Wellington’s Lionshare Dressage competitor and trainer Caroline Roffman, a Nations Cup individual bronze medalist and Nations Cup United States team gold medalist, recently watched her students flourish in prestigious national competitions.
Student Rachael Hicks scored at the top of her classes in the 2014 United States Dressage Finals in Lexington, Ky. on Nov. 6-9.
The event was the highest level competition held in the United States, with the country’s best riders in the adult amateur division and open division.
Hicks, who began training under Roffman this year, has been impressed with the improvements in her riding since their partnership began. “I have been working with Caroline since April, but with the results I’m getting, I wish now that I had begun working with her sooner,” Hicks said.
At the 2014 U.S. Dressage Finals, Hicks rode her 8-year-old Westphalian gelding Fabio Bellini to first place in the U.S. Dressage Finals Fourth Level Championship in the Adult Amateur division. The pair scored 71.750 percent, and also took second place in the Fourth Level Championship on Don Cartier, a 7-year-old stallion, with a score of 70.458 percent.
The following day, Hicks and Don Cartier won the U.S. Dressage Finals Third Level Championship in the Adult Amateur division with 70.342 percent. Hicks’ successes continued throughout the weekend, with a win on Fabio Bellini in the USEF Fourth Level Test Three in the Adult Amateur division (68.938 percent) and a second place on Don Cartier in the same class.
Hicks was grateful to Roffman for helping her equine partners. “We couldn’t have done it without Caroline,” she said.
For more information about Lionshare Dressage, visit www.lionsharedressage.com, e-mail lionsharedressage@gmail.com or call (617) 633-1003.
ABOVE: Rachael Hicks at the 2014 United States Dressage Finals.
