Hilltop News
Royal Prince Debuts at PSG
On August 18th Royal Prince made his Prix St. Georges debut at Suddenly Farm and won his class handily with a score of 64.47%. The three-tempi’s and half-passes were highlights for the test. This was only Royal Prince’s 2nd outing of the year due to his breeding commitments and his first under Chris Hickey. Chris and Michael have been ‘sharing’ Prince at home to prepare both Michael and Prince for their first Prix St. Georges tests. With a few more shows at this level to gain his confidence, Prince will return to Michael’s care and training full-time.
Intermediaire I National Championships
Hilltop Farm's Christopher Hickey and Cabana Boy (Contucci-Bordeaux) attended the 2010 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions on August 6-8 at the historic USET headquarters in Gladstone, NJ. At only 8 years old, this was already Cabana Boy's 2nd trip to the Championships. It was especially rewarding to have Hilltop's owner Jane MacElree and her daughters Ann and Leslie on hand to enjoy the show. Jane’s mother was very active in the early years of the USET headquarters at Gladstone, so for Jane and her family it’s especially meaningful for one of her horses to compete at the Championships there.
Chris and Cabana Boy started off the weekend with a third place in the FEI Prix St. Georges with an overall score of 68% and a fourth in Intermediate I on Saturday. Sunday's competition was Cabana Boy's strongest over the weekend. It is readily apparent that he enjoys his freestyle music - a combination of Beach Boys' & Beatles' music that the crowd loved. Chris and Cabana Boy earned a 2nd in the Freestyle and a 3rd overall for the weekend's standings. Congratulations! (August 2010)
GOV Inspection
For the first time Hilltop Farm hosted an inspection for the Oldenburg Horse Breeders’ Society. Judges Katrin Burger and Mo Swanson were a pleasure to have and the comments throughout the day provided valuable feedback for the owners and spectators. Lisa Filsaime’s Baden Wirttemberg Mare Riva (Ricardo Di Lenny-Wallenstein) and Chris Roseberry’s Trakehner mare Akinori (Enrico Caruso-Schonfeld) both were entered into the Main Mare Book and earned Mare of Distinction Awards. Three additional mares were entered into the Main Mare Book: Panache (Pablo-Gold Luck), SPS Monique (Matcho-Ludendorff), and Deliparad xx (Blues Parade-Portsmouth). A total of 10 foals and one yearling were also presented for inspection and represented the sires Soprano, Sinatra Song, Bugatti Hilltop, Herzberg, Sir Caletto, Calimero, Silvio, and Apiro. A total of 7 Premium foal awards were given. (August 2010)
Offspring Survey
As all of our breeders know, Hilltop Farm is always excited to hear new updates on our stallions' offspring! We look forward to the phone calls, emails, and the pictures we receive from our breeders. It is wonderful to hear their exciting accomplishments and the joy they bring their owners. With the large amount of offspring our stallions have produced over the years it becomes challenging to stay in touch with each of their owners. In an effort to reconnect and catch up with all the accomplishments of Hilltop Farm offspring, we have created a survey for breeders and current owners. We would greatly appreciate if you could take a minute to complete this survey. (August 2010)
Blue Goose Schooling Show
On Saturday August 7th Rebecca Cord took Pogo for his first under saddle show. The Blue Goose schooling shows are some of our favorites – close by, well run, great outings for the youngsters. What we didn’t consider was this particular show has a ‘Pink Flamingo’ theme with flamingo decorations everywhere and people dressed in costume! Thankfully Pogo took it all in stride and placed 3rd in his Training Level Test 1 class with a 69%. His scores included a number of 8’s and comments included ‘a lovely pony – this one will be a superstar.’ (August 2010)
EEMI Summer Fling Dressage Show
Hilltop Farm trainers Christopher Hickey and Rebecca Cord attended EEMI Summer Fling Dressage Show on July 31 and August 1. Guest stallion Donarweiss GGF (DeNiro-Hohenstein) and Chris had an excellent weekend with wins for both his Intermediaire II classes and scores up to 67%. This was Donarweiss’s first outing since FL and he settled immediately back into the show atmosphere. In the Grand Prix, Douglas earned scores of in the mid 60’s to come with two 1st place ribbons as well. The tests were quiet and consistent throughout and it was a great warm-up show after his time in Germany. Chris went from the FEI ring to the 3-year old Materiale ring to ride Balissa HTF is her first under saddle show. Balissa achieved a 1st place and a score of 85% finishing off Chris’s excellent weekend! Rebecca and Sombrero delivered strong rides in Fourth Level Test 2 that earned them 3rd place on Saturday and a 2nd on Sunday. (August 2010)
Suddenly Farm Dressage III – July 21, 2010
Michael Bragdell and Rebecca Cord competed in the blistering heat at Suddenly Farm’s Dressage show on July 21st. Despite the weather, we had an excellent time at the show and were very pleased with the results of all the horses. Rebecca rode Janet Rubino’s Sombrero Do Top to wins at Fourth Level with scores of 65% and 68%. Michael rode Hilltop’s stallion Royal Prince to a first place finish in Fourth Level as well with a score of 72% while Rebecca rode Summit Sporthorses’ stallion Popeye to a second place finish in the same class. Michael also rode Sir Donald, bred and owned by Summit Sporthorses, to top placings at Training and First Level. (August 2010)
Blue Goose Dressage Schooling Show
