Jovian, Wendy and Fendi in top of CDI3 Grand Prix Special today in Aachen
Screenshot Clipmyhorse
Young talents shines
For both Kittel and Werth it is still very new to enter the centerline with Jovian and Wendy, both riders brings a huge amount of experience and they are both able to develop their partnership during each test and also improve - this is just dressage at the highest level.
Jovian looks a bit impressed at the begining again today by kind of taking off for the first extension and where Kittel has to say “hey, I´m also here and we have to do this together”. But from there Jovian look very confident, and it really bring a much better picture when Kittel is trying to make the passage smaller which also makes it possible to do the transition into piaffe with better flow. Piaffe still need more balance on the hind quaters, but poco a poco Kittel look like he has a plan.
Jovian & Patrik Kittel - Super halt, becomes high in the neck for extension, looking, super half pass left crossing uphill flow, good into passage, power expressive extension, good back to passage, power uphill half pass right, good into passage, power extension becomes bit high in the neck, good passage, relaxed extended walk, good collected walk, missing bit more clear beat for 1st piaffe, good out, nice passage, super nice into piaffe, better rhythm, good out, good passage, nice into canter, good half passes, swing 2 times, good 1 times, power extended canter, need bit more preparation into good 1st pirouette, ok 1times, good 2nd pirouette, good into trot, power super frame long side, good passage, good into piaffe, need more balance on hind quaters, good flow out, nice halt. 76,213%
Things really comes together in a nice way with clearly smaller passage.
Wendy de Fontaine & Isabell Werth - Bit open halt, good power diagonal, power half pass left, nice into passage at C, passage need more relaxation, small lack of balance extension, good passage, good start of half pass right but becomes bit stocked at the end, good into passage at C, good passage, good extension, good passage, relaxed active extended walk, tense collected walk, super into piaffe, super timing out, bit tense for passage, nice balance for piaffe at the spot, good transitions, missing transition to canter first at long side, good half passes, good 2 times lack bit more flow, ok 1 times tension and dragging bit forward down, good extended canter, good 1st pirouette, error end of 1 times, need more sit and balance on hind quaters for 2nd pirouette, good extension, super final centerline with lovely piaffe at the spot of the ground.
Wendy is finding her legs and balance in a much better way for the piaffe tours even though some minor tensions creeping in. The collected walk tour is unfortunately getting somewhat unbalanced!
Fendi & Sönke Rothenberger - Good halt, good diagonal, nice flow uphill balanced half pass left, super on the hind legs into passage at C, super passage, nice out for extension, WOW back to the hind legs, super passage, good flow and go for half pass right, smooth back to passage, power extension uphill and again back clear on hind legs, trending 78%, bit hurried extended walk could show bit more let go, good collected walk, super sit for piaffe missing bit more clear flow out, super 2nd piaffe including smooth transitions, bit tense into canter, good half passes, error begin due to toilet 2 times, more with parallel hind for 1 times, good extended canter, super change, super sit and balance for 1st pirouette, 1 times with parallel hind, big 2nd pirouette, late into trot, good extension, super passage, easy in and out, good piaffe, good halt.
Sönke and Fendi showed how to make transitions from extensions back to passage, exactly from the dressage book! The walk has clearly improved with more relaxation.
Tensions
Hermes was unfortunately not fully focused today and went into his spooky moments which of course became costly during the test. Denoix unfortunately never really settled in the Aachen arena. Also Matthias Rath and Thiago were struggling with a lot of tensions today.
Zen Elite´s Bohemian and Endel Ots winner of international Grand Prix debut today
Successful new partnership
The partnership between Bohemian and Endel is still fairly new and today they´ve made their international debut in CDI3 Grand Prix, Wellington with a clear victory. A very harmonious and obedient performance with only a total mixed up two times serie, rest was nicely performed, but overall you could wish for a more open frame and more clear search of the contact.
Placed both second and third was Adrienne Lyle with her two new Olympic hope, Helix and Lars van de Hoenderheide. It was also Adrienne Lyle´s comeback since January 2023 where she rode Salvino at his last international competition.
Top of the CDI3 Grand Prix:
Hermes and Dinja van Liere back after injury break with CDI3 Grand Prix victory in Aachen today
No horses for the prizegiving (look like a great choise the future) - photo: screenshot Clipmyhorse.
