After a year’s hiatus, Dressage in the Wine Country returned to the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa on Sept. 15 to greet a packed house of spectators, a record number of trade fair vendors, 45 in all, and a tasting with 21 wineries and microbrewries.
Produced by the Sonoma chapter of the California Dressage Society, DWC, the tag by which this show has become known, pulled together top riders from Northern California, many of whom have succeeded on a national level and nearly 1900 spectators who watched dressage musical freestyles through the Grand Prix level, drill teams and Gambler’s Choice jumping.



Some entertainers rode in the classic dressage tailcoat and top hat while others turned out in costumes. Music ran from Vivaldi and William Tell to Queen, Bon Jovi and Beyonce, to Frank Sinatra and Paul Simon.
“We had many people who were new to dressage who felt the show was very welcoming. Others who have seen it before said it was the best they’d ever seen,” said Judy McHerron, the event’s manager. “We were so pleased to see happy horses who love to entertain and spectators who were relaxed, having fun and enjoying themselves.”
McHerron of Healdsburg also praised the team of Sonoma Chapter members who worked for nearly nine months to produce the event.
Entertainment included Grand Prix freestyles from the Rachael Saavedra of San Ramon in classic coattails and her Swedish Warmblood gelding Robello, to Chelsey Sibley on Carol DiMaggio’s Arabian stallion Taez in Arabian native costume. Sibley, of Sonora, also rode in an international level pas de deux on Deborah Harrison’s Dutch stallion Ijsselmeer, whose one-tempi flying changes and canter pirouettes had the audience talking for days after. She rode with Creeky Routson of Walnut Creek on Scott and Anne Dee Zielinger’s Hanoverian mare Camara.



Another pas de deux of note was the classic “East Meets West” freestyle featuring reining champion Art Grunig of Santa Rosa, on Kathy Differding’s Quarter Horse gelding Eat My Dust Cody, and Carol Hill of Healdsburg on her Prix St. Georges level Hanoverian gelding Classico. The audience was also treated to a Prix St. Georges pas de deux with Kristen Aggers of Windsor on Pam Mahle’s Hanoverian gelding Nobby and Susan Halasz of Los Angeles on Marimar Torres’ Dutch Warmblood gelding Nambe.
Large groups included the Petaluma Junior Drill Team, the European Pony School Drill Team and the Renaissance Farm Riders (Kirstin Jorgensen, Kate Kelly, Samantha Davis and Kylie Dupuis) who demonstrated dressage through the levels. The latter’s coach, Darren Taplin of Santa Rosa, performed a Third Level freestyle on the Friesian mare Margriet.
Other performers included Tanya Vik of Sonoma on the Hanoverian gelding Divinity 3, performing an Intermediare I freestyle, Nick Bertelli of Santa Rosa on Trakehner gelding Harlekin and Michael Etherly of Elk Grove on Oldenburg mare Dejima.
The audience was treated to zebra striped horses in a demonstration by the Patchworks Riding School of Santa Rosa, a nonprofit community organization working with special needs children.
The evening entertainment wrapped up with the Gambler’s Choice jump off won by Garrett Warner of Healdsburg.
In the tradition of the past ten years, the Sonoma County Chapter of CDS presented at the show the Ursula Liakos Award in recognition of individuals or groups who have striven to protect the well being of horses and/ or elevated the profile of equestrian endeavors in Sonoma County. This year’s winners were Gail Davis, Sydni Davenport and Melissa Percell.