Yvonne Barteau and Chimon

DRESSAGE DAILY

Yvonne Barteau and Chimon

Thursday, March 14, 2002

Posted by admin

Foregoing all the CDI classes at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby, Yvonne Barteau, 39, of Gilberts, Illinois, competed in the Open Division and came up the winner three times in three outings with her FEI horse, Chimon owned by Elite European Sport Horses, Inc. On Friday, March 1, the pair won the Prix St. Georges with a 69.50%. The following day they won the Intermediaire I, scoring 70.00%. And on Sunday, March 3, the duo again took the blue with a win in the Intermediaire I Freestyle, earning a 67.50%. All three classes were ABIG/USDF Qualifiers.

"I skated away from the CDI because I did too many last year and ended up pulling down my average for USET. I'm a little smarter this year," said Barteau. She plans to compete in two upcoming CDIs in order to qualify for the Intermediaire I Championships at Gladstone. Last year Barteau and Chimon qualified for the championships but they were both a little overwhelmed by Gladstone. "I felt I was the biggest nobody there and he was the youngest horse. I kept feeling like I should be taking polos off for somebody instead of riding." She says she would feel more at home at Gladstone this year.

Chimon is a nine-year old Swedish gelding by Amiral, Kyra Kyrkland's stallion. "He got a 10 on his trot last year from Edgar Hotz at the USET Heidelberg Cup, which was really nice and exciting for me because I haven't got that many 10s. You always remember when you get one, and for an extended trot at a big show like that it was really, really good."

In addition, Barteau was awarded the High Point Hanoverian Trophy at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby held in Loxahatchee, Florida, March 1-3. The trophy is awarded in memory of Dr. Walter Hartwig by The Hanoverian Society. Barteau earned the award for her ride on Lex Barker, owned by Elite European Sport Horses, in Training Level Test 2 on Saturday, March 2. The pair earned a 75.417%.

Barteau is originally from Canada but is now an American citizen. She is married to dressage rider and trainer Kim Barteau. They have four children ranging in age from six to 19. "My husband takes care of the farm and the kids and the horses in the winter and lets me come down and do the fun stuff. He's a great guy. He's a very good rider and he's my most constant source of help."

She currently trains with Olympian Carol Lavell. "I'm a real 'feel' rider and she's very precise, very technical, so it's good for me. She says I'm like a monkey in an airplane - I just go in there and fiddle around until things work. She's making me ride much more streamlined -don't do three things, do one thing and just go. She's the best. She's a wonderful rider herself, a wonderful trainer and a wonderful instructor. You don't find that all that often. Some people are super riders and they can't train horses all that well and she does. She's always had one or two horses and they always do well. Her attention to detail is staggering. She's one of a kind."