Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining
Saturday, October 2, 2010

CONYERS, GA - Your truck breaks down pulling a horse trailer full of horses before you get to the show grounds.  After arriving at the show grounds you find out the camper plug is locked and there is no one to unlock it until tomorrow.  Then you find out one of your horse's entries was not verified and despite qualifying would not be allowed to participate in the Regional Championship class.

Not exactly what you would describe as a promising start to a show weekend.  But, every cloud has a silver lining.  Every optimist sees it that way.

The 2010 USDF Region 3 Championships turned into one of the best weekends in a long time for Jodie Kelly Dressage.  Jodie and her clients entered 20 different classes and came away with 19 ribbons.  Team Pink posted six scores above 70.000% on its way to finishing in the top three in 17 classes, capturing the blue ribbon 10 times, one Regional Championship, one Reserve Championship and finishing in the ribbons in every Championship class it entered.

Caroline Adams and her 7-yr old Dutch Warmblood, Uniek, captured the Jr/YR Championship at 1st Level with an outstanding score of 70.263% from the judges.   This pair went on to capture one first and two seconds for their performances in 2nd Level tests in the Open and Jr/YR divisions; setting the stage for next year's Regional Championships with a qualifying Test 4 score of 63.571%.

Mattie Zepernick and Nereide qualified for the Regional Championships in the Jr/YR Division in two levels; Training and First.  This duo was the Reserve Champions at Training Level with a score of 72.800%.  This was Team Pink's high score for the show.  Mattie and Nereide followed up that performance with a 3rd place finish in the Jr/YR Championship at 1st Level with a score of 68.421%.

Mattie also qualified for the Regional Championships in the Jr/YR Division at Training Level with her second mount, Amarula.  The pair finished 7th in the Championship class after being awarded a score of 68.400% by the judges.

Allison Otter and Leonidas Van Pelt finished 5th in the Training Level Championships for the Adult Amateur Division posting a score of 68.000%.  They followed that performance with first place finishes in First Level, Test 1 and 2 classes in the Adult Amateur division of the open show with scores of 70.333% and 69.444% respectively.

Carol Dover and Decorated Debut won the top honors in the Third Level, Test 3 Class in both the Adult Amateur and Open Divisions.  In addition to the two wins Carol also earned her first qualifying score for 2011 when the judges awarded her a 64.186% for their performance in the Open Division.

Since they could not participate in the Championships for which they had qualified, Jodie and Venkenhove Nelson made it known they were a force to be reckoned with in the future by posting a score of 70.000% in the Open Show's 4th Level, Test 1 Class of the Open Division capturing another blue ribbon for Team Pink.

Jodie and Wencenza dominated the Open Division's Prix St Georges class capturing the top spot with a score of 70.263%.  This was Wencenza's first Prix St Georges class.

"I am so, so, so proud of my whole group," commented Jodie.  "It was a very successful Regional Championships for Jodie Kelly Dressage."

GAIG/USDF Region 3 Dressage Championships and Atlanta National Fall Dressage Show Results
Rider	Horse	Division	Level	Test	Place	Score
Allison Otter	Leonidas Van Pelt	AA	Training	Championship		68.000%
Allison Otter	Leonidas Van Pelt	AA	1st	Test 1		70.333%
Allison Otter	Leonidas Van Pelt	AA	1st	Test 2		69.444%
Caroline Adams	Uniek	Jr/YR	1st	Championships		70.263%
Caroline Adams	Uniek	Jr/YR	2nd	Test 4		63.571%
Caroline Adams	Uniek	Open	2nd	Test 2		64.595%
Caroline Adams	Uniek	Open	2nd	Test 2		65.349%
Mattie Zepernick	Amarula	Jr/YR	Training	Championships		68.400%
Mattie Zepernick	Amarula	Jr/YR	1st	Test 1		71.333%
Mattie Zepernick	Amarula	Jr/YR	1st	Test 3		64.000%
Mattie Zepernick	Nereide	Jr/YR	Training	Championships		72.800%
Mattie Zepernick	Nereide	Jr/YR	1st	Championships		68.421%
Mattie Zepernick	Nereide	Jr/YR	1st	Test 4		67.632%
Jodie Kelly	Wencenza	Open	Prix St. Georges	Prix St. Georges		70.263%
Jodie Kelly	Wencenza	Open	4th	Test 3		63.171%
Jodie Kelly	Venkenhove Nelson	Open	4th	Test 1		70.000%
Jodie Kelly	Venkenhove Nelson	Open	3rd	Test 3		64.186%
Carol Dover	Decorated Debut	AA	3rd	Test 3		51.860%
Carol Dover	Decorated Debut	Open	3rd	Test 3		64.186%

One for the Ages
Saturday, October 2, 2010

LEXINGTON, KY - Several firsts were part of the Dressage World Championships at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Lexington, KY.  The teams from the Netherlands and Great Britain each did something they’ve never done before in the Dressage World Championships.

