Adrienne Sternlicht (USA) and Cristalline (Cristallo 1 x Caretello B)

“Cristalline is out of this world,” says Adrienne, “I am in awe that I get to be around her every day,” said the 25-year-old American rider. “My groom and I are her biggest fans I think, we talk about it every day that she just amazes us and keeps on improving. She is a very intelligent horse, just a pleasure to work with every day and to be around. We have a very close partnership, and I feel like we understand each other.”

Chris Chugg and Gabi Kuna talk about the mare they purchased in Europe, produced in Australia to World cup level. They then took her to represent Australia in the World Cup with Chris in 2016 as an eight-year-old. Our report read:

“Cristalline was the star for the crowd, she jumped superbly and only had the last fence down! Everybody was talking about her. She was clear in the second round! This mare was unbelievable, the favorite of the audience, and also respected by riders and owners. In the final ranking, she and Chris Chugg finished in 10th position.”

She was sold to Adrienne Sternlicht soon after that performance…

Chris and Gabi talk about how they found her:

Gabi and Cristalline at the George Morris clinic in January 2014

“When we tried her, she’s a horse that wants to work herself all the time, a bit like a working dog. Cristalline likes to be forward and busy. When we went to try her, what Gabi needed was a horse that had lots of scope and lots of rideability and a nice character. It’s no good having a Warmblood that you’ve got to ride like a guy when you’re a girl, and Cristalline fitted the bill really well. I must admit she has surprised both of us, surprised us in a nice way, she’s a better horse than the one we bought. She just trains herself basically, we just manage her. What you see in the end product is a combination of a horse and rider that knit perfectly together.”

Competing at the Australian Championships is December 2014

“The mare had great quality, we probably tried her over a metre thirty five, a small one forty, and she was a green five-year-old. She had been in work for about six weeks, preparing for us to see her. She had been worked and jumped under saddle for that time. She has grown into a much stronger type than what we bought. She was about 16.1 when we bought her, she’s 16.3 now. We basically work her in straight lines and relax her. When she is relaxed, that’s when she gives you the jump. When you see her a little bit uptight, fresh and buzzy, then she sometimes gets very high over fences and can make a few mistakes on the back rail.”