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May 13th 2006 What motivated us to organize the "Extravaganza"? 
Of course, we wanted to show off our incredible imports. But most importantly, we felt it was time to share the magic of first class, high-quality horses working at every level - for amateurs and professionals alike. Of course, we wanted to showcase our horses, their extraordinary talent, and their fire to perform. Dressage as a sport is still young in this country; it was our mission to let the public know that exceptional equine partners are now available in this country. That's part of the story. The other part is simple: We wanted to gather our old friends, make new friends, and show our competitors the respect they deserve-and, along the way, show everyone that we can help one another in a business and a sport that we all love and from which we can all benefit. Along the way, we realized that we gave ourselves a huge gift by presenting such a magical evening. That gift was the opportunity to celebrate, together. And we did. Along the way, we also learned from some of you that they were delighted with our "bringing pageantry back to the horse world." Through the love and sheer will of our team of volunteers and staff, through great food, wine, music, and sheer athleticism, the evening was simply this: Sheer joy in realizing the beauty and willingness of these incredible equines to give us their best. The Day, The Evening, The Show was in honor of and in Memory of Mr. Frans Reesink
……..And the story goes something like this…….. Check out some candid photos from the Expo!
Passadena set the stage for the evening with a stunning and flawless performance of huge movement, high drama, and breathtaking beauty. The Northwest Dressage "Nursery" -including five "babies," at ages 3 and 4, just barely under saddle. The first baby to steal hearts is Wonder Followed by the winsome Walansky
Handsome Valiance,
stunning Superstar Then the lovely, lovely Verdi
A high point of the evening was the "Baby Lap": A parade of all the babies-behaving well! The babies were followed by a seasoned pair: Carol McArdle and her exquisite Andalusion breeding stallion, Victorioso V. Everyone loved her performance - it was beautiful.
The warmbloods dominated the arena next, with Romanov and Thomas Dolleris Larsen-who burst into the arena in a thrilling display of showmanship. Watch the second Romanov Video "....and then there was Zinnia - the Dutch daughter of Florencio himself - Zinna, handled by Thomas Larsen took over the whole show for a few moments - she was great fun to watch and she made Thomas run very fast....
Another breathtaking duo, Erin and Wiley from Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center, performed some heartwarming magic with a beautiful freestyle.
After Intermission, the audience was treated to a Wild West show that featured Brian Moody on Gary Baldwin's AQHA champion reining horse, "Foxy's Little Whiz. In a wonderful moment of Europe meets the American Frontier, Brian Moody did his best to teach Thomas how to "hold on and spin"-which he did with grace and a lot of self-deprecating humor.
The fun didn't stop there. Next on the program was local rider, Dr. Beth Glosten, riding Bluette in a g Grand Prix demonstration. We were all given a glimpse of the great coaching skills of Thomas, as he urged Beth and "Blue" to perform canter pirhouettes and a flowing, enormous extended trot-asking the pari to come back in just "one more time" for the crowd to show their appreciation. But the darling of the evening was the Palomino Welsh-TB gelding, Promise - who caused most of the audience to shed a few tears at his sheer beauty and willingness to work.
Promise was followed by Moritz, stunning us all with his unbelievable talent. Cate Hartenstein was given a big "hurrah" as the new owner of Promise and Moritz. Local equestrienne, Lynda Cushman, gave and received kisses, She was followed by Siggi Wolff of Cavallis (www.cavallis.com) on the fancy Donnerhall gelding, Don Perignon. 
Cloudy Chief Risgaard blew in like a cloud, thrilling everyone with his big suspended trot. 
Next, Pavarotti, with Thomas aboard, thundered into the arena with a flawless performance. Just before our Grand Finale, Sancet, ridden by Miss Anamette Peterson, kept the audience entranced as he showed off his beauty and' talent.. 
and then... Then……came the ultimate performance of the evening. Entering the darkened arena through fog and into the spotlight was the unflappable showman, Ultimo. Ultimo showed his true colors as a top-flight performer with a true dressage champion and gentleman aboard. It was an evening few who attended will ever forget. ……Thank you for enjoying the show!
Videos by Kyra Gautesen Rovaer Farm  |
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