Four Performance Horses Owned by Leatherdale Farm Placed on Canada’s National Dressage Team Program

Ottawa, ON – Nov. 22, 2019 – Four high-performance horses owned by Leatherdale Farms, three of which are homebreds by Leatherdale Farms’ stallions, have been recognized by Equestrian Canada for their achievements and placed on their National Dressage Team Program. Canadian Grand Prix competitor Diane Creech and Vanessa Creech-Terauds, who competes internationally in the U25 Grand Prix and Young Rider divisions successfully campaigned Chrevis Christo, Dublin L, Fleur de Lis L and Harley L throughout the year.

Diane Creech and Chrevis Christo

Named to the National Squad, Chrevis Christo (Chrevis Cavallo – Chrevis La VI, Matador) has racked up multiple small and big tour CDI wins throughout his career with Creech. In 2018, he earned top scores in multiple CDI Grand Prixs at AGDF and helped Canada win a team silver medal in the 2018 CDIO3* Nations Cup. Bred by Vivan Havbæk Thomasen, the 16-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding is gaining confidence and strength in the Grand Prix work. Earlier this year, the pair swept the Thornton CDI3* in Ontario with scores up to 72.149% and they placed second in the CDI3* Grand Prix at Dressage at Devon in Pennsylvania.

Diane Creech and Dublin L

One of the three Leatherdale Farm homebreds that were placed in the National Dressage Team Program was Dublin L (Damsey FRH -EM Wibranda, Wolkenstein II). The 8-year-old Hanoverian gelding by Leatherdale Farm’s Grand Prix stallion Damsey FRH has been in training with Creech since 2017 after Mike Suchanek started him at their farm in Minnesota. The talented youngster made his Developing Prix St. Georges debut in 2019 with scores up to 71.5% and competed in two CDI small tour competitions this summer.

For their second consecutive year, Creech-Terauds not only earned a spot on the Talent ID Squad with her long-time partner Fleur de Lis L (First Dance-EM De La Rosa, De Niro), but was also with Harley L (His Highness-MS Eileen, Espri). Both homebreds, Fleur de Lis L is by Leatherdale Farm’s stallion First Dance, who is standing at Bridlewood Hanoverians in Union, Kentucky, and Harley L is by their famous dressage sire, His Highness.

Vanessa Creech-Terauds and Fleur de Lis L

Creech-Terauds and Fleur de Lis L, a 10-year-old Hanoverian mare, have won many accolades in their career together. Most recently, the pair earned team silver, individual silver and individual freestyle bronze medals at the Adequan®/FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships. Aboard Harley L, a 13-year-old Hanoverian gelding, she received multiple top scores and placings in the CDI Young Rider division as well as in their Intermediate I national show debut.

“Congratulations to Louise [Leatherdale] for having four of her horses named to Equestrian Canada’s National Squad,” Diane Creech said. “It’s been quite a year and we are very proud of our entire team who plays such an important role in our success. Thank you to Louise and Leatherdale Farm for your wonderful support!”

To learn more about Leatherdale Farms, click here.

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Leatherdale Farms' Minnesota Team Celebrates Successful Return To Show Ring With Over 40 Wins

Long Lake, MN - Sept. 18, 2019 - As the summer show season comes to a close, Leatherdale Farms reflects on its team's development and success over the past few months. While Leatherdale Farm riders in Germany, Canada, Florida and California have all had standout performances so far this year, this summer has been extra special. The Minnesota-based team, consisting of their young horse rider Mike Suchanek, performance horse manager Jessi Lash and trainer Alison Sader Larson, has returned to the ring following a year away from competition due to several serious health setbacks.

"No strangers to the winner's circle, Mike's impressive record developing our young horses has contributed to multiple Adequan/USDF Dressage Breeder of the Year awards, as well as many regional and national championship titles over the years," Louise Leatherdale, owner of Leatherdale Farms said. "It has been a very heartfelt return for our Minnesota team and nothing brings me more joy than to see Mike back in the saddle in the show ring with Jessi helping manage the crucial details that makes it all possible."

With Suchanek in the irons and determined to return as strong as ever, he kicked the summer off with a bang, racking up over 40 wins in three months on five Leatherdale owned mounts.

The opening show of their 2019 season, Bara Trac I & II in Mason City, Iowa, was an exciting debut for Suchanek and Duchess L (Damsey FRH-De La Rosa, De Niro). The 8-year-old mare competed in her first Developing Prix St. Georges to earn scores of 70.813 and 71.471, kicking the year off in winning fashion with blue ribbons in both tests. In July Duchess L earned her highest score of the season, a 77.125, at Lamplight I and qualified for the Markel/USEF Developing Horse Dressage National Championships at the prestigious U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions. At the championships, the talented bay mare placed third during the first day of competition and finished overall seventh in the country in the Developing Prix St. Georges division.

Duchess L

"Duchess L is coming along nicely and has developed so well this summer," Suchanek said. "She loves to work and she reminds me a lot of Damsey himself - she looks a lot like him. In training she has been a joy to work with. In the past year she has put on so much muscle and gained so much strength, she really enjoys her work and is so happy to get out there, exercise and move her body. She is stronger and looking and feeling a lot more like an upper-level FEI ride now."

Delta L

Getting her start later in the season, 8-year-old Delta L (Damsey FRH-Weltbekanna L, Weltbekannt) made her 2019 show ring debut in July at Lamplight. Moving up to Third Level, Delta L won five of the six tests she showed in this summer, receiving a season high score of 72.750. Similar to Duchess L, lateral movements are a strength for Delta L as she continues her development with Suchanek.

"With Delta L we are working on gaining confidence in the tempis but I'm quite pleased with her development and she is a pleasure to ride," he explained. "She is growing a lot in her ability to execute a powerful medium trot with cadence in it. Delta is much longer in the body compared to Duchess but she can still really move it."

