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 Breeders of Top Quality Dutch Warmbloods | ||||
  May 18, 2010 a Purina Horse Owners Workshop was organized in Georgetown, TX for the central TX equestrian community. Purina regularly arranges HOW workshops across the country for the education of equestrians of all disciplines. The popular duo of FEI disciplines, Dressage & Reining were chosen as the demonstrations to be performed for the general public. Cean & Titleist of Top Flight Farms were asked to be the Dressage performers, & Greg Dial of Gentle Rein was asked to be the Reining performer. Carol Schmickrath of Brookstone Farms moderated the educational program. It was a fun evening, and a good way to educate the public about the discipline of Dressage.Cean is Education Team Co-chair & ADU-U “Dean”  With ADU’s strong focus on quality dressage education & training, Cean jumped in to volunteer to be the ADU Education Team Co-Leader for the group. One of the first very innovative programs developed by Cean, with the help of several other ADU members, was “ADU-University.” ADU-U offers a formal goal-setting & accountability system of dressage training & education, supported by a volunteer mentor. Cean has acted as the ADU-U “Dean” overseeing the program since its inception. She continues to serve as a mentor to multiple students who participate in the program each year. And Cean herself signs up as a student each year to keep her focused and on track for a disciplined season of regular dressage riding, training, & education. She credits much of her competition success to the benefits of participating in ADU-University. Cean a Founding Member  Cean was one of the founding members of this very unique & innovative dressage organizations, unlike any GMO in USDF. As opposed to most GMOs, ADU avoids competitions & rankings between members. Instead it promotes teamwork, & honors its members’ individual accomplishments in education, training, and showing. “Promoting education in the Dressage community while encouraging advancement towards goals through a mutual support among friends.” Cean’s 2 passions are education & dressage, so this group is exactly what she thinks a dressage GMO ought to be, and how it ought to be serving its members in the community. Since its establishment, ADU has provided exceptionally high quality dressage education & training programs on a regular basis, which also promotes comradery & fun! www.AustinDressageUnlimited.org  The Adequan/USDF Breeder of the Year Awards are designed to recognize outstanding Dressage horse breeders in the United States. These awards are presented to breeders of successful horses ranked in the Adequan/USDF Dressage Horse of the Year standings. It includes all horses of any breed who competed in dressage. A minimum of 2 and a maximum of 5 horses' USDF dressage competition results are used by USDF to calculate the points accrued, and determine the rankings. Cean Embrey of Top Flight Farms was named the #16 USDF Dressage Horse Breeder of the Year in the United States! | ||||
 Titleist ('00 KWPN gelding, Olympic Idocus x Wieberoodnoot) continued adding to his history of success on the National level in 2009, this year earning USDF Horse of the Year awards at Third Level.Titleist was named the #5 USDF Dressage Horse of the Year, Third Level/AA overall, all breeds included. Titleist was named the #2 USDF Dressage Horse of the Year, Third Level/AA for the KWPN. Also for the KWPN, Titleist and Cean earned the #1 USDF Dressage Horse of the Year, Third Level/Vintage Cup. There are estimated to be over 2000 horses who competed at Third Level at the USDF shows in 2009. Titleist, overall, was in the top 1% of all horses competing at Third Level. | ||||
 Wellspring (’03 KWPN mare by Wellington/Nimmerdor) earned a couple of National Top Ten USDF Horse of the Year awards for this, her debut year, at Training Level.Wellspring was named the #7 USDF Dressage Horse of the Year, Training Level/AA for the KWPN. Also for the KWPN, Wellspring and Cean earned the #4 USDF Dressage Horse of the Year, Training Level/Vintage Cup. There are estimated to be over 6000 horses who competed at Training Level at the USDF shows in 2009. Wellspring, overall, was in the top 8% of all horses competing at Training Level. Photo by Syrisse Longbottom | ||||
 The Windy Knoll Farm weekend of USDF shows was held September 19 - 20, 2009 in Magnolia, TX. It is always one of our favorite USDF shows, especially to end our show season with. Laid back and very competitor friendly, Fran Dearing bends over backwards for her attendees. She keeps the show atmosphere low pressure and a lot of fun! Titleist was relaxed and knew his job, earning scores of 66% - 67% on each of his four Third Level performances. These scores also earned him the title of Third Level Grand Champion of the show. | ||||
