The traditional “Musical Freestyle Sunday” at the Winter Equestrian Festival brought out the crowds and the dancing beats for the final day of the Zada Enterprises, LLC Florida Dressage Classic in Wellington, Florida. Freestyles were presented in five divisions.
Topping the FEI Grand Prix Freestyle was two-time Canadian Olympic Team member Ashley Holzer of New York, New York, riding Gambol, the 11-year-old Dutch stallion she owns with Dr. Diane Fellows of Palm Beach. The duo earned a score of 74.875% to best a field of eight horses.
Claiming the second place slot was George Williams of Richwood, Ohio, aboard Marnix for owner Joann Smith, who was awarded 73. 917%. In third place, Canadian Cheryl Meisner Linssen riding Paganini, an eight-year-old Dutch stallion owned by John Risley, received a score of 70.333%.
The biggest crowd of the season surrounded the ring for this competition, adding to the excitement level of the arena, which is located close to the bermed seating. “I loved the fact that given any circumstance, once he gets into his test he really settles down,” said Holzer of the impressive-looking 11-year-old black stallion by Gabor out of Arella.
Holzer choreographed the dynamic freestyle ride herself and described it as “technically very difficult.” She named some of the movements she considers particularly hard to exhibit, “I do a collected canter to piaffe to piaffe pirouette. I do ones and twos on a bending line into double pirouettes in both directions. I do a trot zigzag into a piaffe pirouette into an extended trot.”
Holzer describes Gambol as a “handy horse” that´s easy to navigate, but needs “lots to do” in order to keep him concentrating. Working with that element, Holzer said that the choreography she developed was originally a bit “over his head in the beginning” but it now “shows the judges what he can do.”