Alice Tarjan and Serenade MF Dance to FEI World Cup™ Grand Prix Dressage Freestyle Win

Young Stars Shine in Para Dressage Competition

For Immediate Release

Sarah Madden for TIEC

Mill Spring, NC – November 1, 2022 – Tryon Fall Dressage 3 closed out the 2022 Dressage and Para Dressage calendar at Tryon International Equestrian Center & Resort (TIEC) with national, CDIW, and Perrigo CPEDI 3* competition. Both CDI and CPEDI competitions were live streamed and are available for replay, and scores can be found at Tryon.com/Dressage.

Alice Tarjan (Oldwick, New Jersey) and Serenade MF posted the highest score of the weekend in World Cup competition, winning the FEI World Cu​​p™ Grand Prix Dressage Freestyle on a score of 75.000% on Saturday and continuing her bid for the Final in Omaha. In reserve, Julio Mendoza Loor (Columbus, NC) and Jewel’s Goldstrike, the 2011 Dutch Warmblood gelding (Bretton Woods x Zilia x Scandic), scored 74.185%, while Bridget Hay (Fleminton, NJ) claimed the remaining podium spot with a 67.470% aboard Faolan, the 2009 Oldenburg stallion (Freestyle x Wyoming x Weltstern).

Alice Tarjan and Serenade MF
©Sharon Packer Photography

Tarjan and her own 2013 Hanoverian mare (Sir Donnerhall x Duet MF x Don Principe) posted marks as high as 76.650% to earn the win, cleaning up their test from their last outing and successfully tweaking their warm-up routine throughout the weekend, she shared.

“We made some mistakes in the Grand Prix. You know, that’s horses, I guess! He was better in the warm-up than in the ring. So, I made some adjustments to the warm-up, and went for a little bit cleaner of a test on Saturday for the Freestyle, and it seemed to have worked. I was pleased!”

Tarjan and the mare have been connected since she was just a foal, “so we know each other pretty well,” she detailed. “She is now able to do all the movements in the Grand Prix, so for her, the focus has been on the uphill balance,self-carriage, and the connection. I’m just continuing work to help her have better balance.”

Fresh off their win at Devon, Tarjan assessed that their performance is steadily becoming more harmonious, with still more to improve before the Finals. “We haven’t ridden the Freestyle very much, but I was pretty happy with it. We’re basically with the music for the most part, and I would say it was better than when we were at Devon. And it was basically clean; We definitely have to get it much more harmonious, for sure, but it’s a work in progress.”

Though her horse was bred just minutes from the venue in Columbus, NC, it was Tarjan’s first visit to TIEC, she revealed. “It’s fantastic, and I loved it, actually. I’d love to come back, even though it’s a little bit of a drive for us. The facility was amazing, the footing was perfect, they have warm water in the wash racks and the stalls are nice, with fans, and you have everything you need on site. You have restaurants and a place to stay. So, I had a really good time. We will come back!”

For full results from CDI and CPEDI competition, click here.

Young Stars Shine in Para Dressage Competition

The Adequan® U.S. Para Dressage Team for Tryon Fall Dressage included some young stars, who shone in team and individual competitions. The team consisted of:

• Fiona Howard (Boston, MA) and Jagger, her own 2012 Westphalian gelding
• Genevieve Rohner (Park City, UT) and Solitaer 40, a 2007 Hanoverian owned by Kate, Craig, and Deena Shoemaker
• Andie Sue Roth (Sanger, CA) and Aniko, a 2006 Oldenburg gelding owned by Lisa Hellmer
• Cynthia Screnci (Boca Raton, FL) and Sir Chipoli, a 2007 Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by Volado Farms and Cynthia Screnci

Howard (Boston, MA) and her own Jagger, the 2012 Westfalian gelding (Glock’s Johnson TN x Sigur Ros x Sandro Hit), scored personal bests Friday and Saturday, scoring a 73.530% before posting a 75.212% in Freestyle competition.

Fiona Howard and Jagger
©Sharon Packer

“This weekend went really well,” Howard recapped. “I had a personal best each day, and my horse was really, really good.” The consecutive personal bests catapulted her FEI World ranking for Para Dressage Grade II from 25th to 14th throughout the weekend. Perhaps more impressive was a winning weekend after just owning the gelding for a month:

“Accuracy in the test [is what we’ve been working on]. I’ve had him for about a month now. He just has a really great mind and is really honest. He’s a lot of fun to ride. I love him! Going forward, I want to just keep improving on the areas that I need to improve on.”

Both Howard and Rohner were competing under the watchful eye of Paralympian Kate Shoemaker, who also co-owns Solitaer 40, Rohner’s mount and very recent partner.

Genevieve Rohner and Solitaer 40
©Sharon Packer

Rohner (Park City, UT), and Kate, Craig, and Deena Shoemaker’s Solitaer 40, the 2007 Hanoverian gelding (Sandro Hit x Dynastie K x De Niro 6), also collected a personal best on the weekend, earning a 65.167% on Friday. Rohner accomplished this feat as the youngest globally classified Para Dressage athlete, after competing in her first international competition this March and aboard a horse she’d ridden for just over a week.

With Shoemaker’s FEI World Equestrian Games™ Tryon 2018 bronze medal and Tokyo 2020 Paralympic silver medal mount, Rohner learned her coach’s Freestyle and performed it the next day, reporting that the weekend “went very well, overall. We got really good scores, and it felt awesome. It was super fun! I’m very happy with how it went, considering that I haven’t ridden him long. I’m very grateful to Kate for letting me ride him.”

Andie Sue Roth and Aniko
©Sharon Packer

The remaining teammates for the week, Andie Sue Roth and Cynthia Screnci, both competed in Grade V where Screnci dominated the competition and Roth earned three personal bests culminating to 68.067% in the Freestyle test, continuing the trend of strong young talent.

For full results from CPEDI and CDI competition, click here.

 
Photos ©Sharon Packer Photography. These photos may only be used once, in relation to this press release. Competitors may view and request photos at www.Tryon.com/photos. With questions, contact media@tryon.com.