Diane Creech and Robbie W, owned by Leatherdale Farms, excelled in the small tour division at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival 5 CDI5*, held Feb. 5-8 in Wellington, Florida.
Creech and the flashy gray 12-year-old Oldenburg gelding by Rubin Royal began the show with a great result in the Prix St. Georges, scoring 71.526 percent to take third place in the field of 45. They went on to capture second place in the Intermediaire I with a personal best score of 73.368 percent, finishing behind only Olympic medalist Laura Tomlinson of Great Britain on Unique.
Also competing for Leatherdale Farms was Hallmark, an 11-year-old Hanoverian gelding by His Highness. Creech and Hallmark put in consistently strong performances, taking seventh in the Prix St. Georges with 69.632 percent and eighth in the Intermediaire I with 69.763 percent.
“Robbie is such a great guy,” Creech said. “He’s so talented and has a big heart. He goes in the ring and really wants to do it, and he’s very trainable. He’s not one that I have to train for a while to get something. We call him ‘Perfect Robbie’ because he combines everything together: good looks, good movement and desire to work.”
Creech is aiming to make the Canadian team for the Pan American Games, and Robbie’s strong performances thus far at AGDF have put them in a good position.
“We’re all pulling together to try to get our best foot forward and the best team going,” she said. “I really want to have a good Canadian team horse, and one of the biggest things is having a consistent test.”
She is grateful to owners Doug and Louise Leatherdale, whose behind-the-scenes efforts and encouragement give her and the horses the support they need for success in the show ring.
“They’re the best people,” she said. “They love the horses, and it was so nice having them here in Wellington recently to watch the horses go. Doug and Louise are really hands-on and are always excited to hear about the shows. They have stood by me for many years, and now they’re supporting my daughter, too.”
Creech is competing Diana C for Leatherdale Farms at this weekend’s AGDF 6 national show.
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