34 combinations for today´s Grand Prix at Festival4Dressage in Aachen
It was a very interesting field for today´s Grand Prix class in Aachen. The big Deutsche Bank stadium looked even more impressive and also kind of terrifying with all the empty spectator seats.
Many top riders was at start and it became a very intesting class to follow.
Dinja van Liere and Hermes were back. Last time they were at competition were at the World Cup final back in April 2023 where Hermes unfortunately got injured. Today they were back with their very strong piaffe & passage tours and overall very strong performance. Only thing was the trot half pass to the right where the balance and clear rhythm was failing.
Hermes & Dinja van Liere - Bit open halt, small unbalance before nice extension, uneven hind for half pass right, better balance left, good halt with rein back, good diagonal, super into passage, nice passage, super piaffe at the spot, easy out, bit tense hind before transition to walk, super nice extended walk, good collected walk, nice into passage, super piaffe tiny forward trend, good passage, good into canter, nice 2 times, good extended canter, bit unbalanced zigzag, super 1 times, nice 1st pirouette, same for 2nd missing tiny control, bit late into trot, good diagonal, super passage, direct into piaffe, bit tense final into halt. 75,522%
Wendy de Fontaine & Isabell Werth - Good halt, good diagonal bit hectic, good flow and go for half passes, good halt dragging rein back, good diagonal, nice into passage, good piaffe, good transitions, nice passage, super relaxation and over track for extended walk, good collected walk, super into passage, nice passage, easy into piaffe, super steps at the spot, bit tension, good transitions, nice into canter, good 2 times full diagonal, power extended canter, good zigzag, good 1 times, super 1st pirouette, 2nd missing bit more sit but nice centered, super into trot at M, good diagonal, super final centerline. 75,065%
Wendy really finding the balance for the piaffe tours today.
Jovian & Patrik Kittel - Super halt, power diagonal balanced, good flow and go for both half passes, super halt with good rein back, power diagonal, good passage, easy into piaffe, good steps and good out, good extended walk, very nice collected walk, good into passage, tiny tensions hind, good piaffe steps but missing more clear sit, bit tense into canter, ok 2 times could show bit more forward flow, good extended canter, bit unbalanced moments for zigzag, good 1 times, bit big 1st pirouette, 2nd better but tiny hind aides, good into trot, power diagonal well balanced, good final centerline, super halt. 74,500%
Sönke Rothenberger was back with his 10 year old Danish Warmblood gelding Fendi. Last time they showed was in Aachen last year. Today they were back in good form, gained more strength and security for the passage-piaffe-passage tours. Overall a very nice performance only kept them of the podium due to judge at M from France having them as no 17, where the other four judges placed them as 4-1-4-17-5!
Unfortunately there were some obvious judging issues during the class with biggest difference of 10% for two combinations!
If you want to catch up on running H2R comments during the class you can find them at H2R Facebook feed here.
Here you find the results for the entire class.
3 års vinder af den svenske "bruksprøve" - Scarabus VH e. Springbank II VH / Van Vivaldi
Scarabus VH - foto: @lovgretphoto
Velfortjent champion titel til den 3-årige hingst Scarabus VH som viste sig flot til alle præsentationerne.
Scarabus var flot klargjort til den danske forbesigtigelse, kåring og nu den svenske kåring af CS Equestrian v. Christian Springborg.
3 års champion
4 års champion
H2R favorit hingst med klart billede af en fremtidig Grand Prix hest var den 4 årige Morricello II VH, som begge testryttere hollandske Theo Hanzon og tyske Philipp Hess også gav et 9-tal.
Link til alle præmiehingste her.
Øvrige godkendte hingste
Total Dream avlet af Lotte Kulle, med super hingste look, men som desværre mistede pusten til den sidste præsentation under rytter i lørdags.
Link til alle godkendte hingste her.
Danish bred stallion Sarai L now also appointed Premium stallion at Dutch NRPS breeding society
Selected for three different breeding societies, and appointed Premium stallion in both Danish Warmblood and dutch NRPS
Another successful presentation of the 3 year old Danish bred Sarai L by Secret / For Romance, bred by L-Horses, Skanderborg, DEN and co-owned by Stal van de Sande. Sarai L was also appointed as a Premium stallion at the NRPS licensing and already selected for the KWPN performance test.
