Retiree Michele Morseth Wins Four Titles at USDF Region 7 Championships

At the midway point of the 2024 United States Dressage Federation (USDF) Regional Championship show season, Region 7 held its Great American Insurance Group (GAIG)/USDF Regional competition at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center, Burbank, CA, September 26-29. The show presented competitors on the West Coast an opportunity to vie for coveted places at the US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan®, which will be held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY, on November 7-10, 2024.

Everything Michele Morseth touched turned to gold. Riding her own seven-year-old German-bred Floyd Patterson, the 66-year-old retiree took home four Adult Amateur (AA) Regional Championship sashes. Their show-high of 71.319% netted them the First Level title, while three further solid performances secured the Freestyle at the level and both Second Level blue ribbons.

The feat was that much more remarkable as Morseth, who is from Santa Fe, NM, has been undergoing cancer treatment while preparing Floyd for Regionals. She has also been camping out in her trailer to be close to her trainer, Lauren Ogden, in Templeton, CA, and flying back and forth for medical appointments.

“I’m astounded; I’ve never done this well at shows,” said an emotional Morseth, who has owned the Floriscount x Prince Thatch xx gelding since he was three. “Floyd is phenomenal. He’s the perfect adult amateur horse because he’s accommodating and generous.

“I’ve put in a lot more work this year than I ever have before,” she continued. “I have this nice horse, so I told my husband I was going to California, packed up my horse, got a living quarters trailer, and camped out in it for much of the year. I was flying home every three weeks for treatment but still managed to keep showing and riding.

“Lauren has pushed me, although honestly, my horse is pretty darn easy,” admitted Morseth. “We’ve shown quite a bit this year because it’s easier to do in California than in New Mexico, and this is the culmination. Lauren has made me into a much better rider in the show ring. Part of me thinks that winning all this isn’t fair; I don’t want to hog all the titles. Still, this is an incredible reward at the end of a long year.”

Morseth is a USDF Bronze and Silver Medal holder, and her next goal is her Bronze Freestyle Bars. At Regionals, she rode to a Fleetwood Mac soundtrack and used an off-the-shelf compilation from Marvin’s Music for her other musical ride.  

From Fleeing Fire to Breathing Fire
Julia Mineikis had not planned to spend the run-up to Regionals with her horses sharing an evacuation center with chickens and goats. However, that is where she found herself just days before the show when a wildfire forced them to evacuate. Despite the less-than-ideal preparation, she decided to drive the almost 10 hours from her base at Advantage Dressage in Reno, NV, and see how it went. Mineikis won both the Open Intermediate I and the Freestyle, riding her own 15-year-old Starnberg x Likoto xx gelding Savaroth to plus-70% scores.

“My horse felt very fresh and eager through the entire competition,” said Mineikis, who is originally from Latvia and moved to the U.S. in 2001. “He’s a workaholic. ‘Sava’ gets angry at home if the competition trailer leaves without him. On Sunday we had two tests, so I decided to warm him up for just 20 minutes. In the last one, I felt that I had too much horse — he was fire-breathing and running away with me, but the flying changes felt amazing.”

She has trained Savaroth since he was a youngster, although she concedes that the early years were not always straightforward despite the horse’s happy disposition.

“He was never naughty, but he was very forward and motivated,” explained Mineikis, who is a former vaulter and show jumper. “He was too much for his owner at the time. We did great at Third and Fourth Level, and I happened to continue riding him. At Regionals, we got lucky; the stars aligned, and we peaked at the right time. He deserved to be in the spotlight.” 

In the Intermediate I Mineikis fended off a challenge from Amelia Newcomb, who finished as reserve champion riding Kensington. Newcomb — who has a large online following through Amelia’s Dressage Club — took home a winner’s sash of her own in the Open Grand Prix, topping the class with 68.315% on her 12-year-old Charmeur gelding, Harvard.

The Freestyle at the level went to the up-and-coming 22-year-old Dennesy Rogers. She rode her mother Dorriah Rogers’ 19-year-old mare, Chanel, to the top spot with 68.063%, adding another ribbon to her collection after the pair finished as reserve champions in the Grand Prix behind Newcomb.

Rogers first saw Chanel when she was a horse-mad 12-year-old, sitting in the audience at the 2015 FEI Dressage World Cup® Final in Las Vegas, NV. The Blue Hors Romanov daughter performed a pas de deux under her former owner and rider, Olympian Charlotte Bredahl. A few years later, Rogers acquired the mare and began training with Bredahl. The pair have been competing internationally since 2019, and in 2023, they stepped up to Under-25 Grand Prix CDI level.

Young Stallions Impress
At Open Training Level, Willy Arts rode DG Bar Ranch’s licensed four-year-old Pharaoh DG to a 76% victory. The class was an impeccable advert for the stud’s Bordeaux-sired stallion, Koning DG. Not only did he sire the champion Pharaoh DG, he also produced the reserve champion Paradigm and the third-placed horse, Pacheco DG. Rachel Wade, who trains with Arts, rode Paradigm and Pacheco DG. Both are four-year-old geldings, and they each racked up a plus-72% score.

The Second Level Open title was snapped up by another high-scoring stallion. Christian Hartung piloted Velantis N, Christiane Noelting’s multi-approved six-year-old Vitalis x Floriscount son, to the champion’s sash. Their score of 75.238% left them almost eight percentage points clear of the second-placed combination.

Two good friends enjoyed a lap of honor round together after finishing champion and reserve in the Intermediate I AA class. Susan Walker rode her own 10-year-old Don Frederic gelding Don Amour N to the top of the leaderboard with 66.618%. Reserve champion Kristina Huff scored 63.015% on her 18-year-old Winzer 207, a horse Walker imported as a seven-year-old and trained up to small tour level, and through which the two have become firm friends.

The 2024 US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan® is a national, head-to-head competition that showcases competitors in Adult Amateur and Open divisions. Classes run at Training Level through Grand Prix, plus freestyle to music divisions and sections for Junior/Young Riders at Training Level through Intermediate I Level. There is more than $125,000 in prize money up for grabs over the four days. Learn more at www.usdf.org/usdressagefinals/index.asp.