Minna Telde & Don Charly Victorious in Vidauban CDIO3* Freestyle, Special
10 years ago StraightArrow Comments Off on Minna Telde & Don Charly Victorious in Vidauban CDIO3* Freestyle, Special
VIDAUBAN, France, May 19–Sweden’s Minna Telde who had not competed Don Charly at international level for three years, notched the first victories ever for the partnership by winning the Grand Prix Freestyle and the Special at the CDIO3*.
Minna and the 16-year-old Hanoverian stallion (Don Gregory x Indiana x Inschallah) scored 73.775 per cent in the Freestyle Sunday after posting 71.167 per cent in the Special on Saturday.
Laurens Van Lieren on Hexagon’s Welnetta was second in the Freestyle with 72.350 per cent while France’s Claire Gosselin on Karamel de Lauture was third on 70.900 per cent.
Tinne Vilhelmsson-Silfvén and Divertimento, who won the CDIO Grand Prix and came second in the Special with 70.583 per cent were placed seventh in the Freestyle with a score of 68.175 per cent.
Their result was skewed by 60.750 per cent given by Swedish judge Gustav Svalling. His score of 59.50 per cent for technical and 62.000 per cent for artistic put the six-time Swedish Olympian in last place. Susan Hoevenaars of Australia awarded the pair 72.875 per cent, Bernard Maurel of France 65.875 per cent, Wojtek Markowski of Poland 72.250 per cent and Maria Colliander of Finland 69.125 per cent.
Don Charly was trained by Minna from the age of five and competed at the 2003 World Young Horse Championships in Verden, Germany. After success at small tour, the pair began their CDI Grand Prix career in 2007. The combination racked up a string of high placings in 2008 and qualified for the World Cup Final at Las Vegas in 2009, but had to withdraw with an injury after the Grand Prix.
Later the same year, Minna and Don Charly were on the fourth-placed Swedish team at the European Championships in Windosr, England. Then, after a couple more shows in Scandinavia that year was off the competition calendar.
Don Charly returned to the show ring in Bremen, Germany and Doha, Qatar in March this year before coming to Vidauban as a member of the Swedish team competing in the debut event of the FEI Nations Cup pilot series.
In the 29 starts from 2007 until this weekend, the victory in the Special was their first and was followed by Sunday’s Freestyle title.
