Suppenkasper & Rosamunde as Steffen Peters’ Tryon World Games Prospects
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Oct. 8, 2017
By KENNETH J. BRADDICK
The successful American debut of Suppenkasper and the return of Rosamunde to the show arena after a summer break from competition has given Steffen Peters two horses to contend for the United States team for the World Equestrian Games in Tryon, North Carolina next year.
The performance of Suppenkasper in a national Grand Prix at Del Mar in Southern California was described by Steffen as a “wonderful start” for his partnership with the nine-year-old Dutch-bred gelding that was bought in July to join Rosamunde as his potential team mounts for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
The score of 75.700 per cent awarded by Hilda Gurney, a two-time Olympian as the sole judge was at what Steffen described as CDI standard–high marks for movements that were good but not afraid to give low scores for mistakes.
Suppenkasper, competed at CDIs for a year by German team rider Helen Langehanenberg before being bought by Akiko Yamazaki and Jerry Yang, started with “wonderful extensions. probably one of the strongest assets.” Both the mouth and the tail were quiet.
“Sometimes you have to tell him to go a bit less because he has so much energy,” Steffen said. “He always wants to go.”
Rosamunde, the 10-year-old Rhinelander mare that has been competed at Grand Prix by Steffen on both sides of the Atlantic for the past 2 1/2 years, was given the summer off to fix issues with the walk.
He credited Shannon, his wife, for riding “Rosie” while he was in Europe working with Dawn White-O’Connor on his Olympic mount Legolas. Rosamunde’s walk in the Grand Prix seemed to have been fixed–relaxed and stretching properly in the walk and significant improvement in piaffe.
“I think we’re on the right track,” he said, “the break from competition was clearly the right decision.”
Rosamunde was competed at the Omaha World Cup Final before taking a break. The duo have one of two scores required–the highest of any North American so far–to qualify for one of the two spots available for the annual world championship scheduled for Paris next April. But he has not yet decided whether to seek to qualify.
A big expansion in California’s winter circuit includes four World Cup qualifiers next year.
Four of the horses in the Grand Prix, Suppenkasper and Rosamunde competed by Steffen and Legolas and Bailarino ridden by Dawn–were owned by Akiko Yamazaki and Jerry Yang.
“They show tremendous support not just for Dawn and myself,” Steffen said, “but for dressage in general. Their support and friendship is just incredible.”
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