With a big score of 77.300% in the FEI Seven-Year-Old Final Test, Sabine Schut-Kery (San Diego, Calif.) and Gorgeous Latino, Sandy Mancini’s 2016 Dutch Warmblood stallion, moved up the leaderboard to clinch the champion title in the Markel/USEF Seven-Year-Old Dressage National Championship. Ali Potasky (Versailles, Ky.) placed third in Friday’s final test to win the reserve champion title with Courtney Lau’s Lord Hennessy, a 2016 Dutch Warmblood gelding, while Rebecca Rigdon won second place in the final test and third in the overall national championship with Lionell VE, a 2016 Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by Lauren Fisher.

Photo – Sabinr Schut-Kery and Gorgeous Latino (US Equestrian Facebook)

Class Results

Final Results:

1. Sabine Schut-Kery and Gorgeous Latino
2. Ali Potasky and Lord Hennessy
3. Rebecca Rigdon and Lionell VE

From the Mixed Zone:

Tell us about your ride today.

Sabine Schut-Kery: Well, I’m pretty much speechless. He was amazing. I could not have asked for more. There were a couple of problems, but he’s young and that’s not a big deal to me. But he had a lot of energy, and he was really with me, and that’s one of the most important things I look for. It really felt like a partnership in the ring—sometimes you can have it in the warmup and then in the ring it’s different. So, I could not be more thrilled.

Ali Potasky: Hennessy is a really big and kind of a heavy guy, so he’s been struggling a little with the heat. He maybe didn’t have quite as much energy as he did the first day, but he stayed 100% with me and the training just showed. I think I had no bobbles. Really safe, really submissive, obedient, willing test, and that is also what’s important to me. That can always be developed and strengthened. The fact that he can just go in there, knock out that test—which is really hard for a 7-year-old, I think everyone in the division can agree it’s a technical test for that age and training level. So that’s what I’m most proud of.

Rebecca Rigdon: I was also thrilled with my horse today. That was the best ride that I’ve had with him in the arena. We had some issues. I knew that I was going to have to push the gaits in order to be on the heels of anyone here technically. So, I was super happy with him. He’s green, and at this point, as a 7-year-old, it’s a tough test for them. And with the heat and everything, he showed up and I could not be happier.

Tell us about your horse’s breeding and background.

SSK: He’s by Toto Jr. and Rubiquil on the dam’s side. He’s owned by Sandy Mancini, and he’s a superstar. I could ride him through downtown Chicago. I think nowadays that it’s great to have those kinds of bloodlines in the mix of everything. He is that way because he’s honest, and he’s a good citizen, and he tries his hardest and likes his job. He’s a good boy. Sandy found him. He comes from Hexagon in Holland.

AP: Lord Hennessy is by Hennessy. We found him through Egbert Kraak in Holland as a three-year-old. Kathy Priest, my boss, bought him from Holland and then we sold him to one of our clients, Courtney Lau, who has owned since he was three-and-a-half. She also has shown him through the summer and the Florida season.

RR: My horse is also from Egbert, as well as my husband’s horse, who was fourth in the class, which I think is pretty rad that he picked those horses out. He’s by Negro. He’s a full brother to Nespresso, bred by Van Erp. He was originally Lottie Fry’s. My horse owner is Lauren Fisher, who is just a wonderful human being.

How do you decide which horses to enter into the young horse program?

RR: The horse has to be well suited. The mind, right training, and obviously the gaits. We’re trying to develop future international Grand Prix horses, but if it’s too much for them mentally or physically, then it’s not going to happen.

SSK: For me, it’s a lot like Rebecca said. It’s a tough decision, and especially in America because they have to be ready in the first half of the year. I think that’s why I was a little bit surprised [when we won the class] because we really made a big jump just recently in strength. He wasn’t that strong at the beginning of the year. I think it’s tough, if you think about a whole season of training a horse, they have to qualify in the first six months. For me, it’s really important to listen to see if they’re ready or not. And of course, the gaits and quality and all of that, but that’s a tough one.

Full Schedule and Results

2023 U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions Livestream

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