Anja Plönzke’s Le Mont d’Or Blood in Mouth Rung Out of World Dressage Masters Palm Beach
14 years ago StraightArrow Comments Off on Anja Plönzke’s Le Mont d’Or Blood in Mouth Rung Out of World Dressage Masters Palm Beach
WEST PALM BEACH, Florida, Mar. 11–Le Mont d’Or, the horse ridden by Anja Plönzke of Germany, was rung out of the World Dressage Masters Palm Beach Musical Freestyle on Friday night with blood in the 12-year-old gelding’s mouth.
Wim Ernes of The Netherlands, president of the five-person ground jury, stopped the freestyle performance about a quarter way through before a crowd of about 1,200 spectators, some of whom paid up to $500 per person for a five-course French meal with wine at the Jim Brandon Equestrian Center.
The rules are unequivocal in that the appearance of blood requires immediate elimination. There is no appeal.
Anja was one of five European riders flown in specially for the €100,000 CDI5* event in its third year. She is known as a very good horse person and kind to her horses.
She was one of eight riders in the freestyle. Nine other combinations competed earlier in the day in the Grand Prix Special.
The incident was reminiscent of the elimination of Adelinde Cornelissen and Jerich Parzival from the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky last September when the horse had blood in his mouth shortly after entering the competition arena for the first world championship class.
Anja rode in all four WDM events–one in Palm Beach and three in Europe last year
