Friday February 20, 2004

Tina Konyot And Anna Karenina Win Grand Prix A At Florida Dressage Classic

The FEI dressage classes were fully loaded today with two sections of Grand Prix, the first of two sections of Intermediaire I, and the third section of the Prix St. Georges at the 32 nd Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, FL, today.

Tina Konyot, 42, of Stonington, Connecticut, and Stuart, Florida, won the A section of the $1,500 FEI Grand Prix riding Anna Karenina for owner Sally Miller. The pair earned 71.597% from judges Liselotte Fore, Natalie Lamping, and Janet Brown and topped a class of 12 riders.

Konyot has been riding the 12-year-old, 17.1-hand, black Dutch mare by Sultan since May 2003. Owner Miller purchased the mare as a six-year-old from Dutch rider Suzanne van Cuyk (Team Bronze Medalist at the 1993 European Championships riding Mr. Jackson) who continued to train and show Anna Karenina through the small tour. Ms. Miller owns the farm in Connecticut where Konyot spends her summers and has been a client and friend for eight years. She brought the mare to Konyot last spring for help with piaffe and ultimately gave her the ride.

Today's class was only the third Grand Prix for Konyot and the huge black mare. Konyot competed her in their first grand prix at Ox Ridge this summer, scoring in the 60 percentile. Konyot admitted that the test was premature but at the recent Southern Comfort Zada Cup in Clarcona, FL, the pair won the I-I class and then claimed victory in the Grand Prix earning 68.8%. Konyot credits Michael Poulin for helping her for three days prior to that win.