The Netherlands won the team gold medal (229.74) for the first time ever.  It was a historic victory as the Dutch team broke the stranglehold the Germans had on the top spot in the team competition.

The Dutch team was led by Edward Gal and the amazing black stallion Moorlands Totilas.  The pair gave three performances that were certainly ones for the ages thrilling the international crowd and sweeping the Dressage World Championships capturing three gold medals.

They've broken so many records over the last year that another came as no surprise - they are now the first partnership ever to win three World titles at a single Championship.

Gal, who came into the World Games highly touted, said he was relieved that he and his horse lived up to the expectations.  “When I came here, I knew I could do it, but it also has to happen.  And then it’s quite difficult, and there was, of course, a lot of pressure on me because everyone expected it,” he said.

Holland's 2-time Olympic Gold Medalist, Anky van Grunsven, was not part of the Dressage team.  The 8-time World Cup Dressage champion, however, was not absent from the World Championships.  She was part of her country's Reining team and delighted the Dressage crowd with a brief appearence on her reining mount, Whizashining Walla.

Great Britain won the team silver medal (224.67), the first team medal they’ve ever won in the World Games.  Laura Bechtolsheimer, also captured the silver medal in the Grand Prix Freestyle with a personal best score of 85.35 with Mistral Hojris to become the first ever British rider to take three medals at a World Dressage Championship - in the Team, Special and Freestyle.

Germany earned the team bronze medal (220.59), marking the first time they have not won the team gold medal since 1970.  The United States finished close behind in fourth (218.12).

Team USA's Steffen Peters and Ravel finished third among all individual competitors in the team competition.   Steffen became the first American to win an individual Championship medal in Dressage in the 78 years since Colonel Hiram Tottle and his horse, Olympic, took bronze at the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 1932 capturing the bronze medal in the Grand Prix Special on Wednesday and repeating that finish on Saturday night in the Freestyle.

Peters noted that he dedicated the freestyle ride to his fellow U.S. rider Courtney King-Dye, who suffered a head injury after a riding accident in March.  Peters wore a protective helmet in his celebratory victory lap aboard Ravel.

The top three teams from the World Equestrian Games receive an automatic invitation to the next Olympics.  The host country gets an automatic bid.  Since the United Kingdom will host the 2012 Olympics, and it's team captured the silver medal,  Team USA will get the automatic invitation.

Attendance on Friday was 46,496, including a sold-out Main Stadium of 25,000 for the Grand Prix Freestyle.  Thursday's total attendance was 34,211.

Amazing performances, high drama, tears of joy and heart break and an abundance of great sportsmanship were the highlights of these world championships.  The 2010 World Equestrian Games were a defining moment for Equestrian sports in North America.

2nd Annual Ladies Weekend Retreat a Success
Monday, September 20, 2010

By Jodie Kelly

DESTIN, FL - The Jodie Kelly Dressage Ladies Weekend Retreat was the perfect weekend getaway to escape the hustle and bustle of every day life and relax in the beautiful, peaceful facilities at Southern Cross Equestrian Centre.

The kickoff event for the retreat was a three hour private sunset cruise and dinner aboard the Charter Boat RELENTLESS on Friday evening.  Participants enjoyed great food, drinks and conversation topped off with views of the brilliant lights along Destin Harbour and Choctahatchee Bay.

Saturday morning Jodie's Pilates instructor, Susan, was back to do a group mat class to warm up the riders before their lessons.  Breakfast and lunch were provided each day.

If you were unable to attend this year's retreat be sure to watch our calendar for next year's schedule.

Ladies Weekend Retreat - It's That Time Again
Wednesday, September 1, 2010

By Jodie Kelly

DESTIN, FL - The innaugural Jodie Kelly Dressage Ladies Weekend Retreat was a huge success in 2009.  It was a weekend of focused dressage training and relaxing activities for horses and riders.

We are putting the final touches on our plans for our second annual retreat.  It was a huge hit last year, so I am really excited about this year.

Southern Cross Equestrian Centre will once again be the host for the event.  Southern Cross is located within the beautiful Kelly Plantation community in Destin, Florida.  The retreat will be held over the weekend on September 17, 18 and 19.

Everyone will arrive and get settled in on Friday.  The event last year was kicked off with a three hour private sunset cruise and dinner aboard the Charter Boat RELENTLESS.  Everyone enjoyed the cruise so much we will once again kick off this year's retreat with another sunset cruise on Friday evening.  Enjoy great food, drinks and conversation topped off with views of the brilliant lights along Destin Harbour and Choctahatchee Bay.

