Carly Taylor-Smith and Rosalut NHF Take Home the Markel/USEF Five-Year-Old National Championship Title

Carly Taylor-Smith and Rosalut NHF. (Photo: Mary Adelaide Brakenridge)

Wayne, IL- Carly Taylor-Smith (Malibu, Calif.) and Nikki Taylor-Smith's Oldenburg, Rosalut NHF, continued to impress the judges receiving a score of 8.380 in today's final test. This sealed the division for them as they topped the 16-combination field with an overall score of 8.460. This title marks the second Markel/USEF Dressage National Championship title as they won the 2014 Four-Year-Old National Championship last year. Rosalut NHF displayed outstanding submission, and the judges awarded it nicely with a 9.0. They followed this with an excellent 8.4 canter score. Although the canter wasn't as big as the judges would have liked, they were pleased with Rosalut NHF's collection, which is advanced for his age.

"The ride was great today; the horse was definitely on today. We fit like a glove, and we just have so much trust that the test just flowed. There wasn't anything that was particularly tricky. He gives me a 100 percent all the time," said Taylor-Smith

Carly Taylor-Smith and Rosalut NHF (Photo: SusanJStickle.com)

Gail Lynn Redinger (Sandpoint, Idaho) and her own KWPN, Formancier, barely edged out Katie Riley (White House Station, N.J.) and Cesar Parra's Westphalian, Don Cesar, to take Reserve Champion with a combined score of 7.960. Redinger and Formancier's consistency came through for them as they again earned high scores in the walk and canter. He also was supple, which was missing in Thursday's test.

"I'm thrilled. I was hoping I could improve from Thursday and show him off a bit more. He came up to my expectations. He's so reliable, and if I ask correctly, he's always there for me," said Redinger.

Although Riley and Don Cesar had a great test, their walk score was a little weaker than Redinger's, scoring an 8.0. However, they outscored Redinger in the trot with a score of 8.0 due to their natural cadence and earned an overall score of 7.888.

Five-Year-Old National Championship Results