Most people are used to seeing Hokan Thorn in the saddle but at the Dressage At Devon breed show, Devon Pa., Sept. 28-30, Thorn handled the reins from the ground, guiding Ocita to the grand championship.

The judges were unanimous in their decision to place the black Holsteiner mare (Love Affair–Ines, Merano) on top. Judge Janet Brown said the mare was a “modern, elegant, elastic horse who uses her whole body in the trot and walk.”

Owned by Sheila Davis and bred by Far-A-Field Acres, Ocita dominated the mare division and defeated Toraya, BW Corabella and Cabana Boy in the grand championship class.

Thorn has been the head trainer at Far-A-Field Acres, in Quinque, Va., since before Ocita, 4, was foaled, and he said he picked her out of a field of young horses last August as the one he wanted to break to saddle personally.

“I liked her that much right from the beginning,” he said. “She’s a very intelligent horse. When I brought her in from the field, she had never been in a barn before and barely had a halter on. In two weeks I was riding her; she’s that smart.”

Davis bought Ocita last year, but left her in training with Thorn at Far-A-Field Acres. Before coming to Devon, Ocita won the grand championship at Morven Park (Va.), the Virginia Dressage Association Summer Breed Show, and the Dressage in Lexington Breed Show (Va.).

Thorn said winning at Devon was a validation of his faith in the mare’s breeding and ability.

“I know the quality of this horse, and I’ve believed in her from the first time I saw her. But winning at Devon is a great confirmation of that,” he said.

Despite some experience at breed shows, Thorn said that the atmosphere at Devon did get Ocita a little hot the first day they showed. But after she went into the ring the first time, she settled right down and knew she had a job to do.

“She showed herself off well–she likes that part. She dealt with the stress of a big show very well,” he said.

Because of torrential rains caused by Hurricane Ivan on Tuesday, many classes were rescheduled. But Thorn said that even an 11:30 p.m. class didn’t faze the mare. “I can’t tell you enough what a wonderful mind she has. You don’t have to train her; she trains herself,” he said.

Thorn has shown Ocita under saddle at training level and had planned to show the mare under saddle at the breed show. But once she started picking up blue ribbon after blue ribbon in the mare division, he said he scratched her from the under saddle classes because he knew she was in the running for the grand championship and needed to conserve her energy.

According to Thorn, Ocita possesses all the traits a really good performance horse needs. “She’s hot, but sensible, sensitive but brave, and she never seems to run out of energy,” he said. “I’m very excited and grateful that after being a part of her breeding, I am able to continue on and get to ride and train her too.”

Ocita’s bloodlines are old ones. Lieselott Wiendieck, a German native who trained at the Grand Prix level under the tutelage of Bubby Gunther and Herbert Rehbein, moved her breeding operation to the United States in 1984 and settled in Virginia in 1989.

In 1959 in Germany, she started her search for quality Holsteiner mares in order to revive the ebbing number of true Holsteiners left in the Schleswig-Holstein. The invention of the tractor and the absorption of horses into the army had left the Holstein region with few horses.

Her two foundation mares were Rhea (by Marder) and Rivalin (by Fangball). Wiendieck said she found Rhea in a shed she shared with a tractor.

Wiendieck bred Rhea to Marlon, one of the early English Thoroughbred stallions introduced to refine the Holsteiner breed, and that union produced Merlin, who sired Merano, Ocita’s dam’s sire.

Rhea is also the dam of Venezia, who carried Josef Neckermann to an individual bronze and team silver medals in the 1972 Munich Olympics.

On her father’s side, Love Affair, Ocita carries the bloodlines of Langraf I and the legendary Cor de la Bryere.