Spirit Equestrian Hunter/Jumper trainer Russell Morgan was featured in the Winter 2012 issue of Equine and Canine News!  

You can read the full article by Clicking Here.

In Dressage, Spirit trainer Barbro Ask-Upmark and her Swedish Warmblood Monterey won the Grand Prix @ Spirit Equestrian August 6-7. Barbro and Monterey were pronounced the 2011 DASC Champions at Grand Prix.  Barbro and Monterey also received the DASC Year End Award for Grand Prix Open.  To top off their amazing year, Monterey was ranked #12 at Grand Prix under the USDF Horse of the Year Awards!

Spirit trainer Kim Kulesa riding Pam Wall's 1995 Oldenburg gelding Lesotho came home with the 2011 DASC Reserve Champion title, also at the Grand Prix Level.  

Kim Kulesa on Lesotho (L) and Barbro Ask-Upmark on Monterey (R) sweep the DASC awards at Grand Prix!

Spirit's Young Rider Georgia Wren-Russ and her Wurttemberg gelding Saphiro took home top honors at the 2011 CDS Jr/YR Championship South, earing the Champion FEI level and the Reserve Champion FEI Young Rider divisions, both with an average of 65%, earning them the coveted Proud and Free Trophy. At the CDS Finals, they were the 2011 CDS Horse of the Year 4th Level Freestyle Reserve Champions with a 65.1%. 

At the USDF Regional Championships in Rancho Murietta, California, Georgia and Saphiro were crowned USDF Prix St. Georges Jr./Young Rider Champions with a 65% and USDF Young Rider Reserve Champions with a 64%.  Georgia and Saphiro were also Champion DASC 2011 4th Level Open Freestyle Champions (65%) and DASC Prix St. Georges Jr./YR Champion(66%). 

The 5 year old Hanoverian Don Vincenzo, owned by Linda Dymon and ridden by Kim Kulesa earned DASC All Breeds Reserve Champion Hanoverian, and individual high point for CDS at First Level with an impressive 81.724%.

Kim Kulesa on Don Vincenzo (L) and Georgia Wren-Russ on Saphiro (R)

Fantasia del C, a 7 year old P.R.E./Andalusian mare bred by Barbara Currie and owned by Spirit's Stable and Administrative Manager Sarah C. Shechner also took home top honors this year both under saddle and in hand.  Fantasia was crowned 2011 National Champion P.R.E. mare, National Champion Spanish Mare (IALHA Specialty), Reserve National Champion Andalusian Mare (IALHA), Champion Sr. Mare (Fiesta of the Spanish Horse), and Champion Mare (ANCCE, Ft. Worth).  In 2011, Fantasia was awarded the highest morphology score of the show under the Spanish judges every single time she was presented.

Fantasia qualified for the USDF Regional Championships by earning Reserve Champion Adult Mare in the Dressage Sport Horse Breeding division. Fantasia earned a second Reserve Champion USDF DSHB title at the IALHA Nationals in Fort Worth, and was also Reserve National Champion Andalusian in Dressage at Training Level.  Fantasia also came home with the Reserve National Champion of Versatility title, competing in 4 different divisions.  

Fantasia del C, two-time PRE National Champion

Horses competing on a misty morning which soon gave way to sunny skies

Full Results are available on the USDF website.  

Spirit's own Barbro Ask-Upmark and her Swedish Warmblood Monterey swept the Grand Prix division, with Melissa Hogan placing second on her Danish Warmblood Diameter, and April Atwell and Pavarottie taking second in the Qualfying round.  

Barbro Ask-Upmark and Monterey
Other Spirit Equestrian competitors included Kimberly Kulesa riding Don Vincenzo (Vinny), a 5 year old Hanoverian owned by Linda Dymon earning an impressive 81.724% at First Level Test 1. Kim and Vinny also won their Qualifying round at First Level Test 3 with 74.516%. Cathy Mastro and Oh So Artistic (Midnight) won their Training Level Test 2 Amateur class with 66.429% and Training Level Test 3 Amateur class with 67.200%.

Don Vincenzo (Vinny) with Kim Kulesa

Toni Williamson and Charismatic (Charlie) a Dutch Warmblood placed second at Third Level Test 1 Amateur. Spirit's Young Rider Georgia Wren-Russ and her Wurttemberg Gelding Saphiro took first place in the Intermediare I Qualifying round and also placed first in the FEI Young Rider Freestyle test. 

Young Rider Georgia Wren-Russ and Saphiro

At the Prix St. Georges Level, Jan Ebeling and Rozensauber 8, a Hanoverian owned by Deborah Harlan won their class with 69.211% in the Open class and Lynda Lambert riding her Danish Warmblood Windsor won the Amateur class with 66.053%.  Ebeling also placed first with 70.789% in the Prix St. Georges Qualifying round with Descartes, an Oldenburg owned by Cathy Shelton.

Jan Ebeling and Rozensauber 8

At the Intermediare I Level, Jan Ebeling and Rozensauber 8 also took first place with 71.842%. Kimberly Penman riding her Dutch Warmblood Jasper Ridge, took first in the Amateur class.

Other highlights included several very high scores, including a very impressive 84.194% First Level Test 3 score by Carlos Santos riding the Hanoverian Dolce, owned by Debra Clark; 76.071% Training Level Test 2 and 75.2% Training Level Test 3 scores by Ellen Corob riding her Mustang JJ's Cowboy;  and a 75.667% First Level Freestyle by Valerie Gabriel riding her Oldenburg Refrain.

Dressage @ Spirit Equestrian returns on October 22-23, 2011, come join in the fun!

 
Our very own Barbro Ask-Upmark and Dressage Simulator Luke were featured in the Summer 2011 issue of Equine and Canine News!  You can read the full article by clicking here.  

Come give Luke a try for yourself!  

Each team competed across several divisions, and each division was made up of a compulsory and a freestyle round.  The most exciting moments were during the Silver and Gold divisions, which featured top athletes doing truly acrobatic manuevers on and off their mounts.

The cutest moments however, were at the lower divisions, which featured some of the youngest and tiniest athletes.  It was pretty amazing to watch these youngsters - who still often require booster seats - performing acrobatic maneuvers on horseback with almost no assistance except a spotter for emergencies.  Competitors in the lower divisions also competed on the "barrel," which allows competitors to show off their moves without the added difficulty of a live animal being present.

We look forward to seeing the vaulters return in the near future.

http://spiritequestrian.squarespace.com/storage/events/Spirit_2011_Premium.pdf

Dates for the 2011 Dressage Show Series are:

June 4-5 - Judge Dorle Vlatten-Schmitz - USEF "S" Judge
August 6-7 - Judge Fran Dearing - USEF "S" Judge 

Entries due two weeks prior to show date

Recognized by USEF - USDF - CDS - DASC