Jenna and Willo, owned by Dawn Dugan, were first level champions at both the San Antonio I & II shows this past weekend at the Rose Palace! Willo showed significant improvement in this level and is training 2nd level at home. 

Jenna's student, Joy Alexander and Horton did super at their first recognized show together! They won 3 of their 4 classes and scored up to 67%! This super combination was also on the winning team for the Ride For the Cure team on Alida's Alliance. Their team raised over $8,000 for the Susan G. Kohman Foundation! Great job guys!!

This marks the "official" last show of the year since the USDF year ends Sept. 30. However, we still have championships in November:)

It was very busy  a couple of weeks ago when we were collecting Gran Casso and breeding mares. Lugana has checked in foal to Rubignon and Delaney is in foal to Gran Casso.

First off, Happy Birthday to Glorianna! She is a year old today and nearly 15 hands already!

We had a fairly successful show this past weekend at the Great Southwest Equestrian Center in Katy. This weekend was home to the first CDI competition ever in Region 9 and as always, the HDS and the volunteers did a fabulous job putting on this historic show! Martin and I loaded up Gran Casso and Warendorf and headed to Katy on Thursday after working a few training horses in the morning.

Friday morning, Waren competed in Fourth level test 1 and scored a 60%, which I felt was a little low for how the ride felt. However, with this score, I now have my 2 fourth level scores towards my silver medal! Gran Casso had his 1-1 warm up class mid day and won the class with a 70%. Later in the day, Gran Casso and I rode our first five year old test of the year and scored a 7.5! I know he still has a lot of additional strength to build but I was really proud of him and very pleased that the judges liked him and felt he has a lot of potential!

Saturday morning was an early start again with Waren at 4-1. He scored a 63.1% this time and won the class! The biggest bobble in the test was when his right to left flying change was two strides late and I had trouble then getting him active and prepared enough to really get a nice score on the collected canter circle. Still, I was very pleased with him. Gran Casso went later in the day showing 2-3. This was his first time out at second level and he scored a 64% which is a qualifying score! We finished the day with my first level freestyle on Gran. I have never had so much fun during a ride before! All the transitions were on target and there were no major mistakes. I really felt like I was dancing with my boy! Unfortunately the judge wasn't too crazy about my music (which the judge in Tyler loved!! I guess that's how it goes with freestyles!) but we still scored high enough to earn my second and final regional championship qualifying score.

Sunday was tough for the boys, they were both very tired! Waren, however, scored a 63.7% at 4-1 which was his highest for the weekend, even with a big problem in one of the walk pirouettes. The first pirouette was an 8! The second, he stuck one of his hind legs and just couldn't get out of it and started backing up. Not good! Other than that, it was a nice forward test. Gran Casso was completely and utterly exhausted by his last 2-3 ride and unfortunately did not earn a qualifying score. Waren and I ended up Show II Fourth Level Open Reserve Champions!!

All in all, it was a really great show. My goal with Waren was to have very forward, active tests and I think we achieved this. With Gran Casso, I wanted a pleasant, forward ride which we achieved until Sunday ;-)

We had a pretty good showing this past weekend at the Texas Dressage Classic I&II in Tyler, TX. Martin competed on Warendorf and had a great show, earning his bronze medal, show I reserve champion 3rd open and show 2 champion 3rd open with a score of 65.9%!

Gran Casso showed well scoring a 67% on our first ever freestyle! He also scored a 77 and 80 in materiale and a 69% and 70% at first level test 1. He just needs one more freestyle score to qualify for championships.

The HDS Spring Classic is coming up in a few weeks. I will be showing Warendorf at fourth level and Gran Casso at 2nd level, 1st level, 1st level freestyle and the FEI 5 year old test. The Spring Classic is a CDI this year so it should be especially fun!

We are very excited to announce the birth of our first 2011 foal, Freestar, a full sibling to our young stallion, Freedance. She was born early morning March 29. She looks so much like her big brother! We all had our fingers crossed for a filly this year and we were thrilled when this beautiful girl made her appearance! She will be a keeper and will be presented to the ISR/OLD for registration this year.

 Another year has come and gone. It was a really great 2010! Gran Casso competed in January and in March at first level and the USEF four year old tests. Early April, Martin & I hosted a Charles de Kunffy clnic at Royal Equus Farm. We had a great turnout and had some pretty amazing rides.

