Germany Makes History in Winning Nations Cup, USA 2nd and Series Champion

By KENNETH J. BRADDICK

AACHEN, Germany, July 16,2016–Germany made history in winning the CDIO5* Nations Cup with three horses and riders all being awarded more than 80 per cent for both rounds while the United States placed and won the series of six events spanning the Atlantic.

World No.1 Kristina Bröring-Sprehe on Desperados FRH topped the Grand Prix Special with a near personal best score of 83.725 per cent to lead the German team to the victory just three weeks before the Olympic Games.

Dorothee Schneider on Showtime was second individually with 81.902 per cent and five-time Olympic gold medal rider Isabell Werth on Weihegold OLD was third on 80.686 per cent.

All three combinations scored above 80 per cent in the Grand Prix that was the first round of the first official year of the Nations Cup series that began in Wellington, Florida at the end of March then moved to Denmark, France, Netherlands, Sweden and the final event here which was also an Olympic selection event for several nations.

Shortly after the Nations Cup the German federation announced the team for the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro as Kristina Bröring-Sprehe and Desperados FRH, Dorothee Schneider and Showtime, Isabell Werth and Weihegold OLD and Sönke Rothenberger and Cosmo and the reserve Hubertus Schmidt and Imperio.

The German Olympic team is identical to its Nations Cup squad that bodes well for the nation as three of the horses are relatively young while all but one of the riders is experienced.

Kristina and Desperados, a 15-year-old Hanoverian stallion, were on the silver medal team at London in 2012, the gold medal team at the 2014 World Games, team gold at the 2013 European Championships and bronze at the 2015 Europeans.

Desperados, she said, is much better now than in 2012 with “more power, easier top ride, easy in the mouth, a great feeling in the passage and good rhythm.

“He’s a fighter in competition, willing to work the whole competition.”

Weihegold is an 11-year-old Oldenburg mare that was competed by Beatrice Buchwald, Isabell’s assistant trainer, until the beginning of this year when Isabell took over. The horse has no senior championship experience but the Nations Cup in the Deutsche Bank stadium at Aachen may be even more intimidating except for the experience of Isabell.

Isabell blamed herself for not performing better in the Grand Prix Special, saying that she made a mistake in the warm-up routine that she said she plans to fix ahead of the Olympics.

For Sönke Rothenberger at the age of 21 and Cosmo, that he describes as “amazing” at only nine years old, the Grand Prix Thursday felt the best ever despite mistakes in the two-tempi changes and half-passes (see separate report to be posted Sunday).

Nations Cup team results:

Results:

CDIO5* Grand Prix Special

Judges: E: Peter Holler GER H: Eduard de Wolff van Westerrode NED C: Maribel Alonso MEX M: Gary Rockwel USA B: Stephen Clarke GBR