Two 2024 United States Dressage Federation (USDF) Regional Championship shows took place October 3-6, covering Region 6 and Region 9. In both cases, the German influence was strong, with German-born and German-trained competitors notching up a big haul of Regional ribbons. The Regional competitions were direct qualifiers for the US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan®, which will be held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY, on November 7-10, 2024.

Photo – Nadine Schwartsman and the 10-year-old Empire HW, who is a full brother to the stallion Escamillo, topped the Intermediate I Championship at the Region 6 show. (Ella Chedester Photography)

Despite feeling under the weather, German-born international grand prix rider Nadine Schwartsman made the eight-hour drive from her base at Les Bois Dressage in Eagle, ID, to the Region 6 Championships at DevonWood Equestrian Centre, in Sherwood, OR, and came away with a truckload of ribbons. She commanded three open championship sashes and six reserve champion titles, and her students and clients bolstered the haul with superb performances.

“I’ve been experiencing some health issues with my heart, so I wasn’t able to ride every championship class I qualified for,” explained Schwartsman. “I’ve had to lighten up my schedule a bit and take a step back, so all the titles meant that much more. It’s been a rough couple of months, and I’m not 100%, but the horses picked up the slack.”

In the Intermediate I Freestyle, Schwartsman finished first and second, heading up the class on Empire HW with 72.125%. The 10-year-old gelding by Escolar x Rhodiamant is a full brother to the prolific breeding stallion Escamillo, although his purchase six years ago was initially kept secret from Schwartsman by owner Tracy Cook.

Sight Unseen

“Tracy bought him sight unseen off a tiny video and didn’t tell me as she knew I wouldn’t approve because I like to go to Europe and try them,” said Schwartsman. “But since the day he arrived, he’s been wonderful, and she takes him trail riding. With him, if you do everything by the book, he develops himself. It’s not usually a linear process, but he’s hit every milestone just how the textbook says.”

Schwartsman’s grand prix horse Royal Flash R is a relatively new ride. The 13-year-old by Riccio x Donnerschlag was imported from Germany less than a year ago. In Region 6, he was champion of the Grand Prix Freestyle with 70.5%, as well as reserve in the straight class at the level and in the Intermediate II.

“He’s a dream horse who has helped me to my first CDI Grand Prix win,” enthused Schwartsman, who trains with fellow German-born U.S. rider Sabine Schut-Kery. “Royal Flash is really special because he also works great for his owner, Kelli Hajjar, at home, too. The Freestyle was amazing to ride because it was 8 a.m. on Sunday and all foggy. I was doing an extended canter into the fog to his Katy Perry music, and it was so surreal I had tears in my eyes. He was so brave.”

Trio Victory

Schwartsman rounded out her trio of wins with a 69.625% ride in the Third Level Championship on her amateur client Lauri Nielson’s Fürstenball son, Kyoto Van De Nethe DK who is “very talented and has nerves of steel.” He was also reserve champion in the Freestyle at the level. Schwartsman found the horse a few months earlier on a buying trip to Wellington, FL, where she also found the sports pony Bijsterhof’s Valencio for her petite client Jill Haunold, a former endurance rider. Haunold claimed the Adult Amateur (AA) Training Level title with 67.6%.

“Jill has only been doing dressage for a year, and she started riding with me on her endurance Arabian, who did not enjoy it,” said Schwartsman. “So she bought this fancy little pony who really loves dressage, and he’s trained through fourth level. I think she’ll be able to get her medals on him and train him up through the FEI levels.”

Kelli Hajjar attended the show not just as an owner but also as a competitor. She picked up two reserve champion placings, at AA Prix St. Georges and Intermediate I, on her own 14-year-old San Amour gelding, Sun Gold 2. This is just her second season competing. Her daughter Emery, a junior rider, topped the First Level Freestyle championship on Sailor Boden’s 27-year-old pony Blitzwane with 68.929% to a Mary Poppins medley.

Successful Weekend

Teenager Hannah Muckler closed out the team’s successful weekend, leading the Junior/Young Rider Third Level Championship on Rencoroso VII. Heather Isbell’s 16-year-old Andalusian gelding by Elegante De Nadales racked up 69.937% to win by 5.4 percentage points. Muckler, who is 18, has been riding with Schwartsman since she was 13.

The final fixtures of the 2024 GAIG/USDF Regional Championships take place October 10-13, with the Region 1 Championships in Lexington, VA, and the Region 4 Championships in Lake Saint Louis, MO.

The 2024 US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan® is a national, head-to-head competition that showcases competitors in Adult Amateur and Open divisions. Classes run at Training Level through Grand Prix, plus freestyle to music divisions and sections for Junior/Young Riders at Training Level through Intermediate I Level. There is more than $125,000 in prize money up for grabs over the four days.

Learn more at www.usdf.org/usdressagefinals/index.asp.