 Wellspring continued to show that she has what it takes to earn high scores at the USDF shows. At the Windy Knoll Farm shows September 19 - 20 in Magnolia, TX Wellspring again earned scores as high as 70.714% at Training level. Problems in a couple of other classes, resulting in scores in the 60’s, Cean definitely attributed to the realization that the tree of her saddle was broken! It is a wonder that Wellspring tolerated the discomfort and probable pain, as well as she did while performing. Wellspring still performed well enough to be named the Training Level Reserve Champion of the show. And Cean ordered a new saddle!Photo by Kelly McChesney | ||||
 The Houston Dressage Society’s Laborious Day Shows in Conroe, TX are always ones that are well run and we enjoy attending. This year’s weekend was no exception. On Sept 5 & 6, 2009 Titleist made his Third Level debut at these USDF shows. Once again, he was a shining star, winning all 4 of his Third level classes with scores of 69.487%, another 69.487%, 66.977%, and 63.721%. And this year we were not even chased out of town by a hurricane! Altho a flat tire on the horse trailer on the way home slowed us down for a while. | ||||
 Wellspring (’03 KWPN mare by Wellington/Nimmerdor) made her USDF show career debut on September 5 & 6, 2009 at the Houston Dressage Society’s Laborious Day Shows in Conroe, TX. With scores as high as 73.214% and 70.435%, Wellspring placed 1st in two of her Training level classes, 2nd in another, and 3rd in her final class. What an impressive start to Wellspring’s future career as a dressage horse!Photo by Kelly McChesney | ||||
 Consistency is the name of the game for Titleist, ('00 KWPN gelding, Olympic Idocus x Engendre/Wieberoodnoot), who completed another successful year of Dressage competition at the National level in 2008.Titleist was named the #3 USDF Dressage Horse of the Year, Second Level/AA for the KWPN. Also for the KWPN, Titleist and Cean earned the #1 USDF Dressage Horse of the Year, Second Level/Vintage Cup (Cean turned 50 yrs old this year! You are as young as you feel!) Titleist was also ranked in the Top 20 USDF Dressage Horse of the Year overall, all breeds included, for Second Level/AA. There are estimated to be over 2500 horses competing at Second Level at the USDF shows in 2008. Titleist also earned the Dover/USDF National Merit Award, for his many successful wins in the Second Level Dover Medal Classes offered at the USDF competitions this season. | ||||
 The last set of USDF competitions of the 2008 season were held Sept 20 -21 in Magnolia, TX at Windy Knoll Farms. This was within a couple weeks of Hurricane Ike making a direct hit on the Houston area. "The show must go on" was Fran Dearing's motto, and she and her crew worked very hard to get the damaged grounds cleaned up and ready to go for this show weekend. Always a fun show to end the dressage season with, Titleist made it even more fun by continuing his undefeated streak at Second Level, earning scores as high as 70.478%. For some additional fun, Cean signed Titleist up for a Third level class on Sunday. Since they had never attempted a test at this next higher level before, even in practice, they showed HC. But the test went well enough that they earned a score of over 61% on this first fun attempt! That is a promising start for Titleist and Cean who plan to progress to showing Third level in 2009. | ||||
 As "Dolce," our 2008 Dutch Warmblood filly (by Olympic Idocus) grew from newborn to weanling, shedding out her baby hair along the way, and growing out her mane and tail, we noticed a remarkable thing. Her coloring changed, or at least developed quite unusually. She began life with the mousey gray baby fuzz coloring that usually indicates a solid black coat. But when Dolce shed this baby hair, her black coloring ended up being more of a very dark brown/black. Most fascinating of all tho is that her tail is growing out to be nearly completely flaxen! There is a dark streak down the middle, but otherwise she has a strikingly white tail! Her mane has some flaxen hairs distributed throughout its length, but the majority of her mane is still dark. Her tail tho is a white flag that she flies regularly as she runs around showing off her unique beauty. Combine this with her beautiful conformation and lovely movement, and she is quite the sight to see as she struts around enjoying the Good Life! | ||||
 The Houston Dressage Society’s “Laborious Days” USDF Shows in Conroe, TX on August 30 – 31, 2008 were the second set of Second Level competitions of the season for Titleist and Cean. Once again, Titleist dominated the division and won all 3 of his Second Level classes with scores between 65% - 68%, including winning the Dover Medal Class both days.
