Sabine Schut-Kery Takes First Test of the Markel/USEF Developing Horse Prix St. Georges Dressage National Championship
Friday, August 25, 2023 | Leslie Potter, US Equestrian Communications Department
The Developing Prix St. Georges entries closed out the lineup for the Markel Arena, with nine combinations completing the FEI Prix St. Georges Test. Sabine Schut-Kery (San Diego, Calif.) and Sonnenberg’s Jersey, a 2014 Dutch Warmblood stallion owned by Sonnenberg Farm, LLC, topped the leaderboard with a 71.666% in the first test of the division.
Photo – Sabine Schut-Kery and Sonnenberg’s Jersey. (©SusanJStickle.com)
Class Results
Current Overall Standings:
- Sabine Schut-Kery and Sonnenberg’s Jersey
- Quinn Iverson and Gremlin 41
- Brian Hafner and Runehøjs Shiva
From the Mixed Zone:
Tell us about your horse’s background and breeding.
Sabine Schut-Kery: He’s by Vivaldi and then Pharaoh on his dam’s side. It’s a young partnership—this is our third show. The horse is incredible. He got out of quarantine at the end of April, and then I flew up to Oregon, tried him, and then he came down to me in Southern California. The horse has a heart of gold to take a new rider and let me start making him my horse, but at the same time being able to compete is pretty amazing. The character of this horse is that he doesn’t say no. He’s always a yes man. He’s amazing, and then obviously super talented, beautiful movement and great rideability, so I’m actually thrilled to have the ride on him for right now. He’s owned by Sonnenberg Farm, Gina and Dan Ruediger, and he’s a breeding stallion. This horse is solid and honest, so it’s exciting to have the bloodline as a breeding stallion in America.
Take us through your test today.
SSK: Again, it’s a young partnership. For me it’s always having him really in front of me. He has a lot of gaits, but I don’t want him to be ahead of me, or even behind me. In the second pirouette he came a moment behind me, but then I closed my leg and he was right back there. Other than that, it felt like jogging in hot weather. There was something that was hard on the ride for me to breathe and be fresh, and so that was tough. I think that’s what I had a lot of my mind. Other than that, going through the test, he was really super. The other thing that is really amazing with him is that I didn’t have to worry that I don’t have enough horse. It’s pretty incredible. With a lot of other horses that has to be managed, and yes, we took him straight over to the barn and hosed him off after but it didn’t cross my mind once that I didn’t have enough horse, and that’s amazing.
Full Schedule and Results
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