Hilltop trainer Michael Bragdell and his wife Tiffany attended the Blue Goose Schooling show on July 13th. Royal Prince has had a very busy breeding season this year, so we’ve held off showing him until this point. This served as an excellent warm-up before his recognized shows later this month with a win in the Fourth Level TOC class. Michael continued his winning streak aboard Derby, owned by Summit Sporthorses. This was Derby’s first outing off the farm and his wonderful composure and willing attitude were demonstrated during his win of Training Level Test 1 with a score of 71.304%. Tiffany also took her young horse Fhirefighter for his first show experience and earned a second place finish in Training Level Test 2 with a score of 65.714%. (July 2010)
American Hanoverian Society Inspection
The American Hanoverian Society Inspection was held at Hilltop Farm on July 11th. The licensing of the 4-year old Sandro Hit / Rotspon stallion Somer Hit was certainly a highlight for all watching. Owned by Alice Tarjan and bred by Mo Swanson, this young stallion has ‘a good type, correct conformation, and the movement we are all looking for.’ It will be exciting to see his contribution to the Hanoverian breed in coming years.
Five mares completed the Mare Performance Test and Balissa HTF (Bugatti/Contucci) was the High-Scoring MPT mare with an overall 7.16 showing her consistency throughout all the segments. Both Royal Prince daughters, Raja HTF & Royal Princess OBX, earned 8’s on Rideability and had final scores of 7.13 and 7.0 respectively.
Seven Hanoverian mares and one Oldenburg mare were presented for Studbook Inspection. The High-Scoring Mare was Susan Springsteen’s Fanale (Wuemmestern/World Cup I) who was bred by Janine Malone. Fanale scored an overall 7.66, including 8’s for her head and gaits. Fanale and Susan are consistent FEI winners and will debut at Grand Prix this coming weekend. With her Performance scores, she is now an Elite Mare Candidate. Scoring an overall 7.16 were Cross My Heart (Contucci/Wayne County xx), Liberti (Liberty Gold/Contucci), and Royal Princess OBX (Royal Prince/Banter), and Balissa HTF scored an overall 7. With the combination of their Studbook Inspection & MPT scores, Balissa HTF, Raja HTF (who was inspected in 2008), and Royal Princess OBX are now all Elite Mare Candidates.
It was a smaller than normal inspection for us with only 9 foals, but the quality was very good and it was an interesting mix of hunter/jumper bred versus dressage offspring. Stallions represented included Sir Wanabi, Bugatti Hilltop, Balou de Rouet, Donarweiss GGF, Parabol, Federalist, and Quite Easy. The judges chose to bring back one top jumper-bred foal and one top dressage-bred foal. The jumper foal Quoi de Neuf (Quite Easy/Sendgraf), owned and bred by Tracey & Scott Noonan, had ‘a really good front end, long legs, good size, athletic type, and really knows how to use himself when he moves.’ The dressage filly Benedetta (Bugatti Hilltop/Hailo), bred by Jennifer Weigold, ‘has her dam’s presence and carries herself well when she moves, very elastic in her back and good use of her hindleg.’ Congratulations to all. (July 2010)
Blue Goose Dressage
Team Hilltop braved the extreme heat to attend the second Dressage at Blue Goose Recognized show on July 7th. Michael Bragdell and Iris Aberbach’s Bimmer A continued a fantastic show season winning both their Training Level classes. The pair also brought home the Training Level Championship for the day. Rebecca Cord and Janet Rubino’s gelding Sombrero Do Top also came away with a Championship for the day at 4th Level which they won with a first place score of 70.455%. Rebecca also rode Summit Sporthorses’ pony stallion Popeye in 3rd3 and 4th1, receiving a 2nd and 3rd placing respectively. Michael’s student, Brenda Mendenhall, also showed her gelding Rendezvous HTF. It has been fun for us to see the partnership between Brenda and RV continue to grow through all of their hard work. (July 2010)
USDF Instructor Workshop
Hilltop hosted the USDF Instructor Certification Riding Workshop over the holiday weekend of July 3-4 with an excellent turnout of participating instructors and auditors attending. The USDF faculty member, Rachel Saavedra, provided thought provoking lectures on how to train a horse through the levels using the training pyramid. After the morning lectures, the participating instructors rode their own horses on the first day and then switched horses to an unfamiliar horse on the second day. During the rides Rachel guided each participant instructor on accessing the horse’s strengths and weaknesses and then determining the best approach to continuing the horse’s training. Constantly keeping the riders and audience engaged through motivating questions and comments, everyone is sure to have benefited from Rachel’s expertise. Hilltop looks forward to our next USDF Instructor Certification Workshop, when Sarah Geikie will be here be for the Lunging Workshop, and hopes to see everyone here. (July 2010)
Fritzens-Schindlhof CDI, Austria
The Fritzens CDI was a perfect end to Chris’s time in Europe. Jane was on-hand to watch Douglas and Cabana Boy compete and was in awe of the Swiss Alps and stunningly beautiful show grounds. Both Chris and Jane commented that this was one of the most beautiful shows (or places in the world even) that they had ever been. Douglas shows very high quality work in many places of the Grand Prix. As is typical for a young Grand Prix horse, he just needs ring time to transfer the work at home into a consistent presentation in the show ring. Cabana Boy is very confident on the small tour and placed 7th in the Prix St. Georges and 8th in the Intermediaire. Competing in his division were riders such as Isabell Werth and Lone Jorgensen.
