2009 News
Riders Honored at Annual TVDCTA Awards Banquet
The
annual TVDCTA Awards Banquet was held on January 17th at Jazz Factory
in downtown Huntsville. The banquet honored our outstanding riders for the
2008 competitive season with ribbons and other awards.
A good crowd was in attendance, including many family and friends.
All enjoyed a good meal and lively conversation.
Awards were distributed for first, second, and third places according to the Year End Award rules. First place winners included JR/YR riders Patton Short, Michelle Miles, and Aubrey Torrez. Adult Amateur winners were Kathleen Tetzloff, Sonja Rich, Lindsay Waite, Ashley Hayes, and Cindy Latham. Open winners were Cathy Zappe and Debbie Hill (twice). Paulette and Patrick Harrell were Volunteers of the Year.
Please click here for a link to the list of all award winners and some more photos.
Paulette Harrell and her son
Patrick were Volunteers of the Year
Emily
Bragg Makes National Rankings
TVDCTA
rider Emily Bragg
has been racking up some very good scores this past year in Training Level,
scoring consistently in the 60% and higher range, with a median score of
63.913%.
The
American Quarter Horse Association has ranked Emily and her horse Dashing Away
Dan second in Training Level for JR/YR riders and fourth overall for Open
riders.
She
has also ranked 68 in the USDF JR/YR Award and 352 for the Dressage Horse of the
Year award.
Emily
manages to find time to train at Steel Prize Stables in between working and
attending college.
Megan Zappe Earns USDF Silver Medal
TVDCTA rider Megan Zappe recently completed the requirements for her USDF Silver Medal. To qualify for the medal, Megan achieved two scores in Fourth Level and two scores in Prix St. Georges at 60% or greater. Click here to see the story.
Spring TVDCTA Dressage and Combined Training Schooling Show
The
first TVDCTA show of the season was held on Saturday, April 11th at Cotton
Meadows Farm in Elkmont and featured both dressage and CT events. The judge was Nina Warren, "L".
The results are now posted here.
June TVDCTA Schooling Show
Despite
occasional rain, we were able to successfully complete the TVDCTA Dressage
Schooling Show at Steel
Prize Stables in Madison, Alabama, with judge Ann Genovese, "r".
The Junior riders were outstanding at this show, with a very good competition in the Training Level 1 and 2 classes, with many of the best riders in this area competing. USDF Silver Medalist Megan Zappe prevailed in both classes, but it took high scores to turn the trick. Zappe hit a 70.44% in Training 1 and 71.43% in Training 2, where Sarah Williams (70%) and Danielle Bolte (68.22%) had excellent rides.
Erin Downey on Bethany had two very good scores, winning Training 4 with 70.80% and then First Level 1 with 71.00%. In Sunday's competition, which was geared towards combined training dressage tests, Alexis Pannell performed well in winning the Beginning Novice classes.
Among the adult riders, LeAnn Siefferman won two AA classes, including a 71.50%. Newcomer Marsha Laitinen performed very well with a 66.53% winning Training 1, in addition to handling volunteer duties. Sue Kirkpatrick had two very good First Level rides, including a 66.95%. In Sunday's competition, Sandy Johnson had some very good rides, including a 26.84% for Training Test B.
Candace Wheeler, Cathy Zappe, Andrea Pappano, and Theresa Simmons each won two classes among Open division riders.
And the new TVDCTA riding arena acquitted itself very well. Check out the photos at the link below.
Scores are now posted here. And a few photos of the show are here.
August
Show at Steel Prize Stables
from Judith Fiorentino
Is
it too late to say that we all had a good time and the TVDCTA ring looks
just lovely set up in the upper arena! Leslie O’Neal Olsen was the
R judge and she did a very good job with her scribes and her riders.
Her comments were well received and everyone commented that they enjoyed riding
for her. Even better, the scribes said they enjoyed their job and
would do it again!
It was a hot day and we had hoses out for the competitors and horses and a
picture of the spraying off process was included in an earlier issue of the
Newsletter. It just takes the writer longer to get her fingers on the
keyboard.
We would like to thank all the participants and volunteers who worked so well
during the show and we look forward to the shows coming up and the ones we
shall plan for next year.
(Go here for results)
Virginia Moon Earns USDF Silver Medal
Riding
her mare, Broadstone Star (Lucy), Virgina Moon earned her USDF
Silver medal this past March.
Here is
the account in her own words…
“Riding
my mare, Broadstone Star (Lucy), I earned the first score at
Murfreesboro in September 2008 at the Arabian and Open Dressage show. Then
I got the second score on March 14, 2009 at Poplar Place in Hamilton, GA.
“It
was on my 50th birthday, no less. Cindy Latham took us all out and
treated us to a Thai Dinner which is what I requested for my birthday. Cathy
Zappe and her daughter were there as well as Cindy and her daughter, Lindsay
Waite Jones. Cathy surprised me with a lovely crystal rocking horse
for my birthday. I suppose one has to turn 50 sooner or later, and that
was the perfect celebration for me. I have since retired Lucy and am now
leasing the Andalusian gelding Gibraltar from Uwe Meigel and his wife Ellinwood.
I hope to do some freestyles with Gibby and earn as many of the scores
I need for the freestyle bars given by USDF.
“They say "It Takes A Village" and I have certainly had one. Many Thanks to my instructors over the years including Judith Fiorentino, Debbie Hill and Cathy Zappe. We are so fortunate to have them in our area. Also my steady clinicians through the last ten years - Eugene Abello, Brian MacMahon and Wolfgang Scherzer. Their combined efforts certainly helped me understand this journey we call Dressage and I am forever grateful.”
September TVDCTA Schooling Show
The early fall TVDCTA Schooling Show was held on September 12th at Red Horse Ridge in Brownsboro, AL, with Nina Warren, "L", as the judge.
Show results are at this link.
Flint Ridge Farm/TVDCTA Halloween Weekend Show
Flint Ridge Farm, in conjunction with TVDCTA, hosted a Halloween Weekend Show and Clinic from October 30 through November 1. The judge and clinician was Janet "Dolly" Hannon, "S".
Among Jr./YR riders, Patton Short and Samantha Webb posted outstanding scores. Short had a 68.58% in winning the Training Level Test 2 class,while Webb had a 68.50% in winning the Intro A class. Short, who competed on both Classie Act and Made You Look, also had two additional scores of 68% or better in the Training Level Test 1 class. Kristin Anderson also had a very good score of 36.5 while winning the USEA Beginning Novice B class.
Ashley Hayes on City Slicker scored a 69.54% in winning the Second Level, Test 3 class for Adult Amateur.
In the Open division classes, Andrea Pappano bettered 70% twice. She scored a 70.36% in winning her Training Level, Test 2 class, then followed up with a 70.84% in First Level, Test 2.
Results are posted here.
