Stillpoint Farm Presents FEI Nations‘ Cup CDIO 3* to Conclude Adequan® Global Dressage Festival Circuit
Press release AGDF – Approaching the conclusion of the most successful season in the history of the Adequan® Global Dressage Festival (AGDF), the Stillpoint Farm FEI Nations‘ Cup CDIO 3* will draw the 2016 circuit at Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) to a close, marking an exceptional year for dressage in Wellington. Entry numbers and participation reached an all-time high throughout the duration of the season, while founding sponsors, who have believed in the success and potential of dressage in South Florida from the very beginning, have seen their dreams for the sport come to fruition and turn into reality.
„My hopes for this facility have already come true. We were optimistic that the managers of the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF), back when this conversation of AGDF started, would take dressage seriously and believe in this sport enough to create the right infrastructure, facility, and staff,“ said Arlene „Tuny“ Page, owner and manager of title sponsor Stillpoint Farm, located just minutes down the road from the AGDF facility.
„The numbers from this year have been huge. It’s just fantastic. I think for the first three years we needed to prove to the international dressage community that those of us in Wellington who wanted to make this happen, ultimately put our money where our mouths were,“ she laughed.
For Page, who will be representing the United States in the Stillpoint Farm FEI Nations‘ Cup CDIO 3* aboard her own Woodstock, a 2003 Dutch Warmblood gelding (Havel x Mirania), there is still a sense of excitement and possibility when asked about the future expansion of dressage at AGDF, but also in North America and around the world.
„I think it’s incredible that when you ride in a CDI here, it has become such a quality competition that you’re working and aiming towards just making it into the top five, which is a massive step in terms of the growth and depth of this sport,“ she continued. „In a large part, my hopes and dreams for this facility and the sport have already come true.“
The foundation of Nations‘ Cup competition is rooted in the efficiency and importance of teamwork, a concept engrained in the tradition and daily routine at Stillpoint Farm, which Page believes is an essential piece of their sponsorship of the event each year.
„Stillpoint has always been very much based in the spirit of teamwork. It is not a private barn, and it was never built to be one,“ she explained. „I feel very strongly that if you have aspirations to succeed in this industry, whether that be training, riding as an amateur, or riding for top sport, we want you to become the best of what your talents and circumstances allow.“
„It’s a team thing here at Stillpoint, and we have a group of people based at the same facility working with the same mentality day in and day out. I truly believe that it always influences the outcome,“ she continued. „It impacts the success of each involved individual’s goal, and that has always been a driving motivator for me.“
Through the support of generous sponsors, AGDF has blossomed into an event that many never expected or anticipated, but Page is confident looking towards the future, as the world’s dressage community also now turns to Wellington during the winter months.
„There’s a serious element of truth when people say it takes a village. It was a very natural fit for Stillpoint to be the title sponsor of the Nations‘ Cup here, and I think that it that will continue to grow and mold with the expansions we will see here,“ elaborated Page. „When you’re riding on a Nations‘ Cup team, it’s four riders working individually to their absolute best ability to create a strong supportive team and I feel like that is the message we continue to promote and live by at Stillpoint.“
Stillpoint Farm is the winter home base for the some of the world’s best riders, providing a base in training and teamwork for competitors from around the world. This year, a globally-renowned group of riders and horses called Stillpoint Farm home through the winter months including Laura Tomlinson (GBR), Lara Griffith (GBR), Belinda Trussell (CAN), Susan Dutta (USA), Beatrice „Trixie“ Marienau (USA) along with David Marcus (CAN) and Nicholas Fyffe (AUS).
„The atmosphere at Stillpoint Farm is a reflection of teamwork and a constant drive for success. It was a special moment when Belinda [Trussell], myself, and Laura [Tomlinson] were in the top three together because it was Team Stillpoint and I felt that was just a very cool moment representative of our team’s hard work and dedication,“ said Page.
If the 2016 season has proved to be an indication of what can be expected in the coming years for the sport of dressage, it is clear that a developing strength in interest, expansion, participation, and support will reach a pinnacle point from January to April each year at AGDF.
„There was a lot of risk that went into creating this place, and as local people who are sponsoring this show, we readily, willingly, and happily look forward to being a part of the process of improving and developing AGDF to the next level,“ said Page. „I have to thank the Equestrian Sport Productions team for believing that it could work, and I look forward to seeing the expansion that will make this the best show in the world to set an industry and global standard.“
For more information on Stillpoint Farm, please visit www.stillpointfarmdressage.com.
Source: Press release AGDF
