Dressage-News

By KENNETH J. BRADDICK

VERDEN, Germany, Aug. 9, 2014–Steffen Peters rode Legolas to victory in the CDI3* Grand Prix Saturday, in the first competition for the American national champions since the rider came down with severe pneumonia a month ago.

Steffen and the 12-year-old Westfalen gelding that missed the Nations Cup in Aachen, Germany because of the pneumonia, scored 74.980 per cent for the win over Canada’s David Marcus on Chrevi’s Capital who posted a personal best result of 72.300 per cent. German Olympian Dorothee Schneider on Silvano was third on 71.920 per cent with the USA’s Adrienne Lyle on Wizard fourth on 71.740 per cent.

This event is the last international  competition in Europe before the opening of the World Equestrian Games in Normandy, France in two weeks in which Steffen and Legolas will ride for the United States and David and Chrevi’s Capital for Canada (see separate story).

The return of Steffen–he described his recovery as 99 per cent complete and will be fully so by the time of the WEG–is a relief for the United States as he and Legolas are the No. 1 combination in the United States.

Under the U.S. selection criteria, Steffen and Legolas and Laura Graves of Geneva, Florida and Verdades were automatically placed on the team as the top two placegetters at the American championships. Based on the average of the Grand Prix results at the championships and at Fritzens, Austria and Aachen, Germany Tina Konyot of Palm City, Florida on Calecto V and Caroline Roffman of Wellington, Florida on Her Highness O.

In Saturday’s Grand Prix, Adrienne Lyle of Ketchum, Idaho n Wizard, who rode for the United Dtates at the London Olympics in 2012 placed fourth while Caroline and Her Highness were scored at 67.960 per cent for 18th place. Tina Konyot on Calecto, on the American teams at the WEG in 2010 and the Olympics in 2012, competed at a national show in Uden, Netherlands and were reported to have scored 73 per cent.

However, the main focus Saturday was on Steffen of San Diego, California and Legolas.

“I have to admit my lungs were burning a bit during the test,” said Steffen after the ride. “I’m happy with my recovery time, though. A minute after we walked out of the arena my heart rate went down. I’m very proud of my lungs–they’re working again.”

He disclosed that he was so excited with the initial recovery he reported it after three weeks but then went through a “really, really rough” patch where he was passing out regularly in the afternoons. He went back to the hospital where he underwent the painful testing of blood content in the arteries.

“The lungs simply weren’t producing enugh oxygen,” he said. “Everybody told me to be careful, and if I eas not careful I could get failure or scar tissue. It was tricky.

“Dr. Mark Hart (U.S. team doctor) advised me that pneumonia is difficult to come back from, I jusut had to be patient. He was right.

“I’m at at 99 per cent now and at the World Games I’ll be 100 per cent.

“We’ve got another two weeks to go. I’m jogging and working out.”

He gave the credit to his wife, Shannon, for improving the suppleness Legolas while he was sidelined from riding. Shannon flew to the U.S. team base in Belgium after Steffen got pneumonia to ride Legolas and his young horse, Rosamunde.

“It really paid off today. The horse felt supple in the ring. We got all the changes. For rideability, it was one of our best tests.”

He said that Legolas felt “very fit” under saddle–“I’ll be happy with this feeling at the World Games. The horse has good fitness, maybe the rider not so much.”

Asked his predictions for the WEG, he laughed and said, “obviously Germany looks strong.”

The United States may be going into a championships with two combinations–Laura and Verdades and he and Legolas–each capable of scoring 75 per cent. Teams for the WEG can include four combinations but the scores of only three count in the Nations Cup.

A check of the records by dressage-news.com showed that the U.S. has never fielded a team where two combinations receved marks of at least 75 per cent.

Results:

CDI3* Grand Prix