Chris, Cabana, and Douglas all flew home on Wednesday following the show and are safely settled back at Hilltop. Both horses enjoyed their first turnout in months on Sunday and will enjoy a few light weeks of riding, hacking, and turnout before the fall shows start. (July 2010)
Attention Breeders: July 4th Holiday Weekend
Sunday July 4th & Monday July 5th will be considered Holidays for FedEx and Select Breeders Services, so there will be no collections or shipments available on those two days. For breeders whose mare’s will be ready to breed towards the end of this week or early next week, please contact Natalie so we can make a plan for your mare. Thank you. (June 2010)
Morven Park Breed Shows I & II
Hilltop Farm attended the VADA/NOVA Summer Breed Shows on June 24th and 25th with excellent results. Hilltop Trainer, Michael Bragdell showed six fillies at the show, representing four stallions currently standing at Hilltop Farm.
On Thursday, Hilltop handled horses dominated the Two-year Old Fillies class with Lemuria placing 2nd, Chiquita placing 3rd, R Paris placing 4th, and Dankia placing 6th with scores in the mid-70’s. Later that day Chiquita went on to place 2nd in the Hanoverian class. Caris owned and bred by Highfield Farms had a very successful day starting with her win in the Three-Year Old Fillies class. Caris continued on to become Filly Champion, Reserve Young Horse Champion, and Reserve Grand Champion of the show!
On Friday the Hilltop Team continued in their success, starting the day with another 2nd place finish for Lemuria in the Two-Year Old Fillies class. Other two year old fillies Danika and Chiquita placed 4th and 5th respectively. After her big day on Thursday Caris was perhaps a bit tired, but still showed very well. She placed second in the Three-Year Old Filly class, won the Filly Championship, and was Reserve Champion Young Horse. The Hilltop Team is very excited to see their stallion line-up represented by such quality offspring and glad to be a part in their success! (June 2010)
Popeye Earns His 3rd 'Star' With ISR/Oldenburg NA
This week we received the exciting news that Popeye, the 8 year old Westfalen pony stallion that is owned by Summit Sporthorses, LTD and stands at Hilltop Farm, has fulfilled his sport test requirements to receive his 3rd star in the Star Award Program with ISR/Oldenburg NA.
The ISR/Oldenburg Star Awards recognize exceptional achievements for stallions, mares, and breeders with ISR/Oldenburg. Stallions can earn awards in 5 different categories including conformation, stallion performance test scores, sport tests, foal evaluations, and success of offspring.
Popeye has already earned his first two Stars for his quality of conformation and Stallion Testing scores. For sport ponies, the Sport Test requirements consist of 5 scores needed at Third or Fourth Level. In just his first few outings at these levels, Popeye easily accomplished the needed scores and placings. He has had scores into the low 70's with his trainer Rebecca Cord and his gaits regularily receive 8's.
Sired by FS Pour l'Amour and out of SPS Nice Touch (Night Star/Nobel), Popeye represents some of the finest Westfalen pony bloodlines. Popeye's offspring have consistently impressed officials at inspections and he has a 75% rate of Premium offspring with ISR/Oldenburg. (June 2010)
Heavenly Waters Dressage
Hilltop Farm trainers and students attended Dressage at Heavenly Waters this weekend with excellent results. Michael Bragdell and Bimmer A started off Hilltop’s great weekend with a win at Training Level with a score of 76%; they finished the weekend with two wins and the High Score Training Level Championship from Saturday. Hilltop swept the Training Level Test 4 class on Saturday; Michael won the class on Sir Donald, Rebecca was second on Unforgettable, and third place was taken by Michael on Bimmer A, and student Brenda Mendenhall placed sixth in the class on Rendezvous. Brenda also had a win and great ride at Training Level with a score of 72% on Sunday. Sir Donald’s successful weekend continued with two additional wins and scores of 73%.
