Markel has printed their new advertising in DRESSAGE
TODAY, showcasing
National Young Horse Champions like Selten HW, called "in the
Circle of
Winners":
January 2010:
DRESSAGE TODAY prints the following article,
AMERICAN-BRED SPORT HORSES are RISING TO THE TOP. Read stories from the
breeders, riders and owners of the four best young horses in the nation.
One of them is Selten HW, bred by Irene Hoeflich-Wiederhold, ridden by
Elizabeth Ball, as we always say:
The most valuable asset for successful breeding is the
best mare available (SPS
High Princess)!
December 10th, 2009:
Dressage Getaway, Thermal C, Judges Hilda Gurney and Carolyn Doran.
Elizabeth Ball and Selten HW had their first outing at 2nd Level Test 3
Open and won their class with a whopping 80%. Congratulations Beth and
Selten HW – you rock!!!
November 19th, 2009:
THE AMERICAN HANOVERIAN prints the following article:
October 30th, 2009:
The USDF Connection printed the following in their
November 2009 issue:
October 15th, 2009:
The American Hanoverian Society Official Page's Photos - Wall Photos
From the album:
"Wall Photos" by The American Hanoverian Society Official Page
Special thanks to AHS member and photographer Silvio
Busch, Nicholasville, Ky., who recently presented the society with large
canvas portraits of both Cabana Boy and Selten HW, respectively the
six-year-old and five-year-old 2008 Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage
Champions. They now grace the walls of the central office.
The portrait of Cabana Boy (Contucci-Britania/Bordeaux),
entitled “Gone With the Wind” shows the horse and rider Christopher
Hickey without his riding hat as a consequence of the hurricane strength
winds that blew through the Kentucky Horse Park while the pair were in
the ring. The second portrait, “Pride and Glory,” shows a delighted
Michael Bragdell and Selten HW
(Sandro
Hit-SPS
High Princess/Hohenstein),
after completion of their ride. These two AHS-registered and -branded
geldings represent the type of riding horse that the AHS breeding
program strives to produce. On behalf of the membership we’d like to
thank Silvio for his generous gift to the AHS.
Welcome
to DressageClinic.com Welcome
to the Equestrian World's Premier Educational Online Website for the
Development of Dressage Horses and Riders. From all the Regularly
Featured Trainers of DressageClinic.com to All Our Members and Visitors,
We Wish Your Riding Dreams Come True.
DressageClinic.com
Presents
Elizabeth Ball
Riding & Lecturing on
Selten HW
Elizabeth
Ball Lecturing Selten HW by Sandro Hit
5 yrs old Hanoverian Gelding
Training: FEI 5 yrs. Olds Sept. 2009
Training Video: 40 minutes
Click Above to watch Sample Video
Find
out more about membership
to DressageClinic.com
“It
starts with getting a clear understanding of the tiniest softest little
details”, -Elizabeth Ball
Elizabeth Ball is presently one of the most talked about dressage riders
in North America as well as Europe as she is presently training what
is considered the best young 5 yr. old in he nation and one of the most
talented youngster in the world. Elizabeth Ball’s 2009
accomplishments include a berth in the nation’s top twelve for
the Developing Horse Championships with Soubirous, competing Eckstein
Farm’s Orion in several Intermediare 2 classes with scores over 70%
and riding Orion in a very well received Grand Prix Pas de Deux with
Gunter Seidel at the 2009 World Cup in Las Vegas.
Selten HW's overall score for the Five Year
Old Final Championship test was 86.800%. Trot score: 9.2 Canter
score: 9.0 Walk score: 7.5 Submission score:8.9 General Impression
score:8.8 This incredible youngster, "won" the 2009 USEF/Markel
National Young Horse Championships in Illinois last month with Elizabeth
holding the reins, and last year Selten HW won the four year old
National Championship class at Dressage at Devon 2008.
California’s mountainous landscape is
the backdrop for Elizabeth Balls latest video. As she warms up
Selten HW at the walk, she fills us in on how this young horse
became hers and Selten’s HW infant training by Michael
Bragdell at Hilltop Farm.
