We found an ideal match for this sensitive, athletic horse in Liz Erwin of Maryland. Within a week of the sale they had earned nearly 67% at a schooling show, but they've made much greater strides since then–Crooner has earned scores of over 70% at recognized shows at both training and first level. Their real love, however, turns out to be pas de deux–a natural for Crooner, who is, as his name suggests, a bit of a romantic and a real egotist, who loves attention and applause. Liz and Crooner, with partners Samantha Smith and Aura, earned an astounding 83.5% at the PVDA Chapter Challenge, high score for the show. They debuted the pas de deux at the fall VADA/NOVA show, receiving 68% and qualifying for the BLMs first time out even though it was, as Liz writes, "a balmy 24 degrees."

Liz is the kind of person we love to match horses with–she takes the best care of her horse, is disciplined in her training, and loves riding. With Crooner, she has shown great tact and perseverance in dealing with a talented but sometimes challenging horse, and devoted herself to his welfare through thick and thin (he was off much of the summer before his pas de deux triumphs with a severe bruise to his sesamoid bone).

These pictures are from the PVDA Chapter Challenge. We have seen about fifty pictures from this test and in not a single one could we find an instance where the horses were not matching stride for stride. Beautiful! We're hoping to get video soon . . .