Rebecca and Westfalan pony stallion Popeye continued the success by winning both of their Fourth Level tests, including an impressive score of 69% in Fourth Level Test 1. Hilltop students Joanne Silverman and Holly Van Sant also competed at the show with strong rides at Second and First Level respectively. “It’s rewarding to watch the development of my students in the past few months,” says Michael Bragdell. We are all very pleased with the Team’s accomplishments at the show and look forward to our next outing. (June 2010)
Lobnitz, Germany
Jane MacElree landed safely in Germany and traveled right away to the Lobnitz show on June 18-20 to see Cabana Boy and Douglas show. Douglas showed well in both the Grand Prix and the Grand Prix Special and Chris continues to be pleased with his progress in his daily training. It was however Cabana’s weekend to shine and Chris and Cabana dominated the small tour with wins in both the Prix St. Georges and Intermediaire I. Next stop is the Fritzens CDI with both horses and then finally home to Hilltop at the end of the month! (June 2010)
Fair Hill Dressage
Hilltop trainer Rebecca Cord enjoyed wonderful success this past weekend at the Fair Hill Dressage Show. With Janet Rubino’s Lusitano Sombrero Do Top she earned three firsts and a second at Fourth Level with scores as high as 73.864%. Highlights included 8’s and a 9 on ½ pirouettes and tempichanges. Summit Sporthorses’ Popeye enjoyed his first show outing since April winning both his classes. In his 4th Level debut, he earned a score of 64.884% and an 8 on gaits. For 3rd Level Test 3, Popeye hit a high-score of 73.953% and a 9 on his extended and medium walk. Congratulations Rebecca, Janet, & Ilona! (June 2010)
VADA/NOVA Summer Dressage
Iris Aberbach’s two Bugatti-Weltbekannt geldings both had another wonderful show at Morven Park. Ridden by Michael Bragdell, Boxster A earned the High-Score on Saturday at Training Level with a 73.929%. All of Boxster’s scores over the weekend ranged from 73.600-73.929 in his four tests proving his consistency and steadiness in his first season of showing. Not to be outdone, Bimmer A also had four tests with scores of 70.8 - 73.929%. Tiffany Bragdell, Michael’s wife, showed her own 4-year old Constantine HTF (Contucci-Riverman) to good placings and solid scores at Training Level as well. Its always fun catching up with friends at this show and we also enjoyed the successful performance of many offspring by our stallions including Dorie Forte’s Froelich (by Festrausch), Trisha DeRosa’s Rohsalina (by Royal Prince), and Jessica McTaggert with Belotti (by Bugatti). (June 2010)
Ludwigsburg-Monrepos
Cabana Boy (Contucci-Bordeaux) continues to impress with performances over in Germany. This US-bred gelding earned a 5th in the Prix St. Georges and a 7th in the Intermediaire I the weekend of June 4-6 at Ludwigsburg. Owner Jane MacElree will travel over to Germany next week to watch Cabana Boy in his final two shows before his return to the US at the end of June. (June 2010)
Foaling Season Wraps up at Hilltop Farm
Our final two foals of the season both arrived on May 22nd. The first to be born was a gorgeous filly by Bugatti out of Marhaela (Hailo) owned by Jennifer Weigold of Potomac, MD. Not to be outdone Love’s To Swish (Incense xx) owned by Else Niehoff-Gurwin of Gahanna, OH delivered a beautiful filly by Lintas. Both fillies are tall, dark, and leggy, a perfect end to the season! (May 2010)
Blue Goose Dressage 1
The first recognized show at Blue Goose Stables in Cochranville, PA proved a successful outing for Hilltop trainer Michael Bragdell. The mid-week show is convenient to Hilltop and has a wonderful, relaxed atmosphere. Michael rode Iris Aberbach’s Hanoverian gelding Boxster A, winning their Training Level 4 class with a 79.2% and claiming the Training Level High Score award. Judge KC Van Dyk commented that the pair was “ well balanced” and had “good energy”. Michael also competed aboard Summit Sporthorses’ Oldenburg gelding Sir Donald. They placed second in the First Level Test One and won the First Level Test Two with a 74.167%. Michael appears to be on a strong winning streak with these two talented young geldings. (May 2010)
Munich CDI
Cabana Boy and Chris continued with strong performances over in Germany the weekend of May 15th. The pair was 9th in the Prix St. Georges due to a couple of minor bobbles, but improved to 5th place with a 66.421% in the Intermediaire I and a comment from Dr Dieter Shule of "very balanced and relaxed horse!" Cabana continues to gain strength, allowing for a more consistent, uphill frame and always has a beautiful expression in his work. (May 2010)