In Part 1, When we filmed this video, Elizabeth's contant
thoughts were that the following week they were both off to Ilinois
to compete for the Young Horse Championships for the FEI 5
year old test, which includes, counter canter, simple changes, forward
trots and canters. “Especially with the young horses”, Elizabeth
explains, “when you are correcting them or showing them new things,
it’s got to be that it feels fun for them. Even when the hard
things are a bit challenging, there has to be a reward, and that walk
break off and on within the work to tell them that “hey you are on the
right track. It’s OK”.
Selten HW is given a comfortable
contact with a gentle rein as he begins his trot warm up. “It is easy
with a big mover like this", Beth explains, "for my legs to
flop around a little and my feet to move more than I would like. This
is not as pretty, and it gives him the message that I am always
pushing. I need to train him to go without my pushing all the
time", Beth continues, "I am going to try to do a good
job about not “overdriving” and at the same time, I can’t just
grip my legs to hold them still, otherwise I am not going to be
comfortable for him. He has a lot of motion so there is that
movement that happens in my body. It’s about finding a balance between
keeping track of my excess movement and doing my best to go with him,
with out tensing up”.
In Part 2, as Beth continues working him, they
begin their canter work.
Selten's HW big canter improves as she influences him forward,
working on straightness , lateral bending, keeping him in front of her
leg, and turning. “I have to give the aid a little early",
Beth says, "because by the time he processes the information of
aid, he is already a stride or two late and sometimes he gets a little
too close to the fence.”
In Part 3, now that they have done the walk,
trot and canter, Elizabeth rides the trot a little bit more collected
to teach him what that is about. The test calls for sitting trot,
so Beth sits the trot as they work on shoulder in, shoulderfor, and leg
yield. As Selten HW gets warmed up mentally and physically he gets
going forward on his own begining to carry her. Selten HW is really just
a “baby” he get’s distracted momentarily by another horse.
Elizabeth teaches him that no matter what is going on, he has to always
be ready to go forward. If she puts her leg on, he must move
forward and at this point explain a few of her theories about teaching
forwardness to a young horse.
In Part 4, Beth canters Selten in smaller
circles to balance his large canter strides. They work on the counter
canter that has to be performed in the test.
"It is a good strengthening exercise as well. I maintain the
same bend through the whole body to the left as I had on the true
lead.” Beth explains in her calm soothing voice even after 30 minutes
of working the horse. They work together on the simple change as
Selten HW stays responsive truly giving his all.
“At this phase in his training and strength,
I have to be so patient, because I know that he could move so much
bigger and do all these grand things, but he’s only five years old and
he has only been ridden in the last year and a half. Just being in here
with him, being happy and willing and trying is already so
much.” Beth explains as she comes to the end of this training
session.
This video is an important video to watch because
Elizabeth Ball has such a great teaching style. Ask any of her lucky
students and they will tell you. She shows us in her expert, yet gentle
way, how to train a young horse, where it can be fun and
beneficial for both horse and rider.
We will continue to follow Elizabeth Ball and
the training of her magnificent horse Selten HW, and bring her training
videos to you, right on your desktop. We strongly suggest you
watch this training session. It is part of your development and
education as a dedicated dressage rider.
Team DC.com
At the end of August, a few of Maryland’s top young
dressage horses traveled to Wayne, Illinois for the 2009 Markel/United
States Equestrian Federation National Dressage Young Horse Championships
held at the Lamplight Equestrian Center. Three of these horses came home
with top honors.
Cabana Boy continued to impress. The 7-year-old
Hanoverian gelding, who was bred by Douglass and Shannon Langer of
Wisconsin and owned by Hilltop Farm in Colora, earned his third straight
championship title (he was the 2007 Five-Year-Old champion and the 2008
Six-Year-Old champion, all under the guidance of rider/trainer
Christopher Hickey). This year, after scoring a 72.895% on the first day
and a 73.440% on the second day, he added the title of United States
Equestrian Federation National Developing Horse Dressage champion to his
resume.
A Maryland horse placed well in the Six-Year-Old
division with Jessica Jo Tate of Chesapeake City in the irons. Tate, who
trains out of Hassler Dressage in Chesapeake City, rode Faberge, an
imported Westfalen gelding owned by Elizabeth Guarisco of Virginia, to
the reserve championship spot after placing fifth on the first day and
second on the second day.
