Dressage-News

By KENNETH J. BRADDICK

AACHEN, Germany, July 18, 2018–Two star German horse and rider combinations on the comeback trail after long breaks due to injuries took the top two places in the World Equestrian Festival CDI4* Grand Prix Wednesday.

Bella Rose, THE horse in Isabell’s lifetime of a string of top mounts, won the kickoff Grand Prix with a score of 77.587 per cent, only the second competion since returning three weeks ago after an absence of more than 3 1/2 years.

Showtime FRH, with only two competitions on record since the 2016 Olympic team gold medal performance, was ridden by Dorothee Schneider to second place on a 75.652 per cent.

Dorothee and the 12-year-old Hanoverian also had mistakes in both sets of tempi changes in the Deutsche Bank Stadium that is the center of dressage at this mini-World Equestrian Games of dressage, driving, eventing, jumping and vaulting.

Isabell, who holds the world’s No. 1, No. 3 and No. 7 spots on other horses, placed second individually on the then-10-year-old Westfalen mare in the 2014 World Equestrian Games then withdrew from the rest of the championships and did one other show later that year before tearing up their future competition schedule.

Now, as a 14-year-old, Bella Rose is back, though not without mistakes in both the one and two-tempi changes offset by one 10 and more than 20 marks of at least nine, most in piaffe, passage and transitions.

The two Olympic riders led a German sweep of the top four places, Jessica von Bredow-Werndl on Zaire-E filling third on 72.609 per cent and Fabienne Müller-Lütkemeier  on Fabregaz fourth on 71.935 per cent.

Steffen Peters on Suppenkasper, in the most intense competition for the 10-year-old KWPN gelding since the American took over the ride late last year, placed fifth on 71.870 per cent. Team mate Olivia LaGoy-Weltz on Lonoir was sixth on the same score.

The final result for Steffen and Suppenkasper was remarkable in that the pair were cruising on a score of about 74 per cent when the astmosphere got to “Mopsi,” as the horse is nicknamed, and had costly problems in the half-reinback snf the pssage that came a couple of movements later then with the extended walk and the transition to the second passage. as well as a couple of other issues. Their score dropped drastically to about 68 per cent.

However, the four-time Olympic rider and Suppenkasper pair clawed back.

The Nations Cup begins Thursday with six teams in the trans-Atlantic series that has already been decided, Sweden assured of claiming the title for the second year.

Highly anticipated is the showdown between Germany’s Isabell Werth on Emilio, American Laura Graves on Verdades and Denmark’s Cathrine Dufour on Cassidy.
Laura and the 16-year-old KWPN gelding that she has developed from a foal to become No. 2 in the world; Isabell, winner of more Olympic medals than any other equestrian in the century-plus history of the Games and the 12-year-old Westfalen gelding ranked No. 3, and Cathrine Dufour and Cassidy of Denmark as the fourth ranked combination.

Ireland’s Judy Reynolds on Vancouver K is also returning to the show ring after a year away dealing with injuries to the 16-year-old KWPN gelding that has gone to the 2014 world championships, the 2016 Olympics, two World Cup Finals and a European Championship. The pair have already qualified for Tryon.

Results:

CDI4* Grand Prix

Judges-E: Christof Umbach-LUX H: Anne Gribbons-USA C: Mariette Sanders-van Gansewinkel-NED M: Andrew Ralph Gardner-GBR B: Katrina Wuest-GER