Blue Waters Schooling Show
With sunshine and temps in the low 70’s May 15th was the perfect day for two Hilltop staff members to venture out and enjoy showing their own horses at the Blue Waters' schooling show. Holly Fisher brought her young horse, Rita (Regazonni – Bordeaux) to the mare’s first show and had a successful outing, placing 2nd in their Training 1 class. Also competing, Erin McCardell showed her Morgan mare Misty’s If You Please at Training Level Test 2 to a 2nd place. Thanks Linda Santomenna and Blue Waters for hosting such a convenient and organized schooling show! (May 2010)
NEDA Spring
While Hilltop trainers weren’t at NEDA Spring, two of Chris’s long-time students had an excellent show that deserves a special congratulations! Brenna Kucinski won the Intermediaire II on both days with Regent. This was her first ever test at that level and Chris was certainly cheering the pair on from German. Rita Brown was High-Score at Third Level in her first outing with Rochfort, a Hilltop Farm bred gelding that she purchased through Hilltop this past winter. Congratulations! (May 2010)
Cinco de Mayo Foal
We celebrated Cinco de Mayo at Hilltop with the arrival on Wolfnbankersclothn’s xx (Bankers Gold-Lost Wolf-Northern Wolf) first foal. A handsome colt by Sir Caletto who has been named Streetlight Manifesto. Congratulations to Caitrin O’Shea of Madison, WI! (May 2010)
Mannheim, Germany
The Icelandic Volcano delayed Chris, Cabana Boy, and Douglas’s flight to Germany by a week. They finally arrived safely on Monday and immediately began their two months of training with Ulla Salzgeber, Chris’s longtime coach. The Mannheim CDN competition was this weekend and even though they had just only been riding for 3 days, Chris and Cabana Boy had a very successful outing earning a 65% in both the Prix St. Georges and Intermediaire I. (May 2010)
Bimmer Earns High-Score of CDCTA Dressage
In his first recognized show, Iris Aberbach’s Bimmer A wowed the judges and spectators throughout the weekend, earning scores as high as 78% & 80% at Training Level. Not surprisingly, the 80% was the High Score at Training Level and for the entire show. What a terrific start for this talented youngster! His full-brother, Boxster A, showed equally well and earned scores of 72-79% at Training and First Levels.
Rendezvous HTF, a Hilltop homebred now owned by Brenda Mendenhall, showed on Saturday with Michael winning his classes with scores of 72% & 74%. Brenda took over the ride on Sunday and in her first recognized show with RV placed 6th at Training Level 4. Kaja Brix also had her first outing ever on her mare Unforgettable HTF, another Hilltop-bred offspring. Kaja lives in Alaska and is only able to come out and ride Fergie for a few months of each year. Despite this, they had a very good show together including a 5th place in Training Level 1 and it was a wonderful weekend for both.
Summit Sporthorses’ Sir Donald rounded out Michael’s excellent weekend by capturing the High Score Award at First Level with a 76%. What a fantastic finish to the weekend. (May 2010)
Blue Goose Schooling Show
Rebecca Cord and HTF clients Brenda Mendenhall and Janet Rubino had another successful outing at Blue Goose Schooling Show on April 17th, 2010. Rebecca rode Unforgettable, a Hilltop bred 5yo Holsteiner mare owned by Kaja Brix. This was Unforgettable’s first outing with trainer Rebecca and her easy going temperament reflected in her scores of 67.5% and 68% in her Training Level classes. Brenda Mendenhall took her own Rendezvous to his first show with Brenda riding in preparation for Morven Park in May. Brenda and “RV” won the training 4 class and was third in her Training 3 class with a 61.3%. Janet Rubino and Kilkenny, also had a fun and successful day. At their first outing of the season, Kilkenny and Janet won their Training 3 class with a score of 63% and placed fifth in the Training 2 also with a score of 63%. (April 2010)
More Foals Arrive at Hilltop Farm
The final week of April was a busy one for us and we are pleased to announce two new arrivals. Edana (Escudo I-Isn’t She Charming xx-Foligno) owned by Melissa Stubenberg of West Grove, PA arrived on April 28th. This fancy filly is the first for Charm, who is being kept quite active as she follows the zooming filly all over the field! The next night an adorable colt by Forest Flame out of Quest (Double M Midnight Command-Elm’s Eden Wingo-Top T Eden Flash) was born. Firenze is owned by Julie Skaife. Congratulations to both Melissa and Julie! (April 2010)
It’s a Filly!