On April 15, we welcomed our first foal of the year, Santana by Sonntagskind out of EM Atlanta. Just a week later our second foal made his appearance, Florestern by Furst Klasse out of EMC Lugana. May 3 our last foal of the year arrived, Glorianna by Gran Casso out of Reigner.  Warendorf and I competed at 4th level for the first time this past April and earned our first score towards our USDF Silver Medal. Feyock & Willo competed on the Concordia Team for the first time in June with great scores at the HDS Summer Show. We ended the summer in style with an impressive performance at the Black Star Sporthorse Breed Show series winning 6 reserve championships in the regular shows as well as taking Reserve Champion Colt (Freedance), Reserve Champion Filly (Jypsy Rose) and Champion Stallion (Gran Casso).

Of course one of our biggest excitements for the year was bringing Martin Arnold to Texas and founding Concordia Dressage! We have been busy building our business over the last few months and have had such a wonderful time meeting more clients and horses.

In September, Martin & I loaded up Gran Casso and headed to Lexington, KY for the World Equestrian Games. Since the ISR/OLD 10 Day Advanced Stallion Test was to start just a few days after the games, we decided it would be easiest to board Gran Casso in Lexington while we watched the games and then go straight to Batavia, OH. The WEG was an amazing experience that we will never forget. To see dressage on the big stage was very special and someday I hope to be riding at that level!

The 10 Day Advanced Stallion Test that took place from Octoer 7-17 was a great experience that I look forward to taking part in again with Freedance in 2012! We made lots of new friends and had a wonderful time. Gran Casso finished 2nd overall and was the highest scoring dressage stallion with no score less than 7.0.

Soon after we returned to Texas, I rode Warendorf in a dressage demonstration at the Mallets & Merlot Charity Polo Match benefiting R.O.C.K. and the next weekend Martin rode Warendorf in a 3 day Charles de Kunffy clinic at Oakhaven Farm. A few days after that we loaded up for championships. I rode Gran Casso and Willo. Our student, Amy Denny competed her westphalian gelding, Feyock (also in training with us) at 1st level, Kate Hadden-Jackson competed her holsteiner gelding, Bardo, at 3rd level and Celine Haliouva-Haubold competed Abaris at 1st and 2nd level. We had a really great show. Gran Casso finished 6th in very competitive training level championships classes. Willo competed at 1st level for the first time with scores in the mid 60s, Katie earned her USDF Bronze Medal, Amy earned her first score towards her USDF Bronze Medal and Celine finished 6th in a huge 1st level junior championship class and earned her 2nd level scores towards her bronze.

For USDF Awards, Gran Casso ended up 3rd in the 4/5 year old stallion materiale and Gran Casso, Freedance, and Jypsy Rose all ended up in the top 10 in their age/gender groups!

We are so excited about the upcoming year. In mid January, Freedance will be leaving our North location in Hutto for our training facility in Coupland to get started under saddle. It will be a big year for him as he prepares for his stallion inspections and also learns to ins and outs of collecting for the breeding season. He will hopefully be competing at training level during the year as well as materiale classes. Gran Casso has a big show year ahead of him competing in 1st level, 2nd level, 1st level freestyle, materiale and the FEI 5 year old test. We already have several mares booked to him and we look forward to seeing more of his spectacular foals! Ballagio (Louie) is in training with Martin and will be competing this coming spring at training level and hopefully the USEF Four year old test as well. Warendorf and our horse in training, Feyock (owned by Amy Denny) are working to come out at Prix St. Georges during the year. Both horses are also aimed at the 2012 Brentina Cup.

We are expecting two foals next year. Dalliance is expecting a Freestyle foal in March and Reigner is expecting a Gran Casso foal in July. Lugana will be bred to Royal Hit in the early spring and Dalliance will be bred to Gran Casso. Reigner is for sale but if she hasn't sold, she will be bred to Freedance.

We wish you a very Happy New Year from the staff here at Split Mesquite Farm & Concordia Dressage!
-Jenna Stern,

Here are a few pictures taken of GC on the final days of the testing. I'm super tired tonight but I will update soon!

My rides on Gran Casso have been very good. I think what the judges are expecting to see is not quite how we like to ride our horses at home. They seem to want to see a big, auction like trot  which for a relaxed, laid back horse like mine can be a bit difficult at times! He's acting like a pro though. This horse tries so hard, I am really proud of him and excited about his future as a performance stallion. Yesterday we free jumped and GC did really well. Didn't even look at the indoor arena he'd never been in. Tomorrow is a day off and then we ride at 8am Tuesday and Wednesday so we can ride in the big indoor arena, where the guest rider test will be.

