Posted, March 16, 2006

Leslie Morse and Kingston Win FEI Grand Prix CDI 3* at Zada Enterprises, LLC WEF Dressage Classic CDI 3*/Y

Kingston And Leslie Morse to Appear on Horse TV

“He was good. His ride-ability was really good,” Morse said, assessing the 17.3-hand bay stallion’s performance today. “He got a little strong on me by the last one tempis and I couldn’t quite keep him on the aids, but other than that I was really pleased with the trot, the extended trot, the extensions, and the zigzag. Even after not showing for so long and then showing a couple shows, the test is just getting easier for us. I’m really pleased with that.” Morse and Kingston have been partnered at the Grand Prix level for three years.

Morse said that what felt the best to her today were Kingston’s pirouettes and his walk. “The second pirouette felt beautiful,” she enthused. “The walk felt fabulous, it felt super. I thought the passage transition from the walk was really super. The extended canter felt beautiful – he just covered ground and came back to me easy.”

At the Cadillac Challenge of the Americas fundraising event on March 11, the U.S. Dressage Team Coach Klaus Balkenhol rode Kingston in a Pas de Deux exhibition with Morse on her other brilliant stallion Tip Top 962. “Klaus has ridden Kingston periodically when we train in Germany. It’s a big help to have him ride him because he can feel what I’m talking about,” Morse explained. “Klaus’s timing and his rhythm are amazing. I feel so lucky to have that advantage.”

Morse is aiming Kingston for the World Equestrian Games (WEG) in Aachen, Germany, August 20 to September 3, and using the Wellington CDI as “a tune-up”. Morse recently taped 13 two-minute ‘training tips’, which will air on the Horse TV Channel as part of the series following her to the World Equestrian Games.