Our second foal of the season has arrived, a lovely filly by Popeye K out of Vendela (Creighton-Lafayette-Landgraf I). Congratulations to Melissa Hamlet of Whitman, MA. We were expecting Lillie to be our first foal of the season with a due date of April 4th, but her dam held off for 361 days and made us all wait. It was clear after Lillie’s arrival that it took a little extra time to polish all of her chrome! (April 2010)
VADA/NOVA Spring Dressage
Morven Park is always one of our favorite shows and thankfully this year the weather cooperated as well for a sunny weekend of showing. Iris Aberbach’s Boxster A (Bugatti/Weltbekkant) had an extremely successful weekend with two wins and three scores above 71% at Training and First Level. This was Boxster’s first recognized show and he’s off to an excellent start! His full brother Bimmer is currently for sale. Michael also showed Summit Sporthorses’ Sir Donald with excellent results. His scores were in the high-60’s and low 70’s and he received excellent comments from each of the judges. Popeye, the sport pony stallion owned by Summit Sporthorses, earned a 63.4% & 66.5% and a 1st and 2nd place at Third Level Test 3 with Rebecca Cord. It was fun to see a number of offspring by our stallions including Bugatti, Contucci, Comic Hilltop, and Quite Easy at the show and it seemed like an excellent first outing for everyone this spring. Hope to see you all at Morven Park again in May! (April 2010)
Quite Easy foal born at Hilltop Farm
Congratulations to Tracey & Scott Noonan of Carver, MA. Their Hanoverian mare Stellaluna (Sendgraf/Lektor) gave birth to her first foal on Easter morning. The wonderful bay colt is by the Holsteiner stallion Quite Easy (Quidam de Revel). He’s a strong, healthy colt and Stella is settling well into being a mom. Photos to come shortly. (April 2010)
Blue Goose Schooling Show
Michael Bragdell and Rebecca Cord used the Blue Goose Schooling Show on March 27th as a first outing or warm-up for many of our horses up north. Summit Sporthorses’ pony stallion Popeye handily won Third Level Test 3 with a 65% and the comment “brilliant boy.” We think he is too! Rebecca also took Sue Van Norman’s beautiful Thoroughbred mare Rosa on her first outing ever with Rebecca and placed 3rd and 6th in her Training Level classes. Michael showed Sir Donald, also owned by Summit Sporthorses, at Training & First Level and received scores of 68% in both outings and an 8 on gaits. It was an excellent warm-up for his next outing at Morven Park. This was the first show ever for Iris Aberbach’s Boxster A (Bugatti-Weltbekkant). At Training & First Level he received excellent comments, an 8 on gaits, and a second place with a 66% in his First Level Test with Michael. Tiffany Bragdell, Michael’s wife, rode Hilltop homebred Constantine HTF (Contucci x Rivita/Riverman) to scores of 68% in both of his Training Level classes and a 1st place in his second test. (March 2010)
Donarweiss Wins High-Score FEI
Greengate Farm’s Donarweiss GGF (DeNiro-Hohenstein) easily won the Intermediaire II with a 72% at this past weekend’s Welcome Back to White Fences II and also secured the FEI High-Score for the show. Vito, with owner Jen Huber, won the Prix St. Georges with a 69% and was Reserve High-Score for the show. (March 2010)
Sales Horse Updates
Spring always reinvigorates sales season. We’ve recently added new sales horses and have updated all of the riding horses with new photos and videos. Updates on the youngsters are coming shortly! (March 2010)
Pony Futurity for Popeye Foals
Summit Sporthorses, owner of the Westfalen Pony stallion Popeye, are excited to announce a $1000 Pony Power Futurity for all Popeye foals. All ages of Popeye offspring are eligible and scores may be earned at any USEF/USDF Sporthorse Breed Show. For more details click here. (March 2010)
Cabana Boy Shines at WEF Dressage Classic CDI
Cabana Boy loves a crowd and the busy atmosphere of the WEF showgrounds only made him shine brighter during last weekend’s CDI competition. Cabana Boy was first in the Prix St. Georges with a 71.316%, second in the Intermediaire I, and first in the Intermediaire Freestyle with a 74.950% and two of the five judges gave him a 77% and loved the music! Owner Jane MacElree was on hand to enjoy Cabana’s victories. This concludes Cabana Boy’s show season and he’ll next head over to Europe with Chris and Douglas Hilltop for further training and a few shows this spring. (March 2010)
Wellington Classic II
Record rainfall in Wellington created a tough show weekend over at the Jim Brandon Center, but the show organizers did an exceptional job of re-working as many classes as they could into the covered arena. Donarweiss’s Friday class was one of the lucky ones moved into the indoor and despite a very busy atmosphere, he maintained his composure with horses warming up around the outside of the covered arena and was second with a 62.5% in the Intermediaire II. Chris on Pacino (Parabol-Cor Noir) and Jen Huber on Vito finished 4th & 5th respectively in the FEI Test of Choice Class later that afternoon.
