Button Baker joins KHD for an amazing fall clinic!

Team KHD was thrilled to welcome our very own coach and mentor, Button Baker back to sunny Southern California for an educational and inspiring two week clinic series. Riders of all levels and backgrounds got the opportunity to ride under the masterful eye of Button over the two week period. There were some new teams, young horses, seasoned veterans and jumpers that got to benefit from Button’s experience. While each team had their own unique situations to focus on, the consistent theme was an emphasis on mastering the core elements of straightness, suppleness and connection.

We were also lucky enough to get to celebrate Button’s birthday while she was with us so we got to spoil her with treats and an out of tune chorus of Happy Birthday. What an incredible time! We can’t wait to see her again for another clinic in the coming months!

TDF Awards $25,000 Carol Lavell Advanced Dressage Prizes to Kelly Coyne and Kristina Harrison-Antell

Kelly and Kristina Collage.jpg

The Dressage Foundation (TDF) has announced that two $25,000 Carol Lavell Advanced Dressage Prizes will be awarded this year.  Recipients are Kelly Coyne of Virginia Beach, Virginia, with her Brilliance and Kristina Harrison-Antell of Los Angeles, California, with her Finley.  These riders were selected because they display the characteristics and qualities of being talented, committed, qualified riders with plans to reach and excel at the international levels of dressage.

Brilliance is an 8-year-old Lipizzan/Dutch Warmblood mare bred and owned by Kelly.  The pair was named the 2019 Region 1 Fourth Level Open Champions and are currently competing at Intermediate 2.  Kelly will use the funds to travel to Florida for the winter season to train with Olympian Michael Poulin.  She also plans to compete at Adequan Global Dressage Festival.

Kelly said, “What an incredible honor it is to be selected as one of this year's recipients of the Carol Lavell Advanced Dressage Prize! Brilliance is my horse of a lifetime and I am overjoyed to now have the resources to continue our journey and take her training to the next level. I am so thankful to my coach and mentor Michael Poulin for his tutelage, and for always inspiring and motivating me. A million thanks go to Carol Lavell and The Dressage Foundation for giving aspiring riders and horses such wonderful opportunities to continue to learn, to succeed, and to keep reaching for their dreams.”

Kristina currently competes her Finley, a 10-year-old KWPN gelding, at Intermediaire I.  They are members of the Kundrun USEF Dressage Development Program and received third place in Prix St. Georges and 6th place overall in the Small Tour at the 2019 Festival of Champions.  Kristina plans to travel with Finley to Wellington, Florida, for the 2021 season.  While there, she will train with Debbie McDonald and Button Baker, as well as compete in CDI competitions. 

Kristina shared, “I am honored and humbled to be selected for this grant by The Dressage Foundation among so many talented horse and rider combinations! Finley is a once-in-a-lifetime horse and I pinch myself every single day that I am fortunate enough to own him. This grant money will be transformational in helping me accelerate Finley’s future through training and competitions on a larger stage.”  

The Carol Lavell Advanced Dressage Prize Fund was established in 2009 in special remembrance of Carol's mother, May Cadwgan, and in honor of her father, Gordon Cadwgan. Since that time, the Prize Fund has made sixteen awards totaling $400,000 in support of U.S. High Performance teams. 

https://www.dressagefoundation.org/newsroom/newsroom.html/article/2020/10/16/tdf-awards-25-000-carol-lavell-advanced-dressage-prizes-to-kelly-coyne-and-kristina-harrison-antell

KHD Rider takes on CDS South Adult Amateur Clinic with Kathleen Raine

KHD client Zihla Salinas Arbit and Wendigo won the LA Chapter lottery to attend the CDS Adult Amateur clinic with two-time Olympian Kathleen Raine this past weekend. The pair headed to Hinneman Farms in Murietta, CA with 11 other adult amateur horse and rider combinations from across the Southern California region. Although socially distanced, the weekend was full of camaraderie and education! Wendigo and Zihla are currently training for their PSG debut later this year and spent the valuable time with Kathleen working on straightness and suppleness in the advanced movements. In addition, fellow KHD rider Angela Tinsley got to accompany Zihla and both were able to watch and learn as riders from Grand Prix to Training level took their turn in the arena with Kathleen. 

What an inspiring weekend! 

Flintridge Fun!

The 2015 Flintridge Show was another stellar Southern California dressage weekend. Team KHD represented in full force with amazing rides from Khara Johnson, Stella Leitner and Kristina on both Wendigo and Arlo. Here are some of results: 

  • Stella received lower level JR/YR reserve high point on her 6 year old Dutch Gelding, Espresso.  This was Stella's first time out at 2nd level, riding a young horse she has trained herself! She won all of her classes Friday, Saturday and Sunday with a 67.8%, 66.0% and 63.6% respectively and finished second in the Markel 6 year old Talent search. 

