Wellington, FL (April 24, 2011) – International dressage rider and trainer Shannon Dueck and Tamara Geber’s PRE stallion Sentimiento I have been in the spotlight recently, including appearing on the cover of Dressage Today magazine. Dueck and Sentimiento were back in the spotlight at the Gold Coast Dressage Finale, riding away with The Sanctuary Peak Performance Award.
A veteran of the 1999 Pan Am Games, the 2002 World Equestrian Games, the 2003 World Cup Final and the 2003 Open European Dressage Championships, Dueck rides internationally for Canada and operates out of her Dueck Dressage farm in Loxahatchee, Florida.
Dueck was pleased that Sentimiento won the Peak Performance Award and said the secret to keeping him fit is, “Consistent riding, great nutrition, great care and great footing.” She added that she is looking forward to trying the vibration plates at the Sanctuary’s new facility on the grounds of the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center, The Sanctuary at PBIEC.
Sponsored by The Sanctuary Equine Sports Therapy & Rehabilitation Center, The Sanctuary Peak Performance Award is presented to a horse with a successful performance due to their conditioning and fitness level. Gerber was also excited that her 11-year-old stallion won the Peak Performance Award.
“I have had Sentimiento since 2001 and he has had a very successful career so far. This is the third time this year that Shannon has shown him at the Intermediaire 2 with successful scores. We hope to show him in the Grand Prix by the end of the season,” Gerber said. “It was exciting also to see Shannon and Sentimiento on the cover of Dressage Today. They were featured in an article on preparing to pirouette.”
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Brenda McDuffee, General Manager of The Sanctuary Equine Sports Therapy & Rehabilitation Center, congratulated Dueck, Gerber and Sentimiento on winning The Sanctuary Peak Performance Award. “Sentimiento is a beautiful stallion and it is easy to see that he is fit and that his level of fitness tremendously helps his performance,” McDuffee said. “We are looking forward to working with Shannon also. She holds a Masters degree in Equine Nutrition and Exercise Physiology and her educational background gives her an edge in the field of keeping horses fit and performing well.”
Dueck said she is interested in The Sanctuary’s vibration plates because they have been proven effective on both humans and horses. The vibration plates help promote bone strength and density and works while the horse stands with all four feet on a frequency-controlled vibration plate.
“This type of therapy has been used in human medicine for more than 40 years,” McDuffee said. “The Sanctuary at PBIEC, built in conjunction with the Wellington Equestrian Partners, is the most advanced facility of its kind in the world and all of the therapies used at The Sanctuary are based on methods used for human rehabilitation and conditioning.”
The Sanctuary at PBIEC features above ground water treadmills, cold saltwater leg spa treatment, two vibration plates with solarium, laser therapy, electromagnetic pulse therapy and a respiratory machine. The Sanctuary also has a 30-acre state-of-the-art facility in Ocala, Florida. For more information on The Sanctuary, visit their website at www.sanctuaryequinerehab.com.
