An array of interesting winners on stage at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival

WELLINGTON, Fla.—Watching a 20-year-old horse competing in the Western Hemisphere’s only 5-star-rated dressage show is pretty impressive, but when he does more than just participate, it’s really remarkable.

If you didn’t know the age of Elmegardens Marquis, you never would have guessed it from the way he performed last night in the Grand Prix Special at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival.

“I always say he’s like a wine, he just keeps getting better,” enthused owner/rider Joanne Vaughan from atop her lively bay gelding, whose neck was draped with a huge yellow third-place ribbon. His total was 66.511 percent, scoring impressive marks of 8 for passage and transitions.

“I bought him as a 7-year-old and I said `this is a horse of a lifetime.’ I would like to tell all your readers, `never give up.’ Everyone told me, `Sell that horse, he’s crazy, he’s mad, you’ll kill yourself.’ But we kept going and I’m so glad we did. Things like tonight make it all worthwhile.”

Early on, the Danish-bred son of Michellino was such a wild child—his first rider fell off nearly every day–that putting him down seemed like the only option for his future. But then the owners decided, “let’s just sell him” and luckily for Max, as he’s known, Joanne came along to purchase him.

“No one would get on him, not even my trainer,” she recalled, but Joanne was not discouraged. The way he felt when she rode him intrigued her and she said, “I love him, I have to have him.”

In the end, persistence paid off, though it was rough in the beginning.

“They know me at Wellington Memorial (Hospital),” she chuckled.

He’s still a firecracker with a reputation to match, however. In fact, Joanne confided before going into the victory ceremony she had worried about what he would do during his first experience under the lights in front of a crowd. “I thought we might end up back at the stable,” she admitted.

He was a perfect gentleman, though she wisely skipped the honor round when he got a little antsy during the awards ceremony.

But she said he’s a different horse since he’s been on a feed program from Kentucky Equine Research, and over the years put together the pieces of her jigsaw puzzle, the right trainer (Ulf Möller), the right bitting, the right tack.

Joanne, who rides for Georgia (the Republic, not the state) is hoping to qualify for this summer’s European Championships. Max was ridden on the gold medal British team in the 2011 Europeans with Emile Faurie. He also was reserve for the British team in the 2012 London Olympics, until it was decided “he was too unpredictable.”

How long can Max keep going?

“I always say I’m ready to retire him as soon as he tells me he doesn’t want to do this anymore,” said Joanne, but at the moment, it doesn’t look as if he’ll be heading out to pasture anytime soon.

The Special was won by Adrienne Lyle with Salvino, her mount from the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games silver medal team. Why, you might ask, was he in the Special instead of the freestyle? She needs the practice because at the 2020 Olympics, the Special will determine team medals. The Grand Prix, which comes before the Special on the schedule, will only be used as a qualifier.

“I’m so happy with his attitude,” said Adrienne, contending Betsy Juliano’s stallion is “enjoying every minute of it.” That was reflected in her score of 73.574 percent as she finished ahead of Shelly Francis on Danilo (70.468).

“He’s a very athletic horse with a ton of scope, which is wonderful, but I need to learn how to keep it exactly where I want it,” she said, pointing out that his scope and the looseness of his movement have both pluses and minuses.

“At times, it’s been like riding an octopus, trying to get all the legs underneath you in one place. He’s starting to really understand his work and feel confident that he can do what I ask every time,” she said.

It definitely was Adrienne’s day at Global, as she also won the qualifier for the 3-star Grand Prix Special (the show offered 1-star, 3-star and 5-star classes) with Harmony’s Duval in his first CDI (international competition). He came out of a field in Colorado, selected by Bob McDonald, husband of U.S. dressage coach Debbie McDonald, who is Adrienne’s mentor.

“We’ve had him since he was five years old and just getting saddle-broke. It’s been quite a journey He has super talent, he does all the hard stuff really easily. It’s just getting him a little more relaxed and rideable and getting him more exposure in these big stadiums,” said Adrienne, who won the 3-star Special itself this afternoon with Duval on 72.851 percent..

The American-bred Dutchwarmblood by Rousseau, who is owned by a syndicate, got a grant to go and compete in Europe this summer.

The freestyle, the featured event last night, drew only six horses, since many riders are trying to figure out a way to do the new requirement of three qualifiers for the FEI World Cup finals and still ride in other classes at Global.

Canada’s Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu won the Grand Prix Freestyle, as she did with the qualifier the day before on All In. The freestyle is the last competition for Brittany until after she has her baby in June.

The timing means she won’t be available to help her teammates at this summer’s Pan American Games qualify for a place at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. But she’s hoping to go to Tokyo if Canada makes the cut. She has demonstrated a style that would make her a must for the Tokyo team.

Her freestyle had a high degree of difficulty, highlighted by as many combinations as she could do, along with a lot of transitions in an effort to get more bonus points.

She was marked at 76.250 percent, to 75.705 percent for runner-up Katherine Bateson-Chandler on Alcazar (75.705), who has been a long-running project for his American rider. Third place went to a horse that is still developing, Ballentines 10, ridden by Christoph Koschel of Germany. It was the horse’s first freestyle and first time under the lights.

“I’m so proud of him that he was behaving so well and was so with me.  I think there’s a lot of potential for the future,” Christoph said.

 

I agree. I see the potential in the 11-year-old Hanoverian. I asked Christoph if he’s thinking about Tokyo, and he pointed out that for him, it’s not so easy, because he’s from Germany and there’s such an abundance of talent there that also will be trying for a team spot.