I wish I could whistle.

I can not whistle. I wish I could, because it would come in very handy as a professional horseman, especially at the ingate after one of my riders has a great round. Because I can’t whistle, I have to whoop, and whooping taken out of context is a very ridiculous  act indeed.
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Caroline Roffman Ties Up Season with a Gold Medal at the CDI Nations Cup

  Caroline Roffman and Pie during the victory gallop during the Global Dressage Festival Nations Cup CDI. Photo by by Al Guden   Wellington, FL (April 18, 2012) – Caroline Roffman has a stellar beginning to 2012, with wins across the small tour and developing horse divisions at prestigious shows on the Florida dressage circuit and most recently a gold medal at the Nations Cup CDI.  At the Global Dressage Festival Nations Cup, TeamUSA took the gold, and Roffman’s score of 70.050% on her own Pie put her in second and was a strong contribution towards the medal.  Team Europe took the silver, while TeamUSA 2 took the bronze.  Pie and Roffman also swept the Prix St Georges classes at the Global Dressage Festival Nations Cup.   Roffman recently opened her own training and sales center, Lionshare Dressage, and has partnered with 2012 Pan Am Games alternate Endel Ots to bring the best dressage prospects and training to Wellington.  In the second half of 2012, Roffman has her sights set on multiple championships, including Gladstone and Lamplight, as she looks to the future with her competition horses.   Roffman kicked off her 2012 success in the small tour with Pie, a Hanoverian by Worldly, sweeping the small tour classes at the $50,000 Florida Dressage Classic CDI-W at the Global Dressage Festival.   Roffman also debuted a new mare, Her Highness, during the circuit to great success.  Her Highness, a 9 year old by Hohenstein out of a Weltmeyer mare, is owned collectively by Roffman and Wolkentanzer Farm out ofCalifornia.  The stunning mare with floating gaits easily took top placings at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby, winning the FEI Test of Choice with a 68.421% and the USEF Developing Horse Prix St Georges with a 67.868%.  Her Highness was also in the top placings during the GDF Nations Cup National Show, where they scored a 70% and 69% in the Prix St Georges.  Roffman is aiming Her Highness for the Developing Horse Championships, where Roffman and Pie were Reserve Champion in 2011.   Roffman has plans to compete at 2012 National Young Horse Championships with her own Bon Chance, the 2010 Five-Year-Old Champion and 2011 Six-Year-Old Reserve Champion, who will be headed for the Developing Horse divisions as well.   Caroline is also sure to be defending her title as 2011 Brentina Cup Champion
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Atlanta Summer Classics- Something for Every Rider Nearly $300,000 in Prize Money Up for Grabs

  Pony Power ©Flashpoint Photography       April 15, 2012-St Johns Island, SC - Still undecided on summer plans? Bob Bell, President of Classic Company, would like to tempt you, “Our summer events are bursting at the seams with great offerings! We’ve taken exhibitors’ horse show wish list and made them a reality!” The Atlanta Summer Classics, held at the Georgia International Horse Park in Conyers, GA, is a USEF AA rated two week event beginning June 13 through June 24. This year’s event will play host to the inaugural $25,000 Pony Hunter Derby Classic. “This will be the first of two $25,000 Pony events for the summer. We have some of the country’s best talent in our pony sections and I think it’s time they get rewarded for their efforts.”Bell said
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Qualify for the Finals

Since WEF has finished and the majority of the “big,” equitation riders have left town, it is time for our less experienced or younger riders to take the stage and compete for those crucial points that qualify them for the USEF medal, the ASPCA maclay, and USEF talent search finals. Circuit is a difficult time to qualify because all the best juniors are here in Florida and vying for those precious wins that not only help them qualify for the year end final, but also for the very prestigious George Morris equitation classic, a special event for big Eq class winners during the season. This big event has taken on a life all it’s own, and has become such a big deal, that the Eq kids treat the class as if it were one of the finals
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WEF Is Over

WEF 2012 is in the books and the spring shows are just beginning, it’s a strange time here in Wellington, because everyone is glad circuit is over, but everyone is sad just the same. This will mark my first entry into my new blog for Sidelines and I plan on covering a whole host of topics pertaining to the hunter/jumper world. Today I want to talk about how glad I am that circuit is complete, but also that I’m also a little sad, because like America, these shows have their faults, but it’s still the best the horse show world has to offer. Circuit is a marathon for trainers such as myself, we pretty much work non stop for twelve solid weeks, not to mention all the pre-circuit festivities, and now the Spring shows. It’s a difficult time, but also the most rewarding time of the year. Where else can a young rider compete in the short stirrup class in the morning and then catch a top notch Grand Prix that evening
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