Riding her 2014 World Equestrian Games partner, Don Daiquiri, a 12-year-old Oldenburg gelding sired by Don Cardinale, Karen Pavicic of Surrey, B.C., handily won the Grand Prix test at the Royal Invitational, presented by Butternut Ridge, at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, on November 12, 2014.
The pair received a score of 70.067% for their Grand Prix test, which demonstrated Don Daiquiri’s great gaits.
“Don Daiquiri was a little spicier today than I thought he was going to be, but overall I was really happy with him” said Pavicic, who co-owns Don Daiquiri with Jayne Essig. “I’d rather him be a little more on the spicy side, so it worked for me. We had a little spook in the corner, which caught me off guard, but otherwise I was happy with my test and happy with my horse.”
“Ì can’t wait to ride my freestyle tomorrow,” added Pavicic. “It is a super fun Freestyle with lots of energy. I am looking forward to the atmosphere in the ring. I have always wanted to ride here, so it is a dream come true to compete at the Royal.”
Jacqueline Brooks of Cedar Valley, Ont. rode her 2012 Olympic mount, D Niro (D-Day x Napoleon 625), a 15-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding owned by Mary Brooks of Brookhaven Dressage Inc., to a second place finish with a score of 67.667%.
Riding Pop Art (Amsterdam X Cabochon), a 17-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by Moreen Nicoll and Rusty Holzer, Jill Irving of Moncton, N.B., finished in third spot with a score of 67.367%. Rounding out the top four was Brittany Fraser of New Glasgow, N.S. riding Countess (Don X Solos), her 12-year-old Danish Warmblood mare, earning a final score of 65.733%.
Dressage competition at the Royal continues tomorrow, Thursday, November 13 during the evening show, with the Grand Prix Freestyle.
The officiating judges for the Grand Prix test at the Royal Invitational, presented by Butternut Ridge, were Lorraine MacDonald (CAN) at C, Joan Macartney (CAN) at M and Peter Holler (GER) at E.
More from Horse Sport:
