Saugerties, NY – Dressage trainer and instructor, Elizabeth Niemi, returned home from the GAIG/USDF Region 8 Dressage Championships with a new star in her stable. Niemi’s student, Dawn Bernardo, went Reserve Champion in the adult amateur Third Level Championship Class on Sunday afternoon, posting a score of 66.279%. After a very rainy start to the show, the sun came out for Bernardo and her horse, Welthyn, as they stepped into the ring first.
“When I went down the centerline, I said to myself, this is it Dawn, give it all you got!” said a smiling Bernardo. She felt good about the ride, but being the first to go was challenging. “It was the longest hour of my life, sitting around waiting for the scores,” added Bernardo.
Niemi purchased Welthyn for Bernardo three years ago and has been training the pair ever since. Bernardo was delighted when she rode Welthyn and won his second attempt at competing in Fourth Level with a score in the mid-sixties. Coach and student pointed for the Fall Region 8 Championships from that moment on. With the Region 8 victory secured, the Niemi Dressage Team is now focused on Dressage at Devon.
In May, Niemi purchased the big grey grand prix prospect, Kosmos, for Bernardo in Germany. “He was a rare find,” Niemi said. “We have interesting plans for him in 2009.” Kosmos and Niemi’s newest star, Sting, are scheduled to test the waters at Devon as non-compete horses.
Meanwhile Niemi ‘s student, Vivian Picheny, is excited to watch her horse, Wholio compete at the prestigious Dressage at Devon show. Niemi will ride Wholio in the grand prix. “His training has been an concerted effort to keep him focused, relaxed and precise for the grand prix challenges ahead,” said Niemi of Wholio.
Maintaining the highest standards of classical riding to insure student success in the show ring is the procedure Niemi adheres to. Rigid yes, but the results speak for themselves. “She expects the best from us,” said Bernardo, “I look forward to training with her every day. I am confident Welthyn and Kosmos will move up make a name for themselves in 2009.”
Based at Trevor Davis’ Cogi Farm in Pawling, New York, in the summer, Niemi Dressage competes on the NEDA circuit. Dressage at Devon is their last show prior to heading south for the winter to train at Steve and Carole Elliott's Las Tres Palmas Farm in Wellington, Florida. The winter circuit promises to be a welcome challenge for Niemi Dressage, as her students and horses wind up the summer with Dressage at Devon, take a deep breath and prepare for the sunshine circuit.
Photo: Dawn Bernardo and Welthyn show off their Reserve Champion form at the GAIG/USDF Region 8 Dressage Championships
Photo: Carien Schippers (imagequine.com)
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