Local rider Harding dominates dressage, looks to the summer 4/7/2008 12:22 AM
By BEN BAUGH
Staff writer
It was a winter defined by dominant performances.
The team of Aiken's Shawna Harding and Come On III proved to be an almost unbeatable combination. The 17.2-hands, 9-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding captured 11 of the 12 dressage events during the winter in Wellington, Fla. The talented tandem won the prestigious Wellington Classic Challenge of Champions for capturing all three Prix St. Georges classes at the events in the challenge.
Harding was recently featured in the March 21 The Chronicle of the Horse for her Prix St. Georges and Intermediaire freestyle wins at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI-W/Y. Harding and Come On III scored a 73.75 percent in the Concourse de Dressage International Intermediaire Freestyle at Loxahatchee, Fla., Feb. 28 to March 2.
"When you're riding dressage competitively, if you're not getting 68 percent or better at whatever level you're riding, you need to find help; you know something's not right," said Harding. "We score consistently with an average of 70-some percent."
Harding is working toward her objective of qualifying for the 2010 World Equestrian Games and is preparing to compete in the United States Equestrian Federation Intermediaire I Championships in June.
"This year we've already qualified; we're in the top three," said Harding. "The top 12 go to California for the Festival of Champions. It's for the Olympic Selection Trial and Intermediaire I Championships."
Travel costs are also a concern for Harding. "It's very expensive to fly myself and the horse out there, and we have to stay for a little over a week, just to get there, to get settled and to get acclimatized and get working for the competition," she said. "Dressage is a cost-intensive sport...."
In addition to Come On III, Harding has an outstanding group of horses, including Kathleen Broughan's Richman.
"Richman is turning into a fantastic horse," said Harding. "He was raised by an amateur lady in Denmark, although he stood as a breeding stallion. We're going to take him into the fourth level and the Prix St. Georges level this year, and have him hopefully as a Pan Am horse for next year."
Tonya Rowe's Hanoverian gelding Rigo and Harding's own 5-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding Contreau are two horses on the rise who bear watching in 2008.
"Rigo is doing second- and third-level this year for the region championships and will move up to Prix St. Georges next year and for the developing horse, which Come On III did last year," said Harding. "Contreau will gain a lot of experience this year. I'm going to take him to every horse show I can and let him see everything and bring him out for the 5-year-olds and next year he'll be dominating the 6-year-olds."
A fundraiser to help Harding defray some of the expenses associated with the sport, featuring an exhibition ride, will be held in the near future.
"I know people really love the freestyle," said Harding. "And I know people would really love to see the horses, and feel the power -- the magic and the mystique of what real dressage is -- with a good competitive edge. I'm hoping to hold the fundraiser at the end of April or the beginning of May."
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