Dressage-News

OLDENBURG, Germany, Nov. 14, 2014–Kristina Sprehe and Desperados FRH, in their first competition since riding on Germany’s World Games gold medal team three months ago, won the CDI4* Grand Prix Friday while Isabell Werth rode Weihegold in the mare’s first CDI Grand Prix to second place.

Kristina and the 12-year-old black Hanoverian stallion scored 77.280 per cent for the victory. Isabell rode the black nine-year-old Oldenburg mare for 73.780 per cent and runnerup while Germany’s 2012 Olympic combination of Anabel Balkenhol and Dablino were third on 73.120 per cent.

Kristina and Desperados were on the silver medal team at the 2012 Olympics in London and also won individual bronze in addition to team gold at last summer’s World Games in Normandy.

Weihegold is competed by Isabell’s assistant Beatrice Buchwald but was ridden here as preparation for the Louisdor Prize, the German Developing Grand Prix Horse Championships at the Frankfurt indoor event Dec. 18-21. Beatrice will ride Weihegold (Don Schufro x Sandro Hit) at Frankfurt, as she did a year ago in the same show where the pair won the prestigious Nürnberger Burgpokal Final for Developing Prix St Georges. Both the Louisdor and Nürnberger Burgpokal are national series.

Weihegold is an embryo transfer broodmare with successful offspring. She placed third at the Bundeschampionat as a 4-year-old and was ridden by Kira Wulferding a year later to make the final at the World Young Horse Championships.

Results (only scores provided):

1. Kristina Sprehe/Desperados FRH – 77.28%
2. Isabell Werth/Weihegold OLD – 73.78%
3. Anabel Balkenhol/Dablino FRH – 73.12%
4. Hubertus Schmidt/Imperio – 71.02%
5. Brigitte Wittig/Brioni W – 70.98%
6. Carola Koppelmann/Deveraux B – 69.52%