Saturday morning my Pilates instructor, Susan, will be back to do a group mat class before the riding starts.  Saturday and Sunday will be clinic format lessons.  Breakfast and lunch will be provided each day as well.  Saturday night we are going to change things up a bit from last year.  It will still be a relaxing evening with good food and good friends, but with a few different activities that are sure to bring several laughs.  This is not EVERYTHING that the weekend will bring, but it gives you a general idea.

For those of you that were not here last year, the idea of this weekend came to me at a horse show, when some of my clients that I teach at one barn, joined another group that I teach and they didn't know each other.  I had been teaching both groups for well over a year and it bothered me that alot of “my people” didn't know each other.  That's where my “Ladies Weekend” came from.  The idea is to have a nice, relaxing weekend with your horse other horsey people, while enjoying meals that are provided for you.  Plus your horse is fully cared for by Southern Cross staff.

The cost this year will be $400 per horse/rider.  That will include all meals from Friday night dinner thru Sunday lunch, full board for your horse, your lessons, along with all of the extra activities.  I have a lot of definite maybes, so please send me your confirmation as soon as possible as space will be limited.

I hope everyone can make it.  If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask me.

Local Equestrian Signs Scholarship to Ride for Texas A&M “Aggie’s”
Friday, July 9, 2010

DESTIN, FL - Camilla Cook of Destin, daughter of John and Donna Cook, has joined the Equestrian Program at Texas A&M, College Station, Texas.  She completed her high school course work at Florida Virtual School.

Camilla brings a wealth of show experience to Texas A&M and has competed in numerous United States Equestrian Federation AA rated shows.  She was the 2008 Florida State Jumper Reserve Champion and has had multiple top placing in shows such as the Vermont Summer Festival, Skidmore College Saratoga Classic, Jacksonville Winter Series and HITS Ocala.

She trains with Jodie Kelly, owner of Southern Cross Equestrian Centre in Destin and Christina Schlusemeyer of Ocala.

The eight time National Champion Aggies placed second in the Varsity Equestrian National Championships in April, after losing a tie-breaker to Georgia.  Camilla is planning to major in communications and journalism.

Some Like it Hot!
Friday, May 28, 2010

FOLSOM, LA - The Dressage Across the Lake Show held at Serenity Farms in Folsom, LA last weekend challenged competitors with unseasonably hot weather and lots of humidity.  Competitors were greeted with morning temperatures in middle 70's that quickly climbed to nearly 90 degrees by lunch on both days of competition.

Searing heat and sweltering humidity can be dangerous for both horses and humans.  Every year, numerous cases of colic, dehydration, and respiratory distress are attributed to warmer summer weather.  Worse, potentially fatal heatstroke or exhaustion causes a few deaths each summer.  Thankfully, all horses and riders made it through the two days of competition without any major complications.

Some of the equine atheletes seemed to tolerate the conditions better than others.  Jodie Kelly and Vinkenhove Nelson captured Championship ribbons in each of the classes in which they were entered posting scores that could only be topped by the current temperature.  The pair from Destin, FL captured the Open Division's Third Level Championship with scores of 70.769% in the Test 2 class and 73.721% in the Test 3 class on Saturday.

Seemingly unphased by the weather on Saturday, Jodie and Nelson repeated as Champions on Sunday posting scores of 73.077% and 72.791% riding the same Third Level Tests in the Open Division.

Katie Wooten and EM Aquataine finished in second place behind Jodie and Nelson on Saturday with scores of 64.615% and 67.209%.  They also finished second to Jodie and Nelson in the Third Level Test 3 class on Sunday with a score of 66.512%.

Katie and her second mount, the 4-year-old stallion San City, were awarded the blue ribbon for their 70.400% score in the Open Division's Training Level Test 4 class on Saturday.  They also captured the Championship in the First Level Test 1 class of the Open Division with an amazing score of 76.333%.

On Sunday, Katie and San City captured the top spot of the USEF Four-Year-Old Test with a score of 85.600%.  That score earned them the eighth spot in the National Young Horse Rank List for the Four-Year-Old Divison for the 2010 National Championship.

Cindy Carpenter captured her third Dover Medal of the season winning the Second Level Test 2 class on the first day of the show with a score of 62.791%.   The win qualifies Cindy for the National USDF/Dover Saddlery Adult Amateur Medal National and Reserve Championships to be awarded to the riders with the highest and second highest average of their top three scores of their USDF/Dover Saddlery Adult Medal winning rides during the competition year.

Mary Alice Edwards and Fortoula captured the top spot in the Training Level Test 4 classes in the Adult Amateur division on both Saturday and Sunday with scores of 65.600% and 67.200%.  This pair also posted a score of 63.571% in the Training Level, Test of Choice class in the Adult Amateur division on Saturday to take home their third blue ribbon.

