Dressage-News

HAGEN, Germany, April 24, 2014-Australia’s Mary Hanna and Boogie Woogie, the KWPN gelding she bought a year ago, “stepped into a dream world” Thursday to win the Horses and Dreams Intermediate 1 over some of Germany’s top developing combinations.

The score for Mary and Boogie Woogie (Du Moulin x Forte) of 74.895 per cent–with all five judges placing the pair first–was a big margin over second placed German Vivienne Neumann  and her Wirsol’s Cipollini on 71.816 per cent in the pair’s first international small tour event and German young rider star Charlott-Maria Schürmann and Edward 28  third on 71.421 per cent.

“I feel like I stepped into a dream world,” Mary said after the Australian anthem was played at the show that is a premier event launching Europe’s outdoor season.

“Never did I believe I would win in such a show as Hagen. It just shows you can achieve anything with the right attitude, a great horse and a great team around you… and I really hope that this achievement inspires Aussie riders to think big.”

To put the result into context, Vivienne and Cipollini have won multiple medals at both Junior and Young Rider European Championships while  Charlott-Maria and Edward were Young Rider team mates at the 2013 Europeans and she also competes Burlington FRH on which she became the youngest ever winner with a record high score of the 2012 Nürnberger Burg-Pokal, Germany’s most pretisigious title for small tour horses between seven and nine years old.

The Aussie Olympic veteran and Boogie Woogie served notice of success to come when the pair were second in the Prix St. Georges a day earlier in their first international competition.

Mary and her husband bought Boogie Woogie in March, 2013 and left the horse to be trained by Patrik Kittel, the Swedish Olympian who is based in Germany with his Australian wife, Lyndal Oatley. In recent German national competitions, the horse was ridden by Patrik’s rider Malin Nillson for wins at Prix St Georges and Intermediate 1 with scores up to 73 per cent.

Mary arrived in Europe with her Olympic mount Sancette as the Pacific League representative in the World Cup Final in Lyon, France last weekend. The horse pulled a shoe on the flight from Australia and a nail pierced the sole that severely limited preparation for the Final. She focused work on Boogie Woogie that she said was showing great steps in piaffe and passage.

“I am so thankful to Patrik and the whole team at outstanding stables, Lyndal and Malin, especially as I feel so much support,” she said.

“Patrik has taken my training to a whole other level and I am really enjoying training with him and I am also really enjoying competition preparation as he really gives me the calmness and confidence to ride well.

“I still feel like I have to pinch myself and I am so proud of Boogie.”

Patrik, in addition to working with Lyndal and Mary, also trains Briana Burgess, an Australian rider who has been based in Germany for the past four years and has been successfully competing her La Scala at Grand Prix.

“It’s so great to see Mary achieve a result such as this,” Patrik said. “I am so proud to be training Mary and I am really enjoying the partnership between myself and mares. She is a welcome part of the team and is a great addition to my little Aussie entourage. I am super happy.”

Results:

Intermediate 1