Rebecca Hart USA Takes Home Honors for Team Test to Music at WEG Test Event

Rebecca Hart USA Takes Home Honors for Team Test to Music at WEG Test Event

Day two of FEI CPEDI 3* competition at the FEI World Equestrian Games Tryon 2018 (WEG) Test Event for Para-Dressage, Dressage, and Driving. Hosted at Tryon International Equestrian Center (TIEC), the day saw Rebecca Hart (USA) easily best the FEI CPEDI 3* Grade III Team Test to Music, scoring a 71.569% to take home top honors aboard Rowan O’Riley’s Fortune. Lauren Barwick (CAN) achieved second place in the Grade III test aboard her own Engelbrecht, a 2009 Dutch Warmblood gelding (Vivaldi x Rimini 41), while Eleanor Brimmer (USA) and her own Argentinia, a 2002 Hanoverian mare (Acorado I x Frappant) claimed third with a score of 65.539%.

The 2010 Oldenburg gelding (Fidertanz 2 x Don Romantic) is a new mount for Hart and he is new to the world of Para-Dressage too. After only being partnered for a month seemed to be no hindrance for the pair’s performance, as they rode to a comfortable lead in the Team Test – as did Team USA. Hart explained that the duo was a perfect match even from the first ride thanks in part to the gelding’s easy-going, friendly disposition.

“He is just awesome. He’s the happiest soul I’ve ever met. He’s a total lap dog with just kind of an in-your-pocket personality, and a joy to be around. He’s quite green when it comes to showing and he just took all of this in stride,” she said of the exciting atmosphere at TIEC. “I didn’t quite know what his reaction to all this would be, and he was like, ‘It’s cool, it’s 30 degrees and the wind is blowing – we’re fine!’ He was so great today.”

Their quick transition into competition did not show in today’s test, and Hart explained that it’s hard to believe her young mount is still adjusting to Para-Dressage. She commented, “There’s always that learning curve with a new Para-Dressage horse. Even from the very first ride that I sat on him, I was able to get on and he said ‘Yep, this is fine, I can do that for you. Your legs don’t work? No problem. I’m not 100 percent sure what you mean, but I’ll try for you,'” she said of the gelding’s initial response to her. “That first ride is really what drew me to him since we weren’t really looking for a second horse, but he just fell into our laps. He did all that I asked – I usually do start and stop [on a first ride]. He did all the laterals right from the beginning and he was like, ‘Yep, I’ve got you.'”

Both of Hart’s current mounts are new and both are possible contenders for WEG, depending on the selectors’ decision, said Hart. “I’ve only had El Corona Texel for six months now and Moolah we’ve had for one month. My main goal with them is they have the same job, just different sandboxes, and wherever we go they come out and work on consistency and fluidity of the tests, and just gaining exposure for them in a lot of different situations. If we’re so blessed as to look like we’re having both make the team, we would have them [the selectors] pick who they think would be most beneficial. It would really come down to the selectors in that case.”

Suzanne Ashton

Suzanne Ashton, Founder of Everything Horse (Est, 2012), has a BA Hons in Marketing Management and a Diploma in Equine Science. Suzanne has ridden and owned horses all her life and has twelve years of experience in marketing, writing, design, SEO, and website creation.