On Saturday, November 11, 2023, competition continued on the third day of the 10th anniversary edition of the US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan®. Previous champions shone and some new names came to the fore at the flagship national show, which continues through Sunday, November 12, and offers a wealth of championship titles and more than $120,000 in prize money.

Photo – Anartz Chanca won his second class of the day in the Third Level AA Championship on the six-year-old Dante Rubin MR, the youngest horse in the field. (SusanJStickle.com)

Anartz Chanca and Dazzle did just what his horse’s name promises in the Grand Prix Freestyle Adult Amateur (AA) class, logging 70.925% and taking the title in their debut in this class at Finals. Chanca had a busy morning as he also topped the Third Level AA Championship on his own Dante Rubin MR (Dante Weltino), who at six years old was the youngest horse in the field of 18 starters.

Dante’s Rubin contested the Fourth Level AA Championship the previous day, and Chanca was taken aback by the horse’s energy level, which translated into moments of tension and a score below their best.

Caught Off Guard

“The environment has been a lot for him at this show, and it caught me off guard,” said Chanca, who is originally from Spain. “I know Dante’s hot but last year he was here, and he wasn’t as hot. Yesterday I did my regular warm-up, and it wasn’t enough; he was like a tiger in the ring. Today I planned a lot more warm-up — about an hour — and still he had some tension, but we managed to do a much better job.

“I don’t mind having to manage that when they’re six or seven, but once you can dial that in with time and training, that’s what you need [at the top levels],” he continued. “He’s a horse for the future for sure.”

Five years ago, Chanca and his wife Marta Renilla went to Germany and bought six yearlings who then grew up on the family’s farm in Texas. One of those was Dante Rubin, and another, D Diamond MR, was also in winning form on Saturday. Under the saddle of Ellie Strickland, the 16-hand Oldenburg son of D’Egalite led the First Level Junior/Young Rider class with 69.444%.

Dante was also destined to be a sales horse, but Chanca and Dante clicked two years ago and have made a steady progression up the competition ladder, now standing First, Second, and Third Level Champion in his short career to date.

High Standard

Chanca and Dazzle’s Grand Prix test featured a three-loop serpentine of two-time changes early in the program, setting a high standard from the get-go. They picked up an eight for choreography and another for their music. Chanca had to think on his feet when a mistake crept into their routine.

“I was a little tired after being with Dante for an hour, plus his test, and I wasn’t feeling so fresh in the warm-up on Dazzle. There were a lot of positives in his test but the piaffe wasn’t there as much today,” he said.

Chanca added, “We had a mistake in the one-tempis but I had a reserve line. I don’t typically do this, but I knew I had to risk it, so I went one-handed. I wanted to take the risk to compensate for the mistake to bring up the score for the one-tempis.”

Strategy

His strategy paid off, with one judge commenting “courageous riding.” It was enough to squeak past the reserve champion, Amy Swerdlin, who rode her home-bred Quileute CCW to 70.775%. She was also third on her other horse, Tokayer (67.733%).

After another hugely successful Finals, the husband-and-wife duo fly back to Texas on Saturday night to spend Sunday — their son Marcos’ third birthday — with him and their other two sons.

Competition concludes on Sunday, November 12, with the final nine championship titles to be decided, from Training Level to Prix St. Georges. 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.