Dressage-News

Nov. 22, 2020

Steffen Peters rode Suppenkasper to a personal best score to capture the Thermal Desert Dressage CDI3* Grand Prix Special Sunday and complete the rider’s year-long undefeated streak of international victories–15 in coronavirus abbreviated 2020.

Steffen and the 12-year-old KWPN gelding scored 77.340%  for the second qualifying Special result in the pair’s campaign to go the Olympics in Tokyo that were delayed a year by the coronavirus pandemic to next July.

The previous best for Steffen, 56 years old of San Diego, California and Suppenkasper (Spielberg x Krack C) was 77.106% that was attained when the pair won the CDI5* at the Global Dressage Festival in Wellington, Florida in February.

Sabine of Thousand Oaks, California and Sanceo, a 14-year-old Hanoverian stallion, were awarded 74.404% in their first show since February.

Catherine Haddad Staller of Califon, New Jersey and Frankie placed third on 68.958% in only their second Big Tour. Catherine bred Frankie, a Hanoverian mare 11 years old, in Germany.

All of the competitions for Steffen and Suppenkasper this year were in the United States–11 at Wellington and four at Thermal.

If successful in earning one of the three places on the team for Tokyo, the Games would be the fifth for Steffen and would fulfill a desire by Suppenkasper owner Akiko Yamazaki to have a horse at the Olympics in her family’s homeland and where her mother who lives there could attend as she did when the Games were held in Tokyo in 1964.

Steffen plans to go to Wellington for the winter circuit, with the primary focus on the CDI5* in mid-February.

Selection for the team will be based primarily on the Special as the Olympic dressage format provides for the Grand Prix to be qualifier for the Special in which the eight top teams will compete for medals.

The partnership of Steffen and Suppenkasper with the nickname “Mopsie” inherited from previous owner and trainer, German Olympian Helen Langehanenberg, began three years ago. The pair were on the U.S. silver medal team at the 2018 World Equestrian Games in Tryon.

Results:

CDI3*Grand Prix Special