Huge success for Norel family
Dutch family Norel presented both the Champion stallion I am Rico Norel by Iron / Uphill and the reserve champion Express Norel by Expression / Oscar. 2nd reserve champion was Le Rio Grande by Las Vegas / Bordeaux.
Also appointed Premium stallions were Danny Boy by Dream Boy / Tolando and Mambo by Mac Madison / Glock´s Toto Jr.
Approved stallions:
Festival 4 Dressage in Aachen comes up from tomorrow
193 entries
Huge entry list for this edition of Festival 4 Dressage starting tomorrow at 9.00 with CDI1 Prix St. Georg and at 12.00 with CDI3 Grand Prix.
Grand Prix entries
For the Grand Prix (for GPS) entries a lot of prominent names are listed, such as:
Isabell Werth & Wendy de Fontaine, Katharina Hemmer & Denoix, Sönke Rothenberger & Fendi, Dinja van Liere & Hermes, Patrik Kittel & Jovian, Emma Hindle & Zippo M.I. and Danish 🇩🇰Anna Zibrandtsen & Quel Filou.
The entire event is available to follow LIVE at Clipmyhorse. Link for start and results here.
De svenske unghingste vist for sidste gang igår under rytter
Den svenske brugsprøve af hingstene startede allerede i mandags, og i går lørdag var sidste dag hvor de unge hingste skulle vises for 2. gang under egen rytter for de 3 års og med testrytter for de 4 års.
Hvis man har fulgt med fra førstedagen inklusiv første præsentation under sadel. så ændres det overordnede billede fra første dagen ikke til lørdagens præsentation. Nu afventer hingsteejerne og avlerne bare den endelige besked mandag om hvorvidt hingsten er godkendt eller ej.
To afkom efter sølvmedaljehoppen Duchesse Petit e. De Noir / Schwadroneur fra Lotte Sophia Liv Kulle
For den danske avler Lotte Sophia Liv Kulle har det været en ekstra spændende uge, idet hun har været med på sidelinien i Sverige for at se egen avl, nemlig hingsten Total Dream e. Total McLaren / De Noir, som er ejet af svenske Gunnarlunda. Derudover har hoppen Delizia (født 2013) e. Fürstenball / De Noir, været til start ved landsstævne for første gang. Delizia er nu under uddannelse af Anne Mette Strandby Hansen og parret blev nr. 2 i både Prix St. Georg og Intermediare I.
Blandt H2R favoritterne til den svenske brugsprøve:
3 års
Total Dream by Total McLaren / De Noir
Moricello III VH by Morricone / Floricello
Scarabus VH by Springbank II VH / Van Vivaldi
4 års
Devin Franco GJ by Vivino / Bon Coeur
Moricello II VH by Morricone / Floricello
Zniper by Gammelenggårds Zappa / Johnson
Secret sons Santos and Security stood out at stallion show today
Santos by Secret / Don Schufro - photo: screenshot / Clipmyhorse
Secret sons took the spot light at today´s stallion show with Beckmann, AT Schurf, Ingo Pape, LG Celle
Highlight from stallion stallion Pape was 6 year old Santos by Secret / Don Schufro / Rohdiamant was shown by Greta Heemsoth. Light footed, powerful, supple and expressive.
From stallion stalion M. Beckmann (owner Reesink) the 3 year old Security by Secret / Ampere / Jazz was shown under saddle by Bart Veeze. Top top young stallion and what a superb walk he also showed.
8 year old mare Maxima Bella with Polish Sandra Sysojeva with double victory at CDI3 Wroclaw
Maxima Bella - photo: screenshot Clipmyhorse
CDI3 Wroclaw Polen
The black power mare showed up at international Grand Prix level last month at CDI3 Kalen-Towarzystwo, Polen with victory in both Grand Prix and Grand Prix freestyle, and this weekend Sandra Sysojeva could repeat the success with both Grand Prix and Grand Prix freestyle victories.
The black mare is only 8 years old (turns 8 in May) and shows a lot of qualities without tensions, easy huge passage, super balance in and out of active piaffe at the spot. For the Grand Prix test an error was creeping into the two times and missing and more clear bending around inside leg for pirouette to the right was missing.
Overall top qualities in a light contact without any technical issues. For some moment the young mare is dropping the pole, which of course is a sign of still lacking a bit of overall strength. This is definitely a combination to keep an eye on.
Top placements in CDI3 GP:
Here you find all results.
