Thursday January 29, 2004

Canucks Compete at Wellington Florida CDI*

The first 2004 CDI of the Florida show season took place January 23-25 at the Gold Coast Opener Dressage Festival in West Palm Beach, Florida.

The location was the West Palm Beach Polo Club, known for being a beehive of activity during the winter show season for dressage and hunter/jumper riders alike.  And this show was no exception with the expansive grounds packed with dogs, people, vendors, speeding golf carts and galloping horses.

Canadian Grand Prix rider Shannon Dueck was competing for a second weekend in a row with her longtime partner, the 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding Korona.  The hectic atmosphere at the Gold Coast Opener Dressage Festival was a sharp contrast to the relative tranquil environment prevalent at most dressage shows. This provided Dueck with a challenge when preparing the sensitive gelding for the Grand Prix classes.

On the first day of competition, the pair decisively won the Intermediaire 2 class with a score of 69.837%, well ahead of second place finishers Sabine Schut-Kery & Tinus PM who achieved 65.610%. After a disappointingly tense ride in the Grand Prix, Dueck & Korona rebounded in Sunday's Grand Prix Special with 68.267% placing them in third position. The class was won by former Olympian Robert Dover on Rainier with 71.400%.

“The atmosphere was difficult for Korona.” explained Dueck, “ He rose to the challenge in the Intermediaire 2 and the Grand Prix Special, but an experimental warm-up was not successful for the Grand Prix and he was very tense throughout. Even so, I was very pleased with him throughout the show, and as I will be showing in Wellington three more times, I used this show to figure out a warm up that will result in a good test.”