This show was not without its major distractions. Hurricane Gustav was predicted to be headed for the Texas coast in 24 hours. This meant that the Conroe area, with its airport right next to the dressage show grounds, was continually abuzz with military helicopters and planes taking off and landing, preparing for the anticipated rescues, reliefs, and damages. In the field next to the show grounds the utility companies were gathering hundreds of their large repair trucks and vehicles. All of the dressage competitors worried about getting caught in the heavy evacuation traffic, as well as the storm. After picking up our last blue ribbon, we high-tailed it out of town ourselves! | ||||
 On June 21, 2008, Cean competed Wellspring (by Wellington/Nimmerdor) at another of the Central Texas Dressage Society's schooling dressage shows in Austin. This was a very large show, with 2 rings and 2 different USDF "L" Program graduates judging the competitions. Once again, Wellspring displayed her usual confidence and focus, performing two very nice steady Training level tests. She earned scores of 67% & 68% from each of the 2 judges. These scores also won both of her classes by at least 8% points over her next nearest competitors. So Wellspring is showing a lot of promise in the Dressage competition ring. Cean plans to begin Wellspring's USDF show career in 2009, and is starting to school First level with her at home. | ||||
 It is a big jump in dressage skills expected between First Level and Second Level. But Titleist's (by Olympic Idocus) wonderful willing temperament and physical talent have enabled him to progressively develop those skills successfully. Cean debuted him at Second Level at the Dallas Dressage Club's Spring set of USDF shows in Las Colinas, TX the weekend of May 10 - 11, 2008. Titleist won all 3 of his Second Level classes with scores of 61% - 65%, including a decisive win in the Dover Medal Class. He even kept his cool under pressure in an early morning class, when a kids' soccer game was starting to take place in the field adjoining the slippery grass dressage competition arena! | ||||
 Dolce a Vita (the Good Life)
Top Flight Farms is proud to announce the birth of our only Dutch Warmblood foal of the 2008 season. On March 20, about 2 weeks early, our nationally ranked dressage mare, Pfirst Class (by Patrick) surprised us by giving birth to a flashy filly by the Dutch Warmblood stallion, Olympic Idocus. The mare had shown no signs of impending labor or distress, but it was a panic situation when we noticed her dripping milk that evening. We frantically scrambled to prepare the birthing stall, while the mare stood outside pawing on the rear door of the stall to be let in. Just as we were about done, I heard the mare's water break outside. I didn't even get the stall door all the way open before the mare rushed in, immediately buckling her knees and going down in the fresh bedding to push out her foal! Though premature, the beautiful filly came out climbing, and was healthy and strong from the start. "Dolce a Vita" appears to be black with 3 white stockings, just like her Mom. She also has a similar crooked star, partial stripe, and the attempts of a snip. And she possesses the self confident attitude that the world was made to serve her! We welcome the latest edition to Top Flight Farms. | ||||
 Titleist ('00 KWPN gelding, Idocus x Engendre/Wieberoodnoot) completed another successful year in dressage in 2007 at the national level. He was named the Grand Champion USDF Dressage Horse of the Year, First Level/AA for the KWPN. He was also the #12 USDF Dressage Horse of the Year overall, all breeds included, for First Level/AA. There are estimated to be over 5,000 horses competing at First Level at the USDF shows in 2007. So we are quite proud of this young horse that we bred, raised and trained here at Top Flight Farms! | ||||
For the Performance Horse Registry | ||||