Selten
HW, a Hanoverian bred by Irene
Hoeflich-Wiederhold of Florida and owned by Elizabeth Ball of
California, earned his second straight championship title. In 2008, this
gelding was ridden by Michael Bragdell and trained at Hilltop Farm. The
pair won the 2008 Four-Year-Old Championship. This past June, Ball took
over the ride and together she and Selten HW won the Five-Year-Old
Championship class with a score of 8.52 (out of a possible 10).
WAYNE, Illinois, Aug. 22–Selten HW, a Sandro Hit
gelding that Elizabeth Ball has been riding for only two months, won the
US National Dressage Championships for five-year-olds Saturday. The horse
won the four-year-old 2008 championships for four-year-old horses, but
ridden by a trainer she left it with to develop.
Selten beat San Shivago, a Sandro Hit gelding owned and
ridden by Elizabeth’s friend Louise Koch, for the Markel/USEF
championship by 85.200 per cent to 82.840 per cent by combining the scores
from Saturday’s championship and Friday’s preliminary class.
Selten also won the award for the highest finishing
American-bred horse.
San Shivago received an unexpected setback as he was
walking from the warmup ring to the adjoining competition arena when a
woman spectator ran in front of the pair, was frightened by the oncoming
horse and threw her hand back into the nose of San Shivago causing an open
wound.
Louise had no complaints about the incident that she
said caused her horse to “back off” throughout the ride, saying that
Beth was a “great competitor” on a fabulous horse.
The judges either did not notice the wound or overlooked
it as the cause was clearly beyond the control of the rider.
Selten is by Sandro Hit out of a Hohenstein mare, and is
owned by Elizabeth, of Carlsbad, California.
San Shivago, also by Sandro Hit and out of a Donnerhall
mare, is owned by Louise while the third placed combination, Zatino H, by
Sir Sinclair out of an Equador mare, that scored 80.160 per cent is ridden
and owned by Emily Gershberg of Hudson, New York.
Elizabeth Ball, 45, said that she had been riding Selten
for only two months–”a short but exhilirating time–since she took
over the ride from a trainer at Hilltop Farm in Coloran, Maryland, with
whom she had left the horse for development, whom she praised highly.
During the time Selten had been in training at Hilltop,
she said, she had only ridden the horse twice. She now is training with
Olympic medalist Guenter Seidel.
Elizabeth said the difference between the championship
and preliminary class in which she finished second to San Shivago was that
she changed her warmup routine so as not to tire the horse and that made
the difference.
Louise Koch, who is aged 62 but says that San Shivago
has given her a new start in her riding career, said the warmup was
“excellent” and “we got THE trot” she the horse could deliver.
But after the incident in which San Shivago was smacked
in the head by the spectator “we did not get it in the ring.”
Louise and Elizabeth are such good friends that Ball
credited Koch’s judging with putting her on the right track for these
championships.
“We are very lucky girls,” Elizabeth said, and
Louise joked that maybe they could become like Isabell Werth and Anky van
Grunsven trade titles as they competed against each other.
The Second year in a row for Selten
HW to be the Young Horse Champion in the US, he won it as a 4 and
now as a 5 year old! Elizabeth Ball has taken Selten
HW to the Win in the Five-Year-Old Championships at USEF/Markel
National Young Horse Championships 2009!
Unbelievable, what an experience to follow the story of Selten HW.
It is really exciting to see him grow up, collect many titles and to
see him compete year after year. In 2008 he was the National Young Horse
Champion for FOUR-YEAR-OLDS with Michael Bragdell and now he won again
in 2009, with Pan Am rider Elizabeth Ball in the saddle.
Selten HW
was bred by Irene Hoeflich-Wiederhold of HW FARM, in Florida and also
received an American-bred award during the Championships.
Elizabeth Ball, whose Cadence, LLC of Carlsbad, California owns Selten
HW, called it "an honor for our country to breed the top horse
for this year."
Selten HW scored the highest marks: 9.2 in trot, 7.5 walk, 9.0
canter, 8.9 submission and 8.8 general impression!
We are thankful to all whom made it possible, Hilltop Farms, Scott
Hassler whom always believed in Selten
HW , Michael Bragdell with his outstanding horsemanship and riding
at home and during all the competitions, Beth Clark for establishing the
connection to Elizabeth Ball, Selten’s
HW owner, trainer and rider and the best mom we could have wished
for him, thanks go everybody named and not named but helped.
