FOLLOW US

Canada’s Jill Irving Records Personal Best in First Freestyle of 2020 Adequan® Global Dressage Festival

Canadian riders fill the podium in this FEI Dressage World Cup™ Grand Prix Freestyle.

Wellington, FL—January 10, 2020—Day two of the opening week of the 2020 Adequan® Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) heralded the first Friday night under lights of this competitive season at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) in Wellington, Florida. AGDF covers 12 weeks and runs through March 29.

The result in the FEI Dressage World Cup™ Grand Prix Freestyle, presented by Lövsta, was an exact repeat of the previous day’s results, with three Canadian ladies, all trained by Ashley Holzer, filling the podium. They were led by Jill Irving on her own long-time partner, the De Niro gelding Degas 12, who scored 76.06 percent— a personal best. Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu rode All In to second place (75.74 percent), while 23-year-old Naima Moreira Laliberte filled third with 75.645 percent on Statesman.

Jill Irving (CAN) and Degas 12 win under the lights during Friday Night Stars. (Photo by Susan J. Stickle)

“Degas is 18 this year so I’m thrilled with his energy,” said Irving, who rode to a Beatles compilation. “His piaffe and passage felt great. He’s really flexible and, with age, he’s become less nervous, which used to be an issue. I was super thrilled with him and it’s really fun to be part of all this at Global. It takes a village to make this sport roll.”

Click here to watch Jill Irving’s winning freestyle. (Courtesy of Richard’s Equine Videos)

Fraser-Beaulieu, who is back riding after the birth of her first child in the summer of 2019, said: “This is my second competition back and he’s the type of horse that needs to be in the ring a fair amount, so yesterday in the Grand Prix I felt he was a little sticky and unsure. Today he came out ready to rock. The beginning of my test felt incredible—the best feeling I’ve ever had on him. Then I had a mistake in my ones, which was a pity.”

Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu (CAN) and All In finished as runners-up in the Grand Prix Freestyle. (Photo by Susan J. Stickle)

Laliberte was riding in her first Friday Night Stars class, a long-held dream of hers. She said: “I’m really happy to finally be competing here. I thought Statesman did a great job in there; it’s a different atmosphere and apart from one rider mistake, the rest felt quite amazing. We’re still newcomers; I’m happy to break the ice.”

Naima Moreira Laliberte (CAN) and Statesman rounded out the all-Canada podium in their first Friday Night Stars appearance. (Photo by Susan J. Stickle)

This is her third season with the 13-year-old Sandro Hit gelding, and only their seventh grand prix competition together. They were part of the gold medal winning Canadian team at the Pan American Games in July 2019 and this was their first show since then.

Judge Bill Warren was impressed with what he saw: “To sit at Global at C and see the quality of horses and riding was just thrilling. I’ve judged Jill and Brittany many times over the years and I’ve seen the relationships develop with their horses, and it’s been really gratifying to see where they’ve come from and where they are now.”

The class was sponsored by Lövsta, who has been supporting dressage in Wellington for 10 years.

Results from the FEI Grand Prix Freestyle CDI-W, presented by Lövsta

Listed in the order of: Place, rider, nationality, horse, horse information: judge E percent, judge H percent, judge C percent, judge M percent, judge B percent, final score

E, Christof Umbach (LUX); H, Monique Peutz (NED); C, William Warren (USA); M, Elke Ebert (GER); B, Cesar Torrente (COL)

1. Jill Irving (CAN) on Degas 12, her own 18yo Hanoverian gelding by De Niro: 76.4, 75.8, 75.65, 76.775, 75.675, 76.06

2. Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu (CAN) on All In, her own 15yo KWPN gelding by Tango: 77.8, 73.75, 76.9, 75.75, 74.5, 75.74

3. Naima Moreira Laliberte (CAN) on Statesman, KML S.A.R.L’s 13yo Hanoverian gelding by Sandro Hit: 76.225, 74.1, 75.85, 76.075, 75.975, 75.645

4. Heather Blitz (USA) on Semper Fidelis, Rowan O’Riley’s 14yo Oldenburg mare by Sir Donnerhall: 73.925, 72.775, 76.375, 78.35, 74.2, 75.125

5. Rebecca Waite (USA) on Doktor, Patricia Stempel’s 17yo Oldenburg gelding by Diamond Hit: 74.5, 73.3, 74.4, 72.55, 75.15, 73.98

6. Lindsay Kellock (CAN) on Sebastien, Enterprise Farms LLC’s 14yo Rheinlander gelding by Sandro Hit: 75.75, 71.925, 73.875, 72.875, 72.85, 73.455

7. Dongseon Kim (KOR) on Belstaff Dongseon, his own 13yo Hanoverian stallion by Brentano II: 73.775, 72.525, 72.050, 70.7, 71.275, 72.065

8. Jessica Jo Tate (USA) on Kynynmont Gunsmoke’s Gideon, Pam Liddell’s 12yo Connemera gelding by Gun Smoke: 71.275, 72.125, 68.125, 69.625, 68.325, 69.895

9. Missy Gilliland (USA) on Samaritano IX, Philip Merrill’s 20yo PRE stallion by Botijo II: 67.9, 70.1, 68.15, 69.1, 69.2, 68.89

10. Micah Deligdish (ISR) on Destiny, Diamante Farms’ 17yo Danish Warmblood gelding by Diamond Hit: 69.55, 66.225, 71.05, 69.275, 65.9, 68.4

Click here to see complete results.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn

CATEGORIES

TAGS

RELATED POSTS

fei spurs
FEI Makes Spurs Optional
horse week
The Art of Freestyle Dancing with Horses
Buffini
AnnA Buffini Becomes First Resident Trainer for Dressage Today OnDemand
whatsapp-image-2023-10-25-at-42713-pmjpeg_large
Anna Marek Wins Individual Bronze in Grand Prix Freestyle at Santiago 2023

TRENDING ARTICLES

Photo by Rhett Savoie
George Williams' Kindergarten Exercises to Learn the Aids
Screenshot 2024-03-25 at 9.28
Infographic: What is Myofibrillar Myopathy?
DT-04-george-williams-counter-canter
Exercises to Develop Your Horse’s Straightness and Collection with George Williams
hind legs 2
George Williams: How Horses' Hind Legs Work