BHF Para Riders Earn Top Placings at AGDF CPEDI3*!

This past weekend at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival, the BHF girls wrapped up their 2nd round of competition with huge success.  Both Gigi and Laurietta were very consistent in their scores, taking top placings in all 3 of their classes.  Missy was very pleased with their performances and has great expectations for their next big qualifier at Tryon in April.

"Gigi had a great freestyle this past weekend scoring a 75??. The judges loved her music and choreography, and overall the mare was more settled this weekend but not quite as active as she was two weeks ago. Still, she has such a lovely walk the judges like her.
 
"Laurietta was reclassified and is now a grade one rider. This was her first weekend competing at they walk only and she scored well every day, finishing with a 72 in her freestyle. As she practices the test more her scores will go higher. They have a training session the end of February, and then it's onto Tryon for the test event in April!"

Laurietta & Missy at BHF South
Photo Credit Jill Henneberg and Direct Connect

Please follow along and support both these ladies through their FB pages.

Laurietta Oakleaf 
Margaret McIntosh, Elite Para Equestrian

The official press release from the weekend is below.
__________________________________________
Team USA Riders Dominate at Second Adequan® Global Dressage Festival 
Para-Equestrian CPEDI3* of 2018 
For Immediate Release
Alice Collins for Jennifer Wood Media, Inc.

Wellington, FL – January 21, 2018 – The second and final para-equestrian dressage show (CPEDI3*) of the 2018 Adequan® Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) concluded at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) in Wellington, Florida, with the USA’s riders winning every grade.

In the day’s most heavily subscribed class, the Grade I freestyle — the riders with the most severe impairments — Margaret ‘Gigi’ McIntosh improved on her second places over the previous two days to win the class with 75.287%.  The judge at M, Portugal’s Carlos Lopes, awarded McIntosh and her own Heros, a 14-year-old Danish warmblood by Blue Hors Hertug, over 79%.

He said: “The degree of difficulty was high, the horse was steady and responding to her aids with good activity and showing good medium walk, which has improved over this week. The music was also very good for her and it all fitted together. It was all fluent and I gave 8.5 for the music and choreography.”

Heros is unbeaten at Grade I under the USA’s Margaret McIntosh,
landing 75.2% in the freestyle class.

The mare was sourced by USEF Head of Para-Equestrian Coach Development and High Performance Consultant Michel Assouline’s wife Mette, and McIntosh also credits her trainer Missy Ransehousen for the giant strides taken with the horse.

“She loves the music; I think somewhere in a past life, she was an old disco diva,” said McIntosh, who suffered a broken neck in a fall in 1999, a year after riding round the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day CCI****, which left her partially paralyzed. “I am so lucky I have been able to get a lot of my function back, and to be able to continue with my riding has been priceless.”

Michel Assouline was delighted with the American riders’ progress between the boards.

FULL PRESS RELEASE FROM AGDF 

FULL RESULTS FOX VILLAGE

Madeline is Off to Her Biggest Adventure Yet!

Ari & Madeline at the 2017 RK3DE!

We are so thrilled to see Madeline Backus reaping the benefits of years of hard work.  Madeline has been an integral part of the Blue Hill Family for many years, since she came to train with us when she was just a young teenager!

Now Madeline is about to embark on one of the biggest adventures of her life, going abroad to train with William Fox-Pitt for the next year, thanks to the Wilton Fair and Rebecca Broussard grants through the United States Eventing Association.

We asked Madeline to send us her thoughts on her past year and this next opportunity.

"I am sitting down to write this after a wonderful week at the Eventing 25 training sessions, with a barn full of happy horses and I can’t help but to be in awe over how fortunate I am. This sport includes a lot of ups and downs, but I have the most amazing people around me who continually offer me guidance and help through it all. It’s great to see Missy again, and the Blue Hill horses who migrated south again this year.

"2017 has been absolutely huge for me and my horses. Not only finishing my first CCI4* (at Rolex) in the top 20 with Ari, but also seeing everyone come together to help get me there. I was also privileged to ride and compete the horses my mom kept going for me in Colorado, and ended the year with a really fun group of competition horses.

"Now I am making plans to go overseas for the next year, and can still hardly believe that my dreams have become a reality. Ari, Vinnie and I will be crossing the pond to base with William Fox-Pitt in South England - that is something I never imagined myself saying. I am very excited for this opportunity given to me by the Wilton Fair and Rebecca Broussard grants through the United States Eventing Association.

P.S. On Top of the World (Vinnie)

"We will learn what it is like to train and compete overseas, and add that to our ever growing amount of knowledge.  Ari and I will be aiming for Badminton, and possibly Burghley this year, and Vinnie will be working his way up to the CCI2* level.  It is amazing the story that has gotten me here, and I am grateful everyday to everyone who has cheered me on and supported me along the way. My time at Blue Hill Farm will play a huge role in helping me be successful in the UK.  Missy, Jessica, and the Blue Hill family taught me so many valuable lessons which I will carry with me as I make this trip.

"I will make sure to keep everyone posted, I am looking forward to a great 2018. Best of luck to everyone this year!" ~ Madeline