The United States will field two dressage teams for Wellington Nations Cup CDIO3* to be held February 18-21, 2014, in Wellington, Fla. The U.S. teams will be composed of two Grand Prix combinations and two Prix St. Georges competitors.
USA I Team will be composed of the following four combinations.
Grand Prix
Tina Konyot (Palm City, Fla.) will ride her own Calecto V, a 1998 Danish Warmblood stallion.
Konyot was first named to the U.S. team short list in 2004 Olympic Games and has become a fixture in team competitions. In 2010, Konyot and Calecto V represented the U.S. at the World Equestrian Games in Lexington, Ky., helping the team to a fourth-place finish. The pair maintained its form and traveled to London for the 2012 Olympic Games, earning a sixth-place finish with the U.S. team. At the 2013 Aachen CDIO5*, Konyot and Calecto V aided the U.S. team to an impressive third-place finish.
Adrienne Lyle (Ketchum, Idaho) will ride Peggy Thomas' Wizard, a 1999 Oldenburg gelding.
Lyle has made a name for herself in the world of dressage as assistant trainer to U.S. team veteran Debbie McDonald at the Thomas family's River Grove Farm. She has spent the last eight years developing a strong partnership with Wizard, including winning the USEF Young Adult "Brentina" Cup Dressage Championship in 2008. The pair represented the U.S. for the first time on one of the grandest stages, competing as an individual at the 2012 Olympic Games.
Prix St. Georges
Shawna Harding (Aiken, S.C.) will ride her Tonya Rowe's Rigo, a 2001 Hanoverian gelding.
Harding first represented the U.S. at the World Cup Finals in 2012 with Come On III. That summer, the pair finished 10th in the National Grand Prix Dressage Championship at the USEF Dressage Festival of Champions. Harding has also found success on the Small Tour with Rigo, including winning the 2010 USEF National Developing Horse Dressage Championship.
Silva Martin (Unionville, Pa.) will ride the Rosa Cha W Syndicate's Rosa Cha W, a 2004 Warmblood mare.
German-born and trained Martin moved to the U.S. in 2007, relocating after having spent time in Australia. Known for developing young horses, Martin and Aesthete were named to the 2011 Developing Horse/Rider list. Bringing Rosa Cha W up the levels, Martin guided the Warmblood mare to a third-place finish in the 2013 USEF Developing Prix St. Georges Horse Dressage National Championships and the pair received a 2013 USEF Dressage Developing Training Grant.
USA II Team
USA II Team will be composed of the following four combinations.
Grand Prix
Shelly Francis (Loxahatchee, Fla.) will ride Patricia Stempel's Doktor, a 2003 Oldenburg gelding.
Francis made her U.S. team debut at the 1998 World Equestrian Games in The Hague, The Netherlands with Pikant. With Doktor she helped the U.S. team to a win at the WEF Wellington Dressage Nations Cup CDIO3* in April 2012. The pair repeated the feat in 2013, once again receiving first-place honors with the U.S. team. Francis and Doktor traveled to Europe over the summer, aiding the U.S. team to a third-place finish at the Aachen CDIO3*. The pair scored another top result with the U.S. team, finishing in second-place at the Hickstead CDIO3* in August.
Catherine Haddad-Staller (Califon, N.J.) will ride her own Hotmail, a 2002 Oldenburg gelding.
Haddad-Staller has twice been named a reserve rider for U.S. teams, first for the 2006 World Equestrian Games and then the 2010 World Equestrian Games. After basing herself in Germany for 20 years, Haddad-Staller returned to the U.S. in October 2012. Since her return, she has collected many top finishes up and down the East Coast at many of the United States' most prestigious CDI competitions.
Prix St. Georges
Justin Hardin (Long Valley, N.J.) will ride Judith Cardella's Wyatt Star, a 2003 KWPN gelding.
Hardin and Wyatt Star have developed a partnership over the years. At the 2012 USDF Region 8 Dressage Championships, the pair won the Prix St. Georges Championship. In 2013, Hardin and Wyatt Star were members of the USA II Team at the Wellington Nations Cup CDIO3*, which earned second place. In the fall, the pair finished ninth in Intermediaire I Dressage National Championship.
Ashley Wimmer (Winston Salem, N.C.) will ride her own Somerhall, a 2005 Oldenburg mare.
Wimmer has brought Sommerhall up the levels, winning the Small Tour Prix St. Georges at the 2012 Pinehurst Fall Dressage Show. In 2013, the pair had a solid performance at the USEF Developing Prix St. Georges Horse Dressage National Championships. Wimmer and Sommerhall finished out the year in by winning the Small Tour FEI Intermediate I and Intermediate I at the Col. Bengt Ljungquist Memorial Championships and NCDCTA Autumn Leaves Dressage Show.
Photo © Astrid Appels
Related Links
Australian Team for 2014 CDIO Wellington Announced
Canadian Teams Announced for 2014 CDIO Wellington