  • Khara Johnson and Furst Dance won their AA Intermediare I class on Friday with a 63.94%. They also finished second with a 62.89% in the AA Prix St Georges on Saturday and third in the AA Intermediare I on Sunday with a 64.3%.

  • Kristina and Wendigo finished third with a 69.0% and amazing ride in the FEI Freestyle Test of Choice on Saturday night! They also finished second in the Open Intermediare I on Friday with a 68.1%.

  • Kristina and Arlo also had a strong showing with top 5 finishes in both the Prix St Georges and Intermediare I on Friday and Saturday. 

2015 Del Mar National CDI

What an amazing weekend for the KHD team at the Del Mar National Horse show! Kristina and the team turned out for the weekend's festivities in style, and all of the horses and riders performed at their best. Here is a rundown of the results: 

Wendigo (owned by Barbara Wachsman) and Kristina won Reserve Champion in the FEI Intermediare I on Saturday with a score 67.56%. Very impressive results as this was only Wendall's third CDI level competition!

Wendigo also finished 4th in the FEI Prix St Georges on Friday and 3rd in the FEI Freestyle, Intermediare I on Sunday with a 66% and 67% respectively. 

Khara Johnson and Furst Dance won the $250 Prix St. Georges JR/YR/AM Class on Friday with a 75.7%. They also received 2nd in the Intermediare I JR/YR/AM on Thursday and finished their weekend with two yellow ribbons in the Prix St Georges and Intermediare I on Saturday and Sunday. 

Congrats to all of the horses and riders who had such an amazing weekend! Next stop: the Flintridge CDI in May...


 

2015 Mid-Winter Dressage in Burbank, CA

What an exciting weekend at the Mid-Winter Dressage CDI in Burbank! The show saw some amazing performances from top riders hailing from across California and beyond. Kristina and Arlo made their debut this weekend at Intermediare I to much success! Arlo won top honors in both the Open Prix St. Georges with a 70.526% (only his 2nd show at this level), as well as winning his first ever Intermediare I with a 66.7%! Kristina could not have been more thrilled with his performances and we are all excited to see what his future holds for him this season and beyond.

Congrats to all of the riders and horses that had a great show this weekend! What a great start to the 2015 season.  


CDS LA Chapter Year End Awards 2014

Team KHD had an amazing afternoon at the California Dressage Society LA Chapter Year End Awards Lunch yesterday afternoon! Here is a run down of how the team fared:

  • Overall High Point Champion USEF Jr/YR - Stella Leitner and Espresso
  • Overall High Point Champion USEF Amateur - Sarah Keever and Royal Glory
  • First Level Open Reserve Champion - Kristina Harrison and Barnaby Wilde GCF 
  • First Level Amateur Champion - Sarah Keever and Royal Glory
  • First Level Jr/YR Champion - Stella Leitner and Espresso
  • Third Level Amateur Reserve Champion - Tracy Waterman and Gabriel
  • Fourth Level Amateur Champion - Edison Barbosa and William Flynn
  • Prix St. Georges Amateur Reserve Champion - Khara Johnson and Furst Dance
  • Individual High Percentage Champion First Level Jr/YR - Stella Leitner and Espresso 77.58
  • Individual High Percentage Champion Second Level Jr/YR - Taite Hylton and Pink 71.05

A HUGE congrats to everyone who worked so hard this year to achieve these amazing results! It really does take a village to mobilize the team to perform their best. Thanks to the entire KHD crew for all of their camaraderie and teamwork. Here's looking forward to another amazing year in 2015!  


Announcing Kristina's new Sponsors!

We are very pleased to announce that Kristina will now be representing the Irideon, Bucas and Tolkat brands through a new partnership with the Toklat Company! The products in these lines are top quality and the selection is second to none. Here is a little more about each:

Irideon - Designed, tested, and made in the USA,  Irideon riding apparel is designed and patterned in the saddle for a perfect fit. Irideon products are created with state of the art materials and cutting edge design to deliver extraordinary style, performance and comfort whether you're in the saddle or around the barn. 

Bucas - Bucas design, create and make high performance horse blankets and related equestrian products. Since 1981, when Bucas was founded in Cork, Ireland we have merged the great Irish equestrian tradition with the latest technical developments and experience from other industries, countries and markets. This has resulted in the development of a wide range of highly innovative and technically advanced products.

