Springbank II VH and Severo Jurado Lopez - photo credit: Lily Forado
Swedish Breeders Trophy is the finals for the best young Swedish bred young horses, with the very exciting testing of the best 4 year old horses and again this year with Danish Cathrine Dufour in the saddle.
KWPN stallion Everdale and Charlotte Fry - photo credit: H2R/Christine Prip
British Lottie Fry a superb team rider and will for sure fight for the individual medals in the future
Even though Lottie Fry actually still could participate at U25 level she is really showing her consistency performing effortless power tests every time she enters the arena whether it is the Olympics, World Championship Young Horses or European Championships. She is always well prepared and presenting happy powerful athletes - this time like at the Olympics KWPN stallion Everdale.
Three times placed individual 5th and all three times with Personal Best scores, Grand Prix 77,671%, Grand Prix Special 78,146%, Grand Prix Freestyle 84,721% - outstanding efforts.
From unfortunate Olympics to successful European Championship
Kontestro DB 11-year old Begium Warmblood gelding by Contendro / Cassini II (pure jumping pedigree) and Finnish Henri Ruoste has been international partners since beginning of 2020 and were also among the starters at Tokyo Olympics, but unfortunately their first Olympic Games became much shorter than expected as Kontestro was terrified for the cameras covered with rain shield and they had to retire. Of course everyones eyes were focused on the combination going into the European Championship arena.
Henri Ruoste showed what an outstanding rider he is and also what a special bond he has with the super well moving and athletic gelding producing not just three outstanding performances but also two times Person Best in Grand Prix (77,314% placed 6th) and Freestyle (82,600% placed 6th) speaks for itself. The way Ruoste is able to guide and control this sensitive power horse is a pure pleasure to watch, and not least to watch them leaving the arena fully relaxed.
Olympic travelling reserve combinations
Danish Charlotte Heering and Bufranco, Britains Gareth Hughes with Sintano van Hof Olympia, Germany´s Annabelle with Helen Langehanenberg and Spain’s Divina Royal with José Antonio Garcia Mena were all travelling reserve combinations at Tokyo Olympics.
Divina Royal and José Antonio Garcia Mena - photo credit: H2R/Christine Prip
The only travelling reserve being at start for the Olympics was Spanish José Mena with Divina Royal and they showed again in Hagen why they were worthy a team spot posting best score and only Spanish combination qualified for the Grand Prix Freestyle final as also was their freestyle debut.
Motivated enthusiastic and power performances - they really enjoyed being in the arena doing their stuff together.
Buriel KH and Juliette Ramel - photo credit: H2R/Christine Prip
Our Swedish neighbours
From Danish point of view we were quite happy that Patrik Kittel stayed on the ground as a trainer for the championships, as both Juliette Ramel and Therese Nilshagen showed strong performances over the days. From the sideline best ever performances from Dante Weltino OLD with Therese Nilshagen, as she clearly has improved the balance and uphill tendency for the series.
Lately Kittel has been successful with the Danish Warmblood mare Fiontini but their partnership was still very new and they did not try to qualify for the championships. They will instead be part of the Swedish team for this weeks CHIO in Aachen.
Haute Couture and Dinja van Liere - photo credit: H2R / Christine Prip
“New” championship combinations
Dutch combination just 9-year old mare Haute Couture with Dinja van Liere really show top qualities for the entire championships posting two times person best in both Grand Prix (placed 15 with 74,208%) and Grand Prix Special (placed 9 with 75,699%) and impressive Grand Prix freestyle debut placed 10th with 79,668%. Lovely to watch this eager to work power mare with the very elegant rider Dinja just using very discreet aides and making a very harmonious overall picture.
Hungarian combination Dior S with Anikó Losonczy was also one of the new ones at the championships. They’ve been successful at the Eastern Europe soil during the season. They finished as best placed Hungarian in the team competition as 29th with 70,046% directly qualified for the Grand Prix Special. Lovely effortless and easy riding with a big horse and a tiny rider.
Walk issues, mistakes and not sound horse
Looking back into the team competition one headline stood out “more horses with walk issues”. Most horses were well moving and well balanced for the tour and canter tour, but going into the walk the scoreboard often went down with 2-3% which obviously is costly, as most of the combinations were not able to recover from that for their canter tour.
Some of the Olympic horses looked a bit tired and not top motivated, of course with a few exceptions and it was reflected by more mistakes than we usually see at championships.
The German team combination Faustus and Dorothee Schneider did not really catch the rhythm for the tests as Faustus more times for both the Grand Prix and the Grand Prix Special kind of lost his one front leg in a very odd way.
Not ringing the bell
The Grand Prix Special was with Danish Susanne Baarup as judge at C and unfortunately she did not ring the bell for the British horse Sintano van Hof Olympia with Gareth Hughes as Sintano was clearly irregular for the extensions, and furthermore only reflected by the scores from Maria Colliander (FIN) judge at E.
Triple gold medalist at the Europeans 2021 in Hagen TSF Dalera BB and Jessica von Bredow-Werndl - here with Great Britains judge at M Isobel Wessels - photo credit: H2R/Christine Prip
Freestyle podium without Werth
Werth and Weihegold was not showing top form this week in Hagen and the younger ladies were ready to take over.
