Friday, September 27, 2024 — Burbank, California. On this second day of the Great American Insurance Group / USDF Region 7 Dressage Championships and the 57th Annual California Dressage Society State Championship Show, one of the highlights was the conclusion of the CDS Futurity that began yesterday. Throughout the day, dressage competition created new champions and lasting memories.
Great American/USDF Competition Heats Up
Kristina Harrison-Antell was awarded first and second place yesterday in the Great American/USDF Open Intermediate II Level Regional Championships, first place with Felix, her 11-year-old,16.2 hand bay KWPN gelding, and second place with Juilliard DG, Emily L Murray’s 10-year-old, 17 hand bay KWPN gelding.
Kristina Harrison-Antell
Kristina is no stranger to young horses. She picked out Felix at a year-and-a-half, and Juilliard DG when he had only been ridden a handful of times. “I’m looking forward to moving them up to Grand Prix,” she admitted. “I bought the horse I will show tomorrow, Quintessa ELF, as a six-month-old and we’re now at USEF Fourth Level. I love bringing them along.” Quintessa ELF, owned by Kristina, is an 8-year-old 16.3 hand bay Hanoverian mare. Congratulations to Kristina.
Allison Bonanno
Mother/Daughter Dressage Duo
Allison Bonanno of Las Vegas, NV, brought home a third on Thursday with her own Licenciado JF III, a 13-year-old 17 hand bay P.R.E. gelding, and she brought to the show her daughter Isabella, who rode Allison’s Royal Step, a 15-year-old, 16.2 hand bay Oldenburg Gelding. Isabella rode to first place in two CDS tests: Third Level Test 2 Junior/Young Rider, and Second Level Test 2 Junior/Young Rider.
“We both got bit by the dressage bug,” Allison laughed. “We both transitioned from jumping, although at different times. First I started, then Isabella, who at thirteen has only been riding dressage for two years. Las Vegas has a great dressage community, with several rated shows and schooling shows as well. Dressage is addictive!”
CDS Futurity Champions
4-Year-Old Futurity: Based on weighted combinations of their scores from the 4-year-old Material class and Training Level Test 3, Willy Arts rode DG Bar Ranch’s 17 hand chestnut KWPN stallion, Pharaoh DG, to the win. Standing second was Rachel Joan Wade on her own Paradigm, a 17 hand black Dutch Warmblood gelding.
5-Year-Old Futurity: Again, a weighted combination of scores from the 5-year-old Material class and First Level Test 2 decided the winner. Winning the top two spots was Willy Arts, who came first in the division with Linda and Richard Nickerson’s 16.2 hand black Danish stallion, Serupgaards Cezanne, described with a smile by Richard as “a Danish horse bought in Germany with a French name ridden by a Dutch guy in California” — truly an international horse.
Willy rode to second on Oscar HF, the 17 hand chestnut KWPN stallion owned by Dynasty Dressage Group. Notably, the DG Bar Ranch success streak continued with Ashlyn Dodge taking third place with Orlando DG, Madison Todd’s 16.2 hand black KWPN gelding, and seventh place with Odessa DG, Judith Nishi’s 16.2 hand bay KWPN mare.
6-Year-Old Futurity: With scores from CDS 6 YR old Futurity Second Level Test 1 and Test 2 evenly weighted to determine the winners, Christian Hartung took top honors with Christiane Noelting’s 17 hand chestnut Hanoverian stallion, Velantis N. Standing second was Kelly Casey Mykrantz on Pam Nootbaar’s 17.3 hand chestnut KWPN mare, Navannah.
Complete results may be found on the CDS website at www.california-dressage.org.
Competition continues throughout the weekend at Los Angeles Equestrian Center.
Christian Hartung
