Dressage-News

AACHEN, Germany, June 8–Nine nations will field teams and another five countries have entered individuals to compete in the World Equestrian Festival CDIO at Aachen next month in preparation for the European Championships a month later and leading up to the London Olympics in 2012.

Among the entries for Aachen July 13-19–either as members of national teams for the CDIO or in the CDI4*–are expected to include:

-Totilas ridden by Matthias Alexander Rath for Germany;
-The Netherlands’ Adelinde Cornelissen and Jerich Parzival, 2011 World Cup champions and most likely ranked No. 1 in the world at the time;
-Great Britain’s World Equestrian Games triple silver medal-winning combination of Laura Bechtolsheimer and Mistral Hojris, and
–USA’s 2009 World Cup titlist, Aachen CDIO champion and 2010 WEG double bronze medal pair of Steffen Peters and Ravel.

The nine teams are Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Great Britain, Germany, The Netherlands, Sweden and the U.S.

Individual riders have entered from Austria, Canada, Ireland, Italy and Switzerland.

The increasingly popular Under-25 competition that was inaugurated at Aachen in 2010 has also attracted several countries for the Nations Cup, though the United States that was invited to enter a team and an individual competitor will not be represented.

The CHIO Aachen includes dressage, driving, eventing, jumping and vaulting and attracts more than a quarter million spectators.

The dressage schedule in the Deutsche Bank Stadium:

Wednesday, July 13
FEI Prix St. Georges
FEI Grand Prix CDI4*

Thursday, July 14
FEI Grand Prix CDIO

Friday, July 15
FEI Intermédiaire II (U-25)
Quadrille-Championship Aachen 2011
FEI Grand Prix Spécial CDI4*

Saturday, July 16
FEI Grand Prix Spécial CDIO
FEI Grand Prix – 16-25 (U-25)
FEI Intermédiaire I
FEI Grand Prix Kür to Music CDI4*

Sunday, July 17
Grand Prix of Aachen