November 2021 Issue

Page 8 November 2021 EAST COAST EQUESTRIAN See us at Equine Affaire! W. Springfield, MA Booth #3101 Qredit Hilltop is Dressage at Devon Freestyle Champion For the first time, Dressage at Devon, held September 28 to October 3 in Devon, PA, offered the FEI Short Grand Prix to competitors for the Grand Prix Freestyle. The test is short- er but as difficult because the movements are packed into a shorter timeframe. The FEI, however, believes the shorter version makes dressage more entertaining and has the poten- tial to achieve more television coverage. The 502 FEI CDI3* Grand Prix Qualifier for the Grand Prix Special was won by Diane Creech on Chrevis Christo 562 with a score of 68.761. The Dutch Warmblood gelding is owned by Creech and Louise Leatherdale, and bred by Vivian and Chrest- en Kristensen from Gedsted, Denmark. The FEI Short Grand Prix* (CDIW) Qualifier for the Grand Prix Freestyle was won by Qredit Hilltop with a score of 67.132. Qredit was ridden by Michael Bragdell, bred by Judy Yancey, and is owned by Hilltop Farm. Diane Creech and Chrevos Christo went on to win Saturday night’s Grand Prix Special with a score of 69.659. Also on Saturday night, with a score of 72.995, Michael Bragdell rode Qredit Hilltop, a 13-year-old Oldenburg stallion, to first place in the FEI World CupTM Dressage Grand Prix Freestyle. Qredit Hilltop de- buted in 2009 as a yearling colt in the Devon Breed Show. Ten years later, he became the Grand Champion. In 2009, Hilltop Farm bought Qredit from a Hilltop boarder. Bragdell said, “From the day he came to the farm as a yearling, we all felt he was something special.” Of his win, Bragdell said, “It’s be- yond cool. I had done Devon as a handler at the breed shows for twenty-some years. I was purely a jumper rider, and I never thought I’d be where I am tonight.” Their next step is to compete in Florida. Susanne Hamilton took second place with a score of 71.075 riding Lesath, a 12-year- old Hanoverian gelding. She says Lesath loves his music, Puttin’ on the Ritz, as did the audience. Shannon Stevens and Ferrari, an eleven-year-old KWPN gelding, came in third. In their first ven- ture under the lights, they scored 70.990. Breed Show Dressage at Devon opened to sunny skies for what is the world’s largest open breed show, featuring the future stars of dressage. Maureen “Mo” Swanson of Rolling Stone Farm (Slatington, PA) had a number of entries, hers as well as her clients’. EM Fherrari took the blue in the Oldenburg GOV class on Day One. Her dam, Rheporter was Grand Champion at Dressage at Devon in 2011. On Wednesday, (Continued on page 27) Quedit Hilltop, owned by Hilltop Farm, Colura, MD, topped the FEI Short Grand Prix Qualifier and the FEI World Cup Dressage Grand Prix Freestyle at Dressage at Devon, held September 28 - October 3 at the Devon Horse Show Grounds in Devon, PA. He was ridden by Hilltop’s Michael Bragdell. Photo credit: Conklin Photographic