30 SIDELINES SEPTEMBER 2013
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
By Lauren R. Giannini
E
veryone, at some point, dreams of equestrian glory
and performing one’s personal best, especially at
Dressage at Devon –
where champions meet
. For
Mica Mabragaña, the quest for excellence has been a labor
of love, taking her from her family home in Buenos Aires,
Argentina to the United States where she has risen from a
working student up through the levels to Grand Prix. This
will be her fifth Dressage at Devon, and in mid-July she had
her immediate goals clearly defined.
“I’m hoping to have one small tour horse and one Grand Prix
horse to compete at Dressage at Devon,” Mica said. “It’s special –
the atmosphere and the venue. I have always found that it’s very
prestigious to be at Devon. There are so many good riders at all
the levels. For me, to be able to represent my country, Argentina,
and to see my flag, that’s very special. You feel like a hot shot.
My first time was in 2006, but ever since 2009, my last time at
Dressage at Devon, I have wanted to show there again.”
If the horse gods are willing and all the planets and stars
align, Mica will get her wish aboard Granada, aka Koa. Sam
Grunkorn, of Mt. Kisko, New York, acquired the now 17-year-old
Swedish gelding in April 2007. In December, Mica partnered with
Granada when Argentina was chosen to represent Central and
South America in the FEI Young Rider World Cup in Frankfurt,
Germany. This all came about because of Lendon Gray’s early
Dressage4Kids program.
“When Mica came to the U.S. as part of the Argentine team for
the Youth Dressage Festival in 1999, she was 13. I was struck
by how hard she tried when she rode my little Grand Prix horse,
Last Scene, who loved to show people how little they knew,”
recalled Lendon. “When Mica came to me as a working student
during her summer break in 2004, it was our winter, and again
I was struck by her tenaciousness. She was so far from home,
alone and terribly homesick, yet she never once complained,
worked very hard at the menial jobs and tried hard as a student.”
At the end of those two months Mica went home, re-grouped and
then returned to the U.S. She spent five years with Lendon as a
Mica Mabragaña Dreams of Devon
e
Dressage
Mica and Granada (aka Koa) made their “comeback” at the Global Dressage Festival in
Wellington, Florida, winning two Grand Prix classes in the Palm Beach Dressage Derby in
March. Mica said that the 17-year-old Swedish Warmblood, owned by Sam Grunkorn, is better
than ever.
Photo by SusanJStickle.com
Continued on page 32
