Wellington, Fla. – April 4, 2016 – Leatherdale Farms’ Fleur de Lis L (First Dance-EM De La Rosa, De Niro), a 7-year-old Hanoverian mare, kicked off her international career with an impressive debut during the Week 10 CDI at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival. Ridden by Vanessa Creech-Terauds, Fleur de Lis L earned two second place finishes and the reserve championship in the Junior division at the Florida International Youth Dressage Championships. Creech-Terauds began working with “Fleur” just this season, and the pair’s growing partnership held up against a competitive international group of youth riders.
“Even though I have not had much time to get to know Fleur yet, we have already started to form a bond,” Creech-Terauds said. “We only showed Juniors once, the weekend before, so I was extremely proud of how we came together to create a partnership! She is such a sweet mare with quite the personality. She has a great work ethic, picks up new things quickly and is very friendly.”
The pair have not only found success in their teamwork, but they have earned high scores throughout the Adequan Global Dressage Festival. When Creech-Terauds and Fleur went down centerline for the first time together, they earned an impressive score of 76.029 percent at First Level. In their first Junior tests at the Wellington Classic Dressage Challenge II, the pair proved their talent with scores of 71.711 and 70.27 percent.
“Vanessa and Fleur de Lis L combine the best qualities of a talented young rider and talented young horse,” said Louise Leatherdale, owner of Leatherdale Farms. “Both are so fluid and beautiful together.”
At the Florida International Youth Dressage Championships, the duo were defeated only by the number three ranked Junior competitor in the world. They finished the weekend with scores of 67.072 percent in the Junior Team Test and 68.158 percent in the Junior Individual Test.
“I couldn’t be happier with how Fleur was in both her tests,” Creech-Terauds explained. “She is such a great show mare and clearly knows her job in the ring. She is able to go into the ring confident and focused, and she tries very hard to do everything I ask.”
Traveling back and forth from her home in Caistor Centre, Ontario, the up-and-coming Canadian rider trains with her mother Diane Creech.
Fleur de Lis L, bred in the U.S. by Leatherdale Farms, is by the farm’s stallion First Dance, who arrived in the U.S. this winter from Germany to stand at Bridlewood Farm in Union, Kentucky. At 7 years old, Fleur has plenty of potential, and she has already captured a Second Level championship and a Training Level reserve championship at the U.S. Dressage Finals with Mike Suchanek in the saddle.
Creech-Terauds’ primary goal of the year for Fleur is to qualify for the Ontario Junior team for the FEI North American Junior and Young Rider Championships, which will be hosted in Colorado in July. She also will be trying to qualify for the Ontario Young Rider team with Rob Roy, her other mount owned by Leatherdale Farms.
“I am so incredibly happy with how the Florida International Youth Dressage Championships turned out, and I am so excited to see what this talented mare and I will accomplish in the future!” Creech-Terauds said.
