Alice Tarjan, the alternate rider for the USA’s FEI world championships dressage squad, got an opportunity that she missed earlier this month in Herning, Denmark, to show what she and Serenade MF can do.
They topped the Grand Prix at the U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions at Lamplight Farm in Illinois today, marked at 73.869 percent. If they had ridden at the world championships and gotten that score, they would have finished ahead of two riders who were on the team.
Alice Tarjan and Serenade MF. (Photo U.S. Equestrian by Susan Stickle)
Adding her scores to those of the top two U.S. finishers, Steffen Peters (Suppenkasper) and Adrienne Lyle (Salvino), the U.S. would have had a team total of 223.030. It still would not have been enough to move into the medals, however, since Germany won the bronze with 230.79. The U.S. would have remained sixth. But that placing was enough to qualify for the Paris Olympics, which was the goal.
Alice, who lives in OIdwick, N.J., spent so much time in Germany training with the team that she wasn’t able to focus on the national championships in the lead-up to the show.
“It’s not been very good preparation because the horse was in Europe all summer,” said Alice, noting the mare didn’t get back to New Jersey until last week, which meant she was only able to ride her three times before coming to Illinois.
“I didn’t quite know what as I was going to get,” said Alice, but at least, “it’s going in the right direction.”
She said the balance is better explaining that now, “If I lose the balance, I’m able to get it back.
FEI competition started Monday with the Prix St. Georges and continued yesterday with the Intermediate I. Both were won by Laura Graves on SenSation HW, who will start Thursday looking for a clean sweep by taking the freestyle. After that, the horse will move up to Grand Prix.
Laura was once the world’s number one ranked rider with Verdades, her medal mount for the Olympics and world championships. He retired in 2020.
Her score in the I-1 was 74.793 percent. She said the test was a little more tense than her Prix St. Georges, but noted it was a bit more difficult. She cited “a little mistake in the two-time tempis. But I think other than that, it was really a clean test.”
Quinn Iverson rode Beckham 19 to victory in the first leg of the Brentina Cup, the Intermediate II, for riders 25 and under. Quinn started as a working student with Adrienne Lyle.
Speaking about her ride that earned 67.676 percent, she said, “We came in, started a little bit shaky, but he settled and actually let me ride him. He was very honest in there. A few bobbles we’ll clean up, but overall, I’m so happy with him.”
The para dressage championship went to Californian Mia Rodier-Dawallo and Jayden, known as Pudding.
“I am very proud of our work. In general, I don’t chase scores and I think comparison is the thief of joy, so I do my best not compare myself to anyone else,” she said. Her score was a total of 69.094 percent after three tests.
“It’s an honor. It is so validating that all of the blood, sweat, and tears that we put into this have come to fruition,” she mused.
“In this sport in a matter of a week you can have a humbling of a lifetime or feel like you are on top of the world or everything in between. It is such an emotional roller coaster, mentally, physically, everything. When you get an opportunity to come out on a national stage, and first of all have the time of your life, and second of all, win.”