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Congratulations to CFD
For
a Fantastic
2009 Fabulous Freestyle Fundraiser Day
Also visit Central Florida Dressage on Facebook to see more photos
Photos below Courtesy of Diana Rose, Ann Chartier, and Video Craft Productions
By Diane Delmain
Our
Fabulous Freestyle day September 29, 2009 was really fabulous.
For those unfamiliar with our event, CFD hosts a day of entertainment and
dressage education for the community. The program is comprised of costumed
dressage Musical Freestyle performances with explanations and information
on each act. Spectators pay admission and funds go towards CFD programs,
scholarships, and educational events. Held at beautiful Wind Song Farm in
Apopka, Florida, it could not have been a better day.
We want to thank all of our volunteers who worked so hard to make the day
such a success. We had a large spectator crowd this year and were very happy
to have assistance from our volunteers with parking, traffic, check-in,
and organization. The day went smoothly due to all our volunteer's efforts.
We also had an amazing response from the dressage community: 21 acts performed
from Training level to Grand Prix. The costumes were spectacular. The day
started with the Secret Agent Pas de Deux with the riders bravely wearing
fedora hat and sunglasses in the covered arena. Barbie on Tawney followed
much to the delight of the little girls watching.
Heather
Caudill and her Standardbred mare Whiz Bang put in a firey performance to
Spanish music. Charity Messer and Blue Eyed Dream dazzled us with some fancy
footwork in a third Level Musical Freestyle.
The Ladies in Waiting had an elaborate duex, complete with beautiful renaissance
costumes, topiary props, brave assistants (their daughters) also in costume,
and a hilarous wardrobe change! Melanie Atkins rode to an eclectic variety
of pop songs, while Mary Cate Miller showed off her Scottish, Welsh, and
Irish roots with a performance to Celtic music.
Gwen Poulin's Flower Child Grand Prix freestyle to Pink Floyd music was
a especially popular. Heather Caudill costume for 'Happy Hoofs' was over
the top georgous that the photos don't due justice to, and Dee Forstner
and Sport put in a rip rousing ride to Beach Boy's music that had the crowd
stomping their feet and clapping their hands. Later in the program, boys
from the Vision quest program at the Sheriff's Boys ranch gave us an amazingly
tight quadrille performance as the Men In Black (with the horses in sunglasses),
then at the end two of them dismounted with backflips.
There
were so many great performances that day it is hard to describe them all.
Riders had ear to ear smiles on their faces all day long. Throughout the
day, the audience was enthusiastic and supportive for all the performances,
applauding any "cool" movements from leg yields to half pass and
passage.
It really was a very special day, and quite unique in the horse world. It
is really rare for a large group of horse people to gather not in competition
or to do a clinic, but just for the fun of performing. Central Florida
Dressage should be very proud of this event.
Thanks also to the Umatilla Lions club for their food concession, Video
Craft Productions, Diana Rose photography, McKie Equine Communications,
Ann
Chartier Musical Freestyles, Bay Hill Cat Hospital for rider bag goodies
and Green Acres Nursery for the plants. And extra special thanks to Wind
Song Farms and Lori and Warren Wubker for allowing CFD to use their beautiful
facility to host this event.
See you at this event next year!
You can purchase a dvd set of all the musical rides on the day for $20.00. Email us at centralfloridadressage@yahoo.com for more information.