Dorothee Schneider & Showtime to No. 3 in World Behind Isabell Werth & Bella Rose No. 1, Weihegold No. 2
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Aug. 29, 2019
By KENNETH J. BRADDICK
European Championship performances boosted Dorothee Schneider and Showtime FRH to No. 3 in the world behind German team mate and triple gold medalist Isabell Werth on Bella Rose at the top and Weihegold OLD in second. Germany fills six of the top 10 spots, the United States and Denmark two each in the rankings as of the end of August.
Denmark’s Cathrine Dufour made the most dramatic rankings comeback, up to eighth in the world from 71st last month as a result of an individual bronze medal and fourth place in the Grand Prix Freestyle, according to calculations by dressage-news.com of the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) standings to be posted next week.
Americans Laura Graves on Verdades slipped one place to No. 4 and Kasey Perry Glass on Dublet dropped to 10th, neither pair having competed since the World Cup Final five months ago. This will be the first time since March, 2018 that Laura and the 17-year-old KWPN gelding have not been in the top three in the world, including two months as the first American ever to rank No. 1.
August is the second month that Isabell and Bella Rose have been at the pinnacle of the standings after compiling a record of 18 straight victories since returning from 3 1/2 years out of competition while dealing with a persistent injury. Those wins include team and individual gold at the 2018 World Equestrian Games and the three golds at the Rotterdam championships.
Dorothee who on Showtime was on the 2016 Olympic gold medal team with Isabell and Weihegold was consistently ranked No. 3 before injuries prevented the duo’s selection for Tryon. The duo dropped to a low of 638th in the world at the of last year. In 2019, the pair started eight times before the Europeans, winning four times and on four occasions.
At the Europeans, the first championship since the Olympics, Dorothee and Showtime were second individually on the gold medal team, and won individual and freestyle silvers.
Jessica von Bredow-Werndl on TSF Dalera BB, on the 2018 World Games gold medal team, added Freestyle bronze at the Europeans to team gold with scores to move them to No. 5 in the world, up one place from July.
Sönke Rothenberger on Cosmo, also on Germany’s gold medal team as the duo was at the 2016 Olympics and the 2018 World Games as well as the 2017 European Championships, slipped a couple of places to sixth in the world. Helen Langehanenberg on the American-owned Damsey FRH was not at the Europeans, but the pair’s record put them at No. 9, down from fifth in July.
Denmark’s Daniel Bachmann Andersen on Blue Hors Zack who led Denmark to qualify for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo climbed one place to seventh.
Cathrine Dufour and Cassidy, a lifelong partnership of multiple medals at European Junior and Young Rider championships, competing at the 2016 Olympics before becoming a star at the 2017 senior Europeans, was back at No. 8.
Cathrine and the 16-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding that competed in only three shows in the past year, at No. 8 are at the highest ranking since October, 2018 when they were No. 5.