On Saturday, Douglas was back to his usual form and placed second in the Grand Prix with a 67.660%. Donarweiss showed even more confidence in the Intermediaire II test (part of the FEI Test of Choice class) earned a very solid 65%. It was especially gratifying as his owner Rachel Ehrlich was down for the weekend and this is the first time she’s seen him compete at this level.
On Sunday, Jen and Vito earned a 63% in the Developing Horse Test and Douglas and Chris were 5th in the large FEI Test of Choice class with a 65%. Bugatti competed on Sunday in the Test of Choice class as well, doing the Intermediaire II for the second time with Chris. (March 2010)
Hilltop Hosting USDF Instructors Certification Program
Hilltop Farm and the Maryland Dressage Association are pleased to announce that Hilltop will be hosting the USDF Instructors Certification Series in 2010 and 2011. Confirmed dates include July 3-4 (Riding), October 30-31 (Lunging), and November 20-21 (Teaching). Space is limited to 8 Participating Instructors. Auditors are encouraged. Further details are available on our Hilltop Calendar. (March 2010)
Palm Beach Dressage Derby
Greengate Farm’s talented young stallion Donarweiss proved again he was ready for the Intermediaire II when he placed 3rd at the prestigious Palm Beach Dressage Derby. His passage is showing enormous scope and Chris is thrilled with his progress so far. He’ll show a few more times before his return to Hilltop Farm in April for the start of his breeding season and a well-deserved break from the show ring.
Jen Huber showed her Jazz son Vito to a win in the very large Adult Amateur Prix St. Georges class with a well-deserved 69%. Jen comes down from Maine every winter to train with Chris in Florida and has done an exceptional job brining along her Dutch Warmblood gelding.
Douglas Hilltop had a brilliant start to his CDI Grand Prix test on Friday with his trot work showing incredible highlights, including many 8’s for his piaffe. Unfortunately a little too much enthusiasm and greenness came through in the canter work and he finished with a score of 60%. Numerous judges and trainers have had fantastic comments on his progress over the winter however and we look forward to him maturing and getting more seasoned at Grand Prix. (March 2010)
Welcome Back to White Fences I
The shows at White Fences are always a favorite of Chris’s and his students and despite a rainy weekend, it still proved an excellent outing for Team Hilltop. Both Bugatti and Donarweiss made their debut in the Intermediaire II with Chris. Bugatti earned a 62% and 4th place; we were pleased as this was his first show outing in almost a year. Donarweiss benefited from a warm-up a few weeks ago, and despite this being his first time at this level, he showed great confidence in the Intermediaire II to win with a 67% on Saturday and a fourth place on Sunday with a 64.7%.
Pacino (Parabol-Cor Noir), owned by Cece Sutton and bred by Hilltop Farm, won the large Prix St. Georges classes on both days with a 68% & 69% in only his second outing at this level.
Jen Huber showed her talented Dutch Warmblood Vito this weekend and won her Saturday class (FEI Test of Choice) doing and was second in Sunday’s Adult Amateur Prix St. Georges. (March 2010)
Hilltop Farm Acquires Devon Grand Champion
Jane MacElree and Hilltop Farm are excited to announce they have purchased the 2009 Dressage at Devon Grand Champion Perfect Qredit (Quaterback-Dream of Glory) from Michelle and Chris Coursin. Michelle had purchased Qredit from his breeder, Judy Yancey, as a young foal and sent him to Hilltop Farm after weaning. In 2009 Qredit had an undefeated show season that included Grand Championships at Fair Hill, Stone Tavern, and culminated in the Grand Championship at Devon. “Qredit has impressed us since his arrival at Hilltop and we are very happy that the Coursin’s have finally agreed to sell him to us,” says Jane MacElree.
