Wayne, Ill. – Aug. 30, 2021 – The final phases of youth championships were decided at the Lamplight Equestrian Center Sunday, as part of the U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions and USEF Dressage Seat Medal Finals. The USEF Children Dressage National Championship and the USEF Dressage Seat Medal Finals 14-18 division wrapped up a full week of competition, with Tessa Geven and Kasey Denny taking home titles in their respective divisions.
Twelve combinations closed out the USEF Children Dressage National Championship by riding the FEI Children Individual Test. After winning the USEF Pony Rider Dressage National Championship earlier in the week, Geven claimed another national champion title. Geven (Cataula, Ga.) piloted Sir Frederico, Carden Burdette’s 14-year-old Hanoverian gelding, to her second major win of the week, finishing with an overall score of 74.787%.
“It’s, again, exciting,” said of her second title. “It’s been very, very busy this whole week because we have been taking care of them all.”
Sienna Rowe (Urbanna, Va.) and D’Agostino, Christian Garweg’s 8-year-old Hanoverian gelding, collected reserve-champion honors with an overall score of 74.309%. Maren Elise Fouché-Hanson (Colbert, Ga.) and Estremadura MVH, her 12-year-old KWPN mare, were third with a score of 73.531%.
Ten youth athletes showed off their equitation in 14-18 division of the USEF Dressage Seat Medal Finals. The final began with group rail work followed by individually performed patterns. Kasey Denny (Williston, Fla.) claimed top honors in her fifth appearance aboard Hemingway KW, Amy Denny’s 9-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding, with a score of 87.000%. She trains with Amy Denny.
“We just moved in March, so we had a really hectic summer. I came up here more nervous than usual, so this was a surprise,” Denny said of her win. “I’m very pleased and happy. I have placed in the top two each time I’ve competed here, so it’s been a good time coming here each year.”
Trinity Schatzel (Eagle, Idaho) earned reserve-champion honors with Spörky De Luxe, her 8-year-old Hanoverian gelding, scoring 86.000%. She trains with Sarah Filiger. Marin Roth (Bloomington, Ill.) placed third with Erin Meadows Jägermeister, her 7-year-old Zweibrucker gelding, with a score of 84.00%. She trains with Lorna Donahue and Maureen White.
FROM THE WINNERS CIRCLE
Kasey Denny – USEF Dressage Seat Medal Finals – 14-18 Gold Medal
On her preparation for the final:
“I do a ton of no stirrup work before I come here. It was a struggle moving up [to a horse], my pony did so much for me. He was a great equitation horse, that was his thing, and Ollie is still getting used to it. He is only nine, so he is still a baby with some things, but he’s awesome.”
On her ride:
“I just tried to keep him as relaxed as possible today. I know that when he is by himself in the Grand Prix ring he gets uptight, so we just went and did the best we could.”
Trinity Schatzel – USEF Dressage Seat Medal Finals – 14-18 Silver Medal
On her preparation for riding the pattern:
“[I worked] a lot of relaxation and getting my horse as supple as possible because he gets distracted a lot, so there was a lot of staying with me and staying on my aids.”
Marin Roth – USEF Dressage Seat Medal Finals – 14-18 Bronze Medal
On her preparation for riding the pattern:
“Pretty much we’ve just been making him look the best he can, and making sure my equitation stayed in a good place, because usually if he does well I am all over the place, and vice versa. So we just focused on putting it all together.”
Tessa Geven – USEF Children Dressage National Champion
On Sir Frederico:
“Frederico is owned by Carden Burdette. I would like to thank her for letting me ride her horse. He is very good. He can get sometimes a little lazy in the ring, especially without a whip, but he can also get too hot. He is very sweet. He likes to get a fancy sometimes. He gets very fancy up front and not as nice in the hind, so it is not necessarily correct.”
On Sir Frederico’s personality:
“He loves food. He is super gentle. I don’t spend as much time with him since he is not mine. But I wish I could spend more time with him. He’s super sweet.”
On her future plans:
“Maybe do Juniors and Young Riders on Frederico. That is the only thing we have in mind right now.”
Sienna Rowe – USEF Children Dressage National Reserve Champion
On D’Agostino:
“He is part blind, so he has had that for about two years now. He’s eight, and he is definitely a character. He is super sweet and he loves food. He would do anything for it. He loves to be pet for anything.”
On her test:
“It was pretty good. It was way calmer than yesterday. He wasn’t as pull-y as yesterday, so that was really good.”
On her future plans:
“I would like to try the Children division again. Hopefully do somewhat decent at that. And not as strong, keep some control, but it was pretty good.”
Maren Elise Fouché-Hanson – USEF Children Dressage National Reserve Championship Third Place
On Estremadura MVH:
“She is such a sweet mare. She does actually not act mareish at all. Her favorite thing is actually neck scratches. That’s her favorite thing in the world, but she is the sweetest mare ever. Once you earn her trust, she will do anything for you.”
On her test:
“The test today was amazing. I am so proud of ‘Z’. This is her third show ever in her life. I got her from Dressage 4 Kids. She was with the Steiners when we got her. Her owner was Jeannie Marin, and she decided to donate her to Dressage 4 Kids because she was going back to vet school. I’m so proud of [Z]. She has so much impressed me. It was just a wonderful day.”
On her future plans:
“We are hoping to do Juniors since I am aging out of Children’s sadly this year. Our goals are to do Juniors and hopefully bring her up the levels soon after that. If we weren’t to do Juniors, maybe we would move up the levels. But I’m hoping for Juniors next year if we do qualify.”