U.S. League Finals for the 2005 World Cup Finals

Orion, Felix and Marlando, New Hope for Olympians

Leslie Reid and Debbie McDonald both showed new young stars in the small tour classes. Reid showed Orion, a chestnut gelding by Jazz. This was his first major Intermediaire One, and Reid could not have been more pleased. His score of 71.778 reflected her accurate ride and his transitions and elegance.

Debbie McDonald previewed the latest star, a 17.1 hand dark bay gelding Felix (by Fabriano), owned by longtime patrons Peggy and Parry Thomas of Idaho.

Felix has enormous presence and power, as well as elasticity and an electrifying, gravity-defying trot. Nevertheless, his greenness showed in the canter work, where he was so full of himself in the warm-up, a couple of times, it looked as though he might throw rather petite McDonald over the pommel of the saddle.

Fortunately, such high jinks were basically confined to the warm-up. Only a few mistakes in the tempi changes during one test proved to be the difference in the final scores—Felix and McDonald were Reserve Champion, while Steffen Peters and the more experienced Marlando took the Champion ribbon for the small tour.

Third over all and first in the Intermediaire Freestyle, were Charlotte Bredahl-Baker and Eskada, a 17 hand black gelding she has only been showing for a few months. Bredhal-Baker was,of course, part of the bronze medal U.S. team at the Barcelona Olympics.

She left her other new star home, the stallion Windfall (by Weltmeyer), so he could concentrate on breeding duties, and was very pleased to be able to focus on Eskada.

“I didn’t think that much of him at first, I’ve only had him since late last year. And I showed him Fourth a bit.,he did very well... This show was his very first Intermediaire One..not too bad!”

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