A third-generation offspring from Judy Yancey’s breeding program, Qredit descends from her imported foundation mare Helena. “Qredit will offer new lines for our breeding program,” says Natalie DiBerardinis, Hilltop Farm’s Breeding Manager. “We are very excited to have the opportunity to continue to develop this special young colt and look forward to many milestones with him in the coming years.” (February 2010)
Wellington Classic Spring Challenge CDI
The past two months in Florida have been filled with shows, clinics, and some intensive training with Ulla Salzgeber, so we changed our plans a bit for this weekend. We decided to let Douglas stay home and scratched one of Cabana Boy’s classes so that he only had to show two days instead of three. Unfortunately, the first class didn’t go so well when Cabana Boy bit his lip and had to be excused from the Prix St. Georges. For Saturday’s Intermediaire I Cabana Boy was back to his true form and earned a 69%. (February 2010)
Stallion Service Auctions
It’s the season of Stallion Service Auctions and Hilltop Farm and our Guest Stallion & International Stallion owners (Greengate Farm, Flyinge, GertJan Van Olst, Maple Crest Sporthorses, Savoire Faire Stables, and Summit Sporthorses) are proud to support of a number of our registries with donations for our stallions. If there is a particular stallion you’re looking for, contact us and we’ll be happy to let you know which auctions that stallion is available through. Happy Bidding! (February 2010)
Wellington Classic Sunshine Challenge
The Florida shows continued this weekend (January 30-31) at the wonderful Jim Brandon Center in West Palm Beach. Donarweiss GGF had his first outing since September and earned solid scores in the Prix St. Georges (65% and 4th place) and the Intermediaire I (67% and 5th place). Donarweiss will move up to the Intermediaire II at his next show and we look forward to showing off his piaffe and passage in this new test. Pacino, a Hilltop-bred gelding by Parabol that is now owned by Cece Stewart, made his Prix St. Georges debut with excellent scores of 64.7% & 65.5% for a 5th and 2nd respectively. (February 2010)
Gold Coast Opener CDI
This past weekend (January 23-24) was the first CDI competition of the Florida season and the first ever CDI competition for Douglas Hilltop. Chris had an unusual trick up his sleeve to keep Douglas’s attention on him during the jog – a banana, Douglas’s favorite treat! The banana worked and Douglas was perfectly behaved for the jog. Some tension caused a few mistakes in the Grand Prix and he finished in the middle of the pack with a 61%, but he was back to his usual form on Saturday and finished 4th in the Special with a 66.167%.
Cabana Boy returned to the show ring for the first time since Dressage at Devon. He started out the show with being selected as the Best Conditioned & Turned-Out Horse at the CDI jog – a wonderful award and much of the credit belongs to Yvette, Chris’s groom, who takes such beautiful care of the horses. Cabana Boy was a little unsteady in the contact and playful during the Prix St. Georges and finished 6th with a 67%, but was back in top form for the Intermediaire I and the Freestyle where he was 1st and 2nd respectively with scores over 70%. (January 2010)
Wellington Equestrian Festival
This past weekend (January 23-24) we got to watch our old friend Fielding show and he looks awesome! He pinned in all 3 of his classes in a very competitive 3'3" Amateur-Owner division at the Wellington Equestrian Center with his new owner Lindsay Rentz and had top ribbons early in the week in the Pre-Greens. His technique is excellent and he has plenty of scope to keep moving up. His owner, trainer, and groom clearly adore him and he's adapted perfectly to the hunter show world. Hilltop Farm and Autumn Hill Farm look forward to the arrival of Fielding’s second foal crop this spring while we continue to watch his show career with great excitement. (January 2010)
Wellington Classic Dressage I
Florida unfortunately has not escaped the cold weather that has gripped the rest of the country, and Jane MacElree looked like she had to dress for a Maine winter rather than for Wellington when visiting this weekend. Despite the weather, the Wellington Classic was a successful show for team Hilltop. Chris Hickey and Douglas Hilltop were 5th in the Grand Prix and 1st in the Grand Prix Special. Douglas seems to really enjoy the GPS test and is gaining confidence each time he shows. It was especially nice to have Susanne Lauda, the North American representative for the Baden Wurttemberg Verband, drive from Atlanta to watch Douglas (and the other Wurttemberg horses) compete! His next outing will be at the Gold Coast CDI in two weeks.
Jennifer Huber and Al Pacino won the AA division of the Grand Prix on Saturday and were 3rd in the Grand Prix Special on Sunday. Amy Stuhr and Dabadu Blue won Fourth Level Test 1 AA on Saturday and the Fourth Level Test 2 with a 69% on Sunday. Virginia Leary and Fernhill Velvet were 5th in the Open Division of Fourth Level Test 1 on Saturday. (January 2010)
AHS All-Breeds Awards
While the AHS Annual Meeting is not until February 5-7, we did receive the good news that Hilltop horses will be receiving a number of Year-End award honors at the Annual Banquet. Cabana Boy (Contucci-Bordeaux) won the Prix St. Georges and Intermediaire I Open divisions. Royal Prince was 5th at Fourth Level. Bugatti Hilltop was 2nd for the Intermediaire Freestyle. Greengate Farm’s stallion Donarweiss GGF was 3rd in the Intermediaire I rankings while Jen Huber and Al Pacino were 3rd for Grand Prix.
Boccaccio (Bugatti-Rubinstein), owned by Marchella Richardson and bred by Hilltop Farm, was Champion for the Two & Three Year Old Colts/Geldings. Balissa HTF (Bugatti-Contucci) was also 5th for Older Fillies Sporthorse Awards with a 78.1%. (January 2010)
