Dressage-News

By KENNETH J. BRADDICK

LEXINGTON, Kentucky, Oct. 11–Steffen Peters overcame an error of course that he was certain he would never make but he overcame it to ride Legolas to victory in the Grand Prix Special Friday night for the pair’s second win in the USA National Championships presented by the Dutta Corp.

“The horse was great, the rider wasn’t good,” Steffen said of the ride on the 11-year-old Westfalen gelding that was scored at 74.771 per cent and came after their Grand Prix win on 77.000 per cent. With the Grand Prix Freestyle to be performed Saturday night but counting for only 15 per cent of the combined results Steffen of San Diego, California is virtually certain to claim the second straight U.S. championship with Legolas.

“I saw at the Europeans (Championships in Denmark in August) three riders make mistakes and I thought, ‘that could never ever happen to me.’ I looked at the ring and went over the test at least 10 times. I had the order of movements in my mind. Still it happened.”

Despite the error, Steffen led a California sweep of the top placings in the Special under lights with a sparse crowd in the Kentucky Horse Park main stadium. Californians made up half of the starting lineup of just eight combinations.

Günter Seidel of Cardiff and Coral Reef Wylea were second on 71.917 per cent and Kathleen Raine of Murrieta and Breanna were third on 70.771 per cent.

Steffen’s error shaved a miniscule 10 points–two for each of the five judges–off the result that totaled 358.900, but he clearly wasn’t happy.

“It was the cleanest test we’ve had,” he said, “Legolas was fabulous. It didn’t matter too much tonight but I would have been really upset if this would have happened in a team competition. I’m confident it won’t happen again.”

For Günter, like Steffen a German transplant to Southern California and a multi-Olympian for the United States, the ride on Coral Reef Wylea to second place “from the rideability and relaxation it was definitely the best test we’ve had.”

Wylea was bought last November from former U.S. team coach Klaus Balkenhol of Germany whose daughter, Anabel, a German Olympian, had lightly competed. Since then, Günter has competed successfully in California and Europe and now in their first Festival of Champions that is the championship for American dressage.

Steffen thought Günter’s ride on the 13-year-old Westfalen mare was scored a “a bit lower” than it should. “I saw him higher.

“It was exciting to watch clear improvements since Europe.”

All three of the top placegetters were in Europe this year as part of a revitalized dressage program that saw about 20 American combinations cross the Atlantic for training and competition including a third place finish in the Nations Cup at the Wold Equestrian Festival in Aachen, Germany and the silver medal team at Hckstead, England.

“The European tours were very successful and it is important to not only look at where we stand but where we are going,” Steffen said.

Kathleen said she thinks a lot of the improvement at the top level of American dressage has had “a lot… to do with the trip to Europe to compete against the best. It only makes us try and get better. I think the quality is really coming up.”

Günter attributed improvement to competing against each other in California and also to U.S. Chef d’Equipe Robert Dover “constantly nags us to do better… in a good way.”

The Young Adult Brentina Cup Under-25 national championship was won by Emily Wagner of La Cygne, Kansas on her Weltdorff with an overall score of 65.578 per cent.

Genay Vaughn of Elk Grove, California rode Donarweiss GGF to reserve champion with an overall score of 64.646 per cent while Lauren Knopp of Wellington, Florida and Rantaro were third with 64.294 per cent.

Ayden Uhlir of Kirkland, Washington and Sjapoer won the Young Rider national championship with an overall score of 68.211 per cent, Rachel Chowanec of Columbia, Connecticut on Embrujado XI was reserve champion with an overall score of 66.356 per cent
and Kaitlin Blythe of Rougemon, North Carolina and Daverden third with an overall score of 65.645 per cent.

Every rider at these championships is required to wear a safety helmet as it is a national competition subject to U.S, rules and not those of the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) that gives senior riders a choice of a helmet or a top hat. Not a single rider has been heard to complain about the helmet rule.

Results:

Grand Prix Special

Judges – E: Zang-USA  H: Foy-USA  C: Gribbons-USA  M: Rockwell-USA  B: Gardner-GBR 

Championship standings 2013 FOC Grand Prix Division

YOUNG RIDER INDIVIDUAL

Judges – E: Foy-USA  H: Zang-USA  C: Gribbons-USA  M: Rockwell-USA  B: Gardner-GBR