Diane Creech and Devon L Display Solid Performances in the CDI4*

/

Wellington, FL – February 12, 2014 – Canadian Grand Prix dressage rider Diane Creech and Devon L continue to impress the judges during the Wellington winter show season.

The pair scored a 65.440 percent in Thursday’s Grand Prix and a 71.950 percent in Friday night’s Grand Prix Freestyle at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) 5 CDI4*.

Diane Creech and Devon L. Photo by Susan Stickle. 

“I thought that Devon was incredible,” Creech said. “I was really happy with him. Again he proved to me that he is ready for it now. He goes in with the atmosphere and he’s really good. He stays with me. He’s rideable. I’m so excited about him!”

She was pleased with the horse’s performance in the freestyle and his increasing confidence in the ring.

“I think Devon enjoys his music,” she said. “I feel like he’s saying, ‘I really like this. Can we keep on going?’ I think he turned the page.”

Diane Creech and Chrevis Christo. Photo by Susan Stickle. 

Devon L is a 14-year old Hanoverian gelding (De Niro – Wibranda, Wolkenstein II) owned by Louise and Doug Leatherdale of Leatherdale Farms.  The Leatherdales will come to Florida from Minnesota this weekend to escape the cold and watch Creech work the Leatherdale horses she has in training. 

She also rides Chrevis Christo, an 11-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding by Lavallo; Hallmark 3, a 10-year-old Hanoverian by the Leatherdales’ late stallion, His Highness; Diana C, a 7-year-old mare by the Leatherdales’ top Hanoverian stallion, Damsey; and Robbie W, an 11-year-old Oldenburg gelding by Rubin Royale.

“It will be really nice to see Doug and Louise,” Creech said. “They can get out of the cold and enjoy the sunshine a bit, so it will be a small holiday for them and they can see the horses train and go. And, we’ll talk a little bit about what our future plans are while they are here. “

She said the Leatherdales have patiently allowed Devon L to mature and she can’t thank them enough for supporting her.

“It just takes time and I’m just so grateful that Doug and Louise were so patient to wait it out - which was not an easy task to do,” she said. ”They are so supportive with the young horses and they are giving them time.”

She also brought out another Leatherdale Farms horse, Chrevis Christo (Lavallo – Chrevi’s La Vi, Natador) in the Intermediaire II at the AGDF 5 National show.  The pair scored a 66.553 percent on Thursday to secure first place and a 72.105 percent on Friday to take the second place spot, both in FEI Test of Choice classes.

“I think that Christo is really coming along nicely,” Creech said. “He’s developing. He’s getting stronger. We’re super excited about him being our future Grand Prix horse.”

Creech will not compete in this weekend’s AGDF 6 National show and will instead spend time training and making plans for the future with the Leatherdales. She trains with Danish Olympian Lars Petersen in Loxahatchee, FL, and said he has been invaluable in helping her develop the horses.

“Lars has such a wealth of knowledge and we have been working on bringing what we do at home into the warm-up ring and then bringing that into the dressage arena,” she explained. “Lars has a lot of experience with different kinds of horses with different kinds of mindsets. He’s certainly the best person to have by my side to help me. I think Doug and Louise are so happy to have Lars as our trainer.”

Creech expressed her delight in being able to work with the Leatherdales and Petersen.

“I’m probably the luckiest girl in the world,” she said.

Diane Creech and Diana C Continue Winning Ways in Wellington

/

Wellington, FL – February 4, 2014 – Diane Creech and Diana C showed their hard work at home is paying off as they put in another standout performance in competition. The pair earned a score of 72.838 percent to take first place in Fourth Level Test 2 on Saturday at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival 4 National show, held at The Stadium at PBIEC in Wellington, FL.

Diane Creech and Diana C. Photo by Mary Adelaide Brackenridge.

Creech and Diana C scored in the high 60s in their first show of the season on Jan. 21, and the experience paid off with the impressive results in their second outing.  Diana C, a 7-year-old Hanoverian mare (Damsey-Belinda, Brentano II), is owned by Leatherdale Farms. 

“Mr. and Mrs. Leatherdale and I could not be any happier with Diana C,” Creech said. “She is getting such great experience and mileage in the show ring.”

Creech has been working with Lars Petersen while in Florida and said Diana C has benefited from the additional guidance.

“Thanks to Lars Petersen, we’ve been getting super training at home,” she said. “Lars is not only great with the more advanced horses, but also with the young, up-and-coming ones. He knows how to develop them from the basic to Grand Prix, and that is what makes him such a great trainer.” 

Creech is excited about the potential of the promising young mare and looks forward to seeing what her future holds.

“Mr. and Mrs. Leatherdale are very much enjoying watching Diana C coming more and more into herself,” she said. “We all agree that she is a very special lady!”

Next up for Creech and the Leatherdale Farms horses will be the Adequan Global Dressage Festival 5 CDI4* and National show Feb. 6-9. Creech said Devon L has been training well and will be ready to go for the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Freestyle at the CDI4*, while Chrevis Christo will come out for the Intermediaire II at the National show.

Diane Creech and Devon L Take Second in World Cup Qualifier

/

Diane Creech and Devon L perform their freestyle. Photo by Susan Stickle. 

Wellington, FL – January 30, 2014 – Diane Creech and Devon L were on top of their game Friday night at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival 3 CDI-W. Their standout performance earned them a second place finish against tough competition in the Grand Prix Freestyle, a qualifier for the Reem Acra FEI World Cup Final. 

Creech and Devon L, a 14-year-old Hanoverian gelding (De Niro-Wibranda, Wolkenstein II) owned by Leatherdale Farms, scored 73.175 percent for their performance under the lights in front of a large crowd.

Diane Creech and Chrevi's Christo. Photo by Susan Stickle. 

“I think Devon was fantastic,” Creech said. “I’m totally ecstatic. He was very powerful, and he was still focused on me with the atmosphere. I was very happy with how he handled everything.”

Creech credits Devon L’s owners, Doug and Louise Leatherdale, with having the patience to allow him to mature into the top competitor he is today. She noted that he seemed to enjoy the electric atmosphere.

“I love having the audience, and I’m so happy that Devon is getting into it,” she said. “He’s not afraid any more. He just gets excited.”

It was the pair’s second performance of their new freestyle, set to “Safe and Sound” by Capital Cities. Creech was thrilled with Devon L’s effort and feels the music is a good fit.

“I think he likes the routine and the music,” she said. “You can really feel how he perks up on the inside, almost like he’s tapping his toe.” 

“There are quite a few difficulties in the freestyle, and he answered every question,” she added.

The pair’s excellent execution of the challenging test helped them place well against a top international field. The class of 14 included riders from six countries and horses who have competed around the globe.

Creech also rode Chrevis Christo to excellent scores in the Adequan Global Dressage Festival national show. In just his second show at Intermediaire II, Chrevis Christo, an 11-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding (Lavallo-Chrevi’s La Vi, Matador) earned scores of 70.592 and 69.079 percent. 

“I was so excited about him,” Creech said. “He’s my young, up-and-coming Grand Prix horse. Mr. and Mrs. Leatherdale bought him, and they are so excited and so happy to have him. We believe that he has a really bright future.”

She said Chrevis Christo has an incredible work ethic and always wants to please.

“He’s sweet and he tries very hard,” she said. “He doesn’t like to make mistakes. He never says no and always wants to keep trying.”

Both Devon L and Chrevis Christo will have some time off to relax and “just be horses” after their successes over the weekend. Next up for Creech is the Adequan Global Dressage Festival 4 National show on Feb. 1-2, where she will compete Diana C and Hallmark 3, both owned by Leatherdale Farms.