Maat van Uitert: Devon or bust!

September 9, 2013Leslie WylieUncategorizedDRESSAGELeave a comment

Grand Prix dressage competitor Maat van Uitert is Devon bound. She updates us on her preparations.

From Maat:

Believe it or not, this will be my first year competing at Dressage at Devon in the breed classes. I qualified for the Grand Prix CDI-W last year, but due to a paperwork snafu, I didn’t have my FEI passport by the time Devon rolled around. What’s nice about the breed divisions at Devon is the feedback from the judges lets me know which horses might be my future stars, and it helps direct my breeding program.

Dressage at Devon is always exciting, and it’s definitely great that this year I can bring two horses to the breed classes. Earlier this year, I acquired a new stallion prospect, an Oldenburg named Good Knight, and he’ll be showing in the Colts/Geldings of 2013 and the
Oldenburg breed classes. Knight is by Good as Gold out of an Idocus mare, and was bred by Goldhope Farm in PA, just a few miles from the Devon show grounds. I’m super excited about this colt, and I can’t wait to see what his future might bring.

Knight with his mum. Photo by Lauren Efford.

Also competing is my little rescue horse, Troubadour, who is a registered Appaloosa. I got Troubadour back in April, when his mom was stuck in the slaughter pen at New Holland (one of the largest kill-buyer auctions in the country). He’s turned into a cute little guy, ready to start his sporthorse career. He’ll compete in the Appaloosa breed class on Sept 26.

I was lucky enough to be offered sponsorships for both horses in their classes! Good Knight is sponsored by County Saddlery (Florida), and Troubadour is sponsored by Mane Morsels. Thank you to both of these wonderful companies! The County rep will be with us to show off saddles, and we’ll have Mane Morsels samples ready, so if you’re at Devon, be sure to stop by, say hi, and meet the babies!

To prepare for Devon, I’m working with Troubadour at home so he understands what’s expected of him. For the most part, we practice trotting and walking on the leadline when going in and out of turnout to keep it simple and fun. Here in South Florida, there are predators, so the babies come in at night. We’re also working on his overall condition, and consulting with nutritionists to make sure he’s getting what he needs to look great.

Knight goes to his Oldenburg inspections Sept. 8, so he’s not yet been weaned. He’ll be weaned after his inspection in Pennsylvania, so by Devon he’s good to go. Knight is of exceptional quality, and his classes will be competitive, so I’m excited to see how he does.

Wish us luck – I’ll be blogging again about the happenings at Devon!

Bathtime for Knight! Photo by Lauren Efford.

Maat van Uitert is a Grand Prix dressage trainer, USDF gold medalist, and USDF “L” judges program participant based in Loxahatchee, FL. Maat runs a successful training and sales business, matching horses with happy riders. Maat works with horses and riders of all levels, and currently accepts horses for FEI competition or young horse competition. She is available for clinics and haul-in lessons. Learn more on her website at www.jsdressage.com.