2020 Carol Lavell Advanced Dressage Prize Recipient: Kristina Harrison-Antell and Finley

What a privilege it is to be the 2020 Recipient of the Carol Lavell Advanced Dressage Prize on my beautiful horse, Finley.  Due to Covid, I chose to postpone my trip to Florida until the Adequan Global Dressage Festival 2022 season.  My time in Florida was amazing and was a life-changing experience.  It made me see the dressage world from a different perspective, and I gained so much in my knowledge of all things dressage. 

I’ve owned Finley since he was a barely broke three-year-old, and I have carefully brought him along with my coach and mentor, Leonie “Button” Baker.  Our journey has been one built on trust, and, like every horse, it has had its ups and downs.  If you ask Button, she will tell you she always saw our path.  Finley was a complicated young horse, super fearful of other horses.  In the beginning, I wondered if he could ever overcome this hurdle. In the end, I had no choice but to trust in my horse and Button’s belief that he could.  I just kept putting one foot in front of the other until I too saw our future.  Over time, he has overcome most of his fear and when he gets nervous, he trusts in me enough that we can now navigate a crowded warmup arena without any upsets.  I am so fortunate to own this incredible once-in-a-lifetime horse. He is my heart and soul.

Photo provided by Susan J Stickle

The Carol Lavell Advanced Dressage Prize afforded me an incredible opportunity.  It was always a dream of mine to compete at Global, and with this grant, I was able to make my dream a reality for myself, Finley, and four other horses that I have been developing. My always supportive husband, Gordon, and I set out on our adventure on January 27, 2022. We drove a two-horse trailer full of equipment across the country ahead of the horses. It took us four long days, and the horses 43 hours, to reach our destination.  Thankfully, everyone arrived safe and sound, settling in comfortably at our new home for the next two months - LongView Farm South LLC in Loxahatchee.  Our plan was to dive right in and begin showing. The following week Finley and I headed out to our first competition at Global Week 5.  He had only shown the Grand Prix one time prior to Florida, and he definitely did not disappoint, scoring 69.819% and 69.239% for 3rd and 5th places in huge classes of 20.  Finley only gained confidence from there.  He competed in his first Grand Prix Special, scoring 69.096%, a test that really compliments his strengths.  He did his first USEF qualifier scoring 69.239% and 69.096% and ended the season competing in his first CDI 3* scoring 66.13% for 7th place.  Unfortunately, Finley clipped his cannon bone and we had to scratch the Grand Prix Special.  I was so thankful it was only a bump where he hit himself and not an injury or splint.  He was sound and only sore to palpation, so after a few days off and some TLC, he was able to go back to work. 

This trip was an amazing whirlwind adventure full of memories that will last a lifetime.  I was especially proud to see how well all my horses did.  I have brought all of them along from two and three years old to blossoming FEI horses.  It’s been a culmination of a lifetime of learning, up to 11 years of hard work with this particular group of horses. Through dedication, perseverance, ups, and downs, highs, and lows, chipping away at it on a daily basis and believing in my horses and coach through thick and thin. I love developing young horses and am so proud of all of them. 

If you asked what my favorite thing about Florida was, I’d definitely tell you it was the training.  It was a gift to be able to have daily lessons under Button’s watchful eye while we navigated this critical point in Finley’s career to become a Grand Prix horse.  Button lives in North Carolina and commutes monthly to California to teach me.  We work together virtually as well, but nothing beats having daily consistent onsite help. 

Here are a few of my favorite exercises that we worked on with Finley while in Florida: 

• Finley was learning to piaffe more on the spot and needed to understand how to keep the activity in his hind legs. We achieved this by introducing a piaffe pirouette. By nature of the pirouette, it naturally engaged his hind legs and simultaneously kept him from going into my hand too much when I asked for more expression. 
• We also schooled the walk to piaffe transition by shrinking up the collected walk and then adding a light aid for the piaffe. 
• Since he is confirmed in his tempi changes, we worked a lot on the quality of them, riding a few ones and then riding forward a few strides, then restarting them so they stayed big and expressive. 
• We always work to make sure he is off my inside leg in the pirouettes by schooling them on a circle line and then leg yielding out, without changing the position of his body.  We consistently reminded him to stay connected from the inside leg to the outside rein. 

He proved to be a consistent, willing, happy competitor throughout our time there and gained much-needed mileage to help him become a top Grand Prix horse in the future.  All my horses progressed by leaps and bounds.  I also loved having more time to actively participate in the care of Finley.  Whether it was grazing him or hand walking, it was a great time for us to bond and just be fully immersed in learning.  It was a sabbatical where I had the opportunity to focus on just me and my horses with no outside distractions.  I recorded every ride, studied the footage, and took advantage of every lesson I had.  This grant also provided me with the time and ability to watch and learn from some of the best horses and riders in the country.  I feel like the art of observation has been lost due to our busy lives and technology constantly distracting us. It is another tool we can use to progress our riding without putting miles on our horses. While in Florida I found joy in putting my phone down and just sitting and watching. My eye has become much more educated. 

Since I’ve been home, I feel like I’ve been able to apply what I have learned to take Finley’s training to the next level.  He has become much stronger and confirmed. I have also been able to share my new knowledge with all my clients who patiently waited for me to come home.  I cannot thank The Dressage Foundation enough for all they do for the dressage community.  They make dreams come true and inspire me to become a better rider every day.

Photo provided by Susan J Stickle

I’d like to thank my village of supporters who I would not be here without.

Gordon Antell (my husband and partner in crime) Button Baker, Jocelyn Towne, Emily Murray, Rebecca Herrarh, Bernadette ‘Lovie” Fimbras, Ramone, Lidia and Ali Rios, Amy Olmstead, Susan Bauer DVM, Toklat, Bucas Blankets, Woof Wear, Champion Helmets, Nupa Feed, BC2A, Horse Tech Inc, People on Horses, Irideon, Covermaster, Equifuse, Damoores Feed and Tack, Custom Saddlery, MDC Stirrups, Heritage Gloves, Matrix Saddle Pads

Yours Truly,

Kristina Harrison-Antell