Sönke Rothenberger Snipes at German Team Selectors After Riding Cosmo to Aachen CDI4* Grand Prix & Special Victories
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AACHEN, Germany, July 19, 2019–Sönke Rothenberger sniped at the German team selectors for not placing he and Cosmo on the Nations Cup team after he rode the 12-year-old gelding to victory in the CDI4* Grand Prix Friday night after taking the Grand Prix two days earlier.
The 24-year-old rider’s frustration boiled over in talking to German reporters after the Special that colic suffered by Cosmo during the German championships at Balve last month kept the pair off the team for the Nations Cup here.
“I think those who doubted Cosmo will not have any questions any more,” said Sönke after scoring 82.213% in the Special and 81.370% in the Grand Prix, according to GlobalEquestrianNews.com.
“You have to give us the confidence that we get points.”
Sönke and Cosmo were on Germany’s gold medal teams at both the 2016 Olympics and the 2018 World Equestrian Games in Tryon. At the 2017 European Championships, the duo became one of only five combinations in history to score at least 90% in the Grand Prix Freestyle.
He appealed to the team selectors to “take the positive energy” the pair exhibit and trust the horse and rider to produce.
“I probably have the best horse in the world–if I ride without any mistakes, someone has to pass me first,” he said. “If you did not recognize it now, I do not know.”