TSF Dalera BB and Jessica von Bredow-Werndl are just unbeatable at the moment. A controlled team Grand Prix without taking any risks, Grand Prix Special with power and correctness pure, and a Freestyle with power, balance, high qualities and not least high degree of difficulty and superb music with dancing Dalera. Jessica is showing the big mare is the best frame, steady light contact, super supple and never missing a step.
Bohemian and Cathrine Dufour got better day by day at the championships and their partnership in the arena has really developed. No doubt they have the medal qualities but bringing the best from the training into the arena has been a challenge, but the outstanding riding skills from Dufour makes it possible to bring home more medals in the future.
Charlotte Dujardin and Gio looked a bit tired for the Grand Prix even though it was not reflected by the scoreboard, mistake free Grand Prix Special, and power freestyle bring back Dujardin at the podium for the bronze medal.
Never underestimate the young ladies - they will for sure continue fighting for the podium spots in the future.
Katalog nr. 30 - Kjeldbjergs Floridor e. Floriscount / Grand Galaxy Win
Auktion Nord-Syd - et samarbejde med region 4, 5 og 6
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Danish bronze winning team - from left Charlotte Heering, Nanna Merrald, Anne Mette Binder (chef d´equipe), Cathrine Dufour and Daniel Bachmann Andersen - photo credit: H2R/Christine Prip
Strong Danish performances
Danish team bronze, individual Grand Prix Special bronze and individual Grand Prix Freestyle silver - a fairytale European Championship for Denmark.
Bohemian and Cathrine Dufour - photo credit: H2R/Christine Prip
Danish Cathrine Dufour with impressive three medals - bronze with the team, individual bronze in Grand Prix Special and individual silver and personal best (88,436%).
Strong, correct and high quality performances but the margin between bronze and silver for Dufour with the team was as little as the two errors in the Grand Prix test with the small error for the zigzag and the big mistake out of the first pirouette, while the tiny canter out of the final piaffe at the centerline for the Grand Prix Special unfortunately also did the difference between losing the silver and winning the bronze medal.
The outline for the Grand Prix was clearly best of all performances with clearly improved trot extensions. Always lovely contact and balanced through out the tests, while the errors creeping in looked mostly like Bohemian became hind the aides.
Marshall-Bell with Daniel Bachmann Andersen - photo credit: H2R/Christine Prip
For Daniel Bachmann Andersen and his only 9-year old Danish Warmblood gelding Marshall-Bell is was a pure Personal Best championship with their just 5th international Grand Prix (76,366% placed 8th), their 3rd international Grand Prix Special (75,638% placed 10th) and not least their very first ever international Grand Prix Freestyle (82,050%) finishing as 7th best combination in Europe. Impressive development since early spring, and as Daniel is telling his final preparations towards Hagen has been a lot of hacking in the forrest keeping Marshall fresh in both his body and mind, as a Championship for such a young and inexperienced horse can be quite a challenge, but he kept full power and motivation for the entire week.
No technical difficulties, 3 supple gaits, can show a bit of tensions hind when getting a bit too motivated.
Atterupgaards Orthilia and Nanna Merrald - photo credit: H2R/Christine Prip
The experienced 16-year old mare Atterupgaards Orthilia with Nanna Merrald entered the European Championship arena with just two former international event for their CV going into both Grand Prix and Grand Prix Special scoring beautifully Personal Best scores and making their debut together for the Grand Prix Freestyle with an impressive 78,940% (placed 12th). Second time for Nanna at the Danish team and for sure a strong team rider being able to take over the ride of former successful horses and she also has own produced horses in the pipeline back home at Blue Hors for the future.
Supple harmonies picture just missing the final steadiness and closed mouth.
Bufranco and Charlotte Heering - photo credit: H2R/Christine Prip
For the Olympic reserve combination Charlotte Heering with Bufranco their entrance for the Championships in Hagen became with kind of a hurdle, as Bufranco was not accepted for the first vet inspection and had to do re-inspection at 7 am in the morning just 2 hours before their first start. A situation Charlotte never tried before and of course also not the very best way towards their team debut.
For both the Grand Prix and the Grand Prix Special Bufranco looked a bit tired, and maybe also affected from the long trip to Tokyo. No doubt they got the qualities and will in fresh form be a valuable pair for the Danish team.
Thursday next big event CHIO Aachen starts
A huge program comes up starting Thursday with CDI4 Grand Prix.
Here you find the link for start and results.
Remember the will be full live stream via Clipmyhorse the entire week.
Daniel Bachmann Andersen and Fanalino - photo @Clipmyhorse
International Grand Prix Special debut victory
While Daniel and Fanalino showed a very nice Grand Prix test yesterday but unfortunately missing the entire zigzag canter they showed a error free Grand Prix Special today.
Hagen was just their 2nd international event together and today with their international debut in Grand Prix Special. Daniel showed the quite inexperienced 11 year old Fanalino with good power and balance for the trot tour, the piaffe tours lacking bit more security and strength for both the piaffe itself and the transitions and the transition to canter with some tensions, solid canter tour with good series.
