GREENGATE FARM AWARD OPEN NATIONAL

The Greengate Award, established in 2019 by Rachel and Warren Ehrlich of Greengate Farm, honors the breeder of an American-born horse that is a high-score winner at the US Dressage Finals at the National and FEI levels.

For a performance breeding stallion dominating his classes, Louisville HTF (Lord Leatherdale x Unicum-D [a.k.a. Uforia]/Negro) lives a rather uneventful life at home, a circumstance that could be deemed unusual through the eyes of an experienced equestrian on a breeding and training farm. Day-to-day, Louis is “a really brave horse – happy to go to turnout every morning, the one you always know will walk right past anything new or scary,” remarked Hilltop’s barn manager, Jenn Callahan.

Despite his casual façade, Louis also has a sweet, funny side to him. Those familiar with Hilltop’s TikTok channel will recognize him as part of the stall cleaning crew. And, of course, one of his favorite things is butt scratching, and he will perform professional contortionist tactics to maneuver his hind end under your hand without shifting his front end away, if you happen to start scratching anywhere else on his body.

About his rideability, Michael Bragdell, Louis’ trainer, said, “He gives the rider a really great feel and picks up new things easily. He likes to come out and work every day.” Consistent feedback from the test rider at the

North American Stallion Sport Test confirmed Louis “really lets you access his whole body.”

All of this translates to success in the show ring for this young breeding stallion. Louis has easily moved up to Third Level over the Florida show season this winter, with scores in the 70s. His next focus will be the breeding season with a few additional shows, aiming for the USDF Regional Championships and a return to the US Dressage Finals.

“This is a horse bred for the FEI arena,” said Hilltop’s Managing Director, Natalie DiBerardinis. “The Grand Prix is the real goal, and we’ll focus on building the foundation toward that end.”

Dark Knight

Donnerwetter x World Class/First Class

Owner: Lysa Hodgson

Breeder: Brenda Hendershot