Gabriella Santaniello Recognized with Premier Equestrian Award at the 2018 International Friesian Show Horse Association World Show
Springfield, Ohio (October 26, 2018) – “I’m very proud of Gabriella and her horse. This is such a prestigious show and it’s an honor to qualify, much less to attend with your own horse and achieve so much together,” said trainer Danielle Barrasso, referring to her student, Gabriella Santaniello, who added the Premier Equestrian Award to her list of achievements at the 2018 International Friesian Show Horse Association World Show, October 2-7, in Springfield, Ohio.
In their very first IFSHA World Show appearance together, the Suffield, Connecticut teenager and her five year-old purebred Friesian mare, Rajasahara (Steffan-S x Senko Zon D), earned nine World Championships, 12 reserve championships, and a Top 5 in classes including costume, halter, (hunter and western) dressage, (hunter and western) equitation and pleasure, and showmanship.
“She started riding at age five, and became my student when she was seven. She started out doing hunter/jumpers on my ponies before her parents bought Raja and waited for her to grow into her new horse.”
The wait, this Premier Equestrian Award winner has certainly proven, has been worth it. “She’s accomplished quite a bit. She loves dressage and wants to earn her medals. She’s just one Third Level score away from her Bronze,” said Barrasso, an acclaimed trainer in western Massachusetts who was selected by USEF in 2011 as an Equestrian of Honor and awarded its Vaughn Smith Trophy.
The award-winning trainer predicts her student’s star is going to keep rising. Gabriella is still in high school but already taking college-level courses, and holds positions with the Future Farmers of America Committee, National Honor Society, Student Council and Student Senate, and World Language Society.
“She’s impeccable, in her grades and horsemanship,” Barrasso said.
Which put Gabriella – and her beautiful jet-black mare – on solid footing when it came time to announce the winner of the Premier Equestrian Award, presented by leading footing and arena company Premier Equestrian, to salute sportsmanship and positive attitude.
Premier Equestrian is proud to recognize exemplary sportsmanship and present its award to rising stars like Gabriella at a variety of breed and discipline shows throughout the year. Just as riders study, practice, and perfect their skills in the saddle, Premier Equestrian takes no short cuts in creating world-class footing surfaces. Premier Equestrian prioritizes the health and safety of equine athletes and has been studying how arena surfaces impact equine biomechanics for over a decade. All Premier Equestrian’s premium-grade footing materials are expertly developed and thoroughly tested to assure consistency and superior quality. The company also offers free consultations and sand analysis reports so riders of all levels can create the perfect combination of materials for optimum riding surfaces. For more information on Premier Equestrian, or to request a free catalog, a free arena-footing sample or sand analysis, please call 800-611-6109 or-visit www.PremierEquestrian.com
