Corinne Ashton hopes her horse will become the first American equine to do the top levels of eventing and dressage.

After his first day at the Southern Comfort dressage show, Dobbin started looking for the jumps. But the only fence he saw in Aiken, S.C., March 21-22, was a little white, rectangular one.

“Someone got the idea into my head to make a little bit of history—we don’t believe that there’s been an American horse that has been a four-star event horse and has gone on to compete at Grand Prix dressage,” said Corinne Ashton. “I’m not expecting to be a huge winner in the dressage ring, but just to be able to compete and do well at the Grand Prix level would be an achievement.”

They’re well on their way, finishing with second place in the Prix St. Georges (65.26%) and third (62.89%) and second (60.78%) at Intermediaire I.

A veteran three-day eventer, Dobbin competed at the advanced level with Ashton for seven years. He completed the Rolex Kentucky CCI**** in 2005 and 2008 and was the U.S. Eventing Association Advanced Horse of the Year in 2008. Ashton and Dobbin were set to go at Rolex in 2009, but Ashton’s pulled back muscle prevented them from starting cross-country.

Dobbin, a Thoroughbred, suffered an eye injury on New Year’s Eve of 2010 and had a long, slow road back to full health. “He managed to poke a piece of old grass into his eyeball. It should have just been a question of having it removed, but it ulcerated and wouldn’t heal for four months,” Ashton said. “It did eventually heal; there is a scar on the eye, but he does have vision in it.”

Once the eye healed, Ashton got Dobbin, now 17, back in action but started to think a career change might be the best move. “It’s not that he didn’t go well, but I just wasn’t sure that he really wanted to run at the advanced level. He’d been doing it a long time, and he’s done an awful lot for me,” Ashton said. “People have always suggested that straight dressage would be a good idea because he’s an above-average mover, and he’s always scored well in dressage at his events.”

While in Aiken for the winter, Ashton asked friend and dressage trainer Elly Schobel for guidance. “I did some homework for six weeks, and he felt great. He’s always done dressage, but not to this level, and now I’m learning where my leg is meant to be for the three-time and two-time tempi changes, and trying to keep track of them all. We believe that we’re not too old to learn these things.

“I’d never even seen a Prix St. Georges test, much less ridden one myself, but I entered and off I went. I was the first one to go, so I didn’t even get to watch anyone else,” Ashton said. “Basically, in one weekend, he became an FEI dressage horse. He got scores in the mid-60s, which I guess is pretty good. The judge was very explicit with what I needed to improve and how to improve it, which was very helpful. A few months ago, I didn’t even know what tempi changes really were.”

Ashton has started training piaffe and passage with Dobbin. “One of the things he’d always gotten marked down for [in eventing dressage] is having a passagey trot. It’s very easy for him to passage, and he does it quite happily. We need to work on the piaffe, but I think it’s there,” said Ashton.

Ashton, 48, heads home to Princeton, Mass., in April, and she hopes to continue Dobbin’s dressage exploits in the Northeast. “The long-term goal is a freestyle. It’s way more interesting and entertaining to do. I’ve got to find someone to choreograph something for me, and I need to at least be able to ride a regular Prix St. Georges first!” she said.

Even though Ashton has her eye set on her U.S. Dressage Federation silver and gold medals, she’s still eventing. She competes a 5-year-old Hanoverian, Ardastra, at the novice level.