In their first appearance at First Level at a sanctioned show, Mattie Zepernick and Nereide were awarded the blue ribbon and a score of 66.667% for their performance of First Level, Test 1 in the JR/YR division on Saturday.    The young rider captured first and second place in the First Level Test of Choice class and First Level, Test 1 class in the JR/YR division on Sunday with scores of 64.167% and 68.000% respectively.

Despite the unfriendly weather conditions, Jodie Kelly Dressage riders and horses came away with 13 Championship ribbons, five Reserve Champion ribbons and only one black eye.

You Had to Bring Your "A" Game
Sunday, April 25, 2010

PENSACOLA, FL - Over sixty riders from Texas, Louisiana and Florida descended on the Escambia County Equestrian Center last weekend for two full days of competition at the Blue Angel Dressage Show sponsored by the Emerald Coast and Florabama Chapters of the DSDCTA.

You had to bring your "A" game to earn the blue ribbon in Introductory through Second Level where the top scores in each were above 70.000%.  Folsom, LA resident Vicky Busch did just that capturing four Show High Point Awards and taking away three Championship ribbons.

Our own Olivia Gabrielson made her Dressage debut aboard Daisy; a 7-year old Haflinger mare owned by Jodie Kelly.  Olivia and Daisy finished 3rd in their first class, Introductory Level Test A, and received a score of 59.500%.  Not a bad score for your very first test.  With the nerves gone, Olivia came back determined to do better in her second test, Introductory Level Test B.

Tests for Introductory Level (Test A and Test B) are designed for horses or riders who are new to dressage competition.  They ask for straight lines and large circles (20 meters or about 65 feet, the full width of a dressage arena) at the walk and trot only, with no cantering.  Someone forgot to tell Daisy they also do not include any jumping!

Daisy and Olivia entered at the trot at A and marched down center line.  After an excellent halt and salute at X the pair continued trotting to C where they made a left turn.  That's when Daisy decided to jump out of the ring head for the in gate!  Olivia did an amazing job of staying on and Jodie met she and Daisy just outside the in gate.  A little rattled, but determined, Olivia rode Daisy back into the ring, with the judge's permission, to finish their test.

Unruffled by the previous day's events, the pair's best performance came on Sunday morning in Introductory Level Test B where they finished second with a great score of 64.000%.   Olivia and Daisy wrapped up their first show with a fourth place finish in the Introductory Level Test A where judge Kathy Daly awarded them a score of 60.500% for their performance.

Olivia started riding this past Fall and takes lessons weekly with Jenn Boblitt at the Southern Cross Equestrian Centre.  Olivia is 12-years old and this was her first show ever.

Saturday evening was topped off with a Grand Prix Freestyle demonstration by Jodie and Manhattan.  Jodie and Manhattan recently returned from a successful winter show season in Wellington, FL.  "I was really happy with how Manhattan felt for my demo." said Jodie.  "It's amazing how I never stop learning on that horse.  I just love him."

Courtney King-Dye Moved to Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation.
Sunday, March 28, 2010

WELLINGTON, FL – Twenty-two days after sustaining a head injury in a riding accident, US Olympian Dressage rider Courtney King Dye was flown March 25th in an air ambulance to The Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation in West Orange, NJ.  This highly regarded facility is near her northern home and a large support group.

"This is the beginning of a long road of rehab although no one can tell us how long or how difficult that road will be." reported Lendon Gray to DressageDaily.com.   "She is still technically in a coma, although she sometimes responds to commands to move and even smile.  She is being put in a special chair to allow her to sit up for periods of time."  Anyone wanting to visit should contact Lendon Gray.  Cards and notes are welcome, no flowers yet please.  Visitors will still be extremely restricted and in the future we will create a schedule for visitors."

Courtney’s family is extremely grateful for the outpouring of love shown through cards and email.  Lendon Gray reported, "I have received such amazing support through my facebook page and want everyone to know that Betsy Tyler, Jen Baumert, Courtney’s parents, brothers, and sister have joined her husband Jason at her side daily.  There is a friendly face with her 24 hours a day."

There have also been so many people generously helping with the finances.  While insurance will cover most of her medical bills at this time, the generosity of others is helping with her two flights, the medical extras necessary, as well as some of her regular expenses like mortgage, car payments, etc.  "We will make sure Courtney is always taken care of, but we appreciate those who are offering to help." said Lendon.

Jodie Kelly Dressage has joined the fundraising efforts.  "I have wristbands like the ‘LIVESTRONG’ wristbands from the Lance Armstrong Foundation, only they are green and say COME BACK COURT on them.  If you are interested in wearing one for Court, all donations made for them go directly to Jason for his endless expenses outside the hospital bills.” said Jodie

If you are in the Destin area you can contact Jodie's mom, Laurie Kelly, to get your wristband.  If not, email Jodie and she will make sure everyone has them that wants one.  Thank you all so much for your generosity.

