It has been an incredible year for New Jersey dressage riders, who made quite a mark at major competitions, ending their spectacular season with last weekend’s U.S. Dressage Finals.
Heather Mason of Flying Change Farm in Lebanon has found the key to success with the 16-year-old Oldenburg/Holsteiner-cross RTF Lincoln. That paid off with a victory in the open Grand Prix, his first win in that category at the finals. He scored 70.399 percent to top 20 other entries, and was the only horse in the class to break 70 percent at the Kentucky Horse Park.
She prepared by showing him in the Intermediate II the day before, calling it a confidence-building warmup at the competition presented by Adequan.
“He’s tricky temperament-wise but I think I’ve got him figured out now,” the trainer explained.
Heather Mason and RTF Lincoln (Sue Stickle photo for U.S. Dressage Finals)
“His management is carefully orchestrated and he gets longed every day at a certain time. He always looks like the quietest horse in the barn but the minute you get on, he’s dynamite.”
Just looking at the results and seeing that Alice Tarjan of Oldwick had finished second in the Grand Prix Adult Amateur Championship with Donatella M on 72.935 percent raised a question: “Who the heck could have beaten her?”
Turns out it was Alice herself, as she put in the winning ride on the U.S.-bred Serenade MF, earning 74.928 percent. The day before, the partnership won in the Intermediate II Adult Amateur division.
“Serenade has had a fantastic year and I have to give her so much credit,” said Alice.
“Every time we go in the ring, she is so reliable. She’s only eight years old and there’s still a lot of stuff that is a bit hard for her, but she still answers all the questions of the Grand Prix and does it consistently.
“You ask her to piaffe and she piaffes. You ask her to do a change or a pirouette and she does a change and a pirouette. She’s just easy that way.”
Known for being a winner with a variety of horses, Alice proved that point again on her six-year-old Oldenburg mare Summersby II, victorious in the Fourth Level Adult Amateur Championship with a unanimous win under all three judges for a total of 73.056 percent.
“I’m really excited about this horse for the future, even though she’s young and green and still makes some mistakes. But she’s honest about it,” Alice explained.
Alice Tarjan and Serenade MF (Sue Stickle photo for U.S. Dressage Finals)
“Fourth Level is a lot of test for her, but I think it’s a good thing to kind of push your boundaries a little bit and see what your horse’s answers are, and she is definitely coming up with the right answers.”
She appreciates the finals, whether she’s in the Alltech Arena or one of the other rings.
“It is a huge horse show and I think ring time here is so good to get the horses exposure. There aren’t many places in the country where you can get a horse show of this size and atmosphere, that is so well run and at a fantastic facility where the footing is this good. These kinds of experiences are invaluable for the horses, and for me as a rider, they give me a better idea about the horse I have underneath me.”
She also took the Third Level Adult Amateur Championship with Summersby, scored at 72.417 percent.
Lauren Chumley of Pittstown also was a winner, taking the title in the Second Level Test of Choice on Leeloo Dallas with 70.119 percent, the best score in three sections.
Feeling a thrill at the finals wasn’t always about victories. Bridget Hay of East Amwell was delighted to collect the reserve championship in the Grand Prix Open Freestyle on her home-bred Faolan.
The freestyle is a tribute to Faolan’s brother, Fitzhessen, who died seven years ago.
As Bridget noted, Faolan’s score of 73.867 percent was less than a half-point behind the winner, Kristen Wasemiller-Knutson on Vashti, marked at 74.275.
“I feel so incredibly fortunate to have such an amazing partner who truly is a once in a lifetime horse,” said Bridget, who trains long-distance with Olympic medalists Adrienne Lyle and Ali Brock. She also got help at the show from her friend Alice Tarjan and Lisa Basselini.
