Roffman and Her Highness O Are Regal in inter I Kur at 2013 CDI Wellington

Shows

2013 CDI Wellington

The WEF Dressage Classic CDI 3* wrapped up competition today at the 2013 Global Dressage Festival. The highlight class was the Intermediaire 1 Freestyle, with Caroline Roffman (USA) and Her Highness O taking the top prize. For the Intermediaire-1 Freestyle, there were seven entries.

Winning the class with a score of 75.125% was Roffman and Her Highness O, a 10-year-old Hanoverian mare by Hohenstein x Weltmeyer. Second place went to Christilot Boylen (CAN) and Dio Mio with a score of 74.650%, while Kimberly Herslow (USA) and Rosmarin were third with 73.125%.

Roffman, who owns and runs Lionshare Dressage in Wellington, FL, with Endel Ots, has owned Her Highness O for three years. She found the mare after her career as a broodmare. Despite little knowledge under saddle, she thought the mare was "pretty special," and developed her with then co-owner Jennifer Lind. She purchased her outright this past August. "I have to thank Jennifer Lind for letting me do that. She made it possible," Roffman said. The pair won the Developing Horse championship last year. This is only their third CDI international small tour and it was their first freestyle together.

Roffman remarked, "I have to say thank you to Terri Gallo because that freestyle is five years old and it works with every horse. All my stars fell and aligned today because it was not exactly the most well-prepared test! It's a really great mare and I'm very lucky to have her."

Despite her small stature at 16 hands and Roffman's height at six feet, they work well together when Her Highness O enters the show ring. "She's very small, (but) she will never let you know that. She is true to her name. She thinks she's queen and everyone should bow to her. When you tack her up, it's like she has an alter ego. She has a lot of pride. I think she's happy not be a brood mare anymore. I think she really likes being a show horse and wants to be treated a certain way. Her character is awesome," Roffman described.

While the canter is noted as a slight weakness for Her Highness O by Roffman, today's freestyle helped. "It's not a bad canter, but she gets a little tense. Teaching her changes was difficult because she was so hot. Surprisingly today, the changes on a bent line actually helped. I think she was wondering where we were going. It was really a freestyle today!" Roffman smiled.

Roffman believes that Her Highness O has the capability to do the Large Tour test. "Her best qualities are piaffe and passage. I believe in her a lot. What she may not have in talent, she'll make up for in heart," she explained. "She wants it as much as I do. She doesn't like being second in the awards ceremony."