Sunday February 9, 2003

Josien, Quality Team Horse for the Pan Ams

Originally from Holland, Brons, 38, has been a rider in the US since the mid-1980s and currently works with Robert Dover. He is based in New York, but resides in Florida for the winter show season. He became a US citizen two years ago and 2003 is the first time he is eligible to compete for the US. Brons has planned his 2003 show schedule with the goal of qualifying to compete on the US team at the Pan Am Games.

Josien, owned by Elizabeth Schaffner of Long Island, is a 12 year-old, 16-hand, bay Dutch warmblood mare by Casanova. Brons started riding her at PSG/I-I last year and she competed at the 2002 Winter Equestrian Festival. During the 2002 summer Josien took a seven-week break from training and showing when she was bred to Kennedy and participated in an embryo transplant. Brons brought her back in the fall, and at Devon she won the Open Prix St. Georges and the Open Intermediaire I to top off her season.

Though Brons said he does not foresee Josien moving up to Grand Prix, he believes she will make a good team horse for the Pan Am Games. “She comes out every day, whenever I ride her, and she wants to play the game. She wants to do it, she wants to be the best she can possibly be on that particular day,” he said, “so it makes for a real nice feel when you get on the horse. You know that you’re going to have a good ride with her. Things might go awry here or there or you want to still work on things to make it prettier, but you pretty much know what’s going to happen.”