Wayne,
Illinois – Elizabeth Ball and Selten HW took the win in
Saturday's Five-Year-Old Championship Test during the USEF/Markel
National Young Horse Championships being held at Lamplight
Equestrian Center. And they did it with only two months
preparation. Ball and Selten scored 86.80 to take the win. Coming
in second were Louise Koch and the Westfalen stallion San Shivago
with a score of 82.2. Third was Emily Gershberg, of Hudson, New
York, with her KWPN gelding Zatino H with a score of 81.20.
Because she didn't have the right kind of set up for a
stallion, Ball sent Selten off to Michael Bragdell at Hilltop Farm
as a three-year-old. Bragdell and Selten, a Hanoverian gelding by
Sandro Hit out of High Princess, were a successful team, becoming
last year's national champions in the Four-Year-Old division.
Selten was scheduled to return to California this year to rejoin
Ball, but the timing was such that she wouldn't get him back early
enough to compete him in qualifying classes out West.
Hence, Ball had Bragdell compete him in Five-Year-Old
competition. So, Bragdell got Selten qualified for the national
championships and Ball took over the ride just two months ago when
Selten returned to California. "It says much about how good
Michael's training was that I was able to come out here today and
win," Ball said.
Although
a successful FEI rider and trainer, Ball, who is based in the San
Diego area and trains with Guenter Seidel, admits to having little
experience with the young horse classes. And so, she turned to
someone with more experience for guidance – Louise Koch, who won
Friday's Five-Year-Old Preliminary Test with San Shivago and
finished second on Saturday. Koch happily shared her experience
and in doing so, might just have given Ball the help she needed to
place ahead of Koch in the championship class.
"My horse is magnificent, but I knew we had to work hard
to ride above Louise and her incredible horse today. So, we really
went for it," Ball said. "Louise is really a dear woman
to have helped me. She's a judge and we see each other at horse
shows. I knew that she had experience with the five-year-old tests
both from the view of a judge and a rider and trainer. So, I
called her and picked her brain about these tests because I knew
that she knew them well. I had never ridden the preliminary or
final test for the Five-Year-Olds. I was just reading them and
trying to get ready. Louise was very helpful."
Selten HW was bred by Irene Hoeflich-Wiederhold in Florida and
also received an American-bred award during the championships.
Ball, whose Cadence, LLC of Carlsbad, California owns Selten,
called it "an honor for our country to bred the top horse for
this year." Ball describes her life as "fortunate and
blessed." And not just because she has a promising young star
in Selten, but also because she recently relocated to a phenomenal
new facility owned by the Eckstein family, which also owns Ball's
Grand Prix partner Orion. "It's very private. It has a
beautiful, Tuscan-style, 10-stall barn and a ring with the most
incredible footing," Ball said.
Copy
fromwww.Doversworld.com(Robert
Dover’s website), we heard that “the one of the finest 5 year olds” was no
one less then our homebredSELTEN
HW!!!!
Day
3 In San Diego
Well,
I’m at the airport in San Diego awaiting the boarding of the redeye back to
West Palm Beach via Atlanta.
I can safely say I’m not looking forward to the long trip home, but it was a
great week out here in California and today was a wonderful day of Dressage.
Everyone rode well and the horses seemed to enjoy showing off what they had
learned.
Guenter rode U2 through his 1st Grand Prix and I can tell you, objectively
speaking, it was well over 70%! They would have received a minimum of six or
seven ‘9’s’ and showed thrilling work!
I also saw perhaps one of thefinest
5 year oldsI’ve
ever in my life seen, ridden by Beth Ball who also has a wonderful 7 year old
and two other lovely Grand Prix horses.
So
now I am letting down after a nice dinner and thinking how pleased I am with the
standard of riding and horses out here on the west coast.
Still, I will be happy to get home to Robert, Simon, and my horses. I only hope
I can sleep on the plane!
Cheers!
