Lisa Wilcox and Horses Unlimited's stallion Pikko del Cerro HU (Pik L- Rohweena by Rohdiamant) clinched the championship title of the inaugural USEF Developing grand Prix Championship supported by Hilda Gurney and Carol Lavell
Lisa Wilcox (Loxahatchee, FL) and Pikko del Cerro HU (Pik L- Rohweena by Rohdiamant) repeated their winning effort from Thursday to clinch top honors in the inaugural championship. Horses Unlimited's nine-year-old Hanoverian stallion never looked in doubt of claiming his second Developing Horse National Championship title, he was the winner of the 2011 USEF National Developing Horse Prix St. Georges Dressage Championship presented by The Dutta Corp. and Performance Sales International, as he put forth a dominating effort on Saturday to score 71.084%. The American Bred stallion also came through the ranks in the Young Horse division as a four and five year old with Mikayla Gundersen who turned the ride over to Wilcox to represent the horse for the USA.Thursday's inconsistencies appeared a long way off as the stallion appeared much more settled in the USEF Developing Grand Prix Test, which counted for 60% of the championship total. Throughout the week the Markel/USEF National Young Horse Dressage Program graduate and 2009's Six-Year-Old Champion demonstrated a great aptitude for the Grand Prix movements. "Today he was relaxed and his head was a comfortable; he was a hundred percent with me," said Wilcox. "The passage-piaffe-passage was the highlight."
Wilcox and Horses Unlimited's Anne Sparks are firm believers in both the Young Horse and Developing Horse programs and their importance in the development of Pikko del Cerro HU.
"Because the programs were out there Anne did what the horse needed to do as a four-year-old and a five-year-old," said Wilcox. "[These programs] provide a lot of exposure that helps in their development." The pair finished on a final score of 70.949% and additionally collected the Top U.S. Bred Horse award.
Reserve Champion honors was Endel Ots (Wellington, FL) and Taunia Reed's Stallion Agastrofos (Briar 899-Hera by Nocturne 877)
Earning Reserve Champion honors was Endel Ots (Wellington, FL) and Taunia Reed's Agastrofos (Briar 899-Hera by Nocturne 877) with a championship score of 67.812%. The 10-year-old Swedish Warmblood produced an expressive test highlighted by solid collection Saturday scoring 68.459%. "He loves the piaffe and passage, the collected work is just so easy for him. He likes to go out and show, it's great to go in there and have extra gas," said Ots who believes the Championships are very important in assessing the aptitude of young and developing horses. "It's really cool to compete horses in the same age group and see how you stack-up."
Finishing third was Petra Warlimont (Hygiene, CO) and the 10-year-old Hanoverian gelding Rohmero (Romancero-Waldina by Walldorf) on an overall score of 63.961%. Warlimont brought five horses to the National Championships competing in all divisions, another first in the history of this prestigeous event a highlight for American dressage.
