Horses

Apollo, 2004 Season

Apollo, owned by Jody Stoudenmier, has enjoyed some great success with Lyndon Rife riding. The twelve year old Danish Warmblood gelding has been in training at Lyndon Rife Dressage since the winter and came out this spring to home awards from the Open FEI division.
	Apollo shows great talent for the highest movements in dressage - piaffe & passage - and he may make his Intermediare II/Grand Prix debut soon! Look for Apollo’s photo in the Southwest Horse Trader July issue.  Apollo will hopefully return to the competition arena with his owner in the very near future.
Frostbite Dressage: Winner of the Prix St George, 65% Texas Dressage Classic: Winner of the $2,500 Intermediare I, 66.125%, second place in the $2,500 Prix St George (a tie for first!) 64.125%%. Winner of the $7,000 FEI Texas Freestyle Classic (Int. I), 69.625%. Central Texas Dressage II: FEI High score Champion, winner of Intermediare I class, 68.000%

Hondo:

1989 Dutch Warmblood gelding by Wieberoodnoot and out of Ulette by Formateur. Hondo was bred by Carol and Richard Schmickrath of Georgetown, Texas.

Lyndon and Hondo competed Fourth level through Grand Prix together with victories and top scores and placings across Region 9, Colorado, and Florida.

Lyndon trained Hondo exclusively under the eye of US Olympian Michelle Gibson in clinics and during the Florida season, and in clinics with Rudolf Zeilinger.

Hondo has been sold to student Amy Bock of Copper Canyon, Texas and they are currently competing with great success at Prix St George & Intermediare I with scores to 67%!  The pair made their Grand Prix debut in 2005 with a 65% score and is one score away from the USDF Gold Medal award.

Mahlon

16.2, 1988 Anglo-Trakehner gelding by Mahon and out of Rich Cab xx. Mahlon is owned by Leslie Schmidt and was bred in Texas by Johnna Sykes. Leslie put Mahlon in training and he was shown and trained exclusively by Lyndon for over four years.

This pair earned many victories, training level through Intermediare I, at competitions across the region. His highlights in competition included his medium and extended trot which regularly earned scores 8 and 9.

Highlights:

• USDF Third Level Freestyle Horse of the Year champion, 12th place at Third level, 7th place at Fourth level.

• American Trakehner Association National Third Level Freestyle, Fourth level, and Intermediare I Champion. Reserve champion at Training and First levels.

• USDF Regional and SWDC Championships through the Intermediare I level.

Mahlon is now competing and winning at Prix St George and Intermediare I with his owner Leslie Schmidt. They earned the SWDC and USDF Region 9 AA Intermediare I Championships in 2003.

Lehnsritter

1983 Elite Hanoverian Stallion by Lehnsherr and out of SPS Melissa by Matador. Lehnsritter was imported as three year-old by Lilo Fore after successfully completing his stallion licensing and testing for Celle in Germany.

After several years of light work, he was put in training with Lyndon in 1994 by owner Michael Boltrek. In their first season of competition earned the Regional championship at Fourth level. During the next year Lyndon and Julie made arrangements to purchase the stallion when he became available.

Over the next few seasons the pair strengthened at the FEI level to earn many blue ribbons and top placings across the country (including USET Intermediare Championship qualifiers), USDF and American Hanoverian Society awards, and Regional Championships.

The pair competed through Grand Prix together and Lehnsritter went on to compete through the FEI levels with Julie Madriguera.

In addition to a consistent schedule of competition Lehnsritter also served as breeding stallion and his produce is appearing in competitions across the country.  His son Lexington earned a team Gold medal at the 2005 NAYRC as well as regional championships at third and fourth level (Region 2) and Oldenburg/ISR Horse of the Year Championships.  Fjaril, the Hanoverian mare owned by Dantia Benson, earned the USDF AA First level Horse of the Year Championship, and third place in the overall standings, as well as her Hanoverian approval for breeding.  The 2001 Oldenburg mare Luna is in training with owners Lyndon and Julie and will begin competing in 2006.

• USDF Intermediare I Freestyle Horse of the Year Champion, 71.67% median average

• USDF Intermediare II Horse of the Year, 8th place, 62.895%

• American Hanoverian Society National Intermediare I Freestyle Champion, twice Intermediare II Champion, Grand Prix Reserve Champion.

• USDF Regional and Southwest Dressage Championships (SWDC) through the Grand Prix level.

Lehnsritter Offspring:

Santo Iago, Competition season 2004

Santo Iago - “Iago” is owned by Evelyn Goebel. Iago was originally purchased to become her future competition horse but he had another idea in mind: growing! Iago is over 17.1 hands and is filling out, it seems, daily. Since his arrival from Canada last fall Lyndon and Iago have come to know each other and have put together an impressive string of victories at second and third level:

2004 Southwest Dressage championships open Second and Third level Reserve Champion

2004 USDF/GAIG, Region 9 Second level Open Reserve Champion

2004 USDF/GAIG, Region 9 Third level Open Champion.

Iago is currently in Houston with Evelyn and is being trained by Susan Shiba.  Best of luck!

Prestige

Hanoverian gelding By Prestige Pilot. Prestige was imported as a five year old from Germany. He came through the Verden auction and Lyndon found the gelding during his winter stay in Florida and recommended him to his student Amy Bock. Amy purchased the gelding and has had great success at First through Fourth level.  Prestige has been spending some intensive training time with Lyndon to solidify his FEI training and development.

Willkommen Q

"Wilko"  has had a great career as a young stallion in sport-horse competitions and under saddle.  He is a 16.1 hand Hanoverian by Weltbekannt and out of SPS Pik Dame who is a full sister to Pik Bube!  He was an embryo transfer foal, bred by Suzanne Quarles.  He was provisionally licensed as a breeding stallion for the RPSI but has since been gelded so that he can focus all of his energy on his dressage career. 

His accomplishments include:

Way To Go 1997-2004

1997 Hanoverian gelding by Wallstreet Kid and out of Brisstas by Banter. This unique gelding was owned by Leslie Schmidt.

Way To Go, or “W”, competed at Training and First level. He slow to gain his confidence (the ground and other horses tend to be terrifying at times!), had a talent for bucking, but he was a star. He earned scores to 76% and twice received 9’s on his gaits. Way To Go was bred by Vanessa Carlson of Oklahoma and hand picked, as a two year old, by Lyndon.  We really miss him.

2003: Winner of the 2003USDF/Region 9 Training level Open Championship, 70.926%. USDF Training level Horse of the Year Award, 16th place, 72.710% average, fourth place American Hanoverian Society/USDF All-Breed Training level Horse of the Year.