On the final day of the 2012 CDI-W Mid-Winter Dressage Fair in Burbank, California, competitors vied for top honors in the Intermediaire Freestyle. Young Rider Brandi Roenick topped senior competitors to claim the win with Nobel, a 17-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding (by Rohdiamant) owned by Tracy Roenick of Scottsdale, AZ.
Roenick's score of 70.417% from judges Linda Zang (5* USA), Jean-Michele Roudier (5* FRA), and Eddy de Wolff (4* NED) earned the champion's sash over Jan Ebeling, who placed second with 68.333% on Deborah Harlan's Rosenzauber, a 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare by Rotspon.
"My goal for Nobel this weekend was just to get him back in the ring, so I was pleasantly surprised with the result! He can be a challenging horse," explained Roenick. "I think it's such good experience for a young rider to get into the open CDI classes to get a feel for what it's like against the professionals."
Finishing in third was Kim Elsner riding 13-year-old Trakehner gelding Luminence (by Leonidas, owned by Hilda Gurney) on a score of 65.583%.
Brandi Roenick also completed a sweep of the CDI Young Rider division with her own longtime partner, the 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare Pretty Lady (by Iglesias), by winning the freestyle with a score of 71.500%.
"Since the National Championships last fall, we've come together as a team even more," noted Roenick. "We clicked so well this weekend and she tried her heart out for me like she always does."
Photo © Terri Miller
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