PODCAST med berider Tania Joensen
Berider Tania Joensen - foto: H2R
Lær berider Tania Joensen bedre at kende
H2R fangede Tania til en snak om uddannelsen som berider, erfaringer, hverdagen og drømme.
Lyt med her ⬇️⬇️⬇️
Mød din hingst når musikken ikke spiller
Kender vi ikke alle sammen følelsen af at blive forblændet at hingste til shows med spotlights og høj musik? Men hvordan ser hverdagen egentlig ud?
Nu har du muligheden for at møde Atterupgaards Bernachi i hverdagen og stalden.
Vi vil gerne sætte de naturlige gangarter i fokus. Der er trods alt dem du arver.
Mød "Benny" og hele teamet bag ham på
Atterupgaard, Atterupvej 11, 4174 Jystrup
d. 21.4.24 kl. 11
til en kop kaffe og en hyggelig snak om avl og ridning
Road to Riyadh - the FEI Dressage World Cup™ season 2023/2024 is on the home straight
The 37th season of the global Dressage series is approaching its finale. For the first time, the best dressage athletes in the world will meet for the World Cup Final™ in the capital of Saudi Arabia, in Riyadh from April 16 to 20, 2024.
Athletes can collect points for the final in four leagues: In the Western European League (WEL), the Central European League (CEL), the North American League (NAL) and the Pacific League (PAL). Out of all those four Leagues 18 riders receive their ticket for the Final in Riyadh.
The largest group of World Cup finalists comes from the Western European League (WEL), which has nine places up for grabs in the field of finalists.
Five-time World Cup winner Isabell Werth (GER) will be travelling to Riyadh as the leader of the WEL: It will be her 25th (!) World Cup Final™ appearance. Werth has won three legs and finished second once, meaning that she has collected a total of 77 points. She has earned these points with her horses DSP Quantaz and Emilio, both of whom are qualified for the final. If everything goes as planned, the 54-year-old will saddle up the 18-year-old Emilio in Riyadh and see him bid farewell to the sport. World Champion Charlotte Fry (GBR) follows in second place in the World Cup rankings with 74 points. She has scored with two wins and two second places, all of which she achieved with Everdale, meaning that the half-brother to World Champion Glamourdale is also her sole option for the Final. Fry was already a World Cup finalist in 2022 with Dark Legend, so Riyadh will be Final number two for the 28-year-old British athlete.
A very experienced athlete finished the season in third place in the ranking with 72 points: Patrik Kittel from Sweden. Kittel has ridden three different horses, Bonamour, Touchdown and Forever Young HRH, in this World Cup season - that is extraordinary. The well-mounted champion has already taken part in the World Cup Final™ eight times, but has never finished on the podium.
The top nine in the WEL also includes Matthias Alexander Rath (GER, 69 points), Nanna Skodborg Merrald (DEN, 64 points), Morgan Barbancon (FRA, 56 points), Raphael Netz (GER, 54 points), Emmelie Scholtens (NED, 54 points) and Borja Carrascosa (ESP, 53 points). Following consultation with her team, Scholtens has already declared that she will not be claiming her place in the Final.
The athlete in tenth place can therefore move up into the field of finalists. Belgium's Flore de Winne and Diana Porsche from Austria are positioned there with 41 points each. In such a case, the highest freestyle result achieved by the riders during the season is decisive. For de Winne this was 80.330 per cent with the ten-year-old Flynn FRH in Mechelen, for Porsche it was 75.820 per cent with Douglas in Basel. This means that de Winne will move up for Scholtens.
The defending champion also comes from the WEL and - as every year - is seeded for the final. Double Olympic Champion Jessica von Bredow-Werndl (GER) has won the final with her top mare TSF Dalera BB in the past two years.
The Central European League began its qualifiers back in May 2023 in the Czech Republic. Since then, twelve qualifiers have been held, with the last one scheduled at the beginning of March in Motesice, Slovakia. Two women have each taken the top spot in the CEL rankings with the full score of four wins, 80 World Cup points: Alisa Glinka for Moldova and Justina Vanagaite for Lithuania. Alisa has won the World Cup with her horses Abercrombie and Aachen, and she already competed with Aachen in the 2022 Final in Leipzig (GER). Justina relies entirely on her partner Nabab in the World Cup, with whom she has also competed at the FEI World and European Championships and at the 2023 World Cup Final™ .