RD
April 27th, 2009:
THE AMERICAN HANOVERIAN prints the following:
Selten HW wins the „Rolling Stone Farm FEI Test Award”. Please see
Thumbnail for more info:
January 23rd, 2009:
Hilltop Farm Inc. has the following congratulations printed in their 2009
catalogue:
December
3rd, 2008:
The
“EQUESTRIAN” prints the following congratulations:
December
2008:
The magazine SIDELINES (credit to http://sidelinesnews.com/
) has published the following articles. The first was written by Cathy Cottrill,
what a wonderful author she is, a huge thank you to her!
The second one is an article with questions to Elizabeth Ball about her,
her horses and for sure about Selten HW, we attached that too for your
information, we are delighted that he has such a wonderful new mom. It's quite
funny that both articles were in the same issue, neither Beth nor Irene knew
that this would be printed at the same time, even better!
November 11th, 2008:
THE AMERICAN HANOVERIAN prints the following article of Selten HW:
October 2008
Copyright
and Newsletter, Hilltop Farm Inc: It's been a whirlwind here at Hilltop Farm
recently with excellent results at Dressage at Devon and USDF Regional
Championships. Thursday was the start of
the performance classes, where Selten
HW(Sandro
Hit -Hohenstein)
and Michael Bragdell, still on their victory streak from Young Horse Nationals,
commandingly won the USEF 4 Year-Old Test on Thursday and Friday with the
consistent score of 81%. In the FEI Dressage Test for Six Year-Olds, Cabana
Boy(Contucci
- Bordeaux) and Chris Hickey won with a top score of 83% on
both Thursday and Friday.
Additionally,
both Cabana Boy and Selten HW won the North American Breeders Futurity for their
respective age groups.
September26th, 2008:
HE DID IT AGAIN!!!!
DRESSAGE AT DEVON 2008:
Just about 2 weeks after being the
WINNER at the Young Horse Dressage Championships in Kentucky, Selten HW was able
to WOW the judges at Devon 2008! With super scores, this fancy black horse won
both of his USEF 4 yo classes. He was well behaved as usual, showed himself
willing and 100% rideable with a smiling Michael Bragdell in the saddle.
Congratulations to this super team and to Beth whom consistently supports the
boys.
September 15th,
2008:
2008 USEF YOUNG
HORSE AND DEVELOPING HORSE DRESSAGE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP:
Huge
congratulations to Selten HW, he scored perfect 9’s for trot and canter, 8’s
for walk and submission and an 8.8 for general impression. All combined results
in the winning score of 8.56! He was the only horse in the competition of
nationals best 19 horses in the four year old class, scoring 9’s on trot and
canter. We are so proud to have bred this boy and thankful that he is in super
hands with Hilltop Farms Inc. and we’d like to thank them for the continued
support and phenomenal education this horse receives on a regular basis.
Selten HW
was bred and raised at HW Farm in Cape Coral. After his first year he got
included in the stallion herd at Hilltop from there on. Michael Bragdell broke
him and rides him since and it is amazing to see these two compete.
Selten HW is NATIONAL
YOUNG HORSE DRESSAGE CHAMPION and BEST US BRED FOUR YEAR OLD 2008!!!
From
Across the Nation America's Finest Young Horses Come to Kentucky
By Jeannie Blancq Putney for DressageDaily
The
nation’s top young horses from California to Massachusetts
have gathered at the Kentucky Horse Park home of the 2010
Alltech World Equestrian Games for the Markel/USEF National
Young Horse Championships and the USEF National Developing Horse
Dressage Championship. For some it was an arduous journey
but well worth the honor of being invited. One family left
their farm in Florida with Hurricane Ike bearing down on them.
One
made the cross-country trip from California and camped out along
the way. Some are first-timers. One is an Olympic
athlete. One of the interesting tidbits this year—the
fifth year of the Young Horse program—is the number of horses
that are U.S. bred. Another is the number of competitors
who have competed in this program multiple years, some with the
same horse, allowing them to see true progress in the
development of the nation’s strongest young equine talent.
Michael
Bragdell and Selten HW Win Markel/USEF National Dressage
Four-Year-Old Young Horse Championship By
Jeannie Blancq Putney for DressageDaily
On
a hot and sticky day that would have made it hard for any
youngster to keep their composure, 16 of the nation’s top
young horses showed us how it was done at the four-year-old
finale. Two of the first four riders of the day, Michael
Bragdell and Emily Gershberg walked away with the champion and
reserve champion titles respectively.
