Dressage-News

By KENNETH J. BRADDICK

HERNING, Denmark, Aug. 23–Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro added to their trove of gold when the pair won the European Championship Grand Prix Special Friday in a comedy of errors by going off course as Helen Langehanenberg and Damon Hill NRW who took silver and Adelinde Cornelissen and Jerich Parzival claiming bronze did the same thing.

The British rider and the 11-year-old KWPN gelding scored 85.699 per cent, surpassing their 83.286 per cent at the Olympic Games in London a year ago despite the error that led a deduction of 14 points–two from each of the seven judges–and it did not become a factor in her overall total of 2,879.5 points that included 22 marks of 10.

Germany’s Helen Langehanenberg and her Olympic team silver medal mount Damon Hill rode right before the British pair and electrified the sold-out stadium that seats 10,000 spectators by racking up three marks of 10 before the error of course and then notched another 10 10s by the end for a score of 84.330 per cent.

Adelinde and Jerich Parzival, the 16-year-old KWPN gelding on which she is ranked No. 1 in the world, came two rides later and when she, too, went off course the spectators burst into laughter in disbelief that three of the world’s top combinations could make such mistakes but she took it in stride and notched 81.548 per cent for third place.

The three medalists were the only combinations to break the 80 per cent barrier and the score for Helen and the 13-year-old Westfalen stallion was a personal best in what appears to be an upward trajectory of results since the pair began their Grand Prix together at the end of 2010.

The errors of course might have warranted only a footnote had it not been for all three making a mistake that no one can remember ocurring in the past at a championship and it did not take away from the high quality of the sport in a packed soccer stadium on an unseasonably warm and sunny day.

Guess what Helen Langehanenberg says after she goes off course in the European Championships Grand Prix Special. © 2013 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

The trio shared group hugs, jokes and tears at the awards ceremony and the post-competition news conference.

Asked what happened in going off course, Charlotte replied simply: “I don’t know.”

Heading to the warm up arena before the competition she asked Patrik Kittel of Sweden about his ride on Toy Story and he told her, “Not good. I went wrong.” She went into the arena knowing at that stage that Helen had gone off course.

When she made a mistake, she said, “the whole crowd erupted. It was difficult to pull myself back together because the people were making so much noise. I know I had to forget I’d gone wrong, there was no room for error. I knew I knew was in big trouble with Carl (Hester, her coach and part owner of Valegro). I knew I’d be really murdered.”

Asked whether she was more afraid about the mistake costing her the gold medal or Carl, she did not hesitate: “Definitely Carl.”

Helen Langehanenberg said she was so focused and was thinking only of the ride when she heard the bell–“no, no, no.”

Adelinde recalled that she won gold at the European Championships in Rotterdam in 2011. “I figured I’d do this again. Then a couple ahead of me figured it out so just to be sporty I did the same thing.”

Asked about the relationship with her horse, Adelinde said: “I never get emotional… ” then started sobbing. Charlotte say next to her and gave her a hug and she, too, got teary eyed as did several other people in the crowded news conference.

Edward Gal made a remarkable recovery on Glock’s Undercover after a disastrous start to their ride, the last in the Grand Prix Special.

The score climbed to the extent that the pair placed fourth on 79.476 per cent.

The top 30 horses and riders from the Nations Cup Grand Prix competition on Thursday–won by Germany, with the Netherlands on silver and Great Britain bronze–started in the Special. Fifteen will move on to the Freestyle on Sunday.

Results of Grand Prix Special:

Judge K: Francis Verbeek-van Rooij (NED) Judge E: Gustaf Svalling (SWE) Judge H: Susie Hoevenaars (AUS) Judge C: Isabelle Judet (FRA) Judge M: Leif Törnblad (DEN) Judge B: Andrew Gardner (GBR) Judge F: Dietrich Plewa (GER)