In the North American League (NAL), the three best results per rider are counted. After nine out of ten qualifications, Benjamin Ebeling (USA) has already secured full points (60 points) with three victories and is firmly in control of the top of the NAL rankings. The 24-year-old Benjamin is the son of Olympic athlete Jan Ebeling and has never competed in a championship or World Cup Final™ before. He now looks set to fulfil this dream with the 16-year-old mare Indeed.
Kevin Kohmann and Anna Marek, also both competing for the USA, have also secured their places in the final, even though there is still one stage of the NAL to go. They are in second and third place in the current World Cup rankings with 57 and 55 points. By winning stage nine in Wellington (USA), the 35-year-old Kohmann, who has never taken part in a championship or World Cup Final™, secured full points for the second time this season. Anna Marek did so as well with Fayvel in qualifiers number seven and eight in Wellington. The NAL now has one more stop to go, the last one at the end of March in Del Mar (USA). Whoever wins this final stage will not be able to overtake Kohmann and Marek on points.
In the Pacific League, participation in the World Cup Final™ is decided in the League Final: The winner of the League Final receives the final ticket for Riyadh and this victory was secured in Cambridge-Takapoto, New Zealand, by Melissa Galloway with almost 80 percentage points in her World Cup Freestyle. The Melissa-Windermere J'Obei W pair remained unbeaten throughout the 2023 season and is now on its way to their first World Cup Final™ .
FEI World Cup™ Finals 2024 Riyadh - Photo: riyadh2024.fei.org
Saudi Arabia, renowned for its equestrian heritage, proudly welcomes the FEI World Cup™ Finals in 2024. Riyadh, the vibrant capital, hosts this prestigious event, uniting riders, spectators, and exceptional horses worldwide. With state-of-the-art facilities and warm hospitality, Riyadh epitomizes Saudi Arabia's commitment to equestrian excellence and cultural heritage.
The Finals of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ and the FEI Dressage World Cup™ will take place at the Riyadh International Convention & Exhibition Center between 16 – 20 April 2024 and will mark the conclusion of the 2023–24 Dressage and Jumping FEI World Cup™ Seasons.
It will be the first time in history that the FEI World Cup™ Finals will be held on the Asian continent for Dressage and for the second time for Jumping after the finals in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 2006. It will be the first time that the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ and the FEI Dressage World Cup™ are taking place in the Middle East region.
The hosting of the FEI World Cup™ Finals reflects Saudi Arabia's dedication to promoting the equestrian arts and celebrating competition. Join us in Riyadh to celebrate the enduring legacy of Saudi Arabia's equestrian heritage and experience the captivating future of this remarkable city.
VIDEO - Hestevelfærd, kommunikation, ordentlighed og åbenhed - på vej mod et nyt DRF
Med gårsdagens livestream af præsentationsmøde med de 11 kandidater til DRF´s bestyrelse, blev dørene for første gang i DRF regi åbnet op, og alle var velkommen og kunne se med hjemmefra.
Udover de 11 kandidater bød DRF´s kommende formand Dan Boyter velkommen. Dan fortalte lidt om sin egen baggrund, og fortalte også hvilke udfordringer og opgaver der ligger foran den nye bestyrelse.
Hele seancen varede 3 timer og startede med at hver enkelt kandidat fik lov til at præsenterer sig selv, med hvad de gerne ville bidrage med til den nye bestyrelse. Efterfølgende var der spørgsmål hvor alle kandidater løbende kunne byde ind med deres bud på svar, og med rigtig god ping-pong mellem kandidaterne.
De 11 kandidater kommer stort set alle, på nær et par enkelte, med forskellige indgangsvinkler fra hestesporten. Og med de mange nye kandidater, er der mulighed for, at kunne taget et stort skridt ind i en ny og spændende fremtid for DRF.
11 kandidater til 5 pladser
Alene med baggrund i gårsdagens præsentationer og kendskab til DRF´s historik gennem flere årtier, kommer H2R gerne med et bud på de 5 kandidater som ligner de profiler / personer som kan være med til at skabe det nye DRF. De 5 ledige pladser i DRF´s bestyrelse består af 4 bestyrelsesmedlemmer samt en suppleant.
Tine Callesen (Sundeved Rideklub) pt. bestyrelsesmedlem som modtager genvalg
Nye:
Jakob Leth (Sportsrideklubben)
Bent Jensen (Hjallerup Rideklub)
Linnea Ericsson-Carey (Bækgaarden Rideklub)
Nathalie zu Sayn-Wittgenstein (Stutsborg Rideklub)
ET OPRÅB TIL ALLE BESTYRELSER I RIDEKLUBBERNE!
