The Barteaus make every horse show a family affair, and the Great American/USDF Region 4 Championships were no exception as they took home some 20 championships between them, and that’s not even counting their students’ victories on Sept. 8-10 in Mason City, Iowa.

The husband-and-wife duo of Kim and Yvonne Barteau run KYB Dressage, a training business in Gilberts, Ill. But the family’s top contender was their youngest competitor, Kassie Barteau. She took home championships with all five of the horses that she showed.

“I was a little nervous showing five horses,” she admitted. “I wanted to stay focused and do well with all of them.”

Her most impressive victories came in the FEI classes with Bentley and Angelo. Aboard Bentley, she won the Midwest Young Rider Prix St. Georges (68.50%) championship as well as championships in the Young Rider Prix St. Georges (67.50%), the FEI Young Rider Individual test (68.88%) and the Young Rider Intermediaire I (68.75%). She also won the Intermediaire I freestyle (68.62%).

“Bentley is the most talented horse I’ve ever ridden,” said the 18-year-old. “He’s the most rewarding horse. I started riding him in April.”

Kassie rode Bentley at the North American Junior and Young Riders’ Championships this past summer and won the team test. Bentley, 13, is a Dutch Warmblood (Sorel–Sacajawea) owned by Kristin Allen.

Last year Kassie rode Gabriella to FEI accolades, but the mare took this season off to have a foal. “I’ve missed Gabriella,” said Kassie. “She’s still in the barn with her baby. I was upset when I heard she was pregnant, but it worked out great. It’s been a good learning experience.”

Kassie’s education involved getting to know new horses in a hurry, a difficult challenge at the upper levels. “I think it’s hardest to go from FEI horse to FEI horse,” she said. “You need a really good partnership to get the most out of them. Showing FEI has been the most rewarding this year.”

Another major accomplishment that came with showing FEI levels was earning her U.S. Dressage Federation gold medal with Angelo. When Kassie began riding the 17-year-old Hanoverian (Akut–Marsha), he hadn’t been shown at Grand Prix.

“He wasn’t 100 percent confirmed Grand Prix,” said Kassie. “But it all came together and got a little bit easier each time.”

They had some Grand Prix practice in earlier shows and culminated with a Midwest championship over the weekend in an open class (61.25%). She also placed third behind Yvonne and Alison Sader Larsen in the Grand Prix championship.

“I’m starting to build a partnership and letting him do the work,” said Kassie. “The one-tempis are easy. But he’s not confirmed in his piaffe and passage. I have to work hard not to overcompensate and look like a monkey jumping up and down. I have to just stay calm. The Grand Prix is the most challenging test for me.”

Kassie mainly trains with her mother and stepfather, and they were very impressed at her Grand Prix accomplishments.

“Kim and I did not ride the horse,” said Yvonne. “She made him a Grand Prix horse. It’s a huge achievement. It’s so hard to ride the Grand Prix test. There’s so much in there, and to watch her think her way through the movements made me proud. She’s showing signs of being a real thinking rider.”

Kassie also won championships at training, first and second levels with her other three mounts, Romance, Star Spangled Banner and Vorvick.

“I’ve gotten to ride a variety of horses. I’ve gotten a lot of exposure,” said Kassie. “When we moved up here [41�2 years ago], I jumped into it full on. I started doing it every single day. I started helping out in the barn, and then I got really nice horses to ride. I ride 10 to 12 horses a day now.”

They Did Their Homework
While Kassie was winning the young rider classes, Yvonne was wowing the judges with her two stallions, Liberty and Raymeister.

Yvonne won the Grand Prix championship (70.31%) with Liberty and placed second in the Intermediaire II (68.78%). She also won the Midwest championship at Intermediaire II (66.34%) and won two Grand Prix freestyles (71.62%, 67.37%).

“We did our homework,” said Yvonne with a smile. “We’ve had Liberty in training since he was 5. He was the reason we moved up here to Illinois. My husband did all the training until last year. He’s a green Grand Prix horse, but a super one.”

A 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood (Wellington–Ujolein), Liberty is owned by Robert Oury. “I’ve had Liberty for seven years, and I had a great time with him,” said Kim. “He was ready to go Grand Prix this year. I got along with him, but for the good of the horse’s career I thought Yvonne would be better.

“Presentation is extremely important,” Kim added. “It doesn’t matter who comes away with the blues, as long as it’s putting the horse’s best foot forward.”

Yvonne quickly bonded with Liberty, catering to his whims such as finding a place for him to roll in the sand at every show. She was most pleased with their Grand Prix test.

“Both judges gave him 70 percent,” she said. “He does make mistakes, but he was really honest and on the aids. It was probably one of his best Grand Prix tests.”

And Yvonne was just as pleased with young stallion Raymeister, who won every class he entered at first level including two freestyles in the Midwest and Region 4 championships (70.41%, 75.55%).

A 7-year-old Holsteiner (Rantares�Miss Nickel Annie), Raymeister is owned by Ginna Frantz. “He’s not trained very much, but he looks more trained than he is,” said Yvonne. “He’s more beautiful than a Breyer horse. He’s movie star pretty.”