Emily
came into this championship ranked first and Michael, ranked
second. Both riders have ridden with Chris Hickey who
enjoyed a proud moment today. Michael’s mount, Selten
HW, is a Hanoverian stallion by Sandro Hit out of MS High
princess by Hohenstein, owned by Cadence, LLC and was bred in
the U.S. by Irene Hoeflich-Wiederhold. Michael’s winning
score of 8.56 was evident by the judge’s highly complimentary
feedback even before they gave their collective marks.
“He is just so long-legged,” they said. “It looks
like he has spider legs. He is so balanced and so much off
the ground. We are sitting here, and you make it look so
easy. He seems to have a workmanlike brain and a lot of
personality. Today that personality was for good and not
evil. We all know what stallions can be like.”
Selten
HW received 9s for his walk and canter and 8.8 for his overall
impression. The two have been a pair for a year since
Michael started with him as a three-year-old. Michael’s
first year in the championship was last year when he competed in
the five-year-old class. Michael describes Selten as
easygoing and kind of like a big child and says he knew Selten
was special when he first sat his canter. “It’s truly
an incredible feeling.”
Originally
from Sweden, Michael is a Hilltop employee who started out as a
working student.
Michael
Bragdell and Selten HW Win the Four-Year-Old Division in the 2008 Markel/USEF
National Young Horse Dressage Championships presented by Collecting Gaits
Farm
Release: September 13 2008
Lexington, KY – In the second day of competition at
the 2008 Markel/United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) National Young
Horse Dressage Championships presented by Collecting Gaits Farm, claiming
the title in the four-year-old division was Michael Bragdell and Selten
HW, besting 19 other horses to win with a score of 8.56.
Bragdell and Selten HW came into this competition in
first place after qualifying. Bragdell decided to ride in the optional
warm up class the day before the championship, which helped him and Selten
HW get a feel for the arena along with the overall show environment—
ultimately they placed first in the class.
“I was pretty confident that he would be okay with all
the stuff but you never know— it’s a four-year-old,” said Bragdell.
Selten HW (Sandro Hit x MS High Princess by Hohenstein)
is a black Hanoverian stallion owned by Cadence, LLC., and was bred in the
U.S. by Irene Hoeflich-Wiederhold. Selten HW has been at Hilltop Farm
since he was a yearling and Bragdell, who is a trainer at Hilltop, started
him when he was three years old. Though lightly shown, Selten HW’s
accomplishments have been big, including starting off his show career with
a Reserve Champion at the Devon Horse Show when he was only two years old.
“He’s such a super horse,” said Bragdell. “He
just goes in there, the winds blowing… I felt the wind gust kind of grab
a hold of me and he still is just clucking along like nothing. That’s
the part I love about him—the trainability. He just goes wherever I
point him.”
Bragdell described Selten HW’s personality as very
easy going and he knew the horse was special when he sat his first canter
on him.
“His canter is unbelievable,” said Bragdell. “I
guess it takes you away. It’s truly an incredible feeling.”
Bragdell hopes to build on Selten HW’s success and
return to the Young Horse Dressage Championship next year to compete in
the five-year-old division.
July
16th, 2008:
Selten
HW, in place 2 for the 2008 USEF National Young horse Ranking List for the 2008
National Championship sponsered by Markel Insurance. He has an overall average
of 8.48 as of now, first place is at 8,5, that’s really close!
June 25th, 2008, info from the Hilltop Farm
Newsletter:
Selten HW (Sandro
Hit - Hohenstein),
owned by Cadence LLC, is currently ranked 3rd in the Nation for Four Year
Olds with Michael Bragdell and just received an amazing 85% in his Training
Level Test 4 class this past weekend.
June 24th, 2008:
Hi Irene,
Guess what!!! Our boy (Selten HW) got an 85% at a show today with a couple
of 10's and multiple nines... Michael is doing such a great job with
Selten, who is nothing less than spectacular.
Hope you're well,
Beth
June 10th, 2008: Huge
congratulations to Beth, Hilltop Farms and Selten
HW!
Hi Irene, just got news of
Selten HW winning both his classes this past weekend - he's now qualified for
Kentucky! He got 9's on his trot and canter, and 8.7 on walk, etc.,
overall I think was around 8.6 or 8.7. I'm so pleased with Michael's
riding, and feel fortunate that Chris Hickey is looking after them as well.
