A Bittersweet end to the 2020 season in Wellington
The 2020 season in Wellington came to an abrupt end with the advent of the Corona Virus. The last two weeks of the season were canceled for all equine activities so as to halt the spread of the virus. In fact, the USEF has canceled all recognized competitions for the next 30 days.
Now for the sweet part. One of my goals for this season was to qualify Damon for the Lovsta Stuteri Future Challenge for Young Grand Prix horses.? Horses had a chance to qualify over the period of 11 weeks, with the Final to be ridden in week 12 in the Adequan Global Festival Stadium. The purpose of this division is to give young horses that are just starting their Grand Prix career a venue to sharpen their skills before competing against the more seasoned horses. It is also an opportunity to showcase up and coming talent at the Grand Prix level. I am so excited to tell you that Damon qualified for the Final, which due to the Corona Virus, will take place in Week 1 of the 2021 Adequan Global Dressage Festival.
Not to be outdone by Damon, his stablemate, Eragon VO, had his shining moment when he won the Open Grand Prix in the Adequan Week 5 National competition. This is his first season in the open Grand Prix and he was a model of consistency, always placing in the top 3. With all competitions going dark for the near future, we are now turning out attention to training, polishing, and perfecting the movements needed for even better performance.