I have ever worked with," said Kohmann. "He’s such a gentleman that he’s able to go in the ring both for me and his owner, Olga Hartsock.”

For Five Star’s first appearance this year, Kohmann won on a score of 70.587% in the FEI Intermediate II.

“The best thing about him is any of the big movements. He has amazing gaits,” said Kohmann. “I got a nine in the walk and in the canter on the entrance too, so I think the judges could really see his ability. Of course, he didn’t feel like he does at home, but good enough for the first time back out.”

“Our next show will be in the grand prix. The goal is to repeat what we did the year before in small tour, in the big tour,” said Kohmann.

In Friday’s FEI Grand Prix Class, Jennifer Williams on Quarterline scored 71.032% to win over seven other competitors, with Roxanne Christenson on San Sation second on 68.804%.

In Saturday’s USEF Test of Choice class, Maia Gromadowski of Poland won her USEF Training Level Test 3, scoring 72.413% on Milena.

In Sunday’s FEI Intermediate II class, Natalie Pai won on Utopie D’Ouilly,  finishing just under 70% at 69.999%.

Pai was the winner of Saturday’s FEI or Equivalent Test of Choice on Inspiration PF for their USEF FEI Prix St. Georges test scoring 65.661%.

This concluded the Global Dressage Festival.

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