Top 3
Germany’s Jessica von Bredow-Werndl was filled with emotion after clinching her third gold medal of the week when topping the Freestyle at the FEI Dressage European Championship 2021 in Hagen (GER) this afternoon.
“It’s like a fairytale, the ride today was the best I ever felt!”, said the 35-year-old athlete who also swept all before her at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games this summer. “It may not have been the highest points ever, but for me it was the best feeling I ever had with Dalera. I was very emotional after finishing. No matter what points or what place I got I was so happy!”, she added.
Scoring 91.021 when third-last to go, she finished almost three percentage points ahead of Denmark’s Cathrine Dufour who took silver with Bohemian, and it was Great Britain’s Charlotte Dujardin and Gio who grabbed the bronze.
Going fifth from last, Dujardin put 87.246 on the board, and she might have expected that would not be enough for a podium placing with the final German partnership of Isabell Werth and Weihegold OLD still to come. But, second-last into the arena, Werth's multiple medal-winning mare was clearly lacking energy and power, and their score of 84.896 left them in fourth place.
Pleased
Dujardin was hugely pleased with her result. At only 10 years of age Gio is still very much on a learning curve, with little exposure to top sport other than his sensational results at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games where he won double-bronze. Today’s performance was even more impressive.
“I’m so proud of him, it’s only his second time through that music and as you could see the degree of difficulty is immense. The Olympics was the first time I rode it and it was mistake-free there, unfortunately I made a mistake in the ones on the centre line today, rider error not horse error, and I thought that would have cost me a medal. It’s still frustrating that I made that mistake and I’m so cross with myself because he tried so hard - but obviously we have medalled!”, said the 35-year-old athlete.
She really pulled out all the stops today, including taking all the risk in extended canter. “All week I hadn’t pushed him full out because he is a young horse and I want him for the future and he did the Olympics. He tried for me every day here, he did a great Special (on Thursday where the pair finished fourth), I was so proud of him, and we just missed out on a medal. So I thought today - I’ll just put that extra bit in”, she said.
Competitiveness is in Dujardin’s DNA. “I went in there wanting a medal for sure, I wasn’t going down without a fight! And being the first of the last five combinations you know you have to give it a good go, set the standard. I felt we did that, even with a mistake. We got 87 percent with those mistakes, without those mistakes who knows what it might have been - I asked him to step up and he sure did!”, she added.
And having finished his test, the little horse, whose rider calls him Pumpkin, was completely relaxed as he left the ring.
“That’s the thing with him, he just gets more and more confident and that’s his first time in an arena with that atmosphere, he’s not used to crowds. He’s just brilliant, he switches on and does his job, and then he switches off and off he goes home!”, she pointed out.
A joy
Dufour was equally pleased with Bohemian whose test was a joy to watch, filled with energy and power.
‘I’m really happy, first because I had a super ride - almost flawless - we had a tiny mistake in the ones at the end and that was totally my mistake. We have grown a lot since Wednesday this week and today he felt so happy, so ready to deliver. It was just so super-easy going. I was back to no pushing, no forcing, just enjoying and dancing with him!”, said the dynamic 29-year-old Dane.
Her emotional music from Les Miserables added a poignancy to her performance. “It expresses something about where I am in my life. It delivers a kind of message - that I’m really enjoying life and I’m in a good place now and that my horse and I have found our path together. I feel really comfortable with what I’m doing with my team, with the people I have around me, I have a super family, an extra family and it feels fantastic!”, she pointed out.
But the new European Freestyle gold medallist was happiest of all.
Talking about Dalera’s magical Freestyle performance, von Bredow-Werndl said “she was 100 percent focused, she was light, she was on fire but not too much. Two days ago (in the Grand Prix Special) she was a bit too hot so I couldn’t ride for example the extensions fully, and then it looked a little bit tense sometimes, but today it was a perfect, perfect kind of energy".
"She loves what she does, and I feel it in every second and every movement. Even my collected walk felt super today. The feeling was the best I’ve ever had so far, in my whole life, on any horse!"
Jessica von Bredow-Werndl (GER)
"That’s why I was pretty emotional when I finished because this is not normal - that a horse improves during a competition. Today she had no wet hair (sweat), either in the warm-up or after the competition and that’s crazy!”, she said.
Atmosphere
The spectators at Hagen certainly added to the great atmosphere today and the new European triple champion, who also has two Olympic gold medals in her trophy cabinet after this extraordinary summer, commented on the difference it makes to have them there.
“It’s so great to ride in front of an audience again, it feels completely different, we were carried by them I think, and they were so supportive of all the riders during the week. I hope it will stay like this, it’s so good to have this back!”
Von Bredow-Werndl has led Germany to a glorious summer of gold, and now has next year’s FEI World Equestrian Games in her sights. However Dufour gave her fair warning that she and her Danish compatriots will be ready and waiting when the action begins on their home ground in front of their home crowd in Herning next August.
She intends narrowing the gap between herself and the German star over the next 11 months.
“Right now we can only aim at Jessica’s marks, and congratulations to her on a great season this year. It’s exciting with the WEG next year in Denmark, I’m sure the Danish audience will put pressure on the Germans!”
