Damsey’s Daughter Diana C Will Be One to Watch
/Wellington, FL – May 23, 2014 – Diana C, the talented young mare owned by Leatherdale Farms and ridden by Diane Creech, is already making her owners proud.
The 7-year-old bay Hanoverian mare (Damsey-Belinda, Brentano II) is delivering on the promise she showed at the prestigious Herwart von der Decken-Show in Germany, where she was named champion dressage mare as a 3-year-old. Owners Doug and Louise Leatherdale spotted her there and were immediately drawn to her.
Leatherdale Farms stands Diana C’s sire, Damsey, at stud. Diana C was bred by Charlotte Groenborg.
“I fell in love with her when I saw her in Germany,” Doug Leatherdale said. “We bought her right away and she arrived at our partner farm in Dorum, Hengststation Jens Meyer, that night. I thought she was spectacular and showed so much potential.”
The lightly competed Diana C demonstrated she has what it takes to perform in the show ring during the 2014 Adequan Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) in Wellington, FL. She placed in the top two in every outing at AGDF, where she competed at Fourth Level in the national shows.
Her high scores during the circuit included 72.838 percent on Feb. 1 at AGDF 4, 72.162 percent on Feb. 21 at AGDF 7, and 72.568 percent on March 19 at AGDF 11, all of which netted her first place finishes in Fourth Level Test 2.
“It’s very special to have a daughter of Damsey competing for us and to see her doing so well this year in Florida,” Doug Leatherdale noted. “We are excited to see what the future holds for this lovely mare.”
Diana C will eventually move up to the small tour, but Creech is in no rush with the young mare, whom she feels will excel at the FEI levels.
“We’ll work on making her stronger and confirming where she’s at now,” Creech said. “Once she’s really confirmed in that kind of work, going into the small tour is not going to be hard for her. It’s just taking her to shows and getting some experience.”
“There’s a lot more power in there,” she added. “She’s a very, very special mare. I really love her, and she’ll be something really good.”
Creech, who lives in Caistor Centre, Ontario, and rides for Canada, trains and competes numerous horses for the Leatherdales. She earned top placings this season in Florida with her Grand Prix horse, Devon L, and moved Chrevis Christo and Hallmark 3 up to Intermediaire II from the small tour. She is competing both Devon L and Chrevis Christo at the Kentucky CDI3* and national show in Lexington, KY, this weekend.
Creech appreciates the opportunity to bring Diana C up through the levels.
“I am so excited to have the chance to be working with such a top quality mare!” she said. “She already is showing her super talent for the Grand Prix work and is proving more and more that she will also have the nerve to do it. For now, all she needs is continued good experiences in the show ring and to get stronger and more mature over time. I cannot thank Mr. and Mrs. Leatherdale enough for entrusting me with her.”
