After a year of impressive achievements in the dressage arena, Alcazar, owned by Jane Forbes Clark, earned the Adequan/USDF Dressage Horse of the Year Year-End Award for his performances in the Intermediate II level with Katherine Bateson-Chandler of Wellington.
The Adequan/USDF Year-End Awards are presented to select riders and horses that have had an entire year of high scores in competition. Bateson-Chandler and Alcazar received the award with their year’s impressive mean score of 71.941 percent.
Internationally successful Grand Prix champion Bateson-Chandler has competed on Alcazar for the past two years.
“He has the perfect temperament for a competition horse — very brave and self confident. He has presence and is extremely trainable,” she said.
The 9-year-old dark bay gelding and Bateson-Chandler have had numerous successes leading up to receiving the year-end honor. Earlier this year, they earned the FEI High Point award after winning the FEI Intermediate II division at the Kentucky Dressage Association CDI in May.
Clark, a long-time supporter of high-performance equestrian sports around the world, purchased Alcazar in 2012. The horse was an excellent fit for Bateson-Chandler, who has ridden and trained Clark’s horses for eight years.
Bateson-Chandler spends her summers training and competing in Europe with Alcazar and her other top mounts, including Clark’s KWPN Wellnetta. In Europe, Bateson-Chandler trains with Olympic Gold Medalist Carl Hester.
For more information about Katherine Bateson-Chandler and her star equine partners, visit www.kbcdressage.com.
ABOVE: Katherine Bateson-Chandler and Alcazar.