 After a successful return to the show world in 2006 at Fourth Level dressage, Hot Shot (‘91 Thoroughbred gelding) continued developing his dressage skills, and competed at FEI, Prix St. Georges, in 2007. He ended the year as the Reserve National Champion USDF Dressage Horse of the Year at PSG/AA for the Performance Horse Registry. What a way to cap a long successful dressage career that started at Training level, and came up through each of the levels to FEI, for this special gelding! | ||||
 The last set of USDF competitions of the 2007 season were held Sept 29 & 30 in Magnolia, TX at Windy Knoll Farms. As always, Titleist (by Idocus) was a joy to ride and compete, and was his usual steady, good natured self. He won all 4 of his First Level classes over the 2 days of competition with scores in the range of 66.944% - 69.444%. He was also named First Level Champion of the show. What a nice way to end his year at First Level. Now on to Second Level in 2008! | ||||
 The Windy Knoll Farms Fall Dressage show on Sept 29 was a milestone competition for Hot Shot and Cean. On Saturday, they competed at Prix St. Georges and earned a score of 65%. This was the score they needed in order to complete the requirements necessary for them to earn their USDF Silver Medal. It is a proud accomplishment for this pair! | ||||
 After such a successful Training Level season last year, Titleist (by Idocus) moved up to First Level in 2007, and had his debut at the Dallas Dressage Club's set of USDF Shows in Athens, TX the weekend of July 28 & 29. After forgetting the test pattern in their first ride (and during a X 2 movement!), Cean got a caller for the rest of the tests that weekend. They then won those 3 classes with scores of 68.333%, 68.667%, and a 70.556%. Needless to say, Titleist was named the First Level Champion both days of these USDF shows. He also led his team, "The Mixers," to the 2007 USDF Region 9 Adult Team Championship.As seen in this photo, other Top Flight Farms' horses also took home more than their fair share of the blue ribbons. At left is Valerie Young and Upon Eagles Wings (by Zeoliet, bred by Top Flight Farms), who won a couple of his Training level classes. Not pictured is Hot Shot, who Cean showed Prix St. Georges, and who was awarded a couple of blue ribbons as well. Cean and Titleist are shown at right in this photo. | ||||
 On June 9, 2007 Cean competed Wellspring (‘03 KWPN filly, Wellington/Nimmerdor x Ol Lady Express) at her first dressage competition. They competed at the Central Texas Dressage Society’s schooling show in Austin. Wellspring displayed her usual calm confidence and focus, and performed two nice steady Training level tests. She won both of her classes with a 62% and a 66%, both which were 6% points higher than her next closest competitors. Wellspring handled the wild schooling show environment extremely well for a young horse. She is off to a good start on her future dressage career. | ||||
 On the weekend of April 1, 2007 in San Antonio, TX, Cean rode Hot Shot down the centerline for their Prix St. Georges debut. It is not easy to train a Thoroughbred to FEI, and relatively few have achieved this high of level. Being a hot blooded and sensitive breed, it takes a lot of patience, persistence, and finesse to develop them into a horse that can compete at these upper levels. Hot Shot held his own in competition with the warmbloods, and even earned a score of 65% at PSG at this weekend of USDF showing. In his photo afterwards, even Hot Shot looked pleased with himself and is smiling! | ||||
at the KWPN-NA International Convention | ||||
 On March 1 - 4, 2007, the KWPN-NA held their “Annual Meeting” in Austin, TX. Members from across the United States, Canada, and of course, the Netherlands, converged on Central Texas for meetings, informative and educational lectures, tours, demonstrations, and social events. Cean was asked to bring Titleist (Idocus x Engendre/Wieberoodnoot) out as a dressage demonstration horse for the KWPN on Saturday afternoon. Together, Titleist and the Dutch Warmblood stallion, Thatcher, ridden by Willy Arts of DG Bar Ranch, demonstrated the new IBOP individual dressage pattern as well as the “called group test.” These will be used for both the IBOP and the DG Bar Dressage Cup competitions at future Dutch Warmblood keuring inspections. Cean was honored to have Titleist be a demonstration horse for this international affair. | ||||