Hannigan L (EH Herzensdieb- Pia Colada, Pik L) also competed at Third Level earlier in the summer but soon moved up to Fourth Level. Despite moving up a division, the 9-year-old went undefeated throughout the season and scored consistently in the high 60s to 70s.

Hannigan L

"Hannigan enjoys showing off - he is our class clown that loves to go out there and show what he can do." Suchanek continued. "He is learning his tempis very well and staying very straight, along with gaining a lot of strength for the pirouettes. He has come a long way and he is always really fun! Even though he likes to joke around and play with me, Hannigan likes to get down to work and he knows his stuff and works hard."

An exciting new young horse bred by Leatherdale Farms, Foxey Lady L (First Dance-Weltbekanna L, Weltbekannt), made her show debut and dominated her summer circuit. The young mare consistently scored in the high 70s in her tests, even earning an 83.103% at Lamplight in July. Most recently in the national show at Lamplight Equestrian Center in August, Suchanek rode Foxey Lady L to multiple wins with scores up to 76.897%.

Foxey Lady L

"She had a lot of growing to do in her body when we first started her. She was growing like crazy so we waited for her to mature and get a little more balanced," Suchanek stated. "This year she has come out a lot stronger and we have been able to work up to getting her stronger and more balanced in her work. That all really made a difference. The judges comment that she is a lovely mare and they love her active hind leg."

With his long-time partner, 12-year-old Hero L (His Highness-Waterlily L, Wolkenstein II), Suchanek went for quality over quantity in his summer show circuit schedule, competing the gelding at only two shows but winning both. In June, Hero L showed in the MLEC Dressage Classic I and the 2019 Dressage Lite horse show, scoring a 68.970 and 71.765 in Intermediate I.

Hero L

On his relationship with Hero L, Suchanek said, "Hero is my favorite, he is Hero through and through. It has been great to get him back out there. He is schooling well and we have been focusing mainly on qualifying the younger horses so we didn't take him as much, but it has been exciting to get this horse back in the ring."

"I want to thank Louise Leatherdale for all of her help and giving me the opportunity to train and compete her talented horses. I am so thankful to have her in my life, and to be working for her and riding horses for her," concluded Suchanek. "I also want to thank Alison [Sader Larson] for being my coach and being there every step of the way helping me teach these horses more. Thank you to Jessi Lash, my performance horse manager, and the rest of my team for always being there as well. All five horses are now qualified for regional championships so we are looking forward to getting back to the ring soon!"

Leatherdale Farm's Fleur de Lis L Wins Three Medals With Vanessa Creech-Terauds at Adequan®/FEI North American Youth Championships

North Salem, N.Y. - Aug. 16, 2019 - Leatherdale Farm's Fleur de Lis L (First Dance-EM De La Rosa, De Niro) and 19-year-old Canadian rider Vanessa Creech-Terauds are celebrating three podium finishes from their performances at the 2019 Adequan®/FEI North American Youth Championships that took place July 30-Aug. 4 in North Salem, New York. As Creech-Terauds and the 10-year-old Hanoverian's second appearance in the NAYC arena together, they rode with confidence to impress judges during each day of competition, earning them top-three finishes in every test.

"Every year it's a whole new ball game and a new challenge, but this championship is the best week of the year so I always look forward to it and push myself," shared Creech-Terauds. "I'm very competitive, so that helps me stay motivated, and this year I really wanted to do well with Fleur in the Young Rider division because we had done so well in Juniors [earning the individual and freestyle silver medals at NAYC 2016]. I'm happy to say she exceeded my expectations. I'm so proud of this mare, that really keeps me going and I love her so much."

The young rider picked up the ride on Fleur de Lis L in 2016 after the mare was started by Mike Suchanek, the young horse trainer at Leatherdale Farms' base in Minnesota. With Suchanek in the irons, she won the Second Level Open Championship at the 2015 U.S. Dressage Finals as well as the Training Level Open Reserve Championship at the 2014 Finals.

In 2016, Creech-Terauds and Fleur de Lis L, who is sired by Leatherdale Farm's Hanoverian stallion, First Dance, were a part of the NAYC Junior Riders division where they took home individual silver medals for both their Junior Individual test and their Junior Freestyle. The following year, they took a break from competing at NAYC when they traveled to Europe to train and compete in Denmark, Germany and England.

When they returned to the NAYC stage this summer, the pair competed in the Young Riders division, representing Team Ontario/Quebec in team competition. Creech-Terauds and her teammates put forth their best efforts against a competitive field of talented teams. Fleur de Lis L received a new personal best score of 72.5 percent during the team test, helping boost their team's total score to 205.676. The team concluded with the silver medal for their efforts, only missing gold by .03 of a point.

"It's amazing to me to come here and win the team silver medal in the Young Rider division," said Creech-Terauds. "We've made so much progress together. I can't thank her owner, Louise Leatherdale, enough for partnering me with this talented mare. It's been the best experience of my life. She's my favorite horse in the whole world."

Maintaining their momentum, Creech-Terauds and the chestnut mare earned themselves another podium finish with an individual silver medial after receiving a 71.029 percent in the Young Rider Individual Test.

Topping off their successful week of top competition, Creech-Terauds and Fleur de Lis L claimed one last medal in the Young Rider Freestyle. A score of 73.49 percent secured the pair the bronze medal, only missing silver by .01 percent.

"Fleur gave it her all every single day and we laid out three tests that I am extremely proud of. It is always an honor to come to this event and represent our country, and bringing home three medals is truly a dream come true! Thank you, Fleur," expressed Creech-Terauds. "I truly am the luckiest girl in the world to be able to ride Louise Leatherdale's most amazing mare."