She was riding him at training level, but after receiving multiple scores over 80 percent from four different judges, she decided it was time to move up.

While Yvonne loves to show, her husband Kim prefers to break horses and show occasionally. “I like competition when I know I’m really prepared,” he explained. “I’m not like Kassie and Yvonne who are magicians in the saddle. I’ve started more than 700 horses under saddle.”

He Wants To Keep This One
But Kim’s found one special horse that he wants to be sure and show himself. He first met Rosabella, a 9-year-old, Hanoverian mare (Rohdiamant–Westminster), as a 3-year-old in Germany.

“I went with clients to look at young horses; resale projects,” he recalled. “Rosabella was broke to walk, trot and canter. She was fancy but still juvenile. I told my clients, ‘Make sure that mare’s on the trip home.’ “

They returned with her, and Kim continued training her until she was sold as a 5-year-old after winning at Dressage at Devon (Pa.). Her new owner, Rebecca Hopfner, continued riding her, but Kim secretly wanted another chance with Rosabella.

“I never forgot about her,” said Kim. “So in April I made arrangements to lease her through 2008. She’s the best quality horse I’ve ever been around. She came back in May. She got comfortable with me by the end of June and started getting in shape and feeling good.”

They were showing at second level, but their scores were so high that Kim decided to give third level a go. This turned out to be a good decision as the pair won the Midwest championships at second and third levels (67.64%, 68.11%) as well as the Region 4 championships at second and third levels (69.11%, 67.22%).

And it was because of Kim that the Barteau family ended up at the Region 4 championships at all. They actually live in Region 2, but a showing conflict meant that they had to declare for Region 4 instead.

“We would’ve loved to go to Paxton Farms [where the GAIG/USDF Region 2 Championships were held, Sept. 9-14], but the Sport Horse National for Arabians in Idaho was the same weekend,” explained Kim. “I have a young stallion that will compete there. He’s ready to go. Paxton Farm is a lovely facility. It was strictly a business decision.”

Kim chalked up the family’s numerous victories at the regional championships to excellent preparation this year. “We work all the time. We don’t take the winter off,” he said. “The horses in our care work. You can’t rely on luck. We recognize and take very seriously the physical condition of the horses. If they’re not ready, they don’t go. We spend a lot of time working on their minds as well as their bodies. It’s really important that our horses do not resent the work.”

He also spoke about the passion that the entire family has for riding. Even his daughters who don’t ride are still part of the Barteau team. Eldest daughter Jessica grooms for Liberty, and her fianc� Blaise helps out with the computer technology and graphic design. Even 11-year-old Hudi runs tests for the judges when the family goes to a show.

“It’s idyllic for us,” said Kim. “Everybody’s doing what they love. We’re as busy as we can be. This is what we want to do. We’re lucky that we’re allowed to do this and still feed the family.”

It Took A Little Faith
When Endel Ots first saw Kassie Barteau riding at a horse show he remembers thinking, “That’s how a dressage rider should sit. I watched Kim and Yvonne, but I was afraid to talk to them.”

So the 20-year-old from Green Bay, Wis., asked a friend who knew the Barteaus to introduce them, and after he’d ridden in a few lessons with Kim and Yvonne, Ots was hooked.

“All the stuff they said made sense,” he said. “I couldn’t get it to happen, but I could see where they were going.”

Ots had to convince his parents to let him work at KYB Dressage, but he eventually did and headed to Gilberts, Ill.. to live with the Barteau family as soon as he graduated from high school. And one of the first things they did was reassure him about his horse, Tjella S.

“So many trainers told me he’s a bad horse, and he’s never going to do anything,” said Ots. “They told us he was a bad stallion, had poor conformation, a bad neck, etc. The Barteaus were the first to say that he has some training problems, but he’s not a bad horse.”

And with work, Tjella developed into a lovely dressage horse, winning the GAIG/USDF third level freestyle (66.04%), the Midwest third level freestyle (67.50%) and the Midwest third level junior/young rider championship (67.11%) at the Great American/USDF Region 4 Championships.

“Tjella has his own fan club,” said Ots of the 8-year-old (Ulke 338�Valerj S). “He’s a Friesian celebrity.” Children come up to Tjella and pat him, or look for him at shows according to Ots.

Ots also has another rising star in Picasso, a 9-year-old, Dutch Warmblood gelding, owned by Ots’ father Max Ots, as is Tjella S.

Picasso won the Midwest junior/young rider championship at third level (68.44%) and the Region 4 junior/young rider third level championship (72.22%) as well as reserve championship honors in the junior/young rider fourth level class (68.26%). He also won two fourth level freestyles (67.50%, 62.60%).

“Tjella is a super nice horse and will hide my problems,” said Ots. “Picasso is not as forgiving. I have to ride really correctly. He’s very loose and supple in his body. He has really nice half-passes, but he’s hard to keep uphill, whereas Tjella wants to be tight in his back and keep his neck a little high. I’ve learned so much from different horses.”

Sara Lieser