For now however, the Hagen hosts can continue to bask in a golden glow….
Germany’s Jessica von Bredow-Werndl scooped her second gold medal of the week when coming out on top with TSF Dalera BB in tonight’s Grand Prix Special at the FEI Dressage European Championships 2021 in Hagen (GER).
Firm favourites after their spectacular performances at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games this summer, the 35-year-old rider and her 14-year-old mare produced the highest score to help their country claim the team title for the 25th time yesterday. And tonight they won again, this time pinning team-mates Isabell Werth and Weihegold into silver while Denmark’s Cathrine Dufour and Bohemian took the bronze.
Team silver medallist yesterday, Britain’s Carl Hester, set the early target score when posting 77.310 with En Vogue. “That was as good as Tokyo if not maybe a little bit better - I got the ride I really wanted to get”, said the man who also took team bronze in Japan a few weeks ago.
“He was steady, relaxed and calm. I always know that if he’s going to be funny it will be in the piaffes. That’s what he did yesterday (in the team competition) and he gets wilder and wilder. But tonight he was fine. All you want in a championship really is for the horse to grow. I don’t expect to win when he’s this young, but I do it in the hope that he gets better every day.
“The changes tonight were spot on, the piaffes were showing the future of what he can do because I think there’s a 10 in there for those - not tonight but they were going the right way, so I was just pleased they are progressing. And the pirouettes,”, he pointed out.
In front
He was still in front when Werth set off with her mare, fifth-last to go. It was clear from the outset that the German pair who took European Special and Freestyle gold in Gothenburg (SWE) four years ago meant business again this evening. Before starting, Werth made sure Weihegold was listening, practically galloping down the long side of the arena before beginning her test.
“It gives her the fire, and me too!”, she said. “I knew I had to fight and take all the risk I could, she’s so experienced in this business, more in the Freestyle than the Special, but this was one of her best Specials, no big mistakes, and I’m very happy with her”, said the lady who won her first European Grand Prix Special title with the great Gigolo back in 1991 in Donaueschingen (GER).
Big marks for piaffe, passage and pirouettes put her on a score of 81.702 for a strong lead going into the closing stages.
Great Britain’s Charlotte Dujardin followed with 79.787 from her sweet little 10-year-old chestnut Gio, slotting temporarily into bronze medal spot. “It’s only his third Special and I couldn’t ask for much more. He needs more time to strengthen up, he’s getting better and better at every show and he went in there and tried and did his best, and that’s enough for me”, said the rider who took all the European Individual titles in both 2013 and 2015 with the record-breaking Valegro. However Denmark’s Cathrine Dufour immediately overtook her with a cracking test from Bohemian that was filled with power, energy and excitement.
Dufour looked well set to oust Werth from pole position but, although quickly rectified, a mistake on the final centreline proved costly. The quality of the performance was so strong however it still earned a healthy mark of 81.079.
Reflecting
The 29-year-old Dane has been reflecting over the last few weeks. “What I felt in the last few tests was that I had to push him a bit too much in Tokyo, and that’s not at all the way I want to ride him. Today I wanted to build more trust so he doesn’t feel that I push him one thousand percent every time he goes in the ring, because I had the feeling he might not continue to perform with me if I continue to ask for more. But today he was so confident. I could have asked for more but I want to rebuild that trust and show him that it’s super-nice to be in the ring.
“What Tokyo has taught me is that less is more”, Dufour said. “He will give me the moon as long as I offer trust and space for him to grow, which I feel I forgot the last few times. Yesterday I had a nice feeling but today was even better”, she added.
Britain’s Charlotte Fry was second-last to go with Everdale whose 78.146 slotted them in behind Dujardin, and then only von Bredow-Werndl and Dalera stood between Werth and the tenth Individual European title of her long and illustrious career. But the new world number one was placed first by all seven judges. With marks ranging from 81.277 to 86.596 their final tally was 84.271 for victory.
“Winning in front of the home crowd was great, we’re not used to it anymore.
"When we entered the arena Dalera became even bigger, put her ears up, she was really excited and when I did the trot extensions I tried not to move because it could have brought her out of balance because she was so on fire! It’s a great feeling, especially after the Olympics, that she’s so fit and so happy again"
Jessica von Bredow-Werndl (GER)
said von Bredow-Werndl who seems to have the world at her feet right now.
Leading combinations
While the leading 15 horse/athlete combinations go through to Saturday’s Freestyle, only three can represent each country. However the new Grand Prix Special champion certainly won’t miss the cut. Von Bredow-Werndl looks set to make it a golden hat-trick, with Werth chasing her all the way.
Tonight however Werth admitted that the last couple of days have been a huge strain for a different reason entirely. Her beloved mare, Bella Rose who took triple-gold at the European Championships in Rotterdam two years ago, took ill yesterday. But fortunately there was good news tonight.
