USEF Network

Shelley Van den Neste Finds Success at Northern Florida Dressage Shows

RELEASE: May 21, 2009
AUTHOR/ADMINISTRATOR: By JRPR

Shelley Van den Neste of Sunrise Farms Sport Horses continues to find success in the show ring, recently visiting the winner’s circle at two North Florida dressage shows. Ezmarelde La Biladora, owned by Brooke Horan of Vertu Sport Horses in Park City, UT, and Van den Neste earned the high point in first level at Jacksonville’s Horse Shows in the Park.

Van den Neste has long been a fan of the 16.1-hand bay mare with the long, graceful catlike walk and ground-covering trot. “Ezmarelde has the greatest attitude about everything,” Van den Neste said.

Van den Neste is pleased that Ezmarelde continues to shine, but she wasn’t the only horse from Sunrise Farms Sport Horses to earn ribbons recently. “About a year ago Vision Farms of El Paso, TX, sent me two AQHA mares and after a long year of rehabilitating them, they are now stars. The client had them with a different trainer before me and they didn’t do well, but you would never know it to look at them now,” Van den Neste said. “I took both of them, Dali’s Artful Legacy (Dali) and Barpasser’s Vision (Ziggy) to the May Days Qualifier at Canterbury Showplace, and they were amazing.”

Van den Neste said both mares gave 100% and she couldn’t have been happier. “Dali was second in all lower first level tests with a high score of 69%, and Ziggy won all four lower training level tests with a high score of 70%. They quite possibly were the only representatives from the AQHA but they held their own competing against Warmbloods,” Van den Neste said. “I look back at the photos from last year when they arrived looking like rescues and feel quite proud of them both. They are sweet mares and give 100% of their hearts in everything they do.”

Van den Neste, who is sponsored by MDC Intelligent Stirrups®, also competed Ramiros at the Canterbury show, earning a first in the Intermediare I and qualifying for the Region 3 Championships. “I am really pleased with all of my horses,” she said.

Van den Neste is a USDF Bronze and Silver medalist and an L graduate who currently competes two horses at the FEI level. Van den Neste is also an accomplished clinician who regularly holds clinics at her Sunrise Farms Sport Horses, including adult dressage retreat weekends where students can bring their horses to her facility and learn to cross train their dressage horses. “This is an intense learning weekend with a group dinner on Saturday night in the ranch house,” Van den Neste said.

Sunrise Farms Sport Horses, Inc., located in Newberry, FL, offers rehab services for show horses that are having problems returning to the show ring. For more information on the farm, contact Van den Neste at srfsporthorses@aol.com. To find out more about their quality boarding and training services, visit their website at www.srfsporthorses.coma.