Dressage-News

STUTTGART, Germany, Nov. 22, 2014–Kathleen Raine and Breanna logged a personal best score and was the highest placed non-German combination in the German Masters CDI4 Grand Prix Saturday, their last European competition for 2014.

Kathleen of Murietta, California on Breanna placed fifth with 71.540 per cent, a personal best for the duo that has spent the past five months competing in Europe. The pevious Grand Prix high score for Kathleen and the 14-year-old Hanoverian mare was 71.320 per cent in Cappeln, Germany in August.

This was the second time the pair has set new personal best results on this European swing.

“She was awesome,” Kathleen told dressage-news.com after the Stuttgart Grand Prix that was won by Isabell Werth on Bella Rose with her World Games gold medal team mates Kristina Sprehe on Desperados in second and 2012 Olympic rider Dorothee Schneider third.

There were, she said, “a few little things” but four of the five judges ranked the pair fifth.

“So consistent and powerful.”

Kathleen went home to California for a month after Donaueschingen, Germany and her long time coach, Johann Hinnemann rode the horse.

“She gained another gear of collection and forward in that time,” she said.

Katheen, who has been competing Breanna at CDI Grand Prix almost four years, came to Europe in June following the United States team selection trials for the world championships.

This was the sixth show in Germany for the pair rhar placed in the top six seven times in 11 starts. The duo came to Europe in 2013 and was the highest scoring American combination on the silver medal Nations Cup team at Hickstead, England.

After the Grand Prix Special on Sunday, Breanna and Kathleen will fly home and decide on their 2015 schedule. She did not say whether that would include a bid for a start at the World Cup Final in Las Vegas in mid-April.