Otto P Earns High Award at International Friesian World Championship

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Matt and Amy Haygreen with their stunning stallion Otto P accepting their TheraPlate Award. (Photo courtesy of Avalon Photography)
Crowd-Stopping Majestic Performance Earns Otto P the TheraPlate Peak Performance Award at the International Friesian Show Horse Association World and Grand National Championship
Springfield, OH (November 1, 2018) — In the equestrian world, not much compares to the majestic beauty and sheer power of the Friesian Horse. With their long flowing black manes, feathered hooves, and gaits that seems to float on air, Friesians capture the romance and nostalgia of by gone eras that many horse lovers dream of. For Matt and Amy Haygreen, the 2018 International Friesian Show Horse Association (IFSHA) World and Grand National Championships was a dream come true.  Their beloved stallion, Otto P not only captured four world championship titles and earned the dressage high point of the show, he also captured the hearts of the Friesian-loving crowd in attendance. It was Otto’s jaw dropping performance in the Friesian Stallion Liberty class that earned him the TheraPlate Peak Performance Award. TheraPlate Revolution Therapy Platforms was so impressed by the 6-year-old and his ability to perform at such a high level while making it seem effortless, that they were thrilled to give him this special recognition.
Otto was in good company and in fierce competition during the IFSHA Championship Show. A record-breaking number of over 175 of the most elite Friesians in the US turned out at the Champions Center Expo in Springfield, Ohio from Oct 2-7 to participate in classes ranging from dressage to driving. Amy Haygreen explains, “In addition to the Stallion Liberty class, Otto also competed in dressage classes, in hand classes, hunt seat, and a costume class at the show. His main discipline is dressage, but he also enjoys driving and has won a World Championship doing that as well!” she continues.
Haygreen and her husband have owned Otto since he was 6 months old, and they currently stand him at their farm, Stone Mountain Creek Farm in Trap Hill, NC. She describes the nature of the stallion liberty class, “During this class, the horse is led in, then he is let off the lead line to run freely while a musical selection is played for 90 seconds. The handler then has 2 minutes to catch the horse.”  Haygreen explains that she and her husband, Matt, often play around with Otto at liberty in their arena at home. She says he loves doing this and clearly knew what he needed to do during this class. “He was relaxed and enjoyed showing off for the crowd,” she describes, “He showed off all his gaits and seemed to enjoy his musical selection, which was a Scottish Highland Celtic battle song from the TV series, Outlander.” She continues, “At the end, Otto won over the crowd by walking up to Matt, who led him in, stopping in front of him and snorting loudly, and then, putting his head down for Matt.” Haygreen says this earned a collective “Awwwwwww” from the audience.
Haygreen goes on to say that the Friesian Horse Association of North America (FHANA) – Ohio region also held their keuring/inspection during this same time. Otto, who was bred by Vanderpleog Friesians in Michigan is a purebred Friesian by Doaitsen 420 out of Sally P. (x Teade 392), and is in this registry. “Otto also performed his ridden IBOP test for the KFPS judges who flew in from the Netherlands for the Ohio keuring,” she says proudly, “Otto scored a 78.5 in his ridden IBOP which earned him the 4th highest score in the US and Canada, as well as the Champion of the Day for ridden IBOP at his keuring!”
Haygreen says their goal with Otto is predominately to continue training and competing in dressage, however, they also want him to continue driving. “This is something that Matt and I are able to do together with Otto,” she explains, “and it’s a great way to keep Otto in condition as well as to break up the monotony of arena work”. She also describes how TheraPlate Revolutionary Platforms have been a part of Otto’s training, “TheraPlate are sponsors of Griffin Sport Horses with whom Otto was in training during the spring/summers of his 3rd and 4th years. Otto loves his TheraPlate time, as do we!” she smiles.
TheraPlate platforms are beneficial for both humans and horses. Versatility is a hallmark of peak performance, which is why TheraPlate is the Official Therapy Plate of the US Equestrian, providing equine athletes increased circulation and pain reduction, enhanced muscle tone and overall improvement in the quality of their warm-ups and cool-downs during training. To learn more about the TheraPlate Revolution and why top riders and horse care teams choose it as part of their winning strategy visit www.theraplate.com.