Horseware Ireland/USEF Young Rider Dressage National Championship

Fourteen young riders made their 2020 Festival of Champions debut on Wednesday in the FEI Young Rider Team Test. Katherine Mathews (San Marcos, Calif.) rode Peridot Equestrian LLC’s 16-year-old Hanoverian, Soliëre, to the top of the class. Mathews and the striking black gelding performed a clean and powerful test, earning a 72.157% from the judges.

Photo – Katherine Mathews and Soliere (SusanJStickle.com)

“He was a little bit slow and a little bit lazy in the warmup,” says Mathews. “I didn’t quite know what was going to happen in the ring, so the ride itself, it felt a little different than it looked. He was having me manage it a little bit and, honestly, that makes it so much better. I kind of had to work for it a little bit. Learning that I got the score that I did felt miles better knowing what I worked for in the ring to get there. It was a difficult one but it was really, really good.”

Hannah Irons (Queenstown, Md.) and her own Scola Bella, an 11-year-old Oldenburg mare, finished in second with a 69.853%. Kayla Kadlubek (Fairfax Station, Va.) and her own 19-year-old Oldenburg gelding, Perfect Step, rounded out the top three with a 69.117%.

From the Mixed Zone:

What’s Soliëre’s personality like?

Mathews: “It depends, he can be very good. And then other times he can be kind of heavy or he can be kind of hot. It just kind of depends. And today he was a little bit heavy but he was certainly aware of the environment around him. He’s still pretty good most of the time, though.”

What have you been working on this year?

Mathews: “At home we’ve mostly been working on trying to go up the levels a little bit to get more experience there and, in particular, we’ve been working on kind of the engagement work with him because that’s always been a little bit more difficult. I’ve only had him for about…a year and a half. For the duration of that time that I’ve had him, engagement and collection have been something that we’ve really been working on.”

Tell me more about your partnership. Does Guenter Seidel train you?

Mathews: “He does. I’ve been training with him since last Festival, actually. I just started training with him at the beginning of last summer and I’ve known him for longer. I’ve known him since I moved to California in 2016. He’s been amazing. It’s completely changed my riding and it’s incredible.”

What did you focus on leading up to this competition?

Mathews: “Probably collection and engagement work because that’s always been a bit more difficult. He’s a big horse, big-bodied, at least, and he’s very powerful. Getting a little bit more of that light step in there is something we’ve been working on for a while.”

What are you looking to do long-term? Next year?

Mathews: “Next year I’m going to try to go to the Young Rider European tour. Assuming that’s happening next year, it didn’t happen this year for obvious reasons. That’s my goal for next year. Long-term, after that, I’m hoping to maybe go up the levels but for now I’m very happy with Young Riders.”

Is there anything that you’re looking to improve upon for your next test?

Mathews: “It’s difficult because it changes with every test. I think with Soli, it’s probably working on the suppleness and the lightness in the hand. Like I said, he’s quite powerful, so getting that kind of responsiveness from him is something that I think would really help us get higher scores in the future.”

On Wednesday evening, competitors in the Developing Horse, Young Horse, Junior, Children’s, and Pony Rider divisions presented their horses to the veterinary panel. All horses and ponies passed the initial inspection.

Competition continues on Thursday with the FEI Prix St. Georges Test (Developing Horse), USEF Four-Year-Old Horse Test, and FEI Five-Year-Old Preliminary Test in the Young & Developing Horse Arena beginning at 8 a.m. CDT. The Grand Prix Arena gets underway at 9 a.m. with the FEI Grand Prix Test, FEI Pony Rider Team Test, and FEI Young Rider Individual Test. Watch live on USEF Network.

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