Marydell Farm's Dressage Stallion Don Principe Gets Encouragement From Kentucky Horse Park Equine Celebrity Guest, Racing Champion Cigar

The Hanoverian stallion Don Principe (by Donnerhall out of Papagena by Prince Thatch) is no stranger to competition at the Kentucky Horse Park. The handsome black stallion ridden by James Koford and owned by Maryanna Haymon’s Marydell Farm, had a busy weekend at the Kentucky Dressage Association Spring Dressage CDI* and and KDA Spring Classic Breed Show with their usual success. But this time their accommodations were particularly meaningful.

“When we arrived, Don Principe was assigned the stall in honor of the great Secretariat!” Haymon told dressagedaily. “Then, every afternoon around three, Cigar was turned out in the paddock right across the way. It seemed the two stallions had a "thing" for each other. They would softly nicker at each other and observe what the other was doing in a quiet and mannerly way.”

Jim Koford however was facing some challenges. “There was a nasty stomach flu that was going around our barn the week before the show and people were going down left and right.” In fact Koford looked pretty pale during the jog for the CDI Division. “I left for the show patting myself on the back that I had left ground zero without getting sick. Midway through the 9 hour trip, my luck ran out. Getting through the first few days of the show was surreal. I was barely functioning.”

[#26635 override="James Koford and Don Principe Were Three For Three at the Kentucky Dressage Spring CDI*" title="James Koford and Don Principe Were Three For Three at the Kentucky Dressage Spring CDI*"]