Another rider reaping the benefits of switching their focus to dressage came to the fore in the First Level Freestyle Open at the US Dressage Finals. USDF Silver medalist Jenna Butler, formerly a jumping rider and competitor on the Arabian circuit, topped the class with 74.769% bolstered by a high score of 77.222% from the judge at H, Kristi Wysocki. Butler rode her own 15.2-hand Oldenburg six-year-old Da Vinci HSR (De Niro x Royal Diamond). The 25-year-old has had an emotional journey with the horse, which she has known since he was a just-backed youngster.

Photo – Jenna Butler and Da Vinci, a horse she has known since it was a weanling, won the First Level Freestyle Open Championship. (SusanJStickle.com)

“I was working for Kate and Martin Kuhn, and they got Da Vinci as a weanling,” said Butler. “They started him as a three-year-old, and their colt starter basically handed him over after two weeks and said, ‘Here you go, have fun with him!’”

Soon afterwards, Butler moved back to her home state of Missouri to start her own business, Greystoke Dressage.

Not for Sale

“I was looking for a new horse, and I looked at a bunch of videos and nothing was clicking at the time. Da Vinci was not for sale, but they had another one that they said I should come and try, and I did, but only if I could ride Da Vinci too, because I knew I wanted him. They have a barn full of really nice horses, but they knew how much I cared about him, and they’ve always been incredibly supportive.”

The win was even more poignant for Butler as she rode to a freestyle soundtrack made for a horse that she lost.

“It means a lot,” she said, fighting back tears. “Da Vinci was wonderful. I had a great feeling in the contact and over his back. I made one really unfortunate mistake in the change of lead through trot — his legs got in a tangle, and we picked up the wrong lead — but we did another one really quick before the end, and it worked out.

“He’s very hot and a very sensitive horse, so it’s been about bringing that out in a positive, energetic way. He’s got a super work ethic but he’s a major pistol of a horse, and he’s taught me a lot about being a really sensitive rider but still using that energy forward.”

Butler still trains with Kuhn, usually virtually.

Always There

“I’m on the phone with him constantly, texting probably every day and calling at least once a week — sometimes in a panic, sometimes in happiness, but he’s always there for me,” she added.

Heather Mason’s magical performances in the arena with her pair of six-year-old geldings — who are almost always head-to-head — show no sign of abating. In the Third Level Freestyle Open Championship, she finished first and second. It was the previous day’s champion, Shmoky Quartz (Shakespeare RSF) who added another blanket to his collection, with stablemate Manuskript SCF by Jazz taking the reserve spot. The top four in the class all scored north of 71%, but Shmoky Quartz edged out his rivals to land a winning 71.992%.

Competition resumes on Saturday 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.