Two Furstenball offspring - Frieda and Donatella M - became the winners of the inaugural Future Challenge show series for Developing Prix St Georges and Grand Prix horses that was held at national level at the Global Dressage Festival in 2020.
The series finale could not take place in 2020 due to the corona outbreak, so they were held during the first competition week of the 2021 show circuit on 8 - 10 January 2021 in Wellington, Florida.
The "Future Challenge Series" was originally set up by Tinne Vilhelmson Silfvén and Louise Nathhorst in their home country of Sweden as a talent development program. The series is for horses aged eight to 10 years old at the Grand Prix level. The Developing GP horse series is sponsored by Vilhelmson's sponsor Lovsta Stuteri, the Developing PSG Horse series by the Californian Summit Farm.
The idea is a copy of the German original: Nurnberger Burgpokal and Louisdor Cup.
Frieda Wins the 2021 Developing PSG Horse Series
In the $10,000 Summit Farms Future Challenge Prix St. Georges Final, Canada’s Pia Fortmuller took home the victory with her 10-year-old Hanoverian mare Frieda (by Furstenball x Rouletto), scoring a 74.852%.
Jodie Kelly-Baxley (USA) on her own 10-year-old KWPN gelding Grayton Beach (by Negro) earned second place with a 72.734%, while Kelly Layne (AUS) brought home third on Fernando, Ellen Trouille’s nine-year-old Hanoverian gelding by Foundation, with a 71.911%.
Fortmuller has had Frieda since she was two years old and has developed a dynamic relationship with her that she hopes will welcome a promising future. “My biggest goal today was to give her confidence and consistency,” she explained. “She was 110% consistent with me and was with me the whole time. It means the world to have this opportunity with her. I have big hopes for her future, so today was a huge milestone for us.”
She continued, “The extra six months coming into this final really gave her more time to get more confident. We finished off the last CDI here (in March 2020) with a major breakthrough. I had taken a step back with her the year before and didn’t show, and I came back out at small tour and she really found her confidence in the higher levels of collection, so to have some time to get that developed further was helpful.”
Fortmuller also noted the mare’s sensitivity and explained how she has made her a more articulate rider:
“She is very sensitive, very loyal, and knows her people,” she said. “In terms of trainability, she’s the type of horse that doesn’t want to make a mistake. That means that I really have to up my game and hold myself accountable. If there’s a mistake, it’s my fault. Her sensitivity is a wonderful thing and has really made me a better rider.”
Fortmuller plans to continue on with the mare’s training and compete in the 2021 Lövsta Future Challenge Young Horse Grand Prix Series this season. “This series is such a valuable building block in the horse’s career,” she went on. “In Europe they have many classes like this, and to be able to get into the big ring is inspiring for the horses and the riders. I’m excited to continue participating in them and look forward to the future.”
Donatella M wins 2021 Developing GP Horse Series
The final awarded first place and a score of 73.631% to Alice Tarjan (USA) on Donatella M, her own 10-year-old Oldenburg mare by Furstenball x Jazz Time.
Tarjan noted, “To have a series like this in Florida is really great. There isn’t anything else like this here. It’s also nice to get that exposure to the judges and the big arena. You’d never get that elite judge exposure, so we are really lucky to have this.”
Tarjan and the mare have had a light competition calendar and came into the week with only a few national shows and developing Grand Prix Championships under their belt since the 2020 AGDF season
“We did the developing Grand Prix Championships in Chicago and had a light fall,” explained Tarjan. “When we got down here we competed in two national shows to get her ready for this final. Her feeling in the ring is getting better. Yesterday we had two big mistakes, but today she was better and improves each time she goes in there. I just tried to ride her softly and own it. She tries her heart out for me, and that’s all I can ask.”
The mare was purchased by Tarjan in her fourth year from breeder Marne Martin-Tucker and spent some time as a broodmare before stepping back into the competition ring.
“She did young horse championships as a four-year-old,” she said. “We had some problems keeping her sound, so she had a baby when she was six, and then after she gave birth we brought her back into work, so she actually doesn’t have much training. She missed two-and-a-half-years of training. Since we brought her back she’s been great. She’s an honest horse, and it’s just been about taking the time to get her confident.”
Photos © Sue Stickle
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