Any donations should be made to the
Courtney King Trust
Equine Business Institute
PO Box 286
S. Deerfield, MA 01373

Courtney’s horses are being cared for by her regular staff and Jenn Marchand, her long time assistant, is currently working them.  They will be going north to her summer home in New York in a couple of weeks.  All owners have decided to keep the horses fit and ready for Courtney’s return.

Thank you everyone for your love, prayers, offers of help, and overall caring for Courtney.

Don't give up, don't ever give up.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010

WELLINGTON, FL – Jimmy Valvano received the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage at the 1993 ESPY awards.  In his acceptance speech the former great NCAA Basketball coach encouraged anyone that has been affected by cancer or any other challenging life event, "Don't give up, don't ever give up."

Those six words are are some of the most powerful words ever spoken or written by any person.  The words are not complicated, but they are surely profound.  The Jodie Kelly Dressage family continues to offer its heartfelt prayers and these words of encouragement to Courtney, her family and friends.  We won't ever give up on any of you!

Jason Dye posted the following update on Courtney's website this morning.

Courtney continues to remain in a coma and in stable condition, we still have no timeframe for recovery or indication of possible extent of damage, and will not until Courtney wakes from the coma and takes the next step forward in this process, it is a serious injury and the brain needs time to heal.

The Doctors and Neurosurgeons monitor her progress constantly and have advised that they have seen very very small improvements from when she was admitted.  Courtney knows the right direction to take and will fight to get there.

I want to thank you all for the wonderful emails of support to be read to Courtney, I have not been able to read them all to her and hopefully I won't have to, I know we would all be much happier if she were reading them herself.  Please keep them coming so I can't catch up with them.  Send them to combackcourt@gmail.com.

Her room is filling up with wonderful cards and photo's, and she has a beautiful canvas print hanging at the foot of her bed, it is of her and Mythilus at the 2008 Olympics with the rings and flame in the background.  The nurses all admire it and are using it as inspiration to give her the best care possible, they want to be able to watch her at the 2012 games and point at the television and say that they knew her and cared for her!

You can send cards to:

Courtney Dye
2442 Muir Circle
Wellington, FL 33414

Courtney King-Dye Injured in Horse Accident
Wednesday, March 3, 2010

LOXAHATCHEE, FL – Courtney King-Dye, a 2008 U.S. Olympic equestrian team member, was seriously injured when the horse she was riding tripped and fell while schooling at her farm today.  Courtney was airlifted to St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach, FL with a skull fracture and some slight bleeding from the brain.

Her husband, Jason, her father, longtime coach Lendon Gray, a two-time Olympian, and others were at the hospital where her condition was being closely monitored.

Courtney, is based at Bel Air Farm in Millbrook, New York, during the summer and in Wellington, Florida during the winter.  Jodie trains with Courtney while she is in Wellington during the Winter.

Jodie asked her friends, family and supporters to please say a special prayer for Courtney tonight.

On Idocus, she represented the USA for the first time at the World Cup in Las Vegas in 2007 then again in The Netherlands in 2008.  She rode Harmony’s Mythilus for the USA at the Olympic Games in Hong Kong in 2008.

2010 Wellington Season Continues With Solid Scores
Monday, February 15, 2010

WELLINGTON, FL – Jodie Kelly Dressage's 2010 Wellington season started January 30-31 with a solid first showing at the Wellington Classic Sunshine Challenge and continued at the Wellington Classic Dressage Spring Challenge CDI-W/Y/J held this past weekend at the Jim Brandon Equestrian Center in West Palm Beach, FL.

Tina Konyot and Calecto V had double Grand Prix wins during the weekend competition.  The pair took the win on the opening day CDI Grand Prix for the Freestyle with a score of 70.596% to edge past second-place finishers Pierre St. Jacques and Lucky Tiger with their score of 69.660%.  Coming in third was Sue Jaccoma and Wadamur with a score of 68.213%.  Jodie and Manhattan finished in sixth with a score of 64.979% which qualified them to compete in Saturday's Grand Prix Freestyle.

Konyot and Calecto followed up Friday's win with top honors in the Grand Prix Freestyle on Saturday with a score of 72.150% percent.  Melissa Taylor and Schumacher Solyst followed behind in second with a score of 69.800%, while Jaccoma and Wadamur once again in third-place position with a score of 69.650%.  Jodie and Manhattan repeated their sixth-place finish with a solid score of 68.100%.

Caroline Adams and Uniek came away with a second-place finish on Friday and a fourth-place finish on Saturday at First Level.  The pair posted their best score of 63.889% in Test 2 on Saturday.

