Alice Tarjan and Serenade MF made a clean sweep of the Grand Prix championship classes at the U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions today, after adding a freestyle win to her victories in the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Special earlier in the week at the Lamplight Equestrian Center in Illinois.
The Oldwick, N.J., resident breathed a sigh of relief after the competition ended, saying she was “just happy we got through it.”
It was only the second time she had ridden the freestyle on Serenade (Sir Donnerhall X Don Principe.) She was marked at 76.985 percent and took the overall championship on 74.176.
She didn’t know much about the music to which her 9-year-old mare danced, expIaining that when she needed a score to try and qualify for the world championships, a European produced the piece for her.
“He was kind enough to throw it together for me in five days,” said Alice, who won the championship for the second year in a row. In 2021, she rode Candescent to the Grand Prix title, while Serenade won the Developing honors.
The mare was bred in America by Maryanna Haymon. Alice and “Shrimp,” as she is nicknamed, were the first alternates for the U.S. team that went to Herning, Denmark, for this month’s world championships.
Critiquing her progress with Shrimp, she noted, “The balance uphill has been a real struggle,” adding the mare is getting better and better overall. She kind of wants to be a show hunter,” Alice observed slyly, “so it’s been a real push to try keep her in front of my leg. Over the week, she’s getting hotter and hotter. This is like a way different horse than I ever used to ride.”
Alice Tarjan is heading home to Oldwick, N.J. from the national championships with quite a collection of ribbons. (Photo courtesy U.S. Equestrian/Susan Stickle)
Training with the team in Europe “helped me have an idea about how much more compressed you have to keep the horses through the test to be able to get the quality and higher marks you want.
“You have to really ride to get a young horse through a Grand Prix, because otherwise it doesn’t happen. You have to make something happen in the beginning, but after becoming more proficient in movements, the idea is to back off and have it be more harmonious.”
The reserve champion was Katie Duerrhammer on Paxton with an average of 70.547. Katie rode Quartett on the world championships team in Denmark, and for today’s competition, Katie said she borrowed Quartett’s freestyle. (Quartett is Paxton’s uncle, so it’s all in the family.”
Katie told Terri Gallo, who produced her freestyle, that she “wanted music that would be fun, that people would know and wouldn’t overpower him. He’s a very powerful horse, but he’s very lightfooted.”
He had not done this freestyle before and they had some mistakes, but she liked the way it showcased “his power and showed how elegant he can be. I was very proud of him; he tried very hard to accomplish everything in there.” She was marked at 74.980 for her performance to the music.
The Markel/USEF Developing Prix St. Georges Championship went to Fritz and Claudine Kundrun’s Johnny Be Goode (Glock’s Dream Boy X Tietse 428.
“I was really pleased with how he stuck with me and did everything I asked and handled everything, despite being hot. You can’t ask for more than that,” said his rider, Olivia Lagoy-Weltz, who has been riding him since December. His score was 73.223.
Reserve was Kathryn Fleming-Kuhn’s Ronin, ridden by Martin Kuhn (71.211).
Adrienne Lyle was a big winner at the show, taking the four- and five-year-old Markel/USEF Young Horse Championships and coaching her assistant trainer, Quinn Iverson, to the Brentina Cup championship for riders 16-25. Quinn, who started with Adrienne as a working student, rode Billie Davidson’s Beckham. That competition is named after Brentina, who was the ride of Debbie McDonald, Adrienne’s mentor.
Adrienne praised Quinn for all her help in keeping things going while she was away at the world championshps.
Although Adrienne has always trained young horses, this is her first year doing young horse classes and championships.
She described the 5-year-old, Valor (Vitalis 4 X Fürstenball OLD), as “so rideable, such a kind, giving horse.”
He was bought off a video when he had just turned three. He’s already earning astronomical scores, taking the championship on 92.480. The Westphalian is owned by Kylee Lourie, who also owns Katie’s horses. Adrienne is Katie’s coach, so that’s a nice little package
Alice was reserve five-year-old champion with Ierland’s Eden (88.480).
Adrienne topped the four-year-old rankings with Fürst Dream (Fürstenball OLD X Benneton Dream). Their average for the show was another whopping score, 92.920. The Hanoverian stallion is owned by Betsy Juliano, who also owns Adrienne’s world championships mount, Salvino.
Adrienne Lyle and Fürst Dream. (Photo courtesy USEF/Susan Stickle)
While the horse was frisky outside the ring, “he really focused when we went down centerline. He’s really rideable,” said Adrienne.
“He has such incredible suppleness, especially for a four-year-old. He just feels like every part of him moves, and I love that feeling. And he’s got an amazing brain.”
Reserve was yet another of Alice’s horses, Ice Princess (89.760).
“I’m super excited about that horse,” said Alice, who bought her as a yearling from a friend in Denmark.
“I think she’s going to be a super Grand Prix horse.”
While she’s honest, she’s also hot, and can “overboil easily.”
Since she had the summer off while Alice was in Europe, her owner thinks it says something about Ice Princess that she could come to the show with a minimum of training.
The mare lives up to her name, she’s quite the princess.
“There is no question that horse thinks she’s the most important horse in the barn. That horse thinks she’s special, I’ll give her that,” Alice said.
To read previous days’ stories about the championships, check the On the Rail section.
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