November 14, 2024 – Ocala, FL – Karen Lipp (USA) and her long-time partner Infinity were the day’s big winners with a new career high score in the Grand Prix CDI3* for Freestyle on Thursday, November 14, the opening day of the World Equestrian Center – Ocala (WEC) November Dressage CDI3* presented by Hampton Green Farms.
The pair has been competing at the level for less than a year, and this was their third international grand prix show and their first win in this particular test. Lipp has owned the son of Dream Boy since importing him from The Netherlands as a four-year-old and brought him up from Training Level.
“We made a few mistakes, but the scores are creeping up and that’s exciting,” said Lipp, who scored 67.478%. “Infinity is only 11 so sometimes things can be a little hit or miss, but he gives you what you ask for. I’m finding out the right amount to ask of him in the ring. Getting to grand prix is really the start of a new journey, not the end; now we will fine-tune.
“He’s been a fun horse to train as I’ve never really had one of his caliber before,” added the 57-year-old from Ball Ground, GA. “He has all the elements: the attitude, the will, the heart and the gaits. He’s the sweetest ham of a horse and if I had to go to war, he’d be my war horse because he’d walk through fire for me. I’ve sold every other horse I’ve ever owned, but I’ll keep this one until I die. It’s not about the money any more at my age; I’d like to give him a happy ending.”
Lipp credited much of her success to training with Olympian Charlotte Bredahl. She hopes to go to Europe in the summer of 2025 with Infinity, which would be her first time since spending the summer there with Klaus Balkenhol in 2005.
In an all-American podium line-up, Jan Ebeling and Jubi’s Tenacity took second place with 66.935%, and Allison Carmichael finished third with a 66.217% test on Figaro.
An Impressive Resume
In the Grand Prix CDI3* for Special, Jennifer Williams (USA) rode the Joppe Partners LLC’s 10-year-old KWPN gelding Joppe K to 70.218% and the blue ribbon in the horse’s second season at the level.
“I always want a clean, relaxed test and I also felt moments where I could add power, which was wonderful,” said Williams. “I’m very motivated to keep him more relaxed while still building energy and quick reactions.”
Joppe K was found as a four-year-old in Holland and has an impressive resume, including winning the Lövsta Future Challenge as an eight-year-old and being shortlisted for the 2023 Pan American Games the following year. Williams only trains him four days, leaving the rest of the week for hacking. She trains with Oded Shimoni for the nine months a year she spends in Wellington, FL, and also with Christophe Theallet during the remainder of the year in Washington state.
A First for Lebanon
Catherine Haddad was filled with pride to hear the Lebanese national anthem ring out after her 69% ride — another personal best — on the nine-year-old Sola Diva. She switched nationalities to ride for her father’s native Lebanon, and this was her first international win under the red, white and green flag.
“It made my heart very full today, and I’m thrilled for all the people who supported me through this change,” said Haddad, who is based in Wellington for winters and spends summers in New Jersey. “Sola Diva is extraordinarily talented. She’s very rhythmical, and the flow is superior. She’s almost always in a perfect frame with a quiet tail and can present a picture of harmony and beauty that we all want to see. That’s important to me because this is much more than a sport: it’s a way of life and a form of art.”
Haddad’s company NorCordia has owned the Sarotti Mocca-Sahne x De Niro mare since she was six, and this was her second CDI show. It will also be her last at small tour before she steps up to Intermediate II.
Haddad brimmed with praise for WEC – Ocala, saying, “This is such an incredible venue. Every time I come, I’m more impressed. It’s expanded quite a bit, and they keep tweaking things. It’s so competitor friendly, and everything is seamless.”
CDI competition at WEC November Dressage continues on Friday, November 15, with the feature class, the Grand Prix Freestyle CDI3*, at 6.30pm. Full start lists and results can be found at Equestrian Hub.
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Media Contact:
Leah Tong
leah.tong@wec.net