Dressage-News

By KENNETH J. BRADDICK

WELLINGTON, Florida, Feb. 11, 2022–Belgium’s Laurence Vanommeslaghe competing in the United States for the first time rode Edison to victory in the CDI4* Grand Prix Freestyle in a performance with Led Zeppelin heavy metal music that brought spectators packing the Global Dressage Festival Friday Night Stars clapping and cheering in celebration.

Laurence and the 13-year-old KWPN gelding that are in the second competition year of their partnership received a career high score of 79.115% that included marks above 80% from two of the judges and a spectator score of 80%.

“A very big adventure,” was the way the 40-year-old rider described her experience with horses in Florida where she had not visited before even without horses.

German team rider Frederic Wandres on Bluetooth OLD were scored at 79.045% for second place after the combination posted three winning starts earlier in their second winter season in Wellington. He plans to compete Bluetooth, a 12-year-old Oldenburg gelding, in the top rated CDI5* in two weeks as the horse’s last competition in Wellington this season.

Benjamin Ebeling of Moorpark, California on Illuster van der Kampert that has been his main competition mount in his second season at Big Tour scored 77.370%, just shy of their previous best result. Ben, too, intends to ride in the  CDI5* in two weeks at the adjoining Palm Beach International Equestrian Center, home of the world famous Winter Equestrian Festival of jumpers and hunters.

Immediately following the freestyle, Laurence, 40, who lives near Paris, was invited to compete in the CDI5* that offers top prize money as well as being the highest rated dressage competition in the Americas.

Laurence, whose championship record is with Avec Plaisir at the 2014 World Equestrian Games and the 2015 European Championships, said  Edison was out of competition for several months recovering from an injury that led her to come to Florida with her trainer, Christoph Koschel of Germany for the first time seeking a place on Belgium’s team for the world championships in Herning, Denmark in August.

She described the crowd at Friday night’s performance as “really great as I was so delighted because I was very tense as there was a lot of public for our first international show in such a long time. I could really feel the support by the crowd; it was really pleasant. My tension went off when I could hear them.”

Edison, she said, also liked the music in the freestyle that was created by Dutch musician Joost Peters and, “I think also he liked the support of the public because he really did very well.”

Jane Weatherwax, president of the ground jury, echoed her views about the event: “It was really, really good and really, really fun… I was smiling a lot.”

Andreas Helgstrand head of the European group that bought the Palm Beach show grounds but that did not include the Global Dressage Festival facility on what is named Equestrian Village made it clear they will support dressage. Helgstrand Dressage, based in Denmark and with a major sales operation in Wellington, was sponsor of the competition.

“We want to support dressage here,” he said, “that is our main business and we should support that in this perfect place.”

Results:

CDI4* Grand Prix Freestyle