76 SIDELINES FEBRUARY 2013
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
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World Dressage Masters
By Heide Middlebrook
The World Dressage Masters Palm Beach CDI5* will take place
in West Palm Beach, Florida, presented by Wellington Classic
Dressage, January 24th - 27th. This unique competition is a
CDI5-Star show, the only one of the World Dressage Masters
CDI5* series presented by the Axel Johnson Group that is held in
the United States. The series begins at the 111-acre Jim Brandon
Equestrian Center in West Palm and then travels the globe.
Last year’s competition was highlighted by Steffen Peters and
Ravel overtaking Great Britain’s Charlotte Dujardin with Valegro
by 0.5% in the FEI Grand Prix Freestyle. We are certain that
this year’s competition will hold just as much “edge of your seat”
excitement and Sidelines was thrilled to catch up with Noreen
O’Sullivan-Flanagan, show manager and managing partner of
the Wellington Classic Dressage series. When we sat down to
discuss what it takes to put on a show of this caliber, this is what
Noreen had to say about being the master planner of the World
Dressage Masters (WDM).
What is the best thing about having the Masters in Palm
Beach?
The World Dressage Masters Palm Beach is a unique
opportunity for our top U.S. riders to be able to compete head-
to-head with top European riders on U.S. soil. For our spectators,
we have a fantastic weekend of top competition from some of the
world’s best riders in dressage.
How many months of planning are put into this event?
Certainly, for a show of this caliber it is a yearlong process
of planning, coordinating with the potential riders, the WDM
Management Group, offcials and all of the many details!
How many volunteers do you need?
We literally have a small army of volunteers, staff and offcials
to make the WDM happen.
What is your goal range in the entries of exhibitors?
We hope for a full feld of starters for the WDM CDI5* and a
total for the weekend of 450-500 rides down centerline over the
weekend.
Will Steffen Peters defend his title of last year’s freestyle
winner?
Yes, Steffen will be there, but aboard Legolas, not Ravel, who
is also owned by Akiko Yamazaki.
What is your typical workday at the show?
We all have a crazy schedule for the Masters, but I am usually
up at 5:30am and at the show grounds early to start set-up,
and organize everything for the day for the riders, offcials and
spectators for the start of the show, which may start at 7:30 to 8:00
am. As the sun is coming up, we will have horses in the warm-
ups already riding, then on through the end of the show day, with
some days lasting until 11 pm and later for the fnal evening of the
WDM Freestyles.
Any last minute changes come to mind from last year’s
event?
Last year, we were able to add in the Para Equestrian Olympic
AMaster Plan for AMaster Show
qualifers to the show weekend. Our Para Equestrian riders were
also able to compete and feld teams for the Para Olympics, so
that was pretty exciting for everyone.
What surprises you most about the Masters?
It really has such a unique appeal worldwide. The event is
broadcast on Eurosport throughout Europe. Last year’s event we
also had live-stream video available on the WDM website as well
as on the USEF Network. We had so many hits on the website to
watch the WDM Palm Beach, that it crashed the site! What a great
testament to the interest in our show.
What do you do to relax once the competition is completed?
Well, unfortunately for me, we are kicking off our high season
international events in Florida at this time. We start with the Gold
Coast Opener CDIW, then the Wellington Classic Sunshine
Challenge/WDM Palm Beach CDI5*, and new this year, Wellington
Classic and Dressage Clinic.com are hosting the frst ever Global
Dressage Forum North America at Jim Brandon in January. Not to
mention that the Palm Beach dressage Derby will celebrate its 30-
year anniversary in the nearby Equestrian Estates community...I
think I don’t get to really relax until sometime in April!
Noreen O’Sullivan-Flanagan
Photo by SusanJStickle.com