Ashley Holzer’s had a heck of a season in Florida this spring, winning so many championship coolers that she might need to buy some new horses to fill them.

But it was truly a battle of the titans at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI in Loxahatchee, Fla., March 3-5 when Leslie Morse flew in from California to show both of her Grand Prix stallions after a six-month hiatus.

The big class of the weekend–and it was big–was the CDI Grand Prix on Saturday. With 37 horses, it might hold a record for the largest CDI Grand Prix in the United States.

“It was a huge Grand Prix with some very fine horses,” said O-rated judge Axel Steiner. “The top group was very competitive and fairly even.”

And either Holzer or Morse rode four of those top five.

Holzer rode her veteran, Dutch Warmblood stallion Imperioso (Cocktail–Bonita) and Diane Fellows’ Dutch Riding Horse stallion Gambol (Gabor–Arella). “Peri” was her Olympic mount when she rode for Canada in the 2004 Athens Olympics and is only improving at 16.

“Peri knows his job–it doesn’t make him nervous,” said Holzer. “Experience counts for a lot.”

Their combined experience at Grand Prix meant that Holzer could ride an errorless test, which was what it took to boost them to the top of the scoreboard (70.37%).

“Ashley’s really come into her own,” said Steiner. “I’ve judged her for 20 years, and she’s a serious competitor. She rode a very steady test with no mistakes.”

And steady and consistent is what’s put Holzer in first place time and time again this spring with all her horses. Not only did she win the Grand Prix with Peri, but she also won the Grand Prix Special with Gambol and all three small-tour classes with Pop Art.

“I’m consistent because I’m not really riding to chase anything,” said Holzer, who splits her time between Wellington, Fla., and New York, N.Y. “I ride systematically and let the horse get comfortable in the ring.”

Another key to their repeated wins is her experience at Grand Prix.

“I’ve ridden hundreds of Grand Prix tests lately,” she said. “You have to learn from your mistakes, find a tactic that works best for you, and then stick with it. I’ve ridden seven to 10 horses a day for years.”

Holzer’s confidence came in handy during the Grand Prix Special, when a difficult warm-up distracted Gambol. Ponies were gathering for the children’s lead line demonstration, and their whinnies filled the air.

Gambol couldn’t help but answer their calls during his test, but the smile never left Holzer’s face as she calmly directed him into piaffe, focusing his attention back on her.

Getting Back In The Game
And continuing to get show experience is exactly what Morse believes will put her on top of her game. She hasn’t shown either of her stallions since competing in Aachen (Germany) last August.

“The horses traveled so much last year, they deserved a break,” said Morse. So she schooled them at home in Beverly Hills, Calif., and brought them to Florida in mid-February, fresh for the new season.

Kingston might have been a bit too fresh. “He needs to go to shows,” said Morse. “I need to keep him in the ring.”

The immense, Dutch Warmblood stallion (Voltaire–Gisnette) loves an audience, but all his down time left him a little distracted in the arena.

“Sometimes he shows off too much,” said Morse with a laugh. So they finished a respectable second to Holzer in the Grand Prix (69.33%) and the Grand Prix Special (67.80%).

“You can’t win without losing,” said Morse philosophically. She also pointed out that her goal with Kingston is to represent the United States at the World Equestrian Games in August at Aachen.

“If I peak him now, I’ll just have to let him down again,” she said. She was also pleased that, although their overall test scores weren’t as high, individual scores on the movements were higher.

“I got more 8s than I’ve ever gotten,” she said. “He had three 9s on his piaffe.”

And for Morse, a little less spotlight for Kingston gave her other stallion, the Swedish Warmblood, Tip Top 962 (Master–Hortensia), his chance to show off.

Morse rode Tip Top to the win in the Grand Prix freestyle with a new swing composition that had the audience dancing in their chairs. Karen Robinson of Applause Dressage put the music together for the new freestyle, and it’s all about having fun.

“The spectators loved it, and I could feel their excitement,” said Morse. “We wanted to show dancing with your partner.”

The judges agreed, putting Tip Top ahead of Holzer and Imperioso with a whopping 76.17 percent. “That was really a freestyle,” raved Steiner. “She showed strong passage and took a lot of risk.”

Morse choreographs her own freestyles and wanted to show off Tip Top’s elasticity and lightness on the aids.

“I think the trot-piaffe tour shows off all his transitions,” said Morse. She admitted that she’s only performed her freestyle twice, so they did get ahead of the music at one point.

