Big Tyme Lives Large at Flintridge at the the USEF/Markel Insurance Young Horse Western Dressage Selection Trial
Photos and Text by Charlene Strickland

La Canada-Flintridge, California, May 28: He won every class, three days straight—and the overall USEF/Markel Insurance Young Horse Western Dressage Selection Trial for 5 year olds. Big Tyme took the warmup test on Friday (77.8), the Preliminary test Saturday (8.46), and on Sunday capped his weekend with the Final test (8.84).

“He feels super, like no other horse I've ever ridden before,”said owner and rider, Marisa Festerling, Newbury Park, California. About the trot work in Saturday's test, she said, “He makes it look so easy and elegant.”

Judges praised the Belgian gelding for his uphill canter and rhythm at all gaits. Festerling's trainer, Marie Meyers, noted, “The judges said, 'This is a dressage horse.' I thought that was a real compliment to him.”

Big Tyme proved his natural talent, as a son of Saros van het Gestelhof, who was Belgium's champion young horse as a five and six year old. His damsire is Wendekreis, the Hannoverian jumper and dressage sire. In 1990, Wendekreis was one of the top 10 jumper sires in Hannover; also successful as a dressage sire.

Meyers, her husband Frank, and Festerling found Big Tyme at the barn of Belgian trainer, Stefan van Ingelgem. “We were there looking for horses. Stefan said, 'I have a super young horse.' We saw him at night in his stall, and he looked huge,” recalled Festerling.

Big Tyme wasn't quite four years old, and ridden only a dozen times when Meyers bought him. “In the video, it was unbelievable the way he moved, said Festerling. She added that even at 17 hands, “He's a ladies' horse. He is very refined, and not a heavy horse to ride.” She rides young horses for Meyers, and trained Big Tyme for his first year in California.