“I’m glad to say she’s fine”, Werth said when asked about the mare who was due to be officially retired at the CHIO Aachen next week. “Yesterday I got a call from my vet to say she had a colic so I was really worried. Yesterday evening we had to take her to the clinic because this kind of colic meant you have to operate because something is in the wrong position. It’s just bad luck, it’s not a typical colic situation. So I’m really happy and very thankful to the vets. She woke up yesterday evening and this morning she ate some grass and looked really good and like normal. She will stay at the clinic a few days and if everything is normal we will then bring her home. I didn’t get much sleep last night!”, Werth admitted.
She should rest well tonight however in the knowledge that Bella is fine. And she and Weihegold are likely to come out with all guns blazing when Saturday’s Freestyle begins.
Charlotte Heering, Nanna Skodborg Merrald, Anne-Mette Binder, Cathrine Dufour and Daniel Bachmann Andersen - photo credit: H2R/Christine Prip
Denmark back at the podium
Great sport and high quality made the right podium at yesterday’s final part of the team competition at the European Championships in Hagen.
For nearly all podium combinations there were some hiccups during their tests.
Isabell Werth and Weihegold OLD - photo credit: H2R/Christine Prip
🥇Germany
For the Germans both Dorothee Schneider and Helen Langehanenberg were struggling with some technical issues from their test the first day, and going into 3rd slot with the team after day 1 was a new situation for the German team, but said that the two strong ladies Werth and Bredow-Werndl were determined to secure another team medal. Werth and Weihegold did performe a good test, but with an error for the two times, very limited walk tour and the last sparkling piaffe tours were missing, and from the sideline a very well scored test.
TSF Dalera BB and Jessica did their thing and they are on very good form coming back from Tokyo, and with an errorfree high quality test without full power they secured the German gold.
Britain’s Charlotte Fry with Everdale just finished their top performance day 1 at the European Championships - photo credit: H2R/Christine Prip
🥈Great Britain
Day 1 top performance was from British Charlotte Fry with KWPN stallion Everdale. They both looked very motivated and fresh going into another big championship and they just delivered a top performance and personal best with 77,671%. Tokyo reserve combination Gareth Hughes with Sintano van Hof Olympia showed a polish and effortless test and as always very balanced and discret aides from Gareth.
Carl and Charlotte were both performing good tests but with some minor issues for both of them. For En Vogue with Carl Hester it was a few tensions and an error for the 15 one time tempis at the diagonal, while Gio looked a bit tired body wise with some minor mistakes for the canter tour but still very well scored.
Cathrine Dufour and Bohemian - photo credit: H2R/Christine Prip
🥉Denmark
Denmarks Tokyo reserve combination Bufranco with Charlotte Heering going into the team competition with holding box from the vet check and luckily 2 hours before the start with a ✅ ACCEPTED from the re-inspection. They were showing a good test but clearly missing more power for the piaffe tours and with an error at the end of the 1 times.
Former Olympic silver medalist 16 year old mare Atterupgaard´s Orthilia and Nanna Merrald has only been at start two times before at international level back in Salzburg in January and Hagen in April, but Nanna really showed her skills also taking over this top mare and performed a super test without any technical issues, keeping Tille supple and well balanced all the way in a light frame. Only disturb for the overall picture is the often open mouth. Nanna and Tille posting Personal Best score with 75,078%.
First to go for Denmark day 2 was just 9 year old Danish Warmblood gelding Marshall-Bell with Daniel Bachmann Andersen. Since they entered the international arena together in April the big well moving gelding has develop impressively. The team Grand Prix was their just 5th international Grand Prix and personal best with impressive 76,366% - no exercise weaknesses and clearly potential for +80%.
Bohemian and Cathrine Dufour was last to go for the Danish team and they really showed a fantastic test trending 83% before going into the zigzag, best ever outline and trot extension, but unfortunately Bohemian seems to be a bit hind the aides and missing a clear change between the half passes, and then again after almost finishing the first canter pirouette Bohemian it looks as if Cathrine has to remind him being in front of her and he kind of over react to her aides - two expensive mistakes but still a bronze medal secured for the Danish team.
In the history of the FEI Dressage European Championships, Team Germany has a formidable record. There have been 29 editions, and today they clinched the team title for the 25th time.
Dorothee Schneider (Faustus), Helen Langehanenberg (Annabelle), Isabell Werth (Weihegold OLD) and Jessica von Bredow-Werndl (TSF Dalera BB) joined forces to pin Great Britain into silver and Denmark into bronze. It was the same side that took team gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games less than two months ago, but Langehanenberg was an alternate there and didn’t get to compete. Only von Bredow-Werndl was riding the same horse, and she posted the biggest mark in today’s Grand Prix to put the result beyond doubt.
The British were in the lead as the action resumed this morning, and Carl Hester was first into the ring for them, partnering En Vogue who earned a score of 74.845.
Brilliant in parts
“The test was brilliant in parts and disappointing in others”, he said. “Last night (leading the scoreboard) it actually looked quite exciting! That horse gets very big scores so we did think it would be good to have a really good shot at it, it doesn’t always work like that and it didn’t work like that today but he’s come right back from the Games where he did three amazing tests with no experience. Some of the things he does are so brilliant that he makes himself a bit nervous”, the British rider explained.
