Dressage-News

By KENNETH J. BRADDICK

LONDON, Dec. 16, 2019–Declaring the experimental short Grand Prix “quite easy,” Charlotte Dujardin rode Mount St. John Freestyle to victory in the World Cup Monday night on the first score above 80% in two years of the new test.

Charlotte and the 10-year-old Hanoverian mare on which she won team and individual bronze medals at the 2018 World Equestrian Games, scored 81.553% for the win, placed first by all five judges and all above 80%.

Carl Hester, longtime coach of Charlotte, and his 2018 WEG and 2019 European Championship team mount of Hawtins Delicato placed second on 75.790%.

Charlotte Fry on Everdale were third on 75.368% to round out the top three spots for the home side of Great Britain.

The most common words used by riders to describe the much abbreviated Grand Prix–averaging about 5 mins. compared with about 6 1/2 mins for the full size version–were “fast,” “quick,” “very fast.”

However, aside from the top tier of riders, many of the competitors were inexperienced or on horses that did not yet have a Grand Prix career and thus were not yet capable of handling the new floorplan that was created primarily by German 5* judge Katrina Wüst.

Great Britain’s team rider Gareth Hughes on the still green KK Woodstock and first to go noted there were no opportunities in the new test to have time to prepare for movements. “Evereything came up so quickly,” he said.

Frederic Wandres of Germany, the winner on Duke of Britain at last year’s Freestyle and the top placing non Briton who was fifth on 72.684%, said the test was “much quicker” than last year’s debut version.

Charlotte Dujardin, World Cup champion on Valegro in 2014 in Lyon, France and in Las Vegas in 2015, said she wants to qualify for the Final in April, again in Las Vegas.

“I’m really, really pleased,” she said, “this is Freestyle’s second indoor show. It’s a really big atmosphere for young horses that don’t have much experience. I could hear people saying, ‘Good luck, Charlotte,’ as I’m riding around the arena, that’s how close we are. I’m excited that each time she goes out she gets better.

“It wasn’t about the score, it was more about how she dealt with everything.”

Carl was chagrined with his result–“I can do a lot better. I’m 52 for God’s sake. I shouldn’t be making mistakes.”

He said he’s not trying for the World Cup, “I’m working backwards to the Olympics” in Tokyo next July.

Results:

Short Grand Prix