USDF “L” Judges Training Program | ||||
| A dedicated group of dressage education enthusiasts, sponsored by the Central Texas Dressage Society, brought a rare opportunity to USDF Region 9 when they organized a USDF “L” Judges Training Program in the Austin, TX area. Sessions A, B, & C were held in December, January, and February 2006/2007 and were very well attended by about 16 judge candidates as well as about 70 auditors. Many participants even traveled to Texas from out of state for this well organized series of training sessions. Torrential rains threatened the Dec session; freezing rain, ice and snow threatened the Jan session; but the Feb session was beautiful sunny weather to complete the series. Cean was asked to bring both Titleist and Hot Shot to demonstrate skills and do test rides at various levels. Tho they thought they should be on winter vacation, both horses performed admirably and contributed to the education of the future USDF judges, and the auditors who were there to learn. | ||||
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Brigadier is #3 | ||||
When the 2006 USDF Sporthorse Horse of the Year awards were announced, Top Flight Farms was proud to have bred and shown two of the top Dutch Warmblood foals in the nation. Boeing ('06 KWPN colt, Wellington/Nimmerdor x Pfirst Class/Patrick) is the Grand Champion USDF Sporthorse HOY for Weanling Colts/KWPN based on his multiple breed show results. Brigadier ('06 KWPN colt, Contango x Ol Lady Express) was named the #3 USDF Sporthorse HOY for Weanling Colts/KWPN. These two boys have lived up to their family names, as well as their farm's reputation, by earning these top national honors. We look forward to great things from them in their future performance careers.  Images by Alice photos | ||||
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for the Performance Horse Registry | ||||
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 On the weekend of Sept 2 & 3, 2006, Cean competed Titleist (Idocus x Engendre/Wieberoodnoot) at the Houston Dressage Society's Laborious Day USDF Shows I & II in Conroe, TX. Saturday's show was completely full with 5 USDF judges and almost 90 rides. Titleist earned the 2 highest scores of those nearly 90 rides! There were only 3 rides all day long that were in the 70's, and Titleist earned 2 of them. He earned a 71.923% and a 71.154%. Needless to say, he was the Training Level High Point Champion of the show. On Sunday Titleist scored one of the highest scores of the show as well, with a 72.308% and a 68.462%. Once again, he was named the Training Level High Point Champion. It was quite a successful weekend for this wonderful young gelding. | ||||
(Images by Alice)
On Aug. 12 & 13, Cean competed Boeing and Brigadier at the Silver Hill Sporthorse Breeders USDF shows. On Saturday Boeing was scared of the large plants blowing in the wind that were markers for the competition triangle, so was not interested in walking or trotting past them. And the judge did not let us try to repeat our pattern - altho she let many other horses go twice around for a better presentation. Instead she penalized Boeing and said his scores would be higher if he were not so tense. Blatantly unfair!! But at the new show the next day (and a new judge!), Boeing was used to the plants, walked and trotted around like a pro, and won the class! He was named the Grand Champion Colt of 2006. Brigadier, with his extremely long gangly legs, still scored respectably, but it was Boeing who was the star of this show. We are very proud of our handsome colt by Wellington/Nimmerdor. | ||||
 Fashionably late (12 days past his due date), “Brigadier” finally arrived at Top
Flight Farms on May 22, 2006. He is sired by the keur, preferent Dutch Warmblood
stallion, Contango, out of our nationally successful producing mare, Ol Lady Express. Brigadier was so named because he stands so tall and proud and at attention
on his incredibly long legs. And because he has one star and a stripe on his pretty