Toklat Saddle Pads - Ergonomically designed. Technologically advanced. Science uniting horse and rider. Matrix T3 Saddle Pads combine advanced technology and ergonomic design principles to create a dynamic harmony between horse and rider. The result: unparalleled freedom of movement for the horse and a balanced, stable seat for the rider.


Welcoming Garrett!

We are pleased to announce the purchase of newest addition to the KHD Team! Garrett is a 3 year old KWPN-NA gelding (Bugatti / Ulft) bred by Forward Farms / Darla d'Agay. This talented youngster will begin his education under Kristina's watchful eye and we are expecting great things to come from him in the future. A huge thank you to Lisa Arney for all your hard work in making this connection!

Record Setting Weekend at CDS/USDF Region 7 Championships!

What an incredible performance for team KHD at the record-setting CDS Championships this weekend!  The show was packed with over 600 entries and six rings running simultaneously from Thursday through Sunday.  While the weekend was witness to some amazing performances by riders and horses from across California, team KHD fared very well under the pressure.  Here is rundown of some of the results:

  • Wendiego was CDS Horse of the Year 4th Level Open Reserve Champion and also placed in both the USDF and CDS Horse of the Year Prix St Georges.
  • Khara Johnson and Fuerst Dance won USDF 4th level Adult Amateur Champion and recieved 3rd in the USDF Adult Amateur Prix St. Georges. They also received 4th in the CDS Horse of the Year Prix St. Georges Adult Amateur.
  • Sara Keever and Royal were USDF Adult Amateur 1st level Champion.
  • Stella Leitner and Espresso were Junior Reserve Champion for both CDS Horse of the Year and USDF.
  • Finley was CDS Horse of the Year Open Training Level Champion and USDF Reserve Champion Training level Open.


CDS South Junior Championships

A HUGE congrats to Stella Leitner who is the CDS Southern 1st level Champion 17 and under!  She and her 5 year old Dutch Warmblood, Espresso recieved a combined overall average of 71% at the Junior Championship show in Del Mar this weekend.

Although the show go off to a rough start when the truck got a flat tire on the way down, Stella and Esso still managed to pull out the win. 

Congratulations to this amazing pair! 


Saying So Long to Summer at Cool August Nights

The team is wrapping up an amazing weekend (and amazing summer) at the Cool August Nights Show at the LA Equestrian Center. We had some new comers to the show ring this weekend and could not be prouder of their impressive performance. Here is the run down:

  • Kristina and Arlo earned Reserve Champion Upper Level winning both of their 4th Level classes  
  • Kristina and Klara (owned by Jane McLoud) won Lower Level Reserve Champion receiving scores of 75%, 77% and 69%
  • Khara Johnson and Furst Dance (Danny) won FEI JR/AM Champion winning both their Prix St. Georges classes on Thursday and Friday with a 66.5% and 68.02% respectively, and coming in 2nd on Saturday with a 67.5%
  • Tanya Hill and Foxy Brown GCF won all of their Training Level classes with scores of 65.8%, 66.4% and 68%.  This was Tanya's first show on the 5 year old that she bought as an unbroken 2 year old and patiently waited 2 years before taking over the ride. Great things yet to come from this pair! 
  • Stella Leitner and Espresso (Esso) won their YR/YR First Level Classes Thursday and Friday with a 68.6%, 67.4% and 67.5% and came in 2nd on Saturday with a 64.5%.
  • Julie Riggs and Benison (Ben) finished 2nd in their First Level Green Rider class on Thursday and 1st in their class on Friday.

A HUGE congrats to every one of the riders and horses that worked so hard this weekend. As always, you make us proud!   


Kristina talks fitness with California Riding Magazine

What a great feature in this month's Riding Magazine on Kristina's approach to fitness for both her and Finley. Read about Kristina's personal approach to building lightness and strength in the saddle, as well as the regimen she designed for Finely to keep him happy and comfortable in his work. Check out the full story along with some great action shots of KHD pilates sessions below! 

http://www.ridingmagazine.com/riding_onlinemag/articles/2014_07/fitness-nutrition.htm


Shining Stars at Star Spangled Dressage in San Juan Capistrano!

What an amazing weekend at the Star Spangled Dressage Show in San Juan Capistrano! The entire KHD Team brought their A-game and have some impressive results to show for it. Here's the rundown:

  • Debuting at his first show, Arlo won his 4th Level Test 3 Open classes both days with a high score of 73.6% on Saturday!  The future is certainly looking bright for this beautiful new star on the KHD show team! 
  • Barnaby Wilde GCF won the Markel 5 Year Old Talent Search Finals with a 70% and scored a 71% in his 1st Level Test on Friday.
  • Finley finished 3rd in the Markel 4 Year Old Talent Search Final with a 74%!  He won both of his classes on Friday with a 69.2% and 74.6%.
  • KHD Junior Rider Stella Leitner won her class with a 69% on Espresso!  Espresso (Esso) is a horse Stella has trained herself from the age of 3 years old under Kristina's watchful eye. Kristina could not be more proud of this amazing duo!

