Dressage-News

By KENNETH J. BRADDICK

WIESBADEN, Germany, May 23, 2015–Isabell Werth on Don Johnson FRH won the CDI4* Grand Prix Saturday, their second Big Tour victory this month for the 2013 European Championships German team combination.

Isabell and 14-year-old Hanoverian gelding scored 76.140 per cent just a week after capturing the Munich CDI5* Grand Prix Special and led a German sweep of the top four places.

Ingred Klimke on Dresden Mann, in only their second international competition after an absence from the show ring of 18 months with a serious injury to the 11-year-old Westfalen gelding, placed second on a personal best 73.840 per cent.

Fabienne Lütkemeier on D’Agostino FRH, members of Germany’s gold medal team at the 2014 World Games, placed third on 73.700 per cent.

Isabell told dressage-news.com she had hoped to bring Bella Rose here for their first competition in six months but the 11-year-old mare sustained a minor injury that will also keep her out of the World Equestrian Festival in Aachen, Germany next week.

But Bella Rose should be back in time for the German Championships in Balve that along with the Nations Cup in Hagen will be qualifiers for the team for the European Championships in Aachen in August.

“I want to do the Europeans on her,” Isabell told dressage-new.com said of the mare that began her Grand Prix career two years ago and in 16 starts has logged nine wins and four second places, including in the World Games Nations Cup last year.

The successful return of Dresden Mann gives new hope to Ingred’s goal of seeking to be on German teams in both dressage and eventing at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro next year.

Asked by dressage-news.com after their second placing whether she was still enthusiastic about making two teams, she laughed and said: “What do you think? He’s getting stronger. And I have two very good event horses.”

Ingred began competing Dresden Mann at international level at small tour three years ago. The pair began Grand Prix at this same event in 2013 and then competed at the Aachen CHIO. The horse was then injured and remained out of competition until a nation show in Germany in January and then the CDI4* in Hagen, Germany last month where they placed second in both the Grand Prix and the Freestyle.

If she did make two teams for the 2016 Olympics she would be only the second German to do so–Fritz Thiedemann on Meteor won the individual bronze medal in jumping and on Chronist won team bronze in dressage at the 1952 Helsinki Games.

Results:

CDI4* Grand Prix