Lora Kay Witterstaeter and Weltschatz captured one second-place and one third-place finish during the weekend competition.  The second-place finish was in the FEI Young Rider Team Test on Friday.  Lora Kay posted a score of 63.895%.  Her third-place finish came in the FEI Young Rider Individual Test on Saturday where she received a score of 60.965%.

A Night to Remember
Thursday, February 4, 2010

WELLINGTON, FL – The excitement, fun and splendor of FEI Dressage Musical Freestyle competition – along with celebrities and thousands of dollars in prizes – takes place at the 2010 Top Shelf Dressage Under the Stars Series at the Players Club Bar & Restaurant in Wellington, FL.

Dressage Under the Stars offers dressage enthusiasts a chance to sit tableside at the Players Club while enjoying top competitors and their horses dancing under the stars.   The Dressage Under the Stars Series will run every Wednesday night beginning January 27, 2010 through March 17th.  Top riders compete weekly for over $700 in cash and prizes to qualify for the finale March 17th for a chance to win the grand prized valued at over $10,000!

Sponsored by Patron Tequila, Perrier Jouet Champagne and Absolut Vodka, the series not only features top dressage competitors but also celebrity judges and guests.   In the past, dressage judges have included Betsy Steiner, Oded Shimoni, New York Times Bestselling author Tami Hoag and Germany’s Michael Klimke.

Last week's judges were Steffen Peters and Susie Dutta.  They have a dressage arena set up practically in the Players Club and riders come to ride freestyles.   Riders can dress it up with whatever flair they want, or don't want.  It's up to each rider.

“This type of situation is totally up Manhattan's ally.  He loves this kind of stuff.” said Jodie.  She had been thinking about throwing her hat in the ring, but because Manhattan isn't getting any younger, she thought that Dressage Under the Stars combined with his competition schedule would be too much for him.  Jodie continued, “But after the wild child he was at the horse show this weekend, I thought, forget it.  We are doing it!”

So Jodie contacted the organizer, Carol Cohen, to see if she could ride at the event.  “Carol went on and on about how fun and easy going it is and no pressure.” Jodie said.  “Then at the end of the conversation, she said, by the way, Anky and Sjef are judging!  Ummmm, hello!  What happened to no pressure.”  For those who don't know, Anky and Sjef are the world's leading dressage husband and wife combo:  three time Olympic Gold Medalist and eight time World Cup Dressage Champion, Anky van Grunsven and her husband and Team Coach, Sjef Janssen.

And if that isn't enough, Jodie spent every summer from age 12-18, in Holland for 4-8 weeks.  She lived with Toine and Ingrid Hoefs, spent mornings at Anky’s, and rode Toine’s horses in the afternoon.  Jodie would do everything from warm horses up for Anky, groom, or simply sit on the bench and roll wraps while soaking up every bit of information she could.

Jodie performed her breast cancer freestyle, and dressed Manhattan in the same outfit as she did it at the Blue Angel Dressage show.  Jodie was stressing a bit that Stephanie Geary wasn't around to dress she and Manhattan in pink, but Carol Dover came to the rescue!  She got the pink necessities from the local Michael's to make the tabs on Jodie's shadbelly pink and got the ribbon required to do the streamers from Manhattan's mane.  Jodie had the rhinestoned ribbons that Stephanie made for the previous rides with her and sewed them onto her saddle pad.  Then, of course, she wore her pink boots.

Jodie was last of the 5 riders to go.  In an email to supporters, Jodie said “Manhattan was so good tonight!  So often he blows me off and starts screwing around with me when I do my freestyles as demos or something that is not a competition.  But tonight he sensed it was important.  To have seven minutes of Anky and Sjefs undivided attention only on me, was definitely some pressure.  Not to mention a large number of the dressage world standing in the audience.  Robert Dover, Steffen Peters, Debbie McDonald, Oded Shimoni are the ones that I knew were there.  But, he, with the exception of our first extended canter being a run, buck, bolt, he was amazing.  He stayed in front of my leg, without being tense.  I had such a cool feeling that it was easy to block the world and people out around me and just ride.”

At the end, they let the judges comment on the ride.  First Sjef takes the microphone and says, “If I were the US organizer for the World Masters tour starting tomorrow, I would give her a wild card to ride.”  Then, he hands the microphone to Anky and she goes on and on with positive things about the ride and the quality.  She loved it!  After the guest judges make their comments they select the winner.  On this evening it was Jodie and Manhattan.