“I didn’t deserve more points, there were too many mistakes, and I’m just disappointed I made mistakes because they weren’t huge mistakes”, he added, but he sees great development in the 12-year-old bay gelding now that he is getting more competition exposure. “What he’s done in one year - he’d never have gone into that arena a year ago!”, he pointed out.
It might have been a nervous night for some teams in Germany’s situation, lying third after Schneider and Langehanenberg took their turn yesterday when Denmark slotted into silver medal spot. Daniel Bachmann Andersen was the first Dane to go today, producing a lovely test for a score of 76.366 with the gelding Marshall-Bell who is only nine years old.
But then Werth and her mare Weihegold came into the ring and you could feel the changing tide even though the German legend clearly wasn’t happy with her score. She had ridden a technically brilliant test for a mark of 79.860.
Superb
“We had just a little mistake at the end of the two-tempis where she was bit quick at the end, but the last centreline was superb so I was really happy. But a score under 80 percent. In the last three years I had just one competition with her under 80 percent and that was in Paris at the World Cup Final. But of course you have to take it sportingly….”, she pointed out.
Denmark’s Cathrin Dufour and Bohemian came really close to Werth’s leading score, always forward and brave and chasing every mark. A blip in the first canter pirouette held them back from an even bigger result however.
Dufour was a bit like Britain’s Hester, happy and frustrated all at the same time. “It might be the best warm-up I’ve ever had, he felt fantastic, and it was almost hotter than Tokyo, but he felt really super!” she said. Several riders commented on the incredible heat that descended on the showgrounds at Hof Kasselmann today.
“We had a little misunderstanding earlier and I just managed to save it and then in the canter pirouette left he wanted to turn a tiny bit too much and I tried to correct him, maybe a little bit too roughly - he’s a hot horse so he reacts really quickly but I think I managed to sort it quickly and we had a really nice second pirouette”, she explained. The mark for the first was 3.6 but she was awarded a whopping 8.9 when the second pirouette came off really nicely.
“Overall I’m really happy, of course a bit annoyed with that big mistake but we always have to try something new every time we go into the ring because we always want to develop. If you do the same you get the same so we have to try to push ourselves,” she pointed out wisely, adding, “my team-mates have been great here, it’s been a pleasure to watch them and it’s a pleasure to have three of our riders above 75 percent - I can’t remember when that happened last time for Denmark!”
Brilliant mark
Germany’s von Bredow-Werndl was fourth-last to go in the final group and sealed the German deal with a brilliant mark of 84.099 for a test that oozed the kind of class that spectators have come to expect from her 14-year-old Olympic double-gold mare..
“She is amazing! She was on fire but still so focused and concentrated that I couldn’t have asked for more. From the very first second to the very last second she didn’t give me any doubt!”"
Jessica von Bredow-Werndl (GER)
said the lady who has recently been named world number one.
Asked if she felt under pressure because her team really needed a good score, especially with Britain’s Charlotte Dujardin yet to start, she admitted she did, because the margins were still a little too close for comfort.
“It was not as easy as it was in Tokyo because in Tokyo I only had to achieve 72 percent to win gold for the team. Today was a little bit more but anyway I’m always giving my best and so is Dalera!”, she said.
Like so many of the other horses competing at the Championships this week, Dalera returned from Tokyo full of beans and still rearing to go. So much so that von Bredow-Werndl had to sit tight when starting her back in work after a short break.
“I had to make her keep walking for a few days because she was really bucking when we were hacking out!”, she said. As Hester explained earlier in the day the trip to Japan certainly didn’t seem to take much out of the Tokyo equine athletes. Peden International got permission for the horses to fly over Russia so their travel time was reduced by almost seven hours. “It made it so much easier for them”, he said.
A huge pleasure
Last of the British to go, Charlotte Dujardin and her supersweet little 10-year-old, Gio, produced a lovely test that put 79.829 on the board. It slotted her into third individually, behind Werth in second and von Bredow-Werndl at the top of the order. Germany finished on a final tally of 238.944 and Britain’s closing score was 232.345 while Denmark finished a very close third in bronze on 231.165.
Britain’s Hester insisted today’s silver medal finish was “a huge pleasure for all of us. Last night Charlotte did talk about the gold and hopefully it will happen again one day, but looking at the top you can see how experience carries the horses. Our team (of horses) at this age - we are thinking of the World Games in 2022 and Paris (Olympics in 2024) and we are just feeling so lucky to be winning medals!” he said.
With the team medals now out of the way, attention turns to tomorrow’s Grand Prix Special. The rivalry is going to be really intense again, especially since the horses are now much more familiar with the lovely Hagen arena. There’s lots more history to be made, and while von Bredow-Werndl and Dalera look set to sweep all before them over the coming days you could sense her senior compatriot’s trademark determination to continue in her role as the Queen of international Dressage.
Isabell Werth doesn’t like being second to anyone, so maybe she might try a change of boots for tomorrow. In Tokyo where she won team gold and individual silver she sported a pair she has been wearing for 35 years - her “lucky boots”. Asked today if the ones she was wearing were new, she said “no, they are my normal boots but not my lucky boots. So maybe that was the problem today!”
Time will tell, and the excitement will continue when the Grand Prix Special gets underway tomorrow evening at 17.00.
