Dressage-News

Mar. 13, 2022

Helen Langehanenberg  rode Annabelle to victory in the World Cup Grand Prix Freestyle at Motešice, Slovakia Sunday to earn a start at the championship Final next month. The result means that Helen overtakes by one point fellow Frederic Wandres as the third German qualifier.

Helen and the 14-year-old Holsteiner mare scored 77.905% with Katarzyna Milczarek of Poland on Guapo, a 13-year-old Polish Sport Horse stallion, the only other competitor second on 74.150%.

The victory in the last qualifier anywhere in the world means that Helen earned enough points to join Jessica von Bredow-Werndl on TSF Dalera BB who clinched the Western European top ranking a day earlier and Isabell Werth the defending champion from 2019 when the World Cup was last staged as one of three Germans. Only three riders from a single nation can start in the total lineup of 18 combinations.

The 20 points going to Helen and Annabelle in Sunday’s musical performance the Freestyle Sunday gave her one point more than Frederic Wandres.

He held the lead in Western Europe until a month ago when the International Equestrian Federation changed the rules because of cancellations of several qualifiers due to Covid-19. He was stripped of one score that brought him into a tie for the lead then was overtaken by Helen by one point.

Helen, who won the annual global championship on Damon Hill in 2013, competed in this season’s opening last October, followed by a victory in Madrid a month later then withdrawal from a third qualifier when Helen said Annabelle did not feel right. This competition was added late and thus gave Helen a chance to earn more points.

There is no provision in Europe for reduced points with a seemingly unprecedented lineup of so few rider and horse combinations. In North America, fewer than eight combinations in a World Cup competition causes significant reduction in the award of points.

Results:

CDI-W World Cup Short Grand Prix

Judges–E: Simona FIALOVA-CZE H: Sławomir Pietrzak-POL C: Ilja Vietor-SVK  M: Gotthilf Riexinger-GER B: Bernard MAUREL-FRA

		Place	Nation	Rider	Horse	Dressage
						E	H	C	M	B	Result
		1	GER	Helen Langehanenberg	ANNABELLE 110 (15) Mare / HOLST	75,275 71,750 78,800 (1)	77,125 74,250 80,000 (1)	79,625 76,250 83,000 (1)	78,000 74,000 82,000 (1)	79,500 77,000 82,000 (1)	77,905 74,650 81,160 (1)
		2	POL	Katarzyna Milczarek	GUAPO (16) Stallion / PSH	74,750 70,500 79,000 (2)	74,125 72,250 76,000 (2)	74,000 72,000 76,000 (2)	72,000 69,000 75,000 (2)	75,875 72,750 79,000 (2)	74,150 71,300 77,000 (2)