United States Eventing Association

Tak For Farven Flies the Flag for U.S. Breeders

As the Dutta Corp. USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) Championships approach this fall at the Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill (East) and Twin Rivers Ranch (West), the USEA is connecting with eventers that have their sights set on competing with their 4- or 5-year-old prospects.

This month, Kaitlin Hartford checks in from Callahan, Florida, to talk about her journey with her own and Elly Schobel’s 4-year-old Danish Warmblood stallion, Tak For Farven (Tempest WT x Ostentatious). "Klaus," as the stallion is known around the barn, recently achieved a qualifying score for the Championships but not without Hartford’s hard work and dedication to his success.

Hartford wrote the following:

I met Elly Schobel, the breeder of Klaus, in 2018 while working for Lara Anderson in Aiken, South Carolina. I started his father, Tempest WT, over fences for Elly and fell in love with him! In 2020, I bred one of Elly’s mares and have a 3-year-old named Tempus Fugit EZ that I hope to compete next year. His father was brave to the fences and had a super jump. If he fails as a dressage horse, I may have to steal him!

At the end of 2022, Elly contacted me asking me if I would be interested in partnering with a coming 3-year-old she had in her stables. She had bred him to be her next dressage horse, but he had taken a liking to jumping the fences instead. I brought him down to Florida, and he got settled in as I prepared for my wedding.

We started him under saddle the summer of his 3-year-old year and got him doing small local shows and heading to lessons to gain exposure. He is one of the easiest babies I’ve ever started, and I credit that to his breeding! His fourth ride in, he was trotting around the arena and being a solid citizen. We let him do a lot of hacking on the trails with a friend to build his strength and bravery without putting a ton of concussion on his legs.

We did our first cross-country school at the end of 2023 to feel out what his 4-year-old year would look like and to see if the YEH Championships would be a goal in the future. Klaus was brave to all the fences and really seemed to like it. We had some issues with the water jump, but he eventually got in.

We did our first YEH qualifier at the 32nd Court YEH (Reddick, Florida). It was early in the season, and it was definitely a test to see what we needed to work on. Klaus had a lovely walk and trot in his dressage test but trying to canter an uncoordinated 17-hand stallion in a dressage arena was a bit rough. We took him out in the jumping field after dressage. One of my favorite things about the YEH program is you can show them the fences before you compete. We let him see the water jump, and it took him a few minutes, but he went through it. We started the jumping portion, and I quickly realized we had not exposed him to distractions while he was working. We had a very interesting cross-country round and needless to say we did not receive a qualifying score.

We did a few Beginner Novice events and took a crack at another qualifier by heading up to Full Gallop Farm in Aiken. Klaus scored an 8.8 on his walk and his trot, but the canter still needed some work. He had good scores out in the jumping field but was a bit bored with the fences. He obtained his qualifying score there.

We gave him a bit of time off to let him have a break and breathe once he got his qualifying score. Now, the goal is to allow him to gain experience in bigger venues, so he’s not overwhelmed by Maryland's atmosphere, which I think is going to be a great experience for him. Our other goal with him is to do the North American Danish Warmblood Stallion Testing this year, so we can potentially have him stand at stud next year.

We had entered him at Bouckaert Farm H.T. (Fairburn, Georgia) during the last weekend of June, but we unfortunately had a setback when he ripped off a chunk of his hoof coming in from turnout. We had plans to take him to the World Equestrian Center (Ocala, Florida) this summer to let him experience the atmosphere there as well and focus on some show jumping.

After two weeks off he is slowly coming back in to work. Our plans are to take him to River Glen H.T. (New Market, Tennessee) and Stable View Oktoberfest before we head up to Maryland to compete! It has been an up and down road in our training, but we are excited to go to Maryland in October! I have been to Fair Hill in the past in 2018 and 2019 with two different Thoroughbreds, but this will be my first year bringing one that I started under saddle.

One of my favorite things is that I am on a U.S.-bred horse. His breeder has been a huge supporter of bringing him along, and we have bred another mare to his sire after seeing these two started under saddle!

If you'd like to follow along with Hartford and Klaus' journey, click here to "like" their Facebook page.

To learn more about the USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) Program and the Dutta Corp. USEA YEH Championships, click here.

About the USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) Program

The Young Event Horse (YEH) Program was first established in 2004 as an eventing talent search. Much like similar programs in Europe, the YEH program was designed to identify young horses aged four- and five-years-old, that possess the talent and disposition to, with proper training, excel at the uppermost levels of the sport. The ultimate goal of the program is to distinguish horses with the potential to compete at the four- and five-star levels, but many fine horses that excel at the lower levels are also showcased by the program.

The YEH program provides an opportunity for breeders and owners to exhibit the potential of their young horses while encouraging the breeding and development of top event horses for the future. The program rewards horses who are educated and prepared in a correct and progressive manner. At qualifying events, youngsters complete a dressage test and a jumping/galloping/general impression phase. At Championships, young horses are also evaluated on their conformation in addition to the dressage test and jumping/galloping/general impression phase. Click here to learn more about the Young Event Horse Program.

The USEA would like to thank ARMA, Bates Saddles, Capital Square, HorseWeek, Kerrits, Parker Equine Insurance, SmartPak, Standlee, and The Jockey Club for sponsoring the Young Event Horse Program. Additionally, the USEA would like to thank The Dutta Corp., Title Sponsor of the Young Event Horse Championships.

About The Holekamp/Turner Grant

Founded in 2015 by Timothy and Cheryl Holekamp of New Spring Farm and Christine and T.J. Turner of Indian Creek Farm, the Holekamp/Turner Grant provides a USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) Championship competitor with the opportunity to represent the United States at the FEI Eventing World Breeding Championships in the 7-year-old CCIYH3*-L Championship at Mondial du Lion in Le Lion d’Angers, France. With the sole purpose of paving a clear pathway for U.S. team horses to progress in the sport of eventing, recipients who are North American-bred will be awarded the full cash grant of $17,500, while imported horses are awarded $8,000. Additionally, The Dutta Corp. offers a prize to the Holekamp/Turner Grant recipient, consisting of a round trip flight from the Eastern United States to Europe.