2005 Dressage at Devon

DeJure Makes Her Mark With Devon Judges

Vienna Farm’s Tanya Rennie and husband Jim Jaeger continue to earn recognition with their talented Oldenburg mare, DeJure (D-Day, Donnerschwee, Welt As). With Rennie aboard, the team brought home the 4th Level Championship at Dressage at Devon. This, combined with kudos as Region 8 Reserve Champion 4th level and 2005 USDF Oldenburg Champion, made 2005 their most successful year to date.

While the horse was something of a gamble, purchased in Germany via a videotape brought back by Barend Heilbron and only ten days under saddle at the time, there have been no regrets whatsoever. DeJure, owned by James Jaeger, has proven herself through the levels with consistently high scores, and provided a delightful compliment to Rennie’s Swing Time, who has been competing at FEI level for several years now.

“Fourth level was her best year show-wise,” says Rennie. “She’s moved up a level every year and we’ve done a complete season with all the tests. She did her first Prix St. Georges at the end of this season, and we’ll be doing that and I1 next year. I’m hoping that she’ll do her first I2 the following year.”

Now schooling Grand Prix, DeJure shows no signs of faltering. “She’s doing three’s, she’s doing two’s, and the one’s seem to be no problem,” Rennie remarks. “Passage is so easy we never school it, but she’s had a bit of a hard time figuring piaffe out. She’s got such a hind leg on her that, when she’s going, you can ride her up in front and it’s not very difficult. But when she’s not moving forward, she can figure out how to piaffe with her hind legs but can’t quite figure out how to get her front end off the ground. I need a little help on the ground, and I’ll get that this summer. So we’ll see. She doesn’t have to do it until she’s ready and I don’t intend to go anywhere that she doesn’t take me. She leads the way, I follow.”

That attitude is reflected in the harmony that has become the hallmark of this pair, whether in competition or in schooling, and the horse’s cheerful attitude towards her work has been noted by judges and spectators alike.

Ever pragmatic, Rennie states, “You have no way of knowing what you’ll end up with. You also have to keep your eyes open. If I wasn’t willing to consider buying a young horse then I wouldn’t have DeJure at all. She’s been a joy, though. This is my first start-to-finish dressage horse, so it’s been nice for me because I’ve been able to take a lot of my personal theories and observations from watching how people do young horses in this business and apply them. I have to admit I was more lenient with her than I would be with most horses, but she’s always rewarded me for it.”

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