“I had to wait on a half-halt before the one-tempis,” she explained. “But he’s so on the aids that I can make him wait on a half-halt. It just shows his elasticity and suppleness.”

Morse is aiming the 11-year-old for the FEI World Cup final in Amsterdam (the Netherlands) on April 21-23, so she was hoping to get all the bugs worked out of the freestyle before the U.S. League Final at the U.S. Freestyle Championships on March 17-18.

Although Morse’s score was high, the overall scores for the freestyle and Grand Prix were on the low side.

“There were a lot of technical problems,” said Steiner. “The freestyle is very demanding, so the technical aspect has to be there. Just because you put it in doesn’t mean it will score well.”

He added that, although many riders had difficult choreography, the problems came in the execution. And unlike figure skating, riders don’t get bonus points for difficult movements that are poorly or partially executed.

“It’s a great risk to put something in your program if you can’t execute it well,” said Steiner.

A Partnership Renewed
Execution in the Grand Prix was a bit difficult for Courtney King and Idocus, but she wasn’t discouraged. The 28-year-old from Westchester, N.Y., was just pleased to have her Grand Prix partner back.

“He was the first horse I showed Grand Prix,” said King. She was working as Lendon Gray’s assistant trainer at the time and got the chance to compete the Dutch Warmblood stallion (Equador–Eretha) in Europe.

But she had to leave Idocus behind for four years while he gained European exposure with Dutch international rider Marlies van Baalen.

So King was thrilled when he returned, and she had the opportunity to lease the 16-year-old from owner Christine McCarthy with the help of Richard Malloch.

“He feels really fit and sound,” said King. “I’m learning a lot from him, and I have hopes that he can still be very competitive.”

The pair had an “awesome” warm-up, but met with a few difficulties in the test. “I need to gain his confidence and respect in the ring,” she said.

But while her CDI experience could’ve been better, King was nearly unbeatable in the open show. She rode three 6-year-old horses to four wins and two second-placed finishes.

One of those horses is a son of Idocus. Wendy Luscomb’s Tsunami is out of an Arabian mare.

“He’s been an interesting horse to train,” said King. “He has a lot of talent and a lot of personality, and he constantly keeps me on my toes.”

He jumped out of the ring in his first show, and in his second show he jumped into it before the signal, disqualifying them.

But the third time was a charm, and Tsunami won training level, tests 2 and 3 (68.07%, 71.66%), and came in second in first level, test 3 (66.28%).

“He’s schooling second level at home, but it’s the mental aspect of showing,” said King.

King also had a good showing with two Friesians, Noah Fancy Pants and Timber. “Noah” won first level, test 1 (70.00%), and Timber won first level, test 2 (72.94%), and placed second in second level, test 3 (66.38%).

“They’re not like warmbloods to train,” said King. “I’m learning a lot from both of them. You have to really ride them through and not let them shrink in the neck. It keeps me very honest because you can’t squeeze them together like you can sometimes get away with on the warmbloods.

“A lot of people don’t take them seriously,” added King. “So it was great to go in there and get a great score and beat a lot of other nice horses.”

All The Way From Maine
As the winter circuits wrap up, many riders in Florida are preparing to move their stables back to their northern homes. But that’s not the case for Jennifer Huber-Stanton and Al Pacino.

Huber-Stanton, 38, hails from Freeport, Maine, and it’ll be a while yet before she heads home.

“Oh, we won’t go back until May,” said trainer Sue Jaccoma laughing. “It’s still winter up there.”

But just because they come from the frozen North doesn’t mean that Huber-Stanton and “Al” are only there for the warm sun. They won the adult amateur Prix St. Georges and Intermediaire I, came in second in another Prix St. Georges, and received the award for highest score at Prix St. Georges (68.25%) for the open show at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby.

“He’s very correct in his training and movement,” said Huber-Stanton. “He always goes, and I can absolutely depend on him.”

Huber-Stanton acquired the 13-year-old Hanoverian four years ago. Initially she wasn’t sure if she would keep him because he was defensive.

“I didn’t love him the first year,” she admitted. “I’m a groom at heart, and he hates to be groomed!”

But slowly she won him over, and their bond has grown stronger as he came to trust her.

“I can reassure him now, and he will try 110 percent for me,” she said. One of the strengths in their tests is the harmony between horse and rider.

She liked her first Prix St. Georges test the best. “It flowed,” said Huber-Stanton. “He stayed uphill and was energetic.”

Now the pair is working toward the Grand Prix arena, perfecting their piaffe, passage and self-carriage.