As the Texas floodwaters rose, the last thing young dressage professional Taylor Rowsey of Pattison, Texas, was concerned about was the upcoming dressage show in nearby Katy. She was moving horses out of the flooded barn and into an uninhabited equestrian facility that was for sale until 2 a.m. just days before the competition. The arena was underwater and the weekend's 2016 CDI2* Katy was low on her priority list.
When the horses were safe in a total of four friends' barns, the water abated and the arena began to partially dry out three days before the start of the April show put on by the Houston Dressage Society (HDS), Rowsey thought that perhaps a chance to reconnect with friends in a change of venue at the Great Southwest Equestrian Center in Katy would be just the thing to lift her spirits.
"I went there as a stress reliever and to be with my friends," she said. "Everyone was super supportive. It was so great. I really feel like we are all comrades and I feel like you can't find this camaraderie anywhere else. It was good to be around people who were so supportive. We went in thinking, 'Let's not worry about doing well. Let's just go in and have fun.'"
And they did. The Houston Dressage Society has a reputation for putting on a well-run show with a festive atmosphere in a top-notch venue and, in their first CDI2* show, they did not disappoint. "They always have a great time and great volunteers," Rowsey said. "Everybody is involved."
Rio Celebration at Katy
Not only are the HDS shows known for their attention to detail, their supportive show staff and a cadre of helpful volunteers, they are renowned for their Friday night competitors' party. This show featured a "Rode to Rio" theme with a nod toward the 2016 Olympic Games to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in August. Colorful competition included stall decorating and hat contests. CDI title sponsor Shoofly Farm won the stall decorating contest by fashioning Olympic rings made from Houston Dressage Society ribbon rosettes. The Carmen Miranda-themed hat contest channeled the Portuguese/Brazilian samba singer, dancer and actress known for her extravagant hats and the contest winner's topper was true to the flamboyant namesake. Angel Gunn, the Vice-President of HDS and a Houston radiologist, won with a chapeau heaped with mounds of fruit and three strings of flashing lights.
"It's a creation, isn't it?," she said of her hat, adding that it probably weighed between seven to 10 pounds. Created by her hairdresser, Michael Soliz of Houston, the hat was a repurposed Barbie Dream Car creation stripped of its car and doll and bedecked with produce. Soliz designs hats for some of Houston's elite partygoers and he lent his long-time client the topper for the competitor's party.
HDS volunteer and special events chairperson Patty Sutton came up with the ideas for the annual spring show.
"I wasn't so sure how it was going to turn out after the severe flooding in the area but the show seemed to put everyone back in the feeling of 'normalcy' and we could all share our stories and commiserate," Sutton said. "The theme 'Rode to Rio' was an easy one to come up with, considering the Olympics are right around the corner. In addition, I knew the theme would be a lot of fun to work with, with the beautiful and colorful visuals of Carnival and Brazil! I am pretty sure that some of the young riders had to Google Carmen Miranda, but that makes it all the better!
They served Brazilian food along with the national cocktail of Brazil, the Caipirinha, which was purported to be a big hit, and they played Brazilian music, including some songs by Miranda herself. But beyond the fun and frivolity, there is a serious side to the show and the Houston Dressage Society strives to offer a quality show experience to competitors, their horses and the spectators.
"The show is run really well," Rowsey said. "I think HDS puts on a fantastic CDI. It gives more attention to this region and that we are serious about this business of dressage. We have quality horses and riders here."
The Show Must Go On
And, although Rowsey said she wasn't concerned about doing well, she and her 19-year-old Royal Dutch Warmblood gelding Poulidon earned the top score in the FEI Intermediaire I Open class and claimed the blue ribbon with a 65.965 percent in their first ever CDI
Another first for the Houston area was the addition of the first FEI Children's division classes offered in the United States, the CDICH classes. One rider, Emma Claire Stephens, had the honor of being the first CDICH rider in the U.S. The full complement of young CDI riders included one CDIP (Pony) rider, Esme Grimshaw, seven CDIJ (Junior) riders, Jessica Fan, Abigail Fleischli, Madison Lacy, Carlos Maldonado Lara (on two horses), Fiona Patterson and Madeleine Ramon, and two CDIY (Young Riders), Kalie Beckers and Allison Cyprus. The depth of classes offered to these young competitors is unparalleled in CDIs in this country and the classes help provide a pipeline and support for Region 9's youngest competitors to help them defend their 2015 NAJYRC Junior Team Bronze Medal at the 2016 competition in Colorado this summer
Another successful competitor, Anartz Chanca, named the show's CDI Amateur Leading Athlete and a resident of Tomball, Texas, agreed that HDS shows are a boon to the area. "It's so exciting to have an international level show here in Texas," he said. Chanca is a Spanish national married to dressage professional Marta Renilla, based out of nearby The Woodlands. After going off course the first day of competition aboard his own 12-year old Hanoverian gelding Campione in the FEI Prix St. Georges and enduring lots of good-natured teasing, Chanca got to work.
"I rode the course in my head about 150 times," he said. "Everybody was joking asking me if I knew the course and it was kind of funny. But I didn't go off course the second day and when I heard the Spanish anthem being played, it was very exciting."
After the second place finish the first day of the show, Chanca and Campione came back to notch a blue-ribbon win in the FEI Intermediaire I with a 65.833 percent and then claimed first in the I-I Freestyle with a 67.208 percent.
"It's hard work," he said, adding that after an eight-hour day at work, he comes home and spends time with his two children and then rides−often not finishing until 10 p.m. "It's not so easy but we love it. We are crazy about it."
His plans for the future involve possibly moving up to the Grand Prix level as his horse has his tempis in place. Chanca knows that he can count on HDS to help him in his efforts to make it to the top. "We are so lucky to have the Houston Dressage Society," he said. "They put tremendous effort into area dressage by having really great clinicians like Conrad Schumacher for us and the shows they organize."
Rowsey agreed. "This brought people together and it's just not about competition and winning," she said. "It was great to see everybody and to be around people who understand what you are going through and how hard it is. It was stress free and a good time. My goal was just to go and enjoy it and to have fun. It made me smile all weekend and cry happy tears. I'm so very thankful and I appreciate all of them.
Text by Sue Weakeley - Photos © Sue Stickle
Related Link
Scores 2016 CDI Katy