The depth of the growth of the Young Dressage Horse program in America was in full bloom at the VADA/Nova Summer Dressage Show at Morven Park in Leesburg Virginia. In the largest 5 and 6-year-old class yet of the horses presented n the Preliminary Young Horse Test for the 2011 Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage Eastern Selection Trials for the F.E.I. World Breeding Dressage Championships for Young Horses, every horse who rode in front of the judges panel with Jane Ayers, Linda Zang and Natalie Lamping deserved to be there. In these trials, the judges who are fully aware of what is required to present quality horses on the world stage and in the preliminary test there were two who dominated scoring the needed 8.2 average with several knocking at the door to increase their results for the final, and then some!

In the 5-year-old division the young Hanoverian stallion owned by Alice Tarjan, Somer Hit by Sandro Hit by the Rotspon mare Rhussia, an American bred fourth generation product of Mo Swanson’s Rolling Stone Farm. Ridden by Lauren Chumley in a light and lively test they scored an 8.8 for the trot, 8.2 for the walk and an 8.8 for the canter work, only dropping the average with submission scores of 7.8 bringing the overall winning score to 83.40. Knocking at the door with a 79.956 average was Ulla Parker on Nancy Holowesko’s Oldenburg Mare Biscaya by Johnson SPS out of Hauptstutbuch by Argentinius bred in Germany by Claus Hueppe. Following closely with a good chance to increase their average today was Christina Vinios on her own gorgeous Oldenburg gelding Folkestone by Fidertanz out of a Rubenstein mare, bred by Rosemarie Boets.

In the 6-year-old division Silva Martin and Faye Woolf’s Aesthete, dominated with “elastic, cadenced trot work” which was rewarded an 8.8, an 8.0 for the walk, and an 8.5 for a “big, bold canter” with fluid changes. The judges general impressions confirmed the 2009 4-year-old Markel/USEF Champion with Karen Monks Reilly who was the 5-year-old reserve champion at the VADA/NOVA Trials in 2010, has matured with the American program with an 83.4%. In second place a thrilled amateur rider Ashley Wimmer and Sommerhall a Sir Donnerhall mare bred in Germany by Theo Berkemeier boke the tie with third place rider Jules Nyssen who expertly presented his own Allegro a KWPN gelding by Son de Niro out of a Ferro mare and bred in the Netherlands by Mr. G.H. Seelen.

Note from DressageDaily’s Mary Phelps – Stay tuned for a full report and photos of the final selection to begin on Tuesday. Results will be posted, but I have the long drive back to Kentucky as soon as we present the awards today at noon. As part of the Markel Team this program is one of the highlights of my year, and I am so excited and proud of how much we have grown.