Dressage-News

By KENNETH J. BRADDICK

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands, June 24, 2016–Steffen Peters and Rosamunde won the CDI3* Grand Prix Friday with what the American declared as the “best ride” on the nine-year-old mare while team mate Allison Brock on Rosevelt placed third.

Steffen and the Westfalen mare ranked 17th in the world scored 75.920 per cent that was their second highest score, surpassed only by 76.820 per cent posted at Burbank, California five months ago and 17 months since launching their Big Tour career.

Emmelie Scholtens of the Netherlands on Apache placed second on 75.780 per cent.

Allison Brock on Rosevelt was third on 73.860 per cent, a performance that likely assures her to be one of four riders and horses plus a reserve combination to be selected for the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in six weeks.

The team will be selected early next week.

Steffen most likely will be selected for the U.S. Olympic team on Legolas, his more experienced mount and like Rosamunde owned by Akiko Yamazaki and Jerry Yang.

Clearly excited with the performance in the tree-shrouded competition arena where spectators and photographers are almost at the edge of the ring and a helicopter hovered overhead throughout the rides of both American riders, Steffen said that he had ridden conservatively in his first selection competition at Roosendaal, Netherlands three weeks ago. After arriving from California “Rosie” had so much energy she needed to be calmed down.

“Today she was exactly like she is at home. There was no need to ride conservatively and I went for it and everything worked out. It was clearly the best test she has done so far,” Steffen told dressage-news.com.

Steffen credited the stage of Rosamunde’s training for producing these results.

“I’m not exaggerating, we spend hours walking her because she can get so excited in anticipation of the first passage and piaffe; we spend hours in extended walk, collected walk in the snaffle, stretching her. She’s one of those horses you simple can’t get tired, not that I would even go there. But it’s just the walk that she needs to settle down and today she did.

“…all of nine years old…pretty amazing.”

Steffen said he heard the helicopter leaving the warmup arena that was indoors, but Rosamunde did not and it clearly did not bother her.

Ali Brock who rides Rosevelt, also nicknamed “Rosie,” and owned by Fritz and Claudine Kundrun produced another performance that meets the by-word for the pair, “consistent.”

“I had a little bit more horse than I expected,”Ali said later. “I could hardly hold him in the extended trots, though I’m not complaining about that. We’ve shortened out warm-up after that worked well in Wellington and France.

“He’s become this very reliable, consistent guy who knows his job.

“One of the happiest things for me is that he walks out of the arena on the buckle with a big smile on his face knowing he’s done a good job.”

Other Americans competing in the CDI3* as part of the Olympic selection process were Arlene “Tuny” Page on Woodstock scored at 70.000 per cent for ninth place, Shelly Francis on Danilo with 69.580 per cent for 10th and Günter Seidel on Zero Gravity on 66.340 per cent in 23rd.

Results:

CDI3* Grand Prix