Thursday September 16, 2004

Revolution’s Consistency Pays Off at the 2004 USEF/Markel Young Horse Dressage National Championships

By Amber Heintzberger

Consistency won out over moments of brilliance when Lars Baekgaard rode Dr. Mary Hughes’ black German-bred Oldenburg gelding Revolution (Royal Diamond out of Fuela by Furioso), to take first place with a 7.48. Scores were not quite as impressive in the division for six-year-old horses as they were in the five-year-olds. 

Lars Baekgaard was riding in his first US Championship, but has competed in the FEI Young Horse classes before in his native Denmark.  Training out of Hughes’ Eagle Crest Farm in Moorestown, New Jersey, Baekgaard has been riding Revolution since January.

“He was excellent today,” Baekgaard commented about the gelding.  “He was soft and very forward.”  In the near future, Hughes plans to be the horse’s primary rider, competing at the lower levels, while Baekgaard will continue to train the gelding.

It was good basics and correct training that kept this horse in the lead.