I'll try to go to Ky. for the championships, to cheer them on!
I've been busy getting qualified
and ready for the Int. 1 champs... it turns out I get to take both my horses!
So, I'm putting together an other Kur, a little last minute! I'll ride it
for the first time this weekend, at a local show, then the following weekend is
the big finals... It's all really fun!
X Beth
Quote from Hilltop’s website:
Spring Dressage
at Morven Park
Trainer Michael Bragdell got Hilltop’s regular show season off to a
running start this weekend at VADA/ Nova’s Spring Dressage Competition
in Leesburg, Virginia. He came home with several wins, including two first
place finishes on Selten-HW, Cadence LLC’s young stallion, in the USEF
Four Year Old Test. Michael and Selten scored a 8.2 on Sunday and an
impressive 8.7 on Saturday, receiving comments such as “super horse”,
“active, expressive” and “impressively talented” from Judges Betsy
Berry, Lorraine MacDonald and Brenda Minor.
April
21st, 2008:
Huge
congratulations go out to our homebred Champion stallion “Selten
HW” and his new owner as well as his rider and the training barn
Hilltop. We could not be more happy and thrilled with their success,
great work and amazing accomplishments.
Selten
HW ranks officially in FIRST PLACE of the 2008 USEF National Young Horse
List, four–year–old–division with an overall score of 8.18!
There was quite a stir after Selten
HW’s huge success as a Champion stallion at the Oldenburg
Licensing.
A
phenomenal black stallion being so successful is what everybody wants to have in
the barn. It is with great proud and delight to announce that Selten
HW was sold to a Pan Am rider and will be prepared for an international
future with care and lot’s of love. We are sure we’ll hear a lot more about
him and we wish him and his new owner all the best for their plans to show him
up to the highest levels. He moved back to the place where he grew up and is at
Hilltop right now. Michael Bragdell and the Hilltop Team are glad to have him
back. It was quite a happy reunion. Selten
HW will spend his winter there and it is planned to move him to California
in spring or summer. He will then be in training with his new owner and with
knowledgeable people like Günter Seidel and Klaus Balkenhol (Coach USET
Dressage Team). Congratulations and good luck!
Our home bred Selten
HW is now (December 2007) officially added to the Oldenburg
Registry North America & International Sporthorse Registry Website.
Another milestone for HW
Farm and the breeding program managed by Irene Höflich-Wiederhold. Selten
HW and Sagenhaft HW are now
boarded at Hassler Dressage with their rider and trainer Brooke Doss.
Barely one week after their arrival, Selten
HW was called the Champion stallion of the Oldenburg inspection with the
highest score of the day, a whopping 83%. With a 9 for canter, 8,5 for trot
etc……more info to follow.
Congratulations and 1000 times thank you to his rider
Brooke Doss and to Scott Hassler for presenting him and doing a wonderful job!
His dam SPS
High Princess (a special mare entered with the phenomenal score of 9 in the Hanoverian
mare book!) is a last time in foal to Sandro
Hit for spring 2008. We can’t wait to see the last full sibling to Selten
HW, Sagenhaft HW, Skywalker
HW and Soraya HW. The foal will
be for sale if it is a colt, if it is a filly, it will stay with us. If you are
interested to buy this quality foal in utero, don’t hesitate. If you are
interested in a high quality FEI prospect under saddle, Sagenhaft
HW will now become available for purchase.
Fair
hill breed show - Top Placings for Team Hilltop
The Fair Hill Breed Show, on August 11-12, is always a favorite show for
Hilltop Farm. Close to home, well-run, and a relaxed atmosphere make it a
perfect outing to gain some important mileage for the younger horses.
Selten
HW (Sandro Hit x Hohenstein), owned by Irene Hoeflich-Wiederhold, impressed
in his undersaddle debut. The young stallion's impressive movement created
a buzz at the show as he won the 3 year old Colts & Geldings Materiale class
and the judge specifically sought out Michael Bragdell after the class to tell
him personally what a "super" horse she felt Selten
HW was. He won the class with a huge distance to the second place
(another Sandro
Hit son) and he scored a 7,8 for walk, 8,3 for trot and an 8,5 for canter,
which is an overall score of 8,2. The show was rather scored low, which makes
these results even better! It was only his second show which he attended (at his
first show he was in hand, being Reserve Grand Champion at
Devon
and more) and Fair Hill was his first show under saddle ever. What a
outstanding boy, especially considering he was only 3 years and 3 months old at
the time of the show.....
