It’s Tarjan again for a Grand Prix sweep at Devon

Never before have I seen a psychic in a horse show’s vendor village, so it was a first for me during Dressage at Devon when I spotted the booth offering crystal ball reading ($35) and Tarot card reading ($45).

But I decided to save my money because I knew who was going to win the Saturday night Grand Prix Freestyle, even before a horse set hoof in the Dixon Oval for the class.

Alice Tarjan with Serenade MF (Sir Donnerhall X Don Principe) had to be a lock for the victory. After all, the two earned the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s National Grand Prix Championship little more than a month ago.

And with the petite mare nicknamed Shrimp, Alice was the alternate for the U.S. team at the FEI World Dressage Championships last summer.

She didn’t disappoint in front of the six-day show’s biggest crowd, earning 76.515 percent for her complex floorplan, despite a bit of a stutter start before getting in the groove and finding her direction.

“I rode a terrible test,” Alice freely admitted, when she discussed her performance after an ebullient victory pass aboard her game mare, who was bred in the U.S. by Maryanna Haymon.

“I got lost the whole time; poor horse,” she sighed as she described her experience.

“I’ve got to be able to ride a bit better in my head, I think.”

But as Alice observed, since it’s a freestyle, mistakes are “not so obvious.”

She credited Shrimp for picking up the slack.

“That’s a really cool horse and she tries her heart out for you and she’s really on the aids, so you can ride a freestyle.”

The floorplan that showcased technical expertise was designed by her coach, Marcus Orlob, to music arranged by Boy DeWinter. Judges gave her marks of 7.9 to 9.2 for the degree of difficulty, so Marcus obviously accomplished his goal that enabled Alice to showcase what her horse can do so well. The Hanoverian mare has changed in the way she carries herself as she develops, so the freestyle will be tweaked accordingly.

When I asked Alice how it felt to win the big one at DAD, she responded that she was thrilled.

“It’s something I never thought was going to happen. It’s not something I ever expected.”

Huh? I expected it. (See my first paragraph above.)

But that’s Alice. She’s very self-critical, which is probably a key element to her success. As is the case with so many of her horses, she trained Serenade from the time she was a foal. The Oldwick, N.J., resident was inspired to ride at DAD in 2006 when she was being treated for cancer and decided to buy a foal with an eye toward riding it three years later in the Materiale class, which didn’t require qualification for entering.

She has continued buying horses young and educating them up the help of Marcus and several other trainers (Lars Petersen and Debbie McDonald immediately come to mind.)

Alice was assisted last night by Allison Nemeth, the winner of the groom’s award.

Canada’s Megan Lane on the 18-year-old Zodiac MW was second with 75.220 percent, and her admirable pirouettes were a high point. Two judges gave her 9’s and one a 9.1 for her test’s degree of difficulty and “calculated risks.”

Megan has been riding Deeridge Equestrian’s Dutchbred gelding (Harmony’s Rousseau X Amethist) for a decade, and the longevity of their partnership showed in what they accomplished.

Although Alice’s winning performance was popular with the crowd, it was not their favorite. Fans at the showgrounds on Philadelphia’s Main Line who were using the spectator judging app voted for last year’s winner, Maryland-based Michael Bragdell on Qredit Hilltop (Quaterback 6 X Dream of Glory). They gave him their top percentage of 77.136, compared to the judges’ 73.130 that put him third officially. Megan Lane was second in the hearts of the crowd (75.745). Alice was third in the fans’ opinion on 75.678.

Michael’s ride was exuberant, and the crowd roared in appreciation of his stallion’s no-holds-barred extended canter which really was a gallop. The music, a compilation of Blurred Lines and Coldplay. emerged as the liveliest of the evening. It was the same accompaniment he won with in 2021, but Michael noted he has tweaked his test since then, and made it more difficult, ending with a one-handed ride. His music and his interpretation of it ranged from marks of 8 to 8.3 from the judges.

Correcting a mistake he made in getting the Oldenburg ready for Friday’s qualifier, he decided not to overdo the warm-up, which paid off in a horse that sparkled.

“I just want to come in here and have fun, and just be thankful to have the chance to ride here and enjoy this awesome crowd,” he explained.

“So I trimmed down my warm-up quite a bit and thought, ‘I’m just going to do something nice and easy.’

“I have to trust it, and it felt great, we finished so strong. And the crowd is just unbelievable, I mean, it’s so much fun. It’s a wonderful thing. I got my personal best in the CDI score, so of course I want to win, but it’s still fun to come here.”

The freestyle, presented by Kingsview Partner, was the first of 10 North American qualifiers for the 2023 FEI World Cup Finals in Omaha. The finals have not been held in the U.S. since 2017, so it’s a big goal. Megan and Michael are going for it.

“I’m sure everybody is aiming for Omaha, so why not?” Michael asked, saying, “That would be super exciting” and riding on home turf would “be extra special.”

Alice is headed to Tryon, N.C., as is Michael, for the next qualifier.

But Alice explained when asked about her goals, “I don’t set goals like that. I think you follow where the horses go and where they lead you, and all you can do is try to set the horses up as best you can and put them in the best situations. All I can do is try and train my horses as best I can and try to present them in the ring, and follow that. Sometimes they’re ready and sometimes they’re not.”

The freestyle wasn’t Alice’s only victory of the day. During the misty afternoon, she also rode eight-year-old Jane (Desperado NOP X Metall)  to the blue ribbon in the FEI Intermediate A with a score of 71.500 percent. She wrapped up the show the next day with a win in the same range, 71.459 percent, for the Intermediate B.

The Dutchbred mare, “who is hot and spooky,” is in her first year of showing, and she was “not so easy to bring along, but she’s really starting to shine now,” said Alice, noting that she is sufficiently trained to overcome her fear in the ring.

“She’s highly affected by the environment and very worried about it,” noted Alice.

Comparing her to Serenade MF, Alice said, “They’re complete opposite horses. Jane was on high alert this entire horse show and so worried, and Shrimp was like, `What’s the problem?’”

Entries were light in the Grand Prix Special, with just two competing in the qualifier and only one, Micaela Mabragaña, in the class itself. Her score on Diamond Rosso (Diamond Hit X Lauries Crusador) was 66.766 percent, which was a landmark for the native of Argentina.

A U.S. citizen who has been living here since 2010, she still rides for Argentina. Micaela, who came to this country as a working student for Lendon Gray, operates a training business in Bedford, N.Y.

“The last time I was here (at Devon) was 2009 and the Grand Prix was a massive class,” she recalled. “But it’s okay, I got a blue ribbon. I’m not too disappointed.”

The rider wants to do the Florida circuit and represent Argentina at the Pan American Games.

She has been to those Games before. Micaela was there in 2015 (when it was in Canada) and that’s where she met her partner, Antonio Diaz Porras, who was the Argentine coach at that time.

Click here for results from Dressage at Devon