Jennifer Roth finished more than 2% clear of her rivals to claim the US Dressage Final’s Training Level Open Championship on board her own and client Chris Harvey’s seven-year-old Valor with 72.867%.

“This was his second test today, so he was a little bit on the tired side,” said Roth, who is from Columbus, OH. “He handled the atmosphere very bravely. He’s never been to the Horse Park before, or any venue like this, so I was thrilled with him. The test felt pretty darn good, but it wasn’t flawless by any stretch of the imagination.”

Immediate Decision

Roth bought the horse in Kansas while on a shopping trip with a client, who was looking at a different horse. The owners pulled out Valor, put him on the lunge line, and Roth immediately decided to buy him.

“I was interested in his quality of movement. He seemed like a level headed dude, and I’m a sucker for a bay,” explained Roth, who has trained with Sharon Ridge since she was 13. “We bought him without ever having sat on him.

Take it Slow

“I’ve given him extra time to mature as he’s a big-moving horse. I called him a spider on roller skates because it took him years to figure out where his legs were. We’ve just been taking it slow and methodical; I haven’t pressured him to do too much too soon. He’s seven so technically he’s behind, but for where he is mentally and physically, I’m very pleased.”

Competition continues on Saturday, November 11, with 13 championship titles up for grabs from First Level to the evening’s Open Grand Prix Freestyle. Follow the action via the USDF Facebook page and the US Dressage Finals website, plus live online streaming on the USEF Network. To learn more about the US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan®, view results and start lists, and read daily news releases, visit the official US Dressage Finals event website.