Scout's Ultimate Fight Club AKA Dressage Update from Florida

…I’m finding my blogs to be pretty monotonous at this point. How many ways are there to describe how magnificently the show weekend went, ya know?

Then it hit me, what’s more magnificent than the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)? Nothing. The UFC is friggin awesome. And it just so happens that these dressage shows share some of the same basic principles as the UFC: you go, you dominate your opponents, you leave victorious… Or at least that’s how it works for Silva.

First, we had the preliminary rounds…

Zoom entered the ring with a vengeance, winning the PSG, handily, with a 68%. Every time this horse enters the ring he is even more impressive, instilling fear into his opponents, one test at a time.

Next on the fight card was Eddy. For those of you cool enough to watch MMA fights, you might compare Eddy to a fighter referred to as “The All American”: young, athletic and bold, Eddy maintained his undefeated record over this past weekend. He won both tests with a 74% and a 72%!!!!

Le`roy once again spent his weekend aiding a minor, winning the third level. He’s like the Chuck “Iceman” Liddell of dressage, a seasoned legend. Again, HUGE thanks to his owners, the appreciation I feel for the opportunity is inexpressible.

Scoop was next in the ring. The talent and willingness of this horse is invaluable. He showed First level, test 3 for the first time over the weekend and won with a 69%!! It was an honor, nay a Privilege to be able to compete such a horse. Another huge thank you to his owners and to Silva.

 Kymmy and Gracia also showed up to lay down the law on their horses Woody and Colin.  Kymmy sailed smoothly over her sea of competitors with Woody, winning both training AND first level with a 74%!!!! Gracia also rode a beautiful test on Colin, and showed some serious heart, which led her to her victory at fourth level!!

Sandy showed her horse Tony over the weekend and put in a stunning test, one of her best tests yet, earning her a well-deserved win in her first level division. Congratulations Sandy, we couldn’t be happier to have you down here with us!

The last fight of the preliminary bouts belonged to Benny, who entered the ring with no qualms about ruining the days of the other six-year-old horses doing their young horse tests. He DOMINATED the field with a 74%, keeping his champion title firmly in place.

And now, Ladies and Gentlemen…For the main event… I give you a team holding a record of countless wins, zero remembered losses, and zero draws; a horse and rider combo of such talent and ability that it should probably be deemed an unfair advantage. The ones, the onlies, Silva and Rosa CHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Silva and Rosa Stomped. It. Out. over the weekend, winning the CDI PSG and placing third in the Intermediare 1 with a personal best score. Don’t believe me? Just take a peek at EURODRESSAGE.com: http://www.eurodressage.com/equestrian/2014/03/02/martin-and-lagoy-weltz-top-small-tour-classes-2014-palm-beach-derby. Notice that drop-dead stunna of a mare in the cover photo of the website? Yeah, that would be The Friggin’ CHA, and the rider would be my mentor. Outstanding.

Silva and Rosa could only be described as the Rhonda Rouseys of dressage; competitors become victims once The Cha enters the arena, and never do they leave unscathed ;).

An immense “thank you” to the members of the Rosa Cha W Syndicate for making this dream possible for Silva and The Cha. We were lucky enough to have syndicate member Sarah Sanz and her friend join us for the weekend, along with Boyd and George Morris to watch the epic triumph take place. It has also been a dream for Silva to have gained the experience of working with a friend of mine who is one of the most inspirational riders in the world, Deb McD. The knowledge and skill she has gained from Deb’s help has been instrumental in her training, and she could not be more excited and grateful for the opportunity. 

Also, thank you to Stuebben for making superb saddles that keep the horses comfortable and at the top of their game, and to the rest of the sponsors for their continued support including Ariat, Smartpak, Middy n Me, Shires, Charles Owen, and Purina.

I once watched a movie that mentioned how it is best end a paper with a quote. The character said that, chances are, somebody else has already said it better, so if you can’t top it, steal from them and go out strong. Therefore I leave you with a fight quote from Napoleon Hill that describes, not only Silva and The Cha, but the Windurra mentality as a whole: “Victory is always possible for those who refuse to stop fighting.”

-- Scout Ford