It really does take a village to have such a successful show. Special thanks Ali Rios for saving the day by coming down to keep everything running like clockwork, and to Rison Naness for stepping in to groom and braid. Amazing teamwork! 

Kicking off the summer at the Flintridge CDI

Team KHD had an amazing Memorial Day weekend at the Flintridge CDI in La Canada Flintridge, CA! There were strong performances by many riders and horses over the three day event but here are some standout results:

Barnaby Wilde GCF won ALL of his 1st level classes.  68.065%, 72.290%, 72.759% and 73.640% taking home the blue ribbon in the Markel 5 year old Talent Search class!

Finley came in 5th in the Markel 4 year Qualifier with a 73.4% and 4th in the Markel 4 year old Talent Search Qualifier with a 75.893%.

Wendiego got his remaining qualifying scores for CDS and USDF Region 7 Championships at 4th level 67.500%, and Prix St Georges.

Richard Parker won his Training Level 1 class with a 75.833% and scored above 70 in every class he competed in.

In addition, Kara, Stella and Bijou all put in amazing rides over the three days, earning them multiple blue ribbons and qualifying scores. Congrats to the entire team on a successful show!

Next up: Star Spangled Dressage in San Juan Capistrano June 27-28.  


Finley's Star Performance

After working the crowd at the Charlotte Du Jardin Symposium, Finely went on to win the USEF Markel 4 Year Old Young Horse Qualifier at CDP Capistrano International Dressage with a 75.6. Such a handsome boy!

Charlotte Dujardin's First U.S. Symposium

What an amazing weekend at the Charlotte Dujardin Symposium in Burbank, CA! Kristina rode Finley, Arlo and Barnaby Wilde GCF in Charlotte's first U.S. Symposium. Charlotte Dujardin, double Olympic and European Championships gold medal winner and world No. 1 with Valegro, and her former trainer, Judy Harvey, International Grand Prix rider, trainer and FEI Judge presented Dressage education aimed at amateurs and professionals alike. Kristina had a fabulous time riding with Judy and Charlotte as well as watching them work with riders such as Hilda Gurney, Leslie Reid, Mette Rosencrantz and many others over the course of the weekend. 

Charlotte was impressed by all three of Kristina's mounts and specifically complemented Barnaby Wilde on his trot and rhythm. Dujardin called him “a great horse for the future.”

Here is some more coverage of the weekend:

http://www.chronofhorse.com/article/charlotte-dujardin-got-down-business-her-first-us-symposium 

http://www.chronofhorse.com/article/short-reins-win-medals

http://psdressage.com/viewarticle.php?id=1160

Special thanks to Glenda McElroy and Pam Lane for putting on such a great event!


Mid-Winter Dressage

Both KHD horses and riders are resting after a stellar weekend at the Mid-Winter Dressage show at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank, CA. The show boasted an impressive turnout as numerous horse and rider teams turned out to compete in the CDI competition.

Not a problem for the KHD team, though. Here are some highlights from some of our star players:

  • Finley debuted at his very first horse show to win the Markel/Cornerstone Young Horse 4 Year Old Talent Search with a chart topping 75.833! He also won his Training Level 3 Open class with a 71.800. Exciting things to come from this talented young horse!
  • Barnaby Wilde GCF (aka Barnaby Baby) won both his First level Test 1 Open Class with a 73.621 and his Training Level Test 3 Open Class with a 73.200. This was Barnaby's third show and first time at First level. He's clearly got this show thing under control.   
  • Wendiego (owned by Barbara Wachsman) finished First and Second in 4th Level Test 2 Open against some talented competition. Wendall is just getting his U.S. show legs underneath him, and we look forward to many great things from him as continues to move up the levels.

A huge congrats to the entire team who showed up and turned out for the show. Everyone (horses and riders alike) had a great weekend!  

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Dressage in the Desert

What an amazing weekend at the Dressage Getaway Show (Thermal)!

Barnaby Wilde GCF got a 78.750 and 75.179 to win both of his training level classes. Not bad for his his second show ever!

Wendigo debuted at 4th level and placed third with a 66.571, and Krisi rode all of the horses with Bert Rutten who was in from the Netherlands to provide some schooling. Arlo had some amazing piaffe, passage and pirouettes.

What a great start to the 2014 season!