USPRE WEEK did not lose its Spanish soul

Text and photos by Lily Forado

It’s not surprising that, for the past years, PRE horses have stolen the show during the third week of the Adequan Global Dressage Festival in Wellington, Florida  USPRE Week gathers international guests and the best riders and breeders, of this fantastic horse, on American soil

Due to coronavirus COVID-19 concerns, the traditional USPRE Week activities and events were canceled USPRE continued to sponsor The Grand Prix and Grand Prix Freestyle as usual during Week Three at the AGFD Festival and used the opportunities as a sponsor to promote the PRE horse in exhibitions and competition to the equestrian community

AGFD did not lose its Spanish touch and soul USPRE lovers and passionate equestrians were mesmerized once again by the Spanish horses’ neighing, the majesty of their forms, their robust, outstanding beauty, their flowing manes, and distinctive necks

Two USPRE exhibition highlights were held at the AGDF arena  On Friday evening, Recargo PI warmed up the PRE engines The beautiful sunset got sidelined by the charm and charisma of Recargo PI  Under the sound of Spanish melodies, Jacqueline MacDonald riding Recargo PI entertained the dressage VIP audience with an entire choreography involving flying changes every two strides, piaffe, passage pirouettes among other exercises

[caption id="attachment_25831" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Jacqueline MacDonald and Recargo PI[/caption] On Sunday afternoon, the sparkle from the PRE horse was showcased by Maria Lithander, the head trainer of Hampton Green Farm, exhibiting Campanero HGF, an 8-year-old PRE horse bred on American soil Campanero HGF, became the light for the PRE enthusiasts, showing his impressive paces and beauty under the beat of the beautiful lyrics of “Kiss from a Rose” by Seal [caption id="attachment_25829" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Maria Lithander & Campanero HGF[/caption] USPRE continues to sponsor the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Freestyle as usual  Janne Rumbough, US PRE president, commented: “We usually have a big week with the US PRE horses here We showcase a lot of horses and display their ability and talent, but unfortunately due to the pandemic, USPRE could not celebrate as usual However, we were happy to be able to still show a few of the horses and were happy to see some of them competing here this week We are thrilled to sponsor AGDF again this year, and we look forward to continuing with that, and hopefully, we can display the US PRE in years to come” US rider Guenter Seidel riding Equirelle took home the blue ribbon His golden score of 75830% granted him first place in the FEI Grand Prix Freestyle CDI4 [caption id="attachment_25824" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Guenter Seidel & Equirelle[/caption] On the national side, a total of 13 riders competed with their PRE horses, which it’s a large number International Grand Prix Rider, Nicholas Fyffe with Fiero HGF won the High score in the national Grand Prix with a 69728  Kerrigan Gluch with Vaquero HGF won the FEI U25 level and Justine Boyer did the same on the national Young Rider class with Campanero HGF  The USPRE High Point Series is designed to encourage PRE riders of all levels to train and compete in rated dressage shows [caption id="attachment_25828" align="alignnone" width="950"] Nicholas Fyffe & Fiero HGF[/caption] [caption id="attachment_25830" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Justine Boyer & Campanero HGF[/caption] USPRE week will come back next year stronger than ever USPRE thanks all its members for their unconditional support especially during these unprecedented times USPRE week is captivating, glamorous and above all is dedicated to the horse that inspires us the most: the PURA RAZA ESPAÑOLA