2022 Spring Benefit Show concludes with West Coasters

Goals Met
Many goals were met throughout the weekend. To no one’s surprise, Steffen Peters and Suppenkasper (pictured) followed up Friday’s terrific 76.848% Grand Prix with an equally relaxed 76.319% in Sunday’s Grand Prix Special. Again, Nick Wagman and Don John elegantly second on a 71.511%,. The scores should easily put Steffen and Nick in good stead for the soon-to-be-announced USET  Short List for the World Championships this summer. The marks were determined by judges Freddy Leyman, Maria Colliander, Magnus Ringmark, Kari McClain and Jane Weatherwax.

The ability to earn the needed scores without another trip to Florida is huge for horses, riders and their teams. Akiko Yamazaki’s Four Winds Farm is a strong supporter of the Florida and other dressage circuits, and she noted the value of having high quality shows in the West, too. “It’s very important for us to have the shows that can be used for qualification at different levels,” she explained of Four Winds Farm’s role as the Spring Benefit’s presenting sponsor. Four Winds Farms supports several shows and Akiko was especially happy to support this one due to unusually challenging circumstances involving the EHV-1 earlier in the year. The virus outbreak in February truncated the Desert Dressage series that Four Winds also supports and created many horse-protecting hoops for owners and organizers to jump through to safely stage this show. “We appreciate the organizers who have risen to the occasion and gone the extra mile in these challenging and difficult times.”

There were no signs of challenges or difficult times for Akiko’s daughters on this Mothers Day Weekend event. Miki Yang and her longtime partner Donovan earned a personal best in the Young Riders FEI Freestyle with their 72.258% from judges Jane Weatherwax and Kari McClain. Polishing a slightly reshuffled Freestyle and “ironing out some of the many wrinkles,” Miki was very happy with the performance and ability to confirm their confidence in an atmospheric setting and in front of George Williams, the USEF High Performance and Pathway Development Advisor. “I was really happy with Donovan’s enthusiasm, especially in the extended canter. I just pointed him and he went for it on his own. And, I loved how we stayed on the music.”

Josephine Hinnemann and Copa Cabana MRF topped the FEI CDIY Junior Freestyle on a 71.308% in their first CDI together. Their scores and the unique show experience advance their quest for a berth on the Region 7 NAYC team this summer. Region 5 rider Kali Riddell and Hashtag had a 66.792% for second. “I’m very grateful for the experience of my first CDI: doing the jog, getting feed- back from multiple judges and the general experience was very helpful,” Kali said.

Para Dressage Dynamic Duo

With the support of Perrigo and Adequan®, the Para Dressage competition was given center stage throughout the weekend. Canadian Tokyo Para Equestrian Noni Hartvikson earned stellar scores with Onyx throughout the weekend, accomplishing her mission of meeting the World Championships requirements. The Grade I athlete performed a walk test and Noni appreciated the fact that one of the show’s officials understood the complexities that involves. “After my second technical test, I had one of the staff tell me they’d just had a clinic at the walk, and I said, ‘Thank you!’. Keeping the tempo of a clock over a five minute-plus test is much more difficult than it looks.” She was thrilled that Onyx was not thrown off his game by windy weather and a few unusual delays in their rides over the weekend. “He knows his job so well and he just clicks in when it’s time.” To qualify for Tokyo Paralympics last summer, Noni had to travel from her Langley, British Columbia home to Florida. She added her name to the long list of West Coasters grateful for being able to spare their horses and themselves that taxing and expensive trip.

Markell/USEF Young Horse Finals
Nobility LH and Dawn White-O’Connor topped today’s 4-Year-Old Final with an 86.600%. Alyssa Doverspike Burkett and For Eddition followed with an 82.600%, and Willy Arts and New Adventure DG were third on a 78.400% from Ulf Wadeborn.

In the 5-Year-Old Final, Ikon and Laura Brandt earned at 81.400% to top the field. Marie Francescha Medosi and Eddie the Eagle followed on a 79.300% and Dawn White-O’Connor and Magnifico were third on a 76%.

The 6-year-old Gorgeous Latino wowed the judges again. He and Sabine Schut-Kery added an 87.20% in the Final to Saturday’s 87.40% in the Preliminary Test from judges Magnus Ringmark and Ulf Wadeborn. Lionelle VE and Rebecca Rigdon followed in the Final with an 84% and David Blake and Lion Heart were 3rd on an 83.800%.
In the two phases of the 7-Year-Old final, David Blake and Amelia Newcomb swapped places. David and Delilah won the first on a 70.357%, and were 2nd in the 2nd with a 72.300%. Amelia and Kensington won the 2nd class on a 76.500% and were 2nd in the first class with a 69.500%.

On To Next Year!

Juggling three distinct competitions in the CDI, the CPEDI and National show on the same weekend is no easy feat, even for experienced and ambitious show manager Regina Antonioli. Reflecting on the show’s origins, she explained that the suspension of the Southern California fixture, the Del Mar National, in 2020 was the catalyst for the Spring Benefit Show. “I felt that Southern California needed another premier show. I’m grateful to the support of our exhibitors and sponsors, especially for the extra precautionary measures required in the aftermath of the EHV-1 situation. Expect more exciting enhancements to this special event and see you all next year!”