FEI World Breeding Championships for Dressage Young Horses

Photo Credit: SusanJStickle.com

FEI WORLD BREEDING CHAMPIONSHIPS FOR DRESSAGE YOUNG HORSES Verden, Germany

August 5-9, 2015

The following combinations will represent the U.S. in the Five- and Six-Year-Old Divisions of the 2015 FEI World Breeding Championships for Dressage Young Horses:

Dressage Young Horses

Photo Credit: SusanJStickle.com

Endel Ots

Born: October 8, 1985 Residence: Wellington, Fla. Lucky Strike – 2010 Hanoverian gelding (Lord Laurie x Heidi/His Highness) owned by Max Ots Originally from De Pere, Wisconsin, Endel Ots is a dres-

Samhitas – 2009 Oldenburg gelding (Sir Donnerhall I x Heidebluete/Abanos) owned by Gary Vander Ploeg and Endel Ots prestigious Dressage at Devon Intermediaire I and Inter-

sage rider and trainer with quite a few accomplishments

mediaire I Freestyle. In 2012, Ots and Agastrofos claimed

under his belt. He worked in the Chicago area for eight

the Reserve Champion title in the USEF Developing Horse

years before accepting a training opportunity with Hubertus

Grand Prix Championship supported by Hilda Gurney and

Schmidt in Germany in 2010. From there, he went to Wel-

Carol Lavell. Two years later, he rode Donatus to top honors

lington, Fla., and studied under Lars Petersen. In that time,

in the Markel/USEF Developing Grand Prix Horse National

he was an alternate for the 2011 Pan American Games. He

Championship presented by HorseShow.com.

now owns and operates his own training and sale business out of Wellington, Fla. Ots has numerous National awards, including USDF Prix

With Ots, Lucky Strike has collected top placings. The pair won at almost every turn in 2014. At the Markel/USEF Young Horse Four-Year-Old Championships presented by

St. Georges Horse of the Year in 2007 and USDF Interme-

HorseShow.com, Ots and Lucky Strike earned an overall

diaire I and Intermediaire I Freestyle with scores over 75%.

fourth-place finish.

He also has garnered numbers CDI wins, which include the

4 FEI World Breeding Championships for Dressage Young Horses

2015 has been no different for the pair. Now competing in

Dressage Young Horses the Five-Year-Old division, Lucky Strike earned several firstplace finishes with Ots. At the final week of the Adequan Global Dressage Festival, Ots and Lucky Strike won the CDIYH FEI Five-Year-Old Young Horse Preliminary Test with a score of 8.140. Their performance reached continued to impress the judges in the CDIYH FEI Five-Year-Old Young Horse Final Test, with the pair collecting a score of 8.700.

Though their partnership only began this year, Ots and Samhitas have made quite an impression. During week 10 of the Adequan Global Dressage Festival, the pair won with a score of 8.120 in the FEI Six-Year-Old Young Horse Final Test. They then headed to the Houston Dressage Society Spring Classic I CDIYH, claiming top honors in both the FEI Six-Year-Old Young Horse Preliminary and Final Tests with scores of 8.080 and 8.560, respectively.

The U.S. combinations will be coached by U.S. Dressage Young Horse Coach, Christine Traurig.

FEI World Breeding Championships for Dressage Young Horses

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