Dressage-News

Sept. 22, 2021

Isabell Werth, history’s most successful equestrian, keeps adding to her record as she did at the World Equestrian Festival in Aachen, Germany, back after the 2020 event was canceled because of coronavirus. The latest success was with DSP Quantaz, the sixth horse she has ridden to the Deutsche Bank Prize, Aachen’s top dressage award that was created in 1955. The success at the most prestigious show in the world for the rider now 52 years old began three decades ago when she rode Gigolo to the title in 1992. She has earned the title 14 times–eight times on Gigolo, twice on Satchmo, once each on Weihegold OLD, Emilio, Bella Rose and Quantaz as the latest.

Dinja van Liere not only had never competed at Aachen before this year, the 31-year-old rider did not even begin her international Grand Prix career until five months ago. She went home to the Netherlands a true star on the nine-year-old Hermes, horse young enough that could be competing at least through the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, with world and European championships and World Cups in between. The partners would have already competed at one Olympics, in Tokyo in July, but for a screw-up by either or both the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) and the Dutch federation KNHS.

The low-key Dinja who lets her riding do the talking admits she was surprised at her victory in the Nations Cup Grand Prix while her Freestyle performance, only the third at Big Tour, was awarded a whopping 86.740%.

Charlotte Fry is experiencing an amazing year–riding Everdale on Great Britain’s team at the Olympics and the European Championships and Dark Legend at Aachen while also bringing along Chippendale to the Big Tour.

Patrik Kittel has become Sweden’s top ranked rider in recent years, most recently successful with Well Done de la Roche CMF and Delaunay OLD. Just a couple of months ago, he took up an offer from Andreas Helgstrand to compete Fiontini, the horse that Severo Jurado Lopez rode for Andreas to the triple of world young horse championships–for five, six and seven years of age.

Patrik understands Andreas’s global equestrian business interests that includes horse sales could mean Fiontini might go elsewhere for the right price, but he’s making the most of the opportunity,

Frederic Wandres and Duke of Britain rode on the Aachen Nations Cup gold medal team as a combination on Germany’s Olympic squad. Frederic rides for Hof Kasselmann, the family business that staged the European Championships in Hagen, Germany the week before Aachen. Frederic rode Quizmaster to lead Germany to the gold medal at Global Dressage Festival in Wellington, Florida in March. The two Nations Cup victories clinched the trans-Atlantic series title for Germany.

Juan Matute Guimon, who has dual American and Spanish citizenship but rides for Spain, is widely known as he has competed on both sides of the Atlantic for many years. He moved to Spain from Wellington, Florida three years ago to pursue a career in dressage as well as university but in early 2020 suffered a life-threatening brain disorder. After successful surgery in Madrid he returned to competition a year ago.

In the Aachen Grand Prix Freestyle on Quantico he executed an unusual single-handed pirouette.

This was the first Aachen experience for the 21-year-old Benjamin Ebeling who ride Illuster van de Kampert on the U.S. team. However, he has competed in Europe since 2018, in youth divisions. His goal is to spend as much time training in Europe in an effort to make American Olympic and championship teams.

Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu on All In competing at Aachen on Canada’s Nations Cup team that based itself in Europe after the Tokyo Olympics. Brittany and All In is the top combination for Canada, and hold all three international Grand Prix level highest scores for the country.