Få spredt kendskabet til kandidaterne med videoen herunder ⬇️, så bliver i helt sikkert bedre klædt på til at vælge hvem der skal stå i spidsen for forbundet efter den 13. april. (Scroll frem til ca. 3.30 så begynder det med lyd!)
Roman Empire and Banksy Coeur winner of stallion sport test in Verden
Roman Empire by Blue Hors Romanov / Sir Sinclair winner of 4 year old with 8,62
4 year old
5 year old
Swedish stallion licensing and performance test starts tomorrow Monday 18 March
Tomorrow starts Swedish Warmblood stallion licensing and performance test with vet. check followed by presentation by hand for the judges.
The entire event will be available at Clipmyhorse.
Schedule for vet. check:
3 year old
4 year old
Link for the full program and start lists here.
Sport test stallions Verden 18-20 March
Schedule: (live stream)
Tuesday 19 March
13.00 - 16.00 - 4 yr old with own rider
16.30 - 18.00 - 5 yr old with own rider
Wednesday 20 March
08.00 - 13.00 - 4 yr old test rider
13.00 - 15.00 - 5 yr old test rider
List of stallions:
4 yr old
5 yr old
Here you find the entire catalog.
H2R impressions from Herning
During 2024 Danish Warmblood stallion show H2R was mainly doing LIVE comments at Danish Clipmyhorse together with different Danish judges, riders and trainers, but also caught a few attendees for some small interviews. Check out here below ⬇️
Stor tak til alle medkommentatorer (beklager men glemte foto sammen med Leif Tørnblad - medkommentator i 1. del af CDI5 GPS).
Husk at du kan fange op på alle klasserne via arkivet på Clipmyhorse.
Non-Rights Holders' Guidelines for Posting Videos from FEI-Named Events
Following the recent publication of the updated version of the Non-Rights Holders’ Guidelines for Publishing on Social Media at FEI-Named Events, which generated considerable conversation in the media, and questions from Stakeholders, we have produced explanatory notes and a detailed FAQ which are both available alongside the Guidelines on a newly created page:
NRH Guidelines for Posting Videos from FEI-Named Events
Three key misconceptions in the comments we have received so far, which we would like to clarify:
The Guidelines in no way prevent filming and do not stop anyone from capturing images at an event. They are solely concerned with the publication of video content on social media, websites & blogs from the field of play at FEI-Named Events by Non-Rights Holders.
The Guidelines are not new, they have been in place for several years and are industry standard in sport in line with the approach taken by other sporting organisations (e.g. other International Federations, the IOC, IPC).
These Guidelines do not apply to all FEI Events in the Calendar, but only to FEI-Named Events (see breakdown of FEI-Named Events in Guidelines and FAQ).
Werth finishes top fo League table with last leg win at s´Hertogenbosch
German dressage legend, Isabell Werth, posted her second victory of the season at the eleventh and last leg of the FEI Dressage World Cup™ 2023/2024 Western European League in ’s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands today.
Taking maximum points with Emilio on home ground in Stuttgart last November, she did it again when the pair were runners-up to compatriot Jessica von Bredow-Werndl in Basel in January because the 2023 series champion was not entitled to qualifying points at the Swiss fixture.
Today Werth topped up her points tally to a total of 77 when, partnering the 14-year-old stallion DSP Quantaz, she pinned reigning world champion, Great Britain’s Charlotte Fry into runner-up spot.
The German star completes the Western European League at the top of the leaderboard from which nine athletes will qualify for the FEI Dressage World Cup™ Final 2024 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia next month. Third place went to The Netherlands’ Emmelie Scholtens and Indian Rock who won the ninth leg in Neumünster, Germany last month and the French duo of Pauline Basquin and Sertorius de Rima Z IFCE finished fourth.
Holding the lead
The Kiwi partnership of Melissa Galloway and Windermere J’Obei W were holding the lead at the halfway stage on a score of 75.970 but were overtaken by the remaining seven of the 15 starters to finally slot into eighth at the end of the day.