Today started out with a vet jog which went fine. Then we had a meeting with the test director, Helmut Schrant about what to expect for the next 10 days. There are 7 stallions total. Gran Casso of course, a big chestnut Innverness, a buckskin pony Champions Devito, a bay driving pony Wasabi, a BWP jumper stallion Coronado WW, a big 17.2 hand Dutch stallion also from Texas American Express and one other jumper whose name escapes me.

I rode Gran Casso today and he was really good!! Very relaxed and even a bit lazy. At the farm in Kentucky he was getting lots of alfalfa. Now that he's back to his normal hay ration I'm seeing a difference in energy level. Maybe time to add a bit more alfalfa to the diet! Yesterday I bought a new bit for him because he kept backing off the loose ring. He just didn't want to touch it and was getting too deep. I put him back in an eggbutt today and he was a happy boy! Salivated a lot and was very willing to connect to the bit. He felt really super. I'm excited to have him at this test and I sure hope he does well! He has been so adaptable this whole trip. Never gets worried or concerned when he moves to a new place. Unforuntately he's not getting as much turnout here as he gets at home and he acts like he could care less. As long as there is hay in front of him, he's happy:-)

We will be working him Friday-Sunday and he will get Monday off. We wil put him through the jump chute a few times as well. We are primarily working on getting him stronger doing lots of transitions within and between gaits and also shoulder in and shoulder in on the circle. We started doing a little travers in KY and I continued with that some today. We are also increasing the difficulty of the counter canter. After my ride today I took him for a walk in a field out around a pond. It was so nice to be able to walk my four year old stallion out in an open area on a long rein. What a good boy!  

Wow, last week was really crazy!! Not once did I have time  to plug my laptop in and update the website. Martin and I left around 4pm last Sunday afternoon. We drove through the night stopping many times at rest stops and truck stops to offer Gran Casso water and make sure he had hay. He travelled like a pro. We arrived at our temporary home in Versailles, KY after 19.5 hours on the road. Gran Casso settled in really well.

In the evening, we met up with my parents, Bob & Karin, and headed west to Louisville for a sunset tour of Churchill Downs. It was really a neat experience. We toured the museum and even did a race simulator! We were able to see the jockeys locker room and the clubhouse. We took our picture with an authentic Kentucky Derby trophy and then headed back to the museum where we met and took our picture with Ron Turcott, Secretariat's jockey!

Tuesday was the team dressage competition. The gold medal was won by The Neterhlands, the silver by Great Britain and the Bronze medal was won by Germany. After the competition, I schooled Gran Casso while Martin coached me. I wasn't sure how he would be after his long trip and the fact that he was stuck in a stall most of the day. At home he is used to lots of turnout but he was really great. Very relaxed.  Wednesday was the individual competition in the Grand Prix Special. This was a really fun day and it was cool to see the judges marks during the test. We saw some good riding and some not so good riding. I was impreseed by the British silver medalist, Laura Bechtolscheimer. Edward Gal won the gold and Steffan Peters won the bronze. For dinner the four of us went to Jean Farris winery hand had a delicious dinner with some wonderful wines!

Thursday morning we worked Gran Casso again and then headed to the convention center for the International Equestrian Festival. We had a lot of fun shopping and watching the demos. We explored the events dowtown and then went to a restaurant called Portofinos for dinner with a few clients of mine; Amy Denny, Dawn Dugan, Katie Hadden and Martha Murgia.

Friday morning we worked Gran Casso again and then explored the horse park prior to the evening's freestyle. The Spanish rider on Fuego was the most fun ride of the night and received a standing ovation from the crowd! Moorland's Totilas had a lovely freestyle as well and again I was really impressed with Laura Bechtolscheimer. In my opinion, the gold medal could have gone either way. Steffan Peters and Ravel won the bronze medal again. It was a very enjoyable evening and I'm very excited to get my freestyle with Gran Casso together this winter!!

Saturday was cross country day and what a beautiful day it was! Sunny and in the 70s it was a perfect day to walk around the cross country course at the horse park. The jumps were huge and it was really amazing to watch these atletic horses work! In the evening, Martin and I attended the Trakehner Foundations wine tasting and auction at the beautiful Spindletop Hall. We had a very enjoyable evening, it was nice to get dressed up! 

Today we worked Gran Casso again. We are in Lexington until Tuesday when we will head to Batavia for the stallion testing. He is working extremely well and I'm excited about the test!! We had a really great time at the World Equestrian Game