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Dressage & Jumping With The Stars
Werribee Park National Equestrian Centre
18th & 19th November
Pictures & Report
By Berni Saunders
FEI WORLD CUP PACIFIC LEAGUE FINAL 2005
Prydes Easi Feed Grand Prix "B" Part 2
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Place Horse / Rider Errors -------------SCORES--------------
E H C M B
7 CAFE AU LAIT
300 58.750 55.833 55.833 61.667 60.000 %
MAREE TOMKINSON VIC 58.417%
( 6)
( 8)
(10)
( 5)
( 6)
Next
out in the Prydes Easi Feed
Grand Prix is the imported gelding Café Au Lait and Victorian
professional, Maree Tomkinson. It is great to see this combination
in the arena after some bad luck in Sydney. Maree took Cafe up for
the Nationals, but he did not feel quite right in the warm up and
she was not confident about taking risks without the advice of her
own vet.
Café
Au Lait began the test with a wonderfully expressive extended trot
and then it is into the half passes which really swept across the
arena. Cafe ‘sits’ and ‘stays put’ in the piaffe - this is such a
big element of a pleasing and high scoring Grand Prix test. The
extended walk is lovely and ground covering. The collected walk is
obedient and clearly in rhythm and makes for a good transition into
the passage. A very nice piaffe at G - this is a specialty of the
imported gelding. Maree says, “It is like driving a ‘rolls’ Café
just cruises and really knows his job.” He keeps the frame and
bend in the canter zig-zag and then into a lovely extended canter
which sets up the energy for the two times changes. They are
correct and well spaced on the straight diagonal line. The ‘ones’
are climbing, straight and on a line coming towards me. They are
correct and only the smallest swing to take the mark down a little.
In the first canter pirouette to the right, Café loses the line a
little and the one to the left rotates slightly. Then back to the
collected trot at H – such a difficult transition, but done very
well! The extended trot S to F is great and on to the centre line
for the final difficult sequences – right under the judges watchful
eyes. The passage is nice and again, Café’s piaffe at X is straight
and does not creep one inch! A lovely obedient halt at G
finalises a very nice test. Maree and Café are back on track! Well
done it is nice to see you out there!
8 MIDDLETON AAPOLLO
308 57.917 55.417 56.458 56.667 58.750 %
TRACY LEE VIC
57.042%
( 7)
( 9)
( 9)
(10)
( 7)
Middleton Aapollo and Tracey Lee. This combination were originally
from WA. Tracey moved to Victoria a few years ago to further her
riding. They got off to a less than perfect start when they walked
into the halt at X, at this level, such errors are costly. The
first extended trot was modest and from my angle it appeared that
the hind legs trailed in the half passes. The H to P extended
trot was beautifully straight … and I am sitting right on the
marker. The piaffe at D is modest and unbalanced. The passage to
follow lost energy and enthusiasm. What a lovely extended walk
this horse has, nice expression and energy! The collected walk is
balanced and in rhythm. The next passage is not showing enough
rhythm or lift and the piaffe ‘sits’ too much and the steps become
grounded. Then they are into a nice canter up the centre line and
into the zig-zags. They are confident and full of expression, well
done. In the H to F extended canter, the horse hurried a little and
this could have meant disaster in the 2’s, but Tracey gets Apollo
back on track. The two’s are clean but he ‘comes back hesitantly’
before each change and loses the forward flow. Apollo is on the
forehand and this allows mistakes to creep into the one times flying
changes. The pirouette right is lazy and he loses the bend. To
the left the bend is better but still not enough energy. The
final extended trot could show more. The centre line heralds the
end of the test and it is into a nice passage, but the hind legs
take some uneven steps. The piaffe at X is right on the marker and
straight, for top marks it needed more energy. But a very polished
test with much to like!
9 FAULKENEER
304 57.083 56.250 56.875 56.875 54.792 %
ANITA SCAMPTON NZL 56.375%
( 9)
( 7)
( 8)
( 9)
(10)
Faulkaneer and Anita Scampton from New Zealand. Anita recently said
that if her horse’s brain were to be measured in chocolate,
sometimes there would not be enough to fill an M & M.