face, along with 1 white sock. This colt is going to be one VERY tall horse! | ||||
 Top Flight Farms is proud to announce the arrival of our first Dutch Warmblood foal of the 2006 season. On March 27, our nationally ranked dressage mare, Pfirst Class (by Patrick) gave birth to her firstborn, a flashy colt by the keur Dutch stallion, Wellington (by Nimmerdor). “Boeing” has 4 white socks and a crooked blaze, with a mischievous look in his eyes! He is a sweetheart. We look forward to showing him at the USDF Breed Shows this fall. | ||||
| Titleist had a very impressive debut year at the USDF shows in 2005. By the end of Sept he had accumulated scores high enough to place him in the Top 20 overall in the nation and #2 for Dutch Warmbloods. With 7 scores already (he needed 8 minimum to qualify for HOY awards, even tho they only used 6 for their calculations), his last show of the season was scheduled to be the Dressage at Silver Hill on Sept 24 & 25 in Austin, TX. That is the weekend that Category 5 Hurricane Rita hit USDF Region 9 and the Texas Gulf Coast. Needless to say, the dressage shows had to be postponed due to this deadly natural disaster. The Hurricane Rita postponed Sept shows were immediately rescheduled for Oct 22 & 23, 2005. But the Region 9 competitors were shocked to be told by USDF that these Hurricane Rita rescheduled shows would now NOT be counted as 2005 shows nor for the 2005 HOY awards. All of these Region 9 competitors who were finalists for HOY awards, including Titleist, would now be completely dropped from the USDF awards system and get absolutely nothing. Category 5 Hurricane Rita was not a good enough reason to allow these rescheduled shows to be counted for 2005. USDF's final date for changes in scores for HOY awards was Oct 15 (it had been the end of Oct in previous years). They said they could not possibly wait a matter of days past this date to calculate HOY awards for the categories affected. Nor would they waive the 8 score minimum requirement for these competitors who's shows were postponed by Hurricane Rita, even tho they only used 6 out of the 8 scores for other competitors. The postponement of the Sept 24 & 25, 2005 Dressage at Silver Hill USDF shows was through no fault, nor was it by any choice of the competitors, show management, or show officials. An Act of God, Category 5 Hurricane Rita, hit Texas and Louisiana on those September show days. The government issued a mandatory evacuation in many areas in the face of this massive natural disaster. This was a life or death situation for many Region 9 competitors. But for USDF, that was not a good enough reason to postpone a show. So Titleist, who was Top 20 in the nation overall, and #2 in the nation for Dutch Warmbloods, was completely dropped from the USDF Horse of the Year awards that he justly deserved. Sad to say, this is actually the second time USDF has left Titleist out of the national Horse of the Year awards. As a baby, he earned scores as high as 90% at the USDF breed shows, which earned him an overall Top 5 Weanling Colt Sporthorse HOY award, as well as a Top 5 Dutch Warmblood Weanling Colt HOY award. But they made an error in not recording about 30+ horses' scores from the final show of the season, and left multiple Region 9 horses out of the 2000 Sporthorse HOY awards, including Titleist and another colt of ours, Top Gun. | ||||
| Titleist Wins DG Bar Cup for 5 Yr Olds at Regional KWPN-NA Keuring, and Top Ten in North America! | ||||
 One of the regional Dutch Warmblood keuring inspections was held in Austin, TX on Sept. 22, 2005. It was 107 degrees that day which inspired one of the jury members to describe Texas in her event summary as “hot as hell.” Hurricane Rita was also headed to the Texas coast, which made the jury scramble to get out of town as soon as possible afterwards! But the regional keuring was very successful for Titleist, who was named Champion of the DG Bar Cup for 5 yr olds. Altho he was dragging in the record breaking heat, his score was still high enough to be named to the Top Ten in North America list! Just think if it had been a nice cool day and he would have more energy and expression! | ||||
