World Equestrian Games Teams Dressage Page 19 Report & Pictures Berni Saunders (National A Level Dressage Judge)
I would like to acknowledge the very special contribution of my wonderful helper Melissa Alexander. Without her help, this report would have taken many weeks to complete.
Laurens van Lieren is first to go for the Dutch team riding the elegant Hexagon’s Ollright, a 10yo gelding by Rubiquil. Hopefully they had the opportunity for a better preparation than for the Grand Prix. According to reports, there was a misunderstanding with one of the stewards over an official team sponsor logo which had to be removed, leaving them only 30 minutes to warm up. They sneak into 15th place, but will be unlikely to ride in the Kur because of the three riders per nation rule. This big, elegant leggy chestnut is well rewarded and this pair show a great future in the sport. As they finished the heavens opened in true Aachen style. 70.280%
Elena Kalinina and the lovely 11yo black gelding Royal Black Label. 65.600%. This was a polished performance without any real highlight which are now needed for the high scores. The horse did get somewhat tight in the neck and this would have detracted from the overall percentage which finished up at 65.600%.
Hubertus Schmidt riding the 13yo Hanoverian Wansuela Suerte by Warkant. Hubertus and his powerful chestnut mare were last minute inclusions for the German Team. It says a lot that a combination of this quality would not have been riding for Germany had it not been for the withdrawal of a selected rider. Compared to some of the more flashy movers, Wansuela Suerte appeared to be ridden carefully, I do not think this was the case, just appearances. They will miss a ride in the Kur as a result of the three riders per nation ruling. Even though they ended in the top 15 with a score of 71.040% which put them into 13th place.
The unexpected darlings of this competition was Spanish Bernadette Pujals and her lovely stallion Vincent, the 14yo Hanoverian Weltmeyer. They rode as individuals for Mexico (the homeland of her husband). Bernadette is based in Europe and their solid training and excellent preparation for the event was evident. It was another outstanding test from Vincent, who impressed with his power, balance and obedience. They move into 10th place on a score of 72.480%, which earns then a ride in the Kur. The knowledgeable crowd knew what this would mean and I am sure that I was not the only person to feel the thrill that she would be enjoying right now.
Bronze medal team member for the USA, Aragorn and Guenter Seidel were next to go. The grey 14 yo gelding was bred in Bavaria and is by Abydos. It was a well ridden test for minimal errors. The trot work was lovely. Most of the canter work was nice, the flying changes were correct n sequence but could have covered more ground. The canter pirouettes were really sitting well and the final line of passage and piaffe was a highlight from the side line where I was positioned. The scores were revealed - 70.560%, 14th place.
For Switzerland, Silvia Ikle riding the 12yo Swiss gelding Salieri CH by Sinclair. The opening trot half passes were nicely flowing and they moved into a very expressive passage which may have been marred by a little swaying when viewed from the short side. The extended walk was hurried and would have bought the score down. The horse was a little hollows in some of the piaffe sequences. The canter pirouette to the right was a little big but Silvia prepared for the one to the left a little better and had the horse more sitting as they came into it. Many horses had trouble with the final extended trot on the long side, perhaps they asked too much in their final attempt to impress the judges and pick up marks. Salieri also lost some balance here but they recovered well. Silvia is delighted with her test which scored 73.720%
Austrian Victoria Max-Theurer and the Oldenburger gelding Falcao by Feiner Stern. A few balance problems spoiled the first extended trot and the horse put in some skipping steps. The trot half passes seemed to trail the quarters a little - the side line view is not always accurate, but I checked on the big screen as well. The horse broke in the extended walk and they do appear to be showing signs of nerves - which can be forgiven in a very young rider like Victoria. The horse was unbalanced into the canter at X but produced very flowing canter half passes on the very tight angle required for the Special. Falcao had a big spook in the final extended trot down the long side and went away from the track several meters. He cantered out of the final piaffe at X and the many small mistakes proved costly - 65.280%
Tinne Vilhelmson for Sweden and the 13yo Danish gelding Solos Carex by Castro produced lovely flowing trot work with the half passes a highlight with the great reach and bend that they demonstrated. The passage was laboured and the big horse lacked lightness and spring off the ground. The horse became a little hollow at times in the piaffe which demonstrated his difficulty with this demanding aspect of the test. The canter lacked the forward commitment that encourages the big marks and his neck became short and tight at times. There was an over rotation in the second canter pirouette - all in all, these errors have been costly and the score of 67.960% puts them into 20th place. Like the sport of dressage, the 'watchers' like me make their assessments on the errors - we must also remember that these horses and riders are taking place at the World championships and they are winners just to be here.
French combination Karen Tebar and Falada. Tension spoilt the test and mistakes crept in. The horse was affected by the 'loneliness' of the isolated arena right in the middle of the huge Aachen showgrounds, and even though there was the biggest Dressage crowd ever recorded, he felt alone and unsettled. There were some pleasant moments in the test today, but the big screen revealed the rider's disappointmentandthey scored 65.920%
Kristy Oatley and Quando-Quando the 11yo Oldenburger stallion by Quattro B are next to go, representing Australia. As mentioned before, there are 4000 Aussies in the crowd and I am sure that all of them had fingers and toes crossed for Kristy's ride. The big chestnut seemed to lack flow in the trot half passes, then looked better on the big screen but did not show the quality of the top scoring horses. There was some bridle resistance in the passage which became a little hollow and lost balance. Kristy's coach Karin Rehbein was pictured on the big screen and her face told the story. The piaffe, passage tour contained some irregular steps and the horse crept forward in the piaffe which at this level is not conducive to high scores. In many movements the horse did not show good balance and equal loading on all four feet. Perhaps the horse was tired as it was not as good a test as Kristy's team ride. We were all proud of her and understand that the pressure is really on when you are out there on that lonely centre arena. They scored 68.960%
Kyra Kyrklund riding as an individual for her native Finland, on the 11yo Swedish gelding Max, son of Master 850. Kyra needs no introduction and has the well earned reputation as one of the all time bests. It was a polished performance and you could see the test was planned to take advantage of the strong points and her riding skill minimised the horse's weaknesses. I loved seeing Kyra in action again as I met her when she visited Melbourne many years ago and gave us all a thrill when she was the riding judge at Dressage with the Stars. Max struggled with the piaffe and in the sequence across the centre line they almost came to a stop. The horse became a little tense and some of the worked was affected, In the final extended trot he broke and this would be costly. A score of 71.720% reveals the quality of the errorfree work, but there were a few little mistakes throughout.
German based rider for Great Britain, Emma Hindle and Lancet 2, a 13yo brown stallion by Wenzel. The opening trot featured nice balance and flow in the half passes. Lancet had some irregular steps in the piaffe/passage work which seemed to come from a lack of balance. The canter pirouettes were too big for the high scores, but this is what gives the top scoring horses that little edge. The atmosphere was electric and many horses did not have their full attention on the rider. Lancet appeared obedient, but perhaps Emma lost a little of the compliance she is used to getting from her lovely horse. 69.120% was a disappointing score and they do not get a ride in the final event.