Selten HW’s dam, SPS Princess, is entered with an overall 9 in the
Hanoverian marebook. High Princess' grand dam, SPS Batavia , has, among
other winners, produced the 1997 Bundeschampion (National Champion of Germany
for Dressage), DUVALIER by Davignon. Duvalier sold initially at Verden for
DM 240,000 and then for DM 1,000,000. Her full sister scored 10s on her
gaits at her inspection and is competing at I-1 right now. Their sire, the Elite
Trakehner Stallion Hohenstein (Caprimond/Matador) with a Dressage Index of
148.29 points, sired the 2001 Silver Medallist at the World Young Dressage Horse
Championships, Munchhausen, and the 2000 German Vice Federal Champion, Habitus.
Newsflash, September 26th, 2006 in Devon: Selten
HW (a Sandro
Hit son, bred and owned by HW Farm), just won his classes at
Devon
with a whopping 85.6%, this is what I am talking about.
Dressage at Devon 2006, Selten HW was his first time at a
show: He is the Reserve Grand Champion of Dressage at
Devon
!!! The American born Hanoverian colt is by Sandro Hit out of High Princess (by
Hohenstein/Donnerhall) and was handled by Marten Walters.
Irene Hoeflich-Wiederhold's Selten HW is
Reserve Grand Champion of Dressage at
Devon
The USDF Breeders Champion for Colts and Geldings
Champion Winner of his class: 2 year old Colts and
Geldings
Best born in the
USA
and
he is
High Point
Hanoverian!
We are proud to present: “Selten HW”, by Sandro
Hit, out of SPS
High Princess. Born in May 2004, he has the color of black velvet and is a
very energetic young man. He keeps his mom in shape, moving around all day long
and he is a joy to watch and play with. He moves with a lot of air time and the
typical extra swing that we love so much in this type of horse. He is very
refined and will present the modern type Hanoverian. He was bred with frozen
semen and it worked out on the very first try. SPS
High Princess was imported in 2002, in foal at this time with “Sagenhaft
HW”, bred via cooled semen in
Germany
. Now we are happy to have two full brothers here from these phenomenal
bloodlines and we look forward to raise them together.
We are again so impressed with the quality of these foals,
that we’ll breed SPS
High Princess back to Sandro
Hit for another one. Here are some pictures, showing the baby at only 2 days
old, what a boy!!!
Wayne,
Illinois – Elizabeth Ball and Selten HW took the win in
Saturday's Five-Year-Old Championship Test during the USEF/Markel
National Young Horse Championships being held at Lamplight
Equestrian Center. And they did it with only two months
preparation. Ball and Selten scored 86.80 to take the win. Coming
in second were Louise Koch and the Westfalen stallion San Shivago
with a score of 82.2. Third was Emily Gershberg, of Hudson, New
York, with her KWPN gelding Zatino H with a score of 81.20.
Although
a successful FEI rider and trainer, Ball, who is based in the San
Diego area and trains with Guenter Seidel, admits to having little
experience with the young horse classes. And so, she turned to
someone with more experience for guidance – Louise Koch, who won
Friday's Five-Year-Old Preliminary Test with San Shivago and
finished second on Saturday. Koch happily shared her experience
and in doing so, might just have given Ball the help she needed to
place ahead of Koch in the championship class.
The
nation’s top young horses from California to Massachusetts
have gathered at the Kentucky Horse Park home of the 2010
Alltech World Equestrian Games for the Markel/USEF National
Young Horse Championships and the USEF National Developing Horse
Dressage Championship. For some it was an arduous journey
but well worth the honor of being invited. One family left
their farm in Florida with Hurricane Ike bearing down on them. 
On
a hot and sticky day that would have made it hard for any
youngster to keep their composure, 16 of the nation’s top
young horses showed us how it was done at the four-year-old
finale. Two of the first four riders of the day, Michael
Bragdell and Emily Gershberg walked away with the champion and
reserve champion titles respectively. 