First to go after the break, The Netherlands’ Marieke van der Putten and Torveslettens Titanium RS2 NOP raised the game when putting 77.405 on the board only to be ever-so-fractionally overtaken by the French partnership of Morgan Barbançon and Sir Donnerhall ll OLD who scored 77.410.
Belgium’s Flore de Winn and Flynn FRH have been enjoying a fantastic run of form and were racking up good scores until the black stallion suddenly seemed to take fright, losing concentration and lots of marks before recovering well enough to finish their Freestyle but in a disappointing last place in the final analysis.
Bianca Nowag-Aulenbrock followed with a lovely performance from the fabulous 12-year-old mare Florine OLD that earned the first over-80% score of the day - a total of 80.140 for the German pair. And Scholtens bettered that with a mark of 82.095 to raise the stakes even higher.
But the real clash was always going to come down to the next two into the ring, Fry with Everdale who posted wins at both round six in Mechelen, Belgium in December and round eight in Amsterdam, The Netherlands in January, and Werth and DSP Quantaz who pinned the British duo into runner-up spot in Thursday’s Grand Prix.
Fry was chasing a hat-trick of wins as she entered the arena, and putting 82.250 on the board she snatched the lead from Scholtens. But Werth and the 14-year-old gelding strutted their way to a mark of 85.250 which would settle the matter when Basquin and the elegant Sertorius, another pair enjoying a really exciting season, were awarded 80.550 for that fourth place.
Decision-time
It’s now decision-time for qualified riders ahead of the Final which takes place in Riyadh from 16 to 20 April.
Werth has always intended to challenge for her sixth title, her first earned with Fabienne 32 years ago, in Gothenburg, Sweden in 1992.
She has long been the doyenne of international dressage and her only decision is which horse to ride. Her first preference would be the 18-year-old Emilio -
"my dream is to go with Emilio and that he should have his last show there, he deserves it! But Quantaz is also qualified….so we will see!”
Isabell Werth GER
she said.
She enjoyed today’s victory, and the arena atmosphere created by the enthusiastic spectators.
“They (the horses) grow immediately when they come in, but it’s great to see so many people and the crowd was so positive, supporting all the riders and combinations and nations so that makes it really exciting and I always enjoy coming to ’s-Hertogenbosch. It’s close to home and it’s exciting to see that each time there is something more. So many flowers, so many lovely details around, there is no other show like this and I thank Anky (van Grunsven) and the whole team for this because it makes this really extraordinary!”, Werth said.
She’s been competing at ’s-Hertogenbosch for a very long time and as she pointed out - “I remember this show when we were in the other arena, and when we arrived the cows left an hour before, so it’s a big difference now!"
Electricity
Fry agreed about the electricity in the arena. “It’s always really exciting to ride in the World Cup shows, of course there’s a lot of excitement as you enter the ring and especially today as they were announcing Emmelie’s score - the public were kind of loving that!
"Once we were over that bit I was really happy, he settled down and relaxed a lot faster than the last few shows and it really felt that we could show that he can relax in the ring".
Charlotte Fry GBR
"I try to make it look easy and we had a really great time, we had a few mistakes today but I’m overall really happy. It’s such an amazing atmosphere to ride in there and it’s also really close to home for me and I felt a lot of support from the public which is really nice”, she explained.
Third-placed Scholtens was more than pleased too. She missed out on this home show last year because of a knee injury so it was great to be back. And Indian Rock more than rose to the occasion.
“He felt really super, I really love to ride him….he is so talented and such a gentleman, I just love him and I think he did really, really well. He’s still a young horse (11 years old) in the Grand Prix, and for me it felt amazing!”, she said. Both Fry and Scholtens now have to decide if they will make the trip to Saudi Arabia in five weeks time.
The final standings in the Western European League show Werth at the head of affairs followed by Fry in second and longtime series leader Patrick Kittel from Sweden in third place. Germany’s Matthias Alexander Rath is in fourth, Denmark’s Nanna Skodborg Merrald in fifth and Morgan Barbançon in sixth ahead of Raphael Netz from Germany in seventh, Scholtens in eighth and Spain’s Borja Carrascosa in ninth spot.
Belgium’s de Winne and Austria’s Diana Porsche who finished twelfth today lie in equal-tenth place, just outside the qualification zone while French riders Basquin and Alexandre Ayache are next in line.
The startlist for the 37th FEI Dressage World Cup™ Final will take shape very soon, so don’t miss a hoofbeat…..
Final Standings Western European League 2023/2024