Endel Ots and Lucky Strike Sweeps Developing Prix St. Georges Classes During Wellington Dressage

Endel Ots and Lucky Strike, strike again during the final week of the Adequan Global Dressage Festival. (Photo: SusanJStickle.com)

Wellington, FL - Endel Ots and Lucky Strike continued their winning ways during week 12 of the Adequan® Global Dressage Festival in Wellington, Florida. Riding his father, Max Ots’, enormous and handsome 8-year-old Hanoverian gelding (Lord Laurie x His Highness), the pair earned two decisive victories with the same outstanding score--74.265%--in both USEF Developing Prix St. Georges classes.

While he grew up on the family farm in De Pere, Wisconsin, Endel Ots is now based in Wellington where he teaches and trains. He has had Lucky Strike since he was a 4-year-old. “My tests felt really good,” he says happily. “The pirouettes were really nice. The changes were even stronger than before, and his trot work is always a highlight.” Ots says he is going to continue to work on the Prix St. Georges test “and get his canter work even stronger. My goals are to continue showing him this summer and to qualify for the national young horse championships again in Chicago.”

Even though the Adequan Global Dressage Festival has come to an end, Ots continues a super busy schedule with clients as well as his own string. “I have a mare I want to start showing in the Developing Grand Prix,” he says. “I’ll be doing that this summer. And I have other client horses that will probably be qualifying for the national young horse championship classes in Chicago as well.” Lucky’s progressive training will keep him stateside this year. “We will probably show in Georgia and Tryon to compete in qualifying classes.”

Ots, who has trained with Olympians Hubertus Schmidt in Germany and Lars Petersen in Florida, will also make a trip home to the family farm in Wisconsin this year. “I’ll probably go and visit Dad a little bit and check the horses in training,” he says. “I keep track of the young horses as they come along. We have a super trainer there--Justin Darracott--who has a really nice 4-year-old he also wants to qualify for the championships in Chicago.”

Ots is a US Dressage Federation Bronze, Silver and Gold medalist and was the 2011 Pan American Games US dressage team alternate. He has trained numerous horses to Grand Prix, and in 2015 he qualified two horses for the World Young Horse Championships in Verden, Germany, placing 11th in the 5-year-old division with Lucky Strike. In 2016, the pair returned to the World Young Horse Championships after winning the U.S. Young Horse Championships for 6-year-olds.

Known for his ability to help younger riders, in 2017, he coached Chase Hickok to become the top-scoring American rider on the FEI Nations Cup teams for Fasterbo, Sweden, and Hickstead, England. He also coached Bebe Davis and Fiderhit OLD, winners of the Individual Gold medal at the 2014 Adequan/FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Dressage Championships. To learn more about Ots, call (920) 562-5714, email endelots@gmail.com or visit www.EndelOtsDressage.com.