Peters Dominates Pan Am Qualifiers at Burbank

Source: Cornerstone Event Managment/Yellow Horse News Releases (edited)

West Coast riders began their journeys towards qualification for the Pan American Games yesterday in Burbank, CA.

Today, for the second day in a row, Steffen Peters and "Weltino's Magic" wowed the judges at the Mid-Winter Dressage Fair CDI*/Y/J in Burbank, CA, the first Pan American Games qualifying competition of the year on the West Coast.

Contesting Friday's FEI Prix St. Georges Test, a very competitive field of fifteen U.S., Canadian, and German riders and horses thoroughly impressed FEI judges Jayne Ayers ("I" USA), Natalie Lamping ("I" USA), and Lorraine MacDonald ("I" CAN). "[Yesterday's] class was fun to judge," said Ayers. "We saw so many good horses, and they were very well ridden."

Steffen Peters and Weltino's Magic

Emerging the victor both days was Steffen Peters riding Jen Hlavacek's nine-year-old Westfalen gelding "Weltino's Magic." In the Prix St. George qualifier, they won with an impressive score of 76.272%.

Earlier in the day, Peters rode his WEG Bronze Medal-winning partner "Ravel" in the national Grand Prix test to a 75.532% as a final preparation for the World Dressage Masters next month.

In the CDI Young Rider division, Mackinzie Pooley rode "Jonkara" to a winning score of 70.877% in the Team Test, while Taylor Lindsten and "Raoul" claimed the blue ribbon in the Junior Team Test.

Saturday,, even as rain forced the Intermediaire I Test to be moved into the indoor Equidome, Peters and Jen Hlavacek's Westfalen gelding were unblinkingly focused to earn a dominant score of 76.404%.

"His ride was brilliant, a cut above the rest," noted judge Lorraine MacDonald ("I" CAN), President of the Ground Jury. "This horse is so perfectly prepared and well- conditioned for the demands of this division, both physically and mentally." Placing second in the Intermediaire I Test with 71.974% was Canada's Karen Pavicic riding her own nine-year-old Oldenburg gelding "Don Daiquiri".

In the CDI Young Rider Individual Test, Morgan Heinrichs rode "Orlando" to a winning score of 67.675%, while Taylor Lindsten and "Raoul" continued their winning ways in the Junior division with a score of 66.491%.

Complete results are available at this link http://www.cornerstonedressage.com/show_results.asp.