Don’t miss a hoofbeat…..
There is no place like Hagen
Big events are not only about being able to host a lot of people and horses - it’s the entire scenery. The quite intimate surroundings, different arenas, the fair area and different small places where you can enjoy a local meal and a drink just makes this place very special.
The sport
Britain’s Charlotte Fry and Van Olst Horses power stallion Everdale produced another super test bringing Britain into the lead of the team competition with impressive and well deserved 77,671%.
Denmark 🇩🇰 going into second place after the first day was kind of a fairytale. Not that often or more likely NEVER seen Germany going into day 2 at a team competition from third place!
But Danish Nanna Merrald and 15 year old former British Olympic team silver mare Atterupgaards Orthilia made this possible with a smooth expressive and well balanced test where Nanna is the one giving both Tille, the judges and the audience a “Guided Tour” of the Grand Prix. From the riders area during the test they could easily have scored even higher and everyone are impressed about the riding skills from the young Danish rider being able to take over former top horses and bringing them into yet another level of their career.
Overall an outstanding top yesterday, some issues for both Langehanenberg and Schneider yesterday bringing Werth and Bredow-Werndl into the positions of “they have to show their best” today.
Will Dufour and Bachmann Andersen keep the Danes at the podium, can Minderhoud and Van Liere make the step to the podium and Dujardin and Hester will for sure fight for their gold position.
On a day full of fascinating stories and great sport, Great Britain took the early lead in the Team Competition at the FEI Dressage European Championship 2021 in Hagen, Germany today. Gareth Hughes was first to go for the British side, posting 74.394 with Sintano van Hof Olympia, but it was their second-line rider, Charlotte Fry, who boosted them to pole position when producing a brilliant test with her Olympic bronze medal winning ride, Everdale, when second-last to go.
Judges Susanna Baarup (DEN), Thomas Lang (AUT), Maria Colliander (FIN), Isabelle Judet (FRA), Isobel Wessels (NED), Henning Lehrmann (GER) and Mariette Sanders van Gansewinkel (NED) awarded the pair a mark of 77.671 to leave them over two percentage points ahead of next-best horse/athlete partnership, Denmark’s Nanna Skodberg Merrald and Atterupgaards Orthilia who put 75.078 on the board. And, to the surprise of many, it is the Danes who lie second going into tomorrow’s second half of the Team event ahead of the defending champions from Germany in third.
Skodberg Merrald was delighted with the result she produced with the 16-year-old mare formerly ridden by both Britain’s Fiona Bigwood and Danish star Agnete Kirk Thinggaard. “I’ve had her for less than a year and this was the best Grand Prix I’ve ever done with her! I’m very happy that I did all I could for the team, and I couldn’t ask for more. It was what I’ve been dreaming about!”, she said.
For Germany however, things didn’t quite start as expected although Dorothee Schnieder set the early target with a nice performance with Faustus for a mark of 74.965. “It’s the first championship for him and I think it was a good start for the team” she said.
Mistakes
Her score might have been higher but for two mistakes in passage. “Sometimes when he’s not confident he tries to come behind me, and then I want to ride to the bit and there’s one or two moments when he’s not directly going to the bit and we have a mistake”, she explained. “His highlights were really the canter. It needs a bit of time to close this big canter and to balance him, but he comes more and more in a good balance. I’m proud of him!”, Schneider added.
However compatriot, Helen Langehanenberg, followed with a score of 73.960 with Annabelle.
"She started super good but then there were some expensive mistakes so it is different than we hoped, but that’s OK - this is the sport!"
Jessica von Bredow-Werndl (GER)
said Langehanenberg’s team-mate, double-Olympic gold medallist and new world number one Jessica von Bredow-Werndl who will be fifth-last to go tomorrow afternoon.
Hughes, who slotted into individual fourth place at the end of the day, was happy to have given the British a solid start. He travelled all the way to Tokyo as team alternate but didn’t get to ride, so entering the ring today was a big relief.
“I woke up 30 times last night, it feels like we have been building up to this for three months. It was great to be in Tokyo but emotionally it was really difficult because you have to prepare to ride and then you don’t ride. Your adrenalin goes up and down. It’s weird because you didn’t get what you want to do which is help the team. And then we had the build-up to this”, he explained.
Running on adrenalin
Fellow-Briton Fry admitted that she’s just running on adrenalin right now. After Tokyo she travelled to Verden in Germany where she claimed the Six-Year-Old title at the FEI
WBFSH Dressage World Breeding Championship with Kjento, posting incredible scores. Just over a week later she is making the headlines at the European Championships.
“It’s been a great few months and Everdale has been amazing”, she said. “He came home so fresh from Tokyo, excited and ready to go again. He had a week off last week, I got back on on Sunday and he was feeling great still. His energy never runs out, he goes all day and he loves to work”, she pointed out.
She said he has definitely grown up since travelling to Tokyo and that he has grown more secure in the arena. “He hasn’t been tired at all, and today it really felt like we could just wait and enjoy it, I could take my time a bit more. It was a really nice feeling”, she said.
