Exciting head-to-head dressage competition got underway on Thursday at the US Dressage Finals in Lexington, KY, November 6 - 9, 2014. Nearly four hundred American Adult Amateur and Open riders from Training Level to Grand Prix have come to the Kentucky Horse Park in their quests for national championship honors
, and many of them made their final preparations today by competing in one of the multitude of open and warm-up USDF Dressage in the Bluegrass classes.
With an increase of more than 100 entries from last year, event organizers including manager Lloyd Landkamer have worked overtime in an effort to ensure a truly special competition experience for exhibitors who have come to Lexington from across the country.
"The first day has gone great," said Landkamer. "We learned so much from last year's show, and were able to make improvements based on feedback we received from competitors to make this event even better. I think everyone went home last year having had such a positive experience at the inaugural Finals, and this directly contributed to the impressive increase in our entry numbers. It makes for a tight schedule, but the whole organizing team has come together to make it happen."
Kicking off today's competition was Pam Heglund aboard her Westfalen mare Letizia, who were the very first pair to canter down centerline in the Alltech Arena. Their solid performance was ultimately good enough to earn second place in their Open/AA Prix St. Georges warm-up class. Traveling from Ada, Mich. for her first Finals, Heglund was overwhelmed with her experience so far.
"I'm almost speechless. I'm just so honored to be here and to be able to share this with my family and friends," said Heglund. "They've done such an incredible job with the setup and the organization of the show, the Alltech Arena is so beautiful yet inviting for the horses, and the footing is amazing. I was super excited to march in the ring first! We had a clean test which was as smooth as it could be. It was a great way to start, and I was so happy and proud of my horse." Heglund and Letizia now look forward to returning to the Alltech Arena on Saturday afternoon for the Fourth Level Adult Amateur Freestyle Championship.
Text by Jennifer Keeler - Photo by Bob Tarr
Related Links
Dramatic Increase in Nominations For 2014 U.S. Dressage Finals
Regional Qualifying Off To a Strong Start for the 2014 US Dressage Finals