With five horses and almost a dozen rides, Courtney King of New Milford, CT had numerous chances to make it into the winner’s circle at the 33rd Annual Dressage at Devon Horse Show Presented by WT?Direct. She made good use of that opportunity. On Sunday her win in the Grand Prix Special gave her a clean sweep with Mythilus, who captured the qualifying Grand Prix ride on Friday.

King scored a 71% with the 17.2 KWPN gelding, owned by Richard Malloch. “I was really thrilled,” reported an exhausted but very pleased King. “He stayed with me even better today than Friday. He had a beautiful row of one tempis, which can be a real danger zone for him. He’s a horse that wants to take over.” King’s eye is for the future with this horse. “His piaffe and passage tour is going to be amazing.” She is in the process of preparing a Grand Prix freestyle for Myth, as she calls him, to present at the Washington International Horse Show. The horse is, according to his rider, “a happy guy; a giver every day. I really appreciate that.”

Earlier in the day King entered the winners’ circle when she earned a third place ribbon for her Fourth Level, Test 3 ride on Jubilant. King’s run of ribbons began on Thursday. She captured blue for the FEI Dressage Test for 6 Year Old Horses with Harmony’s Wyoming, followed by a second place in both Grand Prix on Idocus, qualifying for Saturday night’s Grand Prix Freestyle, and the Prix St. Georges with Jubilant. Saturday King and Idocus placed second in the Grand Prix Freestyle behind Lars Petersen with Succes.

A fluid and correct ride still left Elisabeth Austin of Vermont on Olivier well behind King in the Grand Prix Special, with a 64.80%. Bethany Peslar of Wellington, FL came in third with a score of 61.40% on More Magic.

Later in the day, King again came in first in the Intermediaire I Freestyle on Rendezvous 3, owned by Francine Walker. Her winning score of 71.20% was almost identical to her 71% win in the Intermediaire I class the day before. Her ride, to a medley of show tunes dominated by My Fair Lady, was fluid and correct with the exception of a spook in the second pirouette. “The owner was thrilled, and is looking forward to the future with this horse,” said King. “She has awesome pirouettes, and while she had small changes now she is getting 8s for her tempis on a curved line. They were pretty big today.” King said the choreography in the canter portion of this freestyle is difficult, but when Rendezvous 3 is through, she makes it easy. “This was quite a way to end the show, the season and the small tour,” she said. King will be taking Rendezvous 3, a 17.1 hand Austrian warmblood cross, to Europe with the intention of moving her to Grand Prix.

Sunday was sixth and final day of the 33rd annual Dressage at Devon Horse Show Presented by WT?Direct. Competition featured Junior, Young Rider and Intermediaire I freestyles as well as tests for ponies.

Dressage at Devon Chair Jim Hall said that he was pleased to report that the show ran very well. “The weather was definitely on our side, and the gate, it seems, was a bit better than usual. Part of the success is due to strong support from our wonderful sponsors. We were pleased to have more sponsors for the event this year than we have ever enjoyed before, especially WT?Direct, the presenting sponsor.”