Dressage-News

WELLINGTON, Florida, Mar. 19, 2022–Charlotte Jorst rode Kastel’s Nintendo victory in the Global Dressage Festival CDI3* Grand Prix Special Saturday for the fourth win on the 19-year-old stallion in the past five weeks. She jokingly likened the performances of her aging partner to Tom Brady still playing in the NFL at the age of 44.

Charlotte who has been partnered with the KWPN stallion for eight years was awarded 72.936% for the win following first place in the Grand Prix and double wins in a World Cup qualifier last month. The record matches success in four competitions in California in 2020.

Alice Tarjan of Oldwick, New Jersey and the American-bred Serenade MF were second on 70.872% in only the second Special for the nine-year-old Hanoverian mare.

Anna Marek of Dunnellon, Florida on Fire Fly was third on 69.915%.

Nintendo, Charlotte said, “was so energetic today in this test. I kept going and going, and he was always completely in front of my leg. He hasn’t been this energetic in… I don’t know... he was so on fire today. I gave him yesterday off. He just walked yesterday, so he was full of energy today. It was such a fun test. It was just so incredible to ride him today.

“But I have to say he’s in incredible shape. He wasn’t even out of breath today. And energy to spare. There is nothing different from him- if anything he has more energy than he ever had.”

The goal is to be selected for a group of up to eight American combinations to go to Europe in preparation for the team to be named for the world championships in Herning, Denmark in August.

She especially wants to compete at the World Equestrian Festival in Aachen, Germany where she rode for the first time on the 2021 Nations Cup team.

Of Nintendo’s newfound energy, she said, “I think it kinda started with Aachen last year… almost like it kind of dawned on him what he’s supposed to do and now he just kind of does it every class. He never misses a beat.”

She plans for it to be Nintendo’s last year in competition, Charlotte said, to be retired to her farm in Reno, Nevada.

“If I can get to Aachen on him one more time,” she said, “then I think he deserves to retire. But he is certainly a very energetic horse and he sure loves it. So of course, you can never say never. It’ll be like Tom Brady–the Tom Brady of the horses.”

Results:

CDI3* Grand Prix Special