2006 Dressage at Devon

Theresa Butta-Stanton Wins the USEF 4-year old Horse class

September 29, 2006

Theresa Butta-Stanton and the lovely chestnut Froelich won the 4-year old USEF Young Horse class at 2006 Dressage at Devon. Earning a score of 82.600, Butta-Stanton stayed well ahead of second placed Tami Glover on BW-Callista.

Theresa was very happy with her winning ride. "He was really good. I have only ridden him a handful of times," Butta-Stanton told Horsesdaily. On Thursday, the combination finished fourth in the same class in the gold ring. "Yesterday, we needed more communication. Today he was with me and tuned himself right on."

Froelich is a U.S. bred Oldenburg gelding by Festrausch out of Light Music. He is bred by Suellen Myers and owned by Dorie Forte, who competed him at the USEF/Markel National Young Horse Championships in Lexington, KY, begin September.

A friend of Forte saw the horse under Abe Pugh who green broke the chestnut. Forte immediately fell in love with him and bought the youngster. "Everything attracted me to him and his brain is phenomenal for a 4-year old," Forte said. "He was my 50th birthday present to myself that keeps getting better."

Forte trains with Butta-Stanton and offered the ride on Froelich to Theresq for Devon. "I ride him here as a favor to Dorie," Theresa explained. Forte joked that she couldn't handle riding at such a high impact show as Devon. "I would have thrown up," Forte joked. She did not feel the pressure, though, at the National Championships. "Nobody knows me there," she quipped.

Theresa is helping Dorie to reach her goal with Froelich. "I just want to come down the centerline in an FEI class like every amateur rider," Forte stated.

Butta-Stanton takes horses in training and is currently developing her show career. She has a rising 8-year old, Bucardi, which she plans to show in a new Prix St Georges circuit for 7 to 9-year olds in the United States next show season.

Butta-Stanton's claim to fame this year was her selection for the 2006 World Championships for Young Dressage Horses in Verden, Germany. "It was my first show in Europe and I got my feet wet. Verden was really fun. It's a huge show and it's amazing how engaged the audience is. People were really into it," she said. "You have the same engagement here at Devon."

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