Endel Ots & Zen Elite’s Bohemian Post Highest Score in Europe for Top Placed American at Aachen CDIO5* Grand Prix Special
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Endel Ots on Zen Elite’s Bohemian in Aachen’s CDIO5* Grand Prix Special. © 2024 Ken Braddick/DRESSAGE-NEWS.com
AACHEN, Germany, July 6, 2024–Endel Ots and Zen Elite’s Bohemian posted their highest score in Europe for the top placed American combination at the World Equestrian Festival CDIO5* Grand Prix Special Saturday.
Endel and the 14-year-old Westfalen gelding that have competed for a little more than three months scored 72.064% for 10th place in the lineup of 30 starting riders and horses.
The only higher Special score for the duo was 72.480% at Florida’s Global Dressage Festival in the pair’s first performance at the end of March.
Endel had no previous international Big Tour experience before Heidi Humphries’ Zen Elite Equestrian Center bought Bohemian, the Tokyo Olympic mount for Danish superstar Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour. However, he competed Lucky Strike at the 2015 World Young Horse Championships and was named to the U.S. Pan American Games team in 2019 but Lucky Strike was injured in transit and did not compete.
He was successful in earning a trip to Europe with Bohemian to vie for a place on the American team for Paris. The pair has been named reserve.
“I was super happy with Bohemian today,” he said of the ride in blustery weather.
“We gave him yesterday off, just did a little bit of a hack around the warm-up ring for a few minutes. Today was a little bit windy and a little bit of weather, but atmosphere was great.
“It was really fun to ride at Aachen in the Grand Prix Special. My goal for the test was just do a nice, harmonious, solid Grand Prix Special test. Each time I ride him in the ring and show him, I get just what he needs for me to help him.
“He stayed with me, was really calm in that show environment, and it was just more so me piloting him around, helping him a little bit with the balance here and there. But he knows those tests so well, like the back of his hand (hoof?).
“So it was just really fun.”
Marcus Orlob who had been leading the American contingent with the 10-year-old mare Jane began strongly but the horse was spooky, making some mistakes to end up with a score of 70.468% and 16th place. Marcus and Jane have been named to the three-member team.
Anna Buffini on the 14-year-old mare Fiontini was awarded 69.894% while Anna Marek on Fire Fly, 14-year-old gelding, scored 67.426%.