| TTitleist is High Scoring Horse at His Debut USDF Show | ||||
 Titleist (’00 KWPN gelding, Idocus x Engendre) had his USDF Training level debut at the Topsider Farm Dressage II show on August 27, 2005 in College Station, TX. Titleist won all 3 of his classes, earning scores of 69.545%, 70.385%, and a 73.077%, which was the high score of the entire show! He is off to a good start towards earning a USDF Horse of the Year award. | ||||
| Unchained Melody's Successful USDF Debut! | ||||
 Unchained Melody ('01 KWPN filly, Taxateur x Rock Bold) had her USDF Training Level debut at the Cedar Trace Dressage With Friends Show on March 19, 2005 in College Station, TX. True to her typical easy to ride and train form, Melody earned a 70.91% on her first Training level USDF competition ride. About 6 inches of rain forced the cancellation of the rest of her rides at the show. But it was enough for Cynthia Werner to recognize Melody's wonderful talent and temperament. She purchased Melody there at the show. Good luck to Cynthia and Melody in their future dressage careers! | ||||
 Titleist ('00 KWPN gelding, Idocus x Engendre) is finally being given his time in the spotlight this year. "The cobbler's kids have no shoes" applies to this gelding, who Cean has planned to keep for herself since he was a foal. But Top Flight Farms' other nice young sale horses have always gotten the priority with Cean's time and training, while Titleist happily remained a pasture ornament. Now 5 yrs old, Titleist is finally getting his steady training started. And he came out with a bang. Cean competed him at Training level at 2 CTDS schooling dressage shows this summer, judged by USDF judges. All of Titleist's scores were between 68.462% - 70.909%. He also earned the highest score at both shows of 60 - 70 rides each. Titleist will have his USDF debut this fall. | ||||
 Unchained Melody ('01 KWPN filly, Taxateur x Rock Bold) turned 3 yrs old this spring and was a joy to start under saddle. In August she competed at her first dressage show, one of her first times away from home. Melody earned scores of 70.0 % and 71.429 % at Intro. These were the two highest scores of the entire show of approximately 50 rides! And her exceptionally sweet temperament charmed many admirers who came by her stall. Melody promises to be a standout in performance as well as personality! | ||||
 Pfirst Class ('97 KWPN filly, Patrick x Ol Lady Express) finished her 2003 debut year of outstanding Dressage performances with a median score of 69.231% at Training Level. This earned her the honor of being the #1 Dutch Warmblood in the nation and her USDF Dressage Horse of the Year award. For overall Training Level (all breeds), PC placed #19 in the nation. She was also Top Five Training Level at the GAIG/USDF Region 9 Dressage Championships. We are very proud of PC, and look forward to a successful year at First Level in 2004! | ||||
   Tactical Command ('00 KWPN gelding, Patrick x Hoyte Flower) had his USDF Training Level debut at the Houston Dressage Society Autumn Classic on October 30 - Nov 2, 2003. In this 3 yr old gelding's first class, judged by Charles DeKunffy, Commander earned a 69.545%! He continued his stellar performance by earning scores of 65% - 70% on all four of his Dressage tests! Soon after this show, Commander was sold to Ann Kennedy of Royal Oak, Michigan. Good luck to Ann and "Arlo" in their future dressage careers! | ||||
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| On Sept. 15 Cean presented both Wellspring and Wifferdil at the Dutch Warmblood Studbook in North America (KWPN-NA) keuring. The keuring jury consisted of Jacques Verkerk from the KWPN in the Netherlands, as well as Dr. Deborah Harrison and Katherine Kuhn from the U.S. Horses were judged on conformation, movement, and type. The much sought after but rarely given First Premium rating, designated with an orange ribbon, is "an indicator of the highest quality, exceeding the breed standard." Both of our girls received this prestigious rating! | ||||
