Stephanie Pair-Kavitz Closes Out World Equestrian Center December Dressage CDI-W with Freestyle Performance
December 10, 2023 - Ocala, FL
Photo by Q2 Photography
Photo by Q2 Photography
Photo by Q2 Photography
Photo by Q2 Photography
The World Equestrian Center (WEC) December Dressage CDI-W sponsored by Hampton Green Farm and Discover Dressage closed competition on Sunday, December 10, 2023, with the final CDI classes, including the Intermediate I Freestyle CDI1*, where Stephanie Pair-Kavitz (USA) and Gridante were the top pair.
The judging panel of Michael Osinski (USA), Carlos Lopes (POR) and Clive Halsall (GBR) awarded Pair-Kavitz a score of 67.167% for her freestyle performance.
While Pair-Kavitz was suffering from a cold, Gridante was there for her in the ring. She remarked, “I wish I had more energy to have ridden better, but I can’t complain. He did everything I asked. His half-pass work in the trot is probably the best I’ve ever felt. He was really solid and fluid. I come right out the gate with a halt and then two-tempis on a bending line. He handled that just great. I wish I wasn’t sick so that I could breathe better to help him. I could have ridden him a little bit bigger and brighter.”
Pair-Kavitz and Gridante rode to a freestyle designed by Kristen Scott-Crocker, but it was Pair-Kavitz’s daughter who introduced her to what would become a key part of her test, the song “Bad Guy” by Billie Eilish.
“There is a movie my daughter loves called ‘Bad Guys,’ and the theme song is his trot music,” said Pair-Kavitz, who was not familiar with Eilish’s music. “We watched that movie and I said, ‘I want that acoustic version!’ It’s all because of my daughter.”
Pair-Kavitz has ridden Gridante for a year since he was imported from Germany, and this was their third CDI competition together. The pair won the Intermediate I championship at the 2023 Great American Insurance Group/United States Dressage Federation Region 3 Championships just two months ago.
Gridante is called “The Sloth” at home, and Pair-Kavitz, who lives nearby in Williston, FL, brought him to WEC to get more show experience in a bigger and louder environment.
“We’re here because he needs more mileage; he needs to see these things,” she explained. “On Thursday we overcame some stage fright being out there by ourselves, and Friday he was just a little cheeky. Today he was super.
“At home, he’s the sweetest, quietest, most easygoing horse,” she continued about the
nine-year-old Westphalian gelding by Meggle’s Grimani TSF x Dream On 7 owned by Jan Herrmann and Carol Guass. “I can let anyone ride him. He walks as slow as molasses. We just don’t have a lot of show miles yet. It’s hard to believe that the leaping and silliness can be there [at the show] because the rest of the time he’s in sleep mode. He sleeps all night, goes out in the paddock and walks around, eats grass. He’s never wild. This environment is what triggers him a little bit, which is why we’re here. He’s got to learn to deal with it. The only way to do it is to do it.”
Starting out Sunday morning competition, Cheyenne Duncan (USA) rode Skikkild’s De’ Nozzo, her own nine-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding by De L’Or x De Noir 3, to the win in the Junior Freestyle CDIJ with a score of 67.642%.
Kyle McIver (USA) and Gigi topped the Intermediate II CDIAm class. McIver and her 12-year-old Lusitano mare by Rico x Eleito scored 64.853%.
Closing out CDI competition for the 2023 season at WEC, Alexandra Duncan (CAN) and McKenzy JHL, her six-year-old KWPN stallion by Alexandro P x Saron, scored 77%, including a score of 8 for the canter, in the Final Test for 6-Year-Olds CDIYH class.
Dressage competition is complete for 2023, but WEC – Ocala’s dressage schedule is bigger and better in 2024 featuring 15 qualifying opportunities throughout the year. The 2024 calendar includes eight national USEF/USDF-rated events, while those competing at the Fédération Equestre International (FEI) level will have six internationally rated competitions.
The WEC – Ocala 2024 dressage schedule includes:
January 18-21: Two USEF/USDF competitions
February 15-18: CDI3*/USEF/USDF competition
March 14-17: Two USEF/USDF competitions
March 28-31: CPEDI/USEF/USDF competition
April 10-14: CDI4*/USEF/USDF competition
May 22-26: CDI3*/USEF/USDF competition
July 13-14: USEF/USDF competition
August 23-25: Two USEF/USDF competitions
September 19-22: Great American Insurance Group/USDF Region 3 Dressage Championships
October 19-20: USEF/USDF competition
November 14-17: CDI-W/USEF/USDF competition
December 11-15: CDI-W/USEF/USDF competition
All prize lists, ride times and results will be posted and published on the 2024 dressage schedule page HERE. For all questions regarding upcoming dressage competition, contact Teresa.Uddo@wec.net.
For more information, visit www.wec.net.
