Wellington Fla. – Feb. 7, 2018 – On a breezy morning, the horses at the Week Five CDI 5* jog of the 2018 Adequan Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) were full of energy as they made their way down the inspection track with their riders. With a full roster of eager competitors, 97 out of 98 horses were cleared for competition. Elisabeth Austin’s mount, Steeped in Luck, will be re-inspected tomorrow morning to determine if he will be cleared for competition. Alexandra Gamlemshaug Andresen’s mount, Empire B, will also be re-checked later in the day Wednesday following a minor fall after passing the jog inspection.
A two-time Olympian for Canada, Belinda Trussell is excited to be back in the ring with her partner Tattoo 15 after a successful start to their season in the CDI 3* during AGDF Week 3.
“It’s just great to be down here!” Trussell exclaimed. “I always think that whenever you have a horse that can compete at this level, in the CDIs, it’s a gift. I’m really enjoying that – having this time here with Tattoo. I was really happy with him at the last show – it’s just his second season doing the Grand Prix and he’s starting to feel more confident. He’s really starting to know his job. For me, it was my best Grand Prix with him to date, so I was thrilled!
“Last week, I was focusing on movements for the Special since we did the freestyle in the CDI before,” continued Trussell. “When there are so many shows to go to, I think it’s really important to gymnasticize your horse and keep them loose, supple and happy, so we’ve been doing a lot of that as we prepared for this week’s special.”
Trussell and Tattoo 15 will compete in the CDI 3* Grand Prix and the Grand Prix Special this weekend.
Among the other eager riders was fellow Canadian Diane Creech, who will be riding Louise Leatherdale’s Chrevis Christo. Last year, Creech and Chrevis Christo won the Grand Prix at Dressage at Devon and the pair is looking forward to the start of their season with this week’s CDI 5*.
“I’m really excited to take him out again,” Creech explained. “He had a little bit of a break after Devon and we brought him back slowly and gave him enough time to settle in here. I think he’s feeling ready.
“Sometimes he gets a little bit distracted,” Creech continued. “That is something really hard to teach at home. We’ve been working on keeping him fit, happy and loose, and keeping him focused on me. After this show, I’m going to give him a little break and we’ll hopefully be back for the Nation’s Cup. If the stars all line up, I’d like to do two or three shows with him here in Florida.”
Creech and Chrevis Christo will compete in the CDI 5* Grand Prix and the Grand Prix Special.
The CDI classes at AGDF Week Five kicked off this afternoon with the CDI 3* Prix St. Georges and 3* Grand Prix for the Grand Prix Special. The classes will continue all weekend with the 5* Grand Prix starting at 1:50 p.m. on Thursday. The 5* Grand Prix Freestyle will start at 8:50 p.m. on Friday and the 5* Grand Prix Special will start at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday.
