From Dana Diemer, EN’s resident CDE expert:
Sara Schmidt driving her own Kaboom, FEI Advanced. Photo thanks to picsofyou.com.
A Florida State of Mind
Combined driving competitions are well underway for the 2013 season. Next up on the calendar is the Little Everglades International CDE, which takes place February 22-24 at Little Everglades Ranch in Dade City, Florida. This is the first FEI competition of the season and a full slate of top turnouts are expected to head down the center line on Friday.
Little Everglades Ranch is a 2050 acre working ranch, noted for their top notch Hanoverians, thoroughbred race horses and belted Galway cattle. They also produce hay, peat moss and camelina, a biofuel crop. In addition, owners Bob and Sharon Blanchard have gone the extra mile to provide a competition venue for combined driving that rivals any to be found anywhere in the world. The dressage and cones arena is enough to make the greenskeepers at Augusta National golf course drool with envy and the obstacles are well placed with optimum spectator viewing in mind.
A list of expected competitors will be available on Driving News USA at www.drivingnews.us no later than Wednesday, and spectator information is also available at www.littleevergladesranch.com.