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 Tactical Command ('00 KWPN gelding, Patrick x Hoyte Flower) turned 3 yrs old and was very easily started under saddle this spring. In June he competed at his first dressage show, one of his first times away from home. He was a gentleman. Commander earned scores of 65.5% and 69.047% at Intro. His 69% was the second highest score of the entire show of 70 entries! Commander is definitely off to a good start with his under saddle training! | ||||
  Top Flight Farms announces the birth of our two new Dutch Warmblood fillies this spring! Wifferdil (Wellington/Nimmerdor x Rock Bold) (the term wifferdil is "an energy gaining flight maneuver") on April 8, 2003 and Wellspring (Wellington/Nimmerdor x Ol Lady Express) on May 8, 2003. These are our first imported frozen semen foals, thanks to Dr. Nibblet at the Elgin Veterinary Clinic.The fillies' sire, Wellington, stood for many years in Holland at the VDL Stud, but passed away in 2000, so these fillies were conceived 2 years, and born 3 years, after the stallion had died! Both have outstanding conformation and movement, along with sweet temperaments. What more could we want? | ||||
 Pfirst Class ('97 KWPN filly, Patrick x Ol Lady Express) had her USDF debut at the Cedar Trace Dressage With Friends I & II shows on May 3 & 4, 2003. Cean competed "PC" at Training Level. At Saturday's show she earned scores of 70% (including a PERFECT 10 on her final movement of the test!) and 69%. At Sunday's show PC earned a 69% and 74% (high score of the entire show!).Cean plans to keep PC for herself, showing her for a few years, and then one day PC will be a broodmare at Top Flight Farms. | ||||
 Rolex ('98 KWPN filly, E'Sop's Fable x Hoyte Flower) completed a very successful year in 2002 competing at USDF dressage shows. She earned multiple Training Level Championships at various shows, with scores as high as 70%. These outstanding scores not only earned Rolex a USDF Performance Certificate, but she was also named the 4th place USDF Dressage Horse of the Year at Training Level for Dutch Warmbloods.In July of 2003, Rolex debuted at First Level, earning the First Level Championship of the show, as well as leading her team to the USDF Region 9 Adult Team Championship at First Level. Rolex's median score at First Level for the year was a 64.202%. This should have earned her a USDF HOY award at First Level, but due to errors with scores at one show, Rolex was not awarded the title she deserved. In the fall, Rolex was sold to Young Rider Chelsey Bruner of Bentonville, Arkansas. They seem to be a perfect match, so we look forward to hearing about successes that the two of them achieve in the future! | ||||
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Shannon ('99 KWPN filly, Juventus x Ol Lady Express) continued her national ranking success with owner Kelly Davidson of Grayson, KY. In 2002 Shannon was named the #5 USDF Sporthorse Horse of the Year for 3 Yr Old Fillies (all breeds). In 2001 she was the #3 USDF Sporthorse Horse of the Year for 2 Yr Old Fillies (all breeds). In 2000 she should have been in the top five for yearlings, but miscommunication from show staff caused an error that prevented her from being named the USDF HOY that she deserved. Shannon is now being started under saddle and we can't wait to hear of her dressage successes in the future! | ||||
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The weekend of Sept 14 Cean showed Wellspring (by Wellington) at the Cedar Trace USDF Sporthorse Festival in College Station, Tx. On Sunday Wellspring
received a score of 79.4% from Hilda Gurney, which was the highest score of all of
the weanling, yearling, 2 yr old, and 3 yr old Fillies, as well as all of the
Colts! In fact, Wellspring's score was the second highest score of the entire
show, including all of the mature mares and stallions! Hilda's comments
included "Beautiful filly, lovely type. Nice condition and muscling. Good legs and
feet. Nice swinging walk with overstep. Nice long strides in trot."
On Aug. 9 & 10, 2003, Wifferdil and Wellspring competed at the Silver Hill
USDF Sport Horse Breeders' Extravaganza I & II in Austin, Tx. Wifferdil came
home the big winner!