Anky came out to do pictures with the winners and when she walked up to Jodie, she looked up and said, “Oh, hey!  I didn't recognize that it was you!”   Jodie said she had seen Anky talking when they introduced Jodie so, then, when she realized it was Jodie, she started chatting with with her about her ride a little more specifically and said, “It had real quality.  The piaffe needs a little more, but the passage and the changes were fantastic and the half passes nice.”  Jodie proudly pointed out that Anky several times said, “That was real quality.”

Jodie and Manhattan are now qualified to ride in the Dressage Under the Stars Finale on March 17th, but this, this was a night to remember.

2010 Wellington Season Starts With Solid Scores
Monday, February 1, 2010

WELLINGTON, FL – Despite unseasonably cold and rainy weather for south Florida with wind chills in the 20’s, Jodie Kelly Dressage's 2010 Wellington season started January 30-31 with a solid first showing at the Wellington Classic Sunshine Challenge held at the Jim Brandon Equestrian Center in West Palm Beach, FL.

Caroline Adams and Uniek averaged 65.730% in taking home the first blue ribbon of the season for Jodie Kelly Dressage along with three second place finishes at First Level.  The pair's best score was a 68.000% in Test 1.  There was some stiff competion at First Level.  Caroline and Uniek were bested in two of the other three First Level classes by none other than Courtney King-Dye.

“The way the lower levels work here are you have one test that they separate out into AA, Jr/Yr, and Open, then the rest of the tests you are all thrown in together.” explained Jodie.  The next day, Mikala Gunnerson, a rider for the Danish team, was in Caroline's class on a young horse and Caroline was second to her by two hundreths of a point.

“I was very proud of her.” Jodie said.  “If we could have kicked the Olympians out of the poor kids' classes, she would have won all of them!  But on the other hand, its not so terrible to be in such good company.”  Caroline and Uniek earned their second qualifying score with a 64.211% in Test 4.

Jodie and Manhattan's score of 62.766% on Friday in the FEI Grand Prix de Dressage class did not place them in the ribbons.  But the pair bounced back on Saturday to capture the top spot in the FEI Grand Prix Special class with a score of 65.000%.

“Manhattan warmed up amazing.  Going around the ring he stayed nice and forward.  Then we headed down centerline like a shot!  We galloped down centerline!  WOAHHH, where the heck did that come from?  I trotted off from my halt, and away we went.” said Jodie.  Jodie's trot work was good, but they were a bit tense and the piaffe, passage was nice and energetic, but, then the canter work got a bit tense again.  When Jodie came out of the ring she was greeted by a wide-eyed Courtney King-Dye who said, “There is the energy we were looking for!”

Jodie continued, “I had that 'fire' under control and was ready for what I knew Manhattan was going to throw at me.  We had a couple of costly mistakes, but overall, I was happy with him and my control.”

We're Here!
By Jodie Kelly

Sunday, January 10, 2010

LOXAHATCHEE, FL - We are here!  Of course it is always a process getting to Wellington.  We left Wednesday with the horses.  Jeff, the owner of the shipping company I use, BD Transport, drove us personally.  That always makes me feel good, he is such a nice guy.

We had a total of eight with us here this year; six went on the shipper.  I always plan the loading by how easily I know each of them load.  There is always at least one that I know will hesitate.  This year was Stanley, a coming 4 year old that I have with me.  It isn't that he is bad, he is just young.   I like to have at least one on the truck before I load the difficult one.  If you put too many on, then the truck is rocking and rolling and it scares them.   If there is no one on, then it looks like a big silver monster that only wants to eat them.  So, I put Nelson on first.

What a guy.  He, of course, cruised right on the truck, all the way to the back.  We got him parked in his spot and started with Stanley, he was, as I expected, not too enthusiastic about going.  But, as soon as I walked up to the ramp with him, Stanley started to go backwards.  Nelson started calling to him and Stanley stopped dead in his tracks and listened.  He went a little forward, but then backwards again.  Once again Nelson said something to him and he stopped and went forward again.  It was so cute.  Nelson talked him on the truck!  I would yell to Nelson, "keep talking buddy" and he would chatter away!  He was adorable and Stanley was on before we knew it.  The rest of the horses loaded perfectly.  Manhattan actually trotted up the ramp.

We are excited to have Carol Dover from Tallahassee with us this year.  The truck stopped to pick her horse Duncan up on the way.  So the line up is Manhattan, Stanley, Supermann, Duncan, Uniek, and Nelson.  Then I have a new client that took lessons with me some last year, Mary, and her horse Fergi, then Gaby Collins.  Gaby and Phantom got to come this year!  Her jumper trainer is down here for the season, so we worked it out that she could be "with" us.   Hillary comes to teach her and will take her to do some "hunter" stuff.