The
petite grey, Australian bred Holsteiner seems a little tight and
tense. The collected canter to enter loses the regularity and
jump. The extended trot is modest and Anita seems to be taking it
easy to keep his confidence. The half pass left has nice bend and
flow, as does the one to the right! Faulkineer now seems to have
‘taken off the hand break’ and is motoring nicely. The passage is
acceptable, but the piaffe at D does not happen! This is costly, as
this group of movements carry a co-efficient and the faults also
affect the transition mark. The next sequence is much better as
Anita was ready … and prepared him better for the task. The canter
loses the three beat jump. Tension and resistance spoil the zig-zag.
The next Canter was nicely forward and straight, but the two times
changes are small and hopping. The one times changes towards me are
in correct sequence, but small and tight! Tense canter pirouettes
were not the aim, but Anita does a good job to keep them on the
centre line. The final extended trot is better and the passage and
piaffe on the centre line is much better and will impress the judges
with the straightness and accuracy of this combination of the
highest difficulty work. Anita did a very job with this test and
did not allow her hot horse to ‘rattle her’ and cause her to lose
focus! These are the hallmarks of an experienced and competent
competitor.
10 NEVERSFELDE FEUER
309 53.333 55.208 57.708 57.708 56.042 %
MAURICE BRUCE NSW
56.000%
(10)
(10)
( 7)
( 8)
( 9)
Neversfelde Feuer and Maurice Bruce are down from NSW to take part
in this important Prydes
CDI-W.
The
halt was unbalanced and wide behind. The first extended trot was
purposeful and full of expression. This is Feuer at his best! The
half passes at the trot were flowing and of high quality. The
passage is nice, but the first piaffe lost the line and wandered
around the D marker. The extended walk was great and Maurice did a
good job to keep the collected walk intact, as tension spoilt
movements when the relaxation was lost! There was great resistance
into the passage and the piaffe at G did not really happen. A rear
took over and spoilt all attempts to comply with the requirements of
the test and this would have been very costly. Then into canter
which is this horse’s specialty! Feuer has such nice posture and
energy. Perhaps the work was a little too much on the forehand in
the extended canter. The twos are correct, but could have had
more jump. The 15, 1 times changes are great. Well done! The
pirouette right stopped and the flexion was not maintained as Feuer
twisted his head to the outside. This is a major resistance and will
lose marks. The final extended trot was expressive, but the final
piaffe at X did not achieve the required quality and lift. Maurice
did well to keep his fiery red headed Trakehner ‘with him’! Maurice
told me in Sydney that Feuer competes much better outdoors so
qualifiers for Olympic Games and World Championships are much
safer. The Dressage World Cup is an indoor event so the horses will
have to cope with the atmosphere, noise and crowd.
11 BELCAM AARCHON
299 52.917 51.042 51.875 54.375 54.583 %
EMMIE SCHMUL VIC
52.958%
(11)
(11)
(11)
(11)
(11)
Belcam Aarchon and Emmie Schmul are next in to the
Prydes Easi Feed Grand
Prix ring. This handsome chestnut has a lovely frame and commands
attention. The first extended trot is nicely done but the trot half
passes have some tightness and irregular steps. The second extended
trot is straight … and then, it’s into passage and piaffe, neither
of which are secure or convincing enough to coax the big marks from
the judges. The second passage does not develop enough lift and the
piaffe is modest. A nice canter depart at B but the passes up the
centre line are tight and lacked fluidity. Not all of Aarchon's
canter steps are the same size or big enough. The two times changes
are clean and correct. The ones are very poorly spaced (they finish
at X) and are swinging! The pirouette right loses the bend and
lightness. The canter pirouette to the left is better. The final
centre line shows glimpses of what could be, but Aarchon (Ullie to
his friends) was not consistent enough today.
Judges: E: SUSIE HOEVENAARS VIC
Tests Placed: 11
Report
H: HANNE VALENTIN
H/C:
Time 9:34AM
C: MARY SEEFRIED AUS
Scratchings: Date 20/11/2005
M: JAN BIRD NZ
Eliminated:
B: ALLISON KING
Retired:
Heath
Ryan and Greenoaks Dundee having won both the Grand Prix & the Kur
(with a score of 69.225) also makes them the winners of the CDI-W.
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