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That
first half-giddy rush, as the scores were posted at a show this spring: qualified. Qualified.
Jumping up and down inside, he made it; Zenit qualified for the Festival.
The Festival. The USET Festival. The, by gosh and by golly, United States Equestrian team
Festival. Descendant of the NEDA Festival of Dressage. The major leagues for this
continent.
Zenit has done shows of this prominence before. He is now 18 years old, a schoolmaster,
originally partnered with the late Jennifer Wesson through Grand Prix, and then shown by
Holger Bechtloff.
Z’s present partner, Sherree Cushner, is new to FEI levels, the prior year being her
first. Still very much learning, listening to both the two and four legged trainers; there
are skills yet to be mastered.
Strange that once qualified, there were no serious doubts about going ahead and actually
doing the Festival. After all, Z had earned it. It was just up to the rider to bring
herself up to it, polishing, practicing. Trust in the horse is paramount, as it had been
since the early days of their pairing.
Zenit had been out to pasture when she bought him. Even out of shape, there was something
about him, a luminous quality somewhat dimmed through lack of work. Slowly he was brought
back, never pushed. Many months of gradual suppling and building, watching the hind end
round, the top line develop. The tarnish removed, this equine masterpiece now glows.
The weather for the Festival was tropic, the air heavy. The energies were there, but there
was seriousness about the enterprise. Fun was not on the agenda.
The Prix St. Georges test on Friday was the first time for the rider at something
this big. Five judges. Five; almost a firing squad of judges. [Note: you cannot videotape
from behind C with that setup, as I learned; the tape is useless.] Spectators and judges
vanished for the rider once the test started. She knew that the real judge was the one
under the saddle.
Zenit & Sherree Cushner during Intermediaire 1
Saturday, June 26
There were of course problems in the test, things that will need work. One heeds the
remarks of Hilda Gurney and Anne Gribbons; they are critical without being brutal, and
offer praise when earned.
The scores are in: 56%, and a 6th, good enough for a ribbon. More important, Zenit joins
in the awards ceremony, and the victory lap. He is visibly pleased, and the line of
1-tempis in front of the spectators is his own idea. Things such as that are part of his
sparkle, and not discouraged.
Continued on page 2
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