Due to some last minute changes, we are at a new farm on B Road this year.  We always loved it at Ellie's, but as my business has grown and changed, we really grew out of Ellie's.  It was sad to leave, but we are looking at this as a new adventure.  This place is brand new and has never had horses in it, which is great.  But it needed a lot of work to make it horse friendly.  The structure was great, but there were no halter hangers, screw eyes for buckets, bridle racks, etc, etc, etc.  All of the little things were not here.  My Mom and Dad came down Monday and truly busted their butts to make the barn "homey" for us.  If there is anyone that can turn a house into a home, or in this case a barn, in three days, it is them.

In talking with the owner, we discovered the house on the property was empty and worked a deal out for us to have the house, too.  It has three bedrooms and two bathrooms.  Caroline and Gaby share a room, I have my own room, and Courtney has her own room.  The other fun thing that comes with the house is a pool!  How fun is that?  So come mid-Feburay and March, when we are hot and whiny at the end of the day, we can jump in the pool!

As far as the last few days, not too much exciting has happened.  Just getting in a routine and settling everyone in.  Kristine Lundblad only lives an hour and half from here, so she came down for the weekend to hang out and a friend of Carol's, Alison, also came for the weekend.  We have had some fun dinners and a few driving adventures already this weekend, so the season is off to a good start!  The horses seem very happy here, so all is well.

He Never Lost the Sparkle in his Eye, or Determination in his Heart
By Jodie Kelly

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

DESTIN, FL - It is with a very heavy heart that I must tell you that we put our beloved Times Square down today.  While I would much rather be wishing you all with a simple Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, I promised I would let everyone know when something did happen with him.

It has been a stressful couple of months with him.  I believe I sent an email about his short bout with lamenitis.  Following that, he actually made a complete recovery all the way back to "normal" by his standards.  Still wobbly, but putting weight on all fours regularly, and walking well.

In the last week, he started holding his left hind up again, and gradually putting less and less weight on it, to the point that he wouldn't put weight on it even to walk.  His meds were maxed to keep him comfortable and while we were successful in keeping him comfortable and very cheerful, he was not making any progress towards improvement.  there was talk of attempting to get him to Auburn for diagnostics, but it was not feasible in his condition.  The thought is he was wobbly and ataxic because of the cancer; presumably a tumor pressing on something somewhere.

He started falling a little more often, but they were still few and far between and he continued to get himself up each time.  We only knew about them because of the shavings in his tail.  We are thinking that maybe his left hind issues started with an injury during one of his falls, maybe or it could have been something neurologic that was restricting circulation in that leg.  We really don't know, but the bottom line is, I feel very confident that we did everything in our power to keep him healthy and happy as long as possible.  The weight that has been so terribly heavy on my mind was making the decision.  When was enough, enough?  Would he let me know?  I have said all along I wanted quality over quantity of life for him and feared so many times that I was pushing it beyond that for my sake.  But, he never lost the sparkle in his eye, or determination in his heart.

This morning my phone rang at 6:41.  He was down and couldn't get up.  I was there a couple minutes after 7 and its not that he couldn't get up, he had no desire to.  It was obvious from the second I walked up to him.  There were no decisions to be made, it had been made.  He was calm, peaceful and almost seemed relieved to finally have the rest.

I spent the morning with him until Dr. Williams could come.  He remained the same, never thrashing, never really attempting to get up.   I had to sedate him a few times very mildly simply because it is not normal for a horse to stay laying down for so long, but, he had a calm, quiet morning, eating more granola bars than any creature should ever consume.  While sitting there with him, I had flash backs of my pony, Chip's, last hours.  Times Square was laying peacefully, Fieval was in his stall next door plastered against the wall, starring through the slats, Manhattan was in his little paddock with his head in the back window of Times Square's stall.  Sula, the barn dog made her self at home in the shavings and Zoe, one of the cats, frequently cruised through the stall to check up on everyone.  It is amazing the peace and serenity that was emitted from each of them.  Manhattan, who never accepts anything less than all eyes on him, stood patiently in the background and observed, offering nothing but moral support.

So, my dear sweet boy is finally resting.  The first true rest he has had since March.  I will miss his cheerful face greeting me each day, but wouldn't give up one ounce of the pain I am feeling now if it meant giving up one bit of the pleasure he brought to our family over the years.

I truly cannot thank everyone that spent countless hours making the most out of each day for him.  Specifically, my barn manager, Jenn, who did meds at all hours of the day and night throughout his illness, practically did cart wheels to get him to eat at times and all around, watched him like a hawk.  Dr. Williams, who, once again, was our absolute savior and the only reason Times Square was able to spend this past year at home with those that love him.  And of course, my parents, who without their unwavering support Times Square would never have made it as far as he did.

So, now, I wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.  And while it is a very sad day, I am going to sleep with the peace of mind tonight that for the first time in a long time, I know he is not in pain or struggling.

Times Square (May 10, 2000 - December 23, 2009)