After more than a year out of the spotlight, Rocher has made a comeback to the competition arena, and there is still a place in the hearts of spectators for the mare with the big, floppy ears. In her Grand Prix freestyle at the CDI Raleigh, June 3-5, she received a standing ovation, even though it was after 10 p.m. by the time she and George Williams performed in Raleigh, N.C.

Seeming to realize that the spotlight was all hers, Rocher put on all of her charm for the freestyle, scoring a 75.00 percent. Dancing to a compilation of fun and appropriately feminine popular music, including Madonna and Britney Spears, she seemed to say, “Check this out, folks! I’m back, and it’s great!”

Williams had given Rocher an easy day on Saturday, hand walking her that morning because he thought that she felt a little tired after the Grand Prix on Friday, which they also won (69.66%) over 16 other horses.

“She was very excited to be back,” he said. “I was surprised that she had so much energy; she grew another hand going around the arena, and it caught me a little off guard since I was expecting her to be tired. She really lights up; she was walking very energetically and looking at everything.”

Williams, of Delaware, Ohio, chose to bring her back at CDIs because he would be assured of good footing. The Paxton Farm CDI*** (Ohio) three weeks before Raleigh was their official comeback, and he improved his score by 5 percentage points between Paxton and Raleigh.

But Williams sees room for even further improvement. “For me as a rider it feels slightly rusty in a sense,” he said. “In some ways we’re coming back very strong, but as a combination we need to settle. But each time out she feels better.”

Williams had only practiced the freestyle once before Raleigh. “So I was really paying attention to the music so that I didn’t miss anything,” he said. “It took a couple of moments at the beginning, but then I got into it and it was a lot of fun. She wanted to play at times–in the piaffe and pirouette to the right–but it was fun to ride her. Her enthusiasm was contagious.”

Lois Yukins, one of the judges for the Grand Prix freestyle, said, “Rocher is one of the most elastic, fluid, incredibly talented mares that I’ve seen in a long time, and it’s a fabulous partnership. Even when she misbehaves, she’s elegant and graceful. Her biggest area for improvement is that she needs more expression in the passage, but her extensions are fantastic. It’s just so good to have her back–she’s an American treasure.”

Rocher spent her year off recovering from a strained tendon. After a careful recovery, she is now on essentially the same routine as the other horses. “We ice her legs after she works and make sure that her legs are cooled properly after the ride, and we wrap her, but she is otherwise on a normal routine,” said Williams.

Williams’ younger Grand Prix horse Marnix took second place to Rocher in the Grand Prix (66.45%) and also placed second in the Grand Prix Special (66.80%) behind Jan Brons on Fernando (66.84%).

“Marnix was the most confirmed and steadiest that he has ever felt,” Williams said. “He and Rocher are very different horses; Rocher is very confident in herself and the test, but Marnix lacks that confidence. Today, though, he was right there for a number of transitions. It has taken him a while, but he was quite relaxed.”

Williams spent the winter in Wellington, Fla., training with Kathy Connelly. “Her help has been invaluable,” he said. “It’s the attention to detail, making sure that as a rider I’m in the right place. You know what you feel, but a good person on the ground to make sure that everything looks right is essential.”

Hannigan Spies Small Tour Titles

Jane Hannigan and Maksymilian made their second trip in two weeks to North Carolina from Harvard, Mass., to win Prix St. Georges (68.16%), Intermediaire I (69.00%) and the Intermediaire freestyle (72.60%).

Hannigan imported the handsome, dark bay Dutch Warmblood gelding with the assistance of Connelly and Toine Hoefs. Together they performed to music from James Bond and Mission Impossible, compiled on a home computer by Hannigan’s sister, Kerry Munz.

“To go to Gladstone [USEF National Intermediaire Championships (N.J.)], you have to have a freestyle,” said Hannigan. “I did it at Sandhills [N.C.], but I like to pretend that one didn’t happen. I went home and watched the video a bunch and practiced it over and over. Everyone in the barn hates my music now!”

Temporarily lost popularity aside, it was worth the effort. Hannigan, a professional riding instructor, is now faced with the decision of competing at the USEF National Intermediaire Championships or moving up to Grand Prix in July. Now 34 years old, she said that she last com-peted at Gladstone when she was 23, in open classes. “Going there again would be like going to Disneyland,” she said with a grin.

Royal Prince Returns For More

In addition to the CDI, Raleigh hosted the USEF/Markel Young Horse Dressage Eastern Selection Trials. Five- and 6-year-old horses qualified to compete at the National Championships in Kentucky in September and at the World Breeders Championships for Young Horses in Verden, Germany, in July.

Last year Sir Sinclair, a KWPN stallion (Lord Sinclair–Krishna), ridden by Dorie Addy-Crow and owned by Iron Spring Farm, and Royal Prince, a Hanoverian stallion (Lord Sinclair–Piri Piri), ridden by Susanne Owen Hassler and owned by Hilltop Farm, both represented the United States in Verden as 5-year-olds. This year they came to North Carolina to battle it out as 6-year-olds.

Sir Sinclair took the early lead, winning the preliminary test on Friday, which counted for 40 percent of the final score. Royal Prince was full of himself on Friday, and a bucking spree brought his score down.

But on Sunday afternoon, Royal Prince, who placed fourth last year in Verden, the best placing of a U.S. horse ever at that event, reigned again in the finale, scoring a perfect 10 on his walk and an 8.9 overall.

Royal Prince, a big bay, has become not only taller but much more massive and muscular. “He has really developed over the last year,” Hassler said. “He’s a lot of horse to sit on, but I enjoy that. He’s really looking like a man.”

Even though he was frisky on Friday, Hassler took it easy on the stallion before their ride on Sunday, and then she did not hold back in the ring. “He’s not a fan of the heat,” she said. “It’s tough on him–typically on the first hot day of the year he just wants to hang low.”

Addy-Crow is uncertain whether she will send Sir Sinclair back to Germany. “We’re not really pushing him hard to do this,” she said. “He’s just progressing the way I think he should progress anyway. The big goal with him is to be a great upper level horse. He has great movement, so these tests are very good for him.”

Susan Dutta, of Thornwood, N.Y., won the championship for 5-year-olds riding Currency DC (Clintino–Cinderella, Classiker), a gelding that she got in a trade for another young horse who wasn’t working out. He came from her husband Tim’s horse shipping partner in Germany, Guido Klatte. Britta Klatte, Guido’s wife, started the horse and then sent him over as a 3-year-old.

“He was so naughty that I wanted to trade him back a couple of times,” recalled Susan. “But I think it was meant to be.”

Susan had not intended to ride Curry in the 5-year-old classes, but she ended up taking him to the Sandhills show when another one of her horses was lame before the show. “He’s not as conditioned as he might be because we had not planned on doing this. He was a little tired today, but he was fabulous.”

Tim was at home in New York organizing a shipment of 30 horses to Calgary, Alta., so he was unable to attend the show. “I’m sorry he couldn’t be here, because Curry is his baby,” Susan said. “He’s always believed in him.”

She and Tim will decide later if the chestnut will make the trip to Verden.

Hokan Thorn of Quinque, Va., placed second in the 5-year-old class riding Donegal, a 17.3-hand, Hanoverian (Davignport–Guada-loupe), owned by Joanne Balling of Barboursville, Va.

“I broke him last year, and he is a very easy horse,” said Thorn. “He was super today. It’s only his third time off the farm, and he didn’t mind the atmosphere. He was very relaxed about it all. The trip to Germany now just depends on finances.”