Ocala, Fla. – Just two weeks before packing up her horses for the flight to the UK, Katherine Bateson Chandler (USA) and Haute Couture (“Merrie”) captured another victory during the WEC May Dressage CDI3* sponsored by Discover Dressage the Grand Prix Special CDI3* on Saturday, May 27, 2023, at World Equestrian Center – Ocala (WEC).

Photo: Alex Garrett, Jennifer Huber, Katherine Bateson Chandler and Husband Carl Chandler keeping it all together, bringing it home with the home team.

With her coach Ashley Holzer off to her son Harry’s graduation from Harvard, and Carl Hester in England, she had a little trepidation traveling to Ocala from Wellington to compete the lovely mare (by Connaisseur x Krack C) in her second only CDI. But all their hard work, trial and error led to the perfect week with “Merrie” and her home team.

Giving Credit Where Credit is Due

Katherine thanked Jennifer Huber, Haute Couture’s owner, for her friendship and support. “I am so grateful to Jen, who has been my friend first and client second for so many years. She has supported me and stuck with it through the difficult and frustrating times always encouraging and having 100 percent faith. I couldn’t be any more grateful.”

With her husband Carl Chandler and Alex Garrett, keeping it all together, they had a great week in Ocala, 

“Many times the riders get the shine but truly the owners trainers and grooms have as much to do with success if not more!”

Grand Prix for the Special Set the Stage

In a field of 18 competitors from seven different nations, former American team rider Bateson and Jennifer Huber’s KWPN mare Haute Couture (by Connaisseur x Krack C) posted 70.848% for the victory. 

After acquiring the former Dutch team horse in December 2021 the pair took a flying start in March 2022, going straight into a CDI Grand Prix class at their first show but bit off more than they could chew. With the help of Carl Hester and her former rider Dinja van Liere the pair was back on track. They worked their way up in a few national classes in preparation of their second CDI try in Ocala. This time around the plan worked and the pair took their first international blue ribbon at WEC. 

Bateson Chandler stated, “we threw ourselves in the deep end in the beginning, made some mistakes and now we’ve taken our time really building her back up again with my trainers and her owner, who helps me on the ground. It’s been a real team effort for sure, and it’s starting to pay off.”

Part of that building back up came from spending two months in Europe with van Liere to learn how to work better with Merrie (nickname for Haute Couture). In Merrie’s first FEI show back, Bateson Chandler hoped that their homework would translate in the show ring.

“It’s not been an easy road by any stretch but we hung in and it’s starting to pay off!”

“I was super happy with my canter work,” she said. “Sometimes I have a thing with my changes; it gets in my head a bit. I was really happy that I got all of my changes. She does beautiful pirouettes. She does everything for a really good score. It’s just me being able to bring that out in her in the moment. She’s super honest and super well-behaved. This is an incredible venue, and I knew she would really like it. She seems to be really happy here.”

Oh What a Feeling

After their win on Friday in the Grand Prix for Special CDI3*, Bateson Chandler regrouped with Haute Couture and felt she was able to improve on mistakes from the first day. The judges – Kristi Wysocki (USA), Maria Colliander (FIN), Isobel Wessels (GBR), Cesar Torrente (COL) and Jane Weatherwax (USA) – agreed, awarding the pair with a score of 73.085% in their first-ever Grand Prix Special together.

“I’m super thrilled with my test,” said an elated Bateson Chandler. “I felt like she rose to the challenge. I don’t know if I’ve ever had a feeling like that in the arena before. Today she was completely on my side and fought for me every step of that test. I was honestly almost in tears at the end of it. No matter what my score was, that feeling is something else.

“She was so in front of the leg,” she continued. “All dressage riders are always looking for that really flowing, in-front-of-the-leg feeling. She was 100 percent there for me. Every correction I made she was right there for me. I felt like the weaknesses that I had yesterday, I didn’t have today, which was my main focus.”

There’s Something About a Mare

Expanding on their partnership, Bateson Chandler noted that while she wants “Merrie” to be her friend, the mare also has to respect her rider. “She’s a bit of an alpha mare,” she explained. “She has to respect me but love me as well because they have to fight for you in the ring. In my experience, they won’t fight for you in the ring if they don’t really care about you and trust you. I feel like I found that mix of trust and respect. There’s nothing like it.”

What’s Next

June 14th Katherine will head back to her long time trainer and friend Carl Hester’s farm in England with three horses. With couple of other young horses based in the UK to pick up training resumes with plans to compete. begin . “First stop will be Hartpury and a few other shows in Europe where either Carl or Ashley can be there to coach me!”

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