There is still another whole day of sport ahead before the Team medals are decided, and with the incredible Isabell Werth yet to go for the host country with Weihegold and British stars Carl Hester (En Vogue) and Charlotte Dujardin (Gio) also yet to strut their stuff there’s a lot more to look forward to.
But some athletes achieved something great just by competing at Hagen today.
Mixed emotions
For Sweden’s Jacob Noerby Soerensen there were mixed emotions. Just two months ago a terrible fire destroyed his farm, and he’s still shocked from the experience.
“I was in Denmark qualifying two horses for Verden, and on my way home I got a call from the stable that there was a fire. They didn’t think it would get so big but the whole stallion stable and the apartments and the Rehab Centre with a spa and gym for the horses were burned down. It was awful. In half an hour everything was gone. No horses were killed and the staff were super, they rescued 26 horses in half an hour, but it was a horrible, awful day”, he recalled.
So posting 68.431 today and lying individually 20th this evening he was hugely happy with his 11-year-old stallion Moegelbejergs Romeo. “He’s a big horse, he’s only 10 and it’s my first championship so I was really, really nervous. But today made everything feel good again!”, he said.
Also feeling good was Ireland’s Carolyn Mellor who steered Gouverneur M to a score of 64.395. She’s 59 years old, groomed for some of Ireland’s top riders, grooms her own horse, lives in Comber in Northern Ireland, has competed mainly on the relatively modest Irish circuit throughout her career and is riding a 10-year-old horse who she bought as a three-year-old and who, like her, is competing in his very first championship. And she became a granny last month.
“It’s very surreal, I never thought I’d make it to this stage but it’s brilliant and I think with this horse there is much more to come!”, she said. There’s plenty more to come at the FEI Dressage European Championships too, and the action resumes at 08.30 tomorrow when Portugal’s Martim Meneres and Equador enter the arena.
Don’t miss a hoofbeat….
Versace B by Vaderland / Fidertanz - photo credit: Reckimedia
Årets hoppe i Dansk Varmblod 2021 Valerie B e. Revolution / Blue Hors Zack, avlet af Karin og Peer Gudbrandtsen og ejet af Helgstrand Dressage, forberedt kåring og eliteskue af Bakken Dressage.
Video af 4 års vinderen Iron med Mette Sejbjerg Jensen
4 års videre til mellemrunden
5 års videre til mellemrunden
6 års videre til mellemrunden
7 års videre til mellemrunden
Saturday night at Vilhelmsborg, Aarhus in Denmark, bidders in the arena as well as online bidders were attracted by the high quality of the foal collection. 43 dressage and jumping foals were sold for an average price of 18,674 EUR which is the current record at Danish Warmblood’s foal auctions.
Alex Buchardt is the breeder of the auction highlight Slangerupgaards Josefine which was purchased by Helgstrand Dressage represented by Thomas Sigtenbjerggaard. Photo: Ridehesten.com.
Head of the DWB auction committee Ulrik Kristensen is thrilled with the outcome of the Elite Foal Auction: – Danish sport horses have achieved great popularity abroad which is the reason for the massive international attention the auction foals have received. We have had online bidders from many countries, and 21% of the sold foals were purchased by internet buyers. We experienced a great flow between the arena and the internet, and the concept of hybrid auctions is an indisputable success.
The Blue Hors Zack daughter, Zallopia out of Blue Hors Don Schufro's dam line, was sold to the owner of the Olympic DWB mare Heiline's Danciera. Photo: Ridehesten.com.
The three most sought-after auction foals were dressage fillies. Helgstrand Dressage placed the finale bid of 72,000 EUR on Slangerups Josefine by Jovian/Scolari whose dam is also the dam of the licensed stallion Flottenheimer.
The filly Fallopia by Blue Hors Zack/Bretton Woods carries Olympic bloodlines not only through her sire but also through her dam line which she shares with Don Schufro. This filly, bred by Blue Hors, was purchases for 64,000 EUR by the owners of the mare Heiline’s Danciera who placed 7th in the Olympic Freestyle.
Midnights Florentina by Knock-Out/Fürstenball is a filly that exudes Grand Prix quality, and she received many bids from abroad and was eventually purchases for a knock-down price of 47,000 EUR going to an internet bidder.
Dressage foals by Blue Hors Monte Carlo TC, Secret, Vitalis and Jameson all sold for over 30,000 EUR to buyers in Denmark as well as abroad.
No 117 colt by Jameson RS2 / De Noir
Danish Warmblood breeders has proven themselves during the years presenting their foals for the regional foal shows in Denmark. At each foal show during the summer selectors from the Elite Auction are at the “ring side” watching every single prospect and Saturday evening Danish Warmblood will present the BEST selected foals at the Elite Auction.
Danish Warmblood Elite Auction comes up Saturday evening at 7 pm live from the arena at Vilhelmsborg.
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The pre-bidding has started and there has already been activities and bids from all over World.
“There has been an incredible interest for this collection both from Denmark but definitely the foreign buyers are also aware of the quality produced from the Danish Warmblood breeders. We can’t wait to show the entire collection LIVE Saturday afternoon where the buyers will be able check out their favorites once more before the auction starts Saturday evening,” tells Louise Ringsbo.
Click below to watch the collection and register for the auction.
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