2004 U.S.D.F. All-Breeds (LFA) Award, 3rd Level Amateur - 1st Place
"Andy was foaled on Jarch 29, 1990 which makes him 15 this year. The Boardmans sold him to Shelley Edwards of Wellington, NV, as a two year old. Shelley trained him and competed through Prix St. Georges, and I bought him from Shelley in April of 2002. I showed him at Third Level (my upper limit at the time, not his!) during the latter half of the 2004 season, ending up reserve champion Lipizzan for the USDF All-Breeds Third Level Open, and champion USDF All-Breeds Third Level Amateur (I think I was the ONLY amateur at Third Level!).
"Andy loves his job -- dressage -- and he has a work ethic like few other horses I've ever met. "Let's do it again!" should be his motto. He's got great gaits; in fact, his trot is so big, people stop in their tracks to stare at him. He can collect just as easily, and canter pirouettes are one of his favorite party tricks. That, and flying changes! He loves to passage and piaffe, but I haven't had a lot of schooling in those movements - hopefully we'll do more of that in the future.
"Andy is a charmer. Everyone loves him, and he loves them: little children, seniors, and everyone in between. He also loves dogs, goats, sheep, and cattle. Go figure!
"As an ambassador for the Lipizzan breed, Andy has been the catalyst for several Lipizzan and Lipizzan-cross purchases among our friends. And if there were more trained Lipizzans on the market, there would have been even more! One friend who couldn't find another "Andy" eventually bought a Friesian (there are many more of them on the market).
"Andy loves dogs, and has even had one sit on his feet - Andy just stretched his head down to lick the dumb dog's head while I had a heart attack!
"I consider myself very lucky to be owned by Andy, and look forward to every day I spend with him! (Can't tell I'm hooked on him, can you?)
Cheers,
- Nan
