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Partnership Pays Off in the USEF Pony Rider Dressage National Championship
Friday, August 21, 2020
Posted by Leslie Potter and Kathleen Landwehr
US DRESSAGE FESTIVAL OF CHAMPIONS | PONY NEWS
Nine combinations began their national championship experience by completing the FEI Pony Rider Team Test of the USEF Pony Rider Dressage National Championship. Abby Fodor (Bloomsbury, N.J.) and Slip and Slide delivered a great test to earn a score of 70.238. Fodor and Marie Fodor’s 17-year Quarter Horse/Haflinger gelding are making their third appearance at the U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions, having been the 2017 USEF Children Dressage National Champion. Their experience and partnership showed as they won the first FEI Pony Rider Team test.
Photo - Abby Fodor and Slip and Slide (SusanJStickle.com)
“I thought it was very good,” Fodor said of her test. “I had a very good warm-up; I liked my warm-up. I think the trot lengthenings were good considering that we had some last-minute difficulties with them. I thought my canter work was pretty good. He didn’t anticipate and halt early, which he usually does, so that was nice. I think he was paying attention to me a lot better, so it was good.”
Carmen Stephens (Saratoga, Calif.) and Woldhoeve's Silco, her 20-year-old KWPN/Welsh gelding, finished in second place on a score of 68.286%. Olivia Brown (Charlotte, N.C.) and Balthazar, her 18-year-old Belgian Riding Pony gelding, were third with a score of 66.809%
From the Mixed Zone:
Is there anything you want to improve upon for your next test?
Fodor: “My trot work, like the lateral work, and the walk work. Other than that I was very happy with it.”
You have had success at the Festival of Champions in the past. Do you think Slip and Slide knows where he is?
Fodor: “I think he knows his surroundings by now here. This is his third time here. I like this showgrounds; I think it is one of my favorite showgrounds. I think he knows where he is.”
What is it like to be back at the show?
Fodor: “I think it feels really good. I have had a good year with him, even though I have only done two shows. It has been good.
“I missed coming to the show. I like the night check drives, I like seeing all the people I haven’t seen in a while. It is nice to recognize everyone.”
Keep up with the 2020 U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions on USA Dressage Facebook and Instagram featuring Instagram Stories. Use #USADressage and #FestivalofChampions.
