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WEG Jerez 2002 - News |  |
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Dressage |
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| Number
346 Olympic Ferro and Coby Van Baalen. This magnificent 16 yo KWPN - Dutch bred
stallion is just so perfect in his frame. He is by Ulft and from the mare Brenda.
On a good day Ferro would be difficult to beat and after his disappointing showing
at the Sydney Olympics - many people in this huge crown would be keen to see a performance
more up to the reputation that he has earned. It was a very good Grand Prix test
with the horse showing outstanding ability in the Piaffe and Passage. He does get a
little too underneath himself in the Piaffe - and this can cause a slight loss of balance
- this is just a small criticism. The rest of the test was hard to fault. A
score of 72.520% put them into 6th place after the first round of competition. Special: Ferro did not look quite as secure as he commenced his work in the Special. There were a few moments of irregularity and he looked more tense. I am sure Coby would have been disappointed with their 69.64% result as it took them down the ladder and into 12 position after the second phase of this competition. Grand Prix Kür - While Coby and Olympic Ferro qualified to ride in the Kür as they finished the Special in 12 place - she chose not to do so. Later I made some enquiries ... I was told that the horse does not handle flying very well, and the trip to Spain had taken its toll. As I have previous mentioned, many horses were suffering from a 'bug' which seemed to make its way around the stables in Jerez - perhaps Ferro had been affected by this as well. The very hot weather could also have been a factor - but like many I was so sorry not to have seen this wonderful horse dance to music. At 16 we may not see him at a big competition as the next Olympic Games are in Athens and he would have to fly. The next World Equestrian Games are in Aachen - so travelling may not be the problem, but he will be 20 and it is unlikely that he would be still actively competing. |
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| Number 373 and part of the celebrated team for the USA is Guenter
Seidel on Nikolaus 7. I remember Guenter's disappointing ride in Sydney on the young
grey horse that just did not cope at all with the atmosphere. It would always be a
little worry as you entered for a big event and I am sure Guenter's nerves would have been
slightly jangled. It was a great test on the 13 yo Westfalian gelding by Weinberg. The first Piaffe/Passage work was a litle wobbly' into and out but Guenter rode the horse a little more strongly and seemed to overcome this fault. The extended canter was spoiled by some head tilting but these are small ctitical observations. It was a great mark of 69.84% which put them in 13th place after the first round. Special: This ride was equally good but some of the other riders were able to improve their scored in the special - this meant that Geunter and Nikolaus 7 dropped down a place after the second round. They scored 69.60% and finished in 14th place. Due to the number of rider which were allowed to go through to the Grand Prix Kür for each Nation, Guenter Seidel did not get the chance to ride his freestyle and Jan Brink on Bjorsells Briar, who were 16th after the Special, took his place in the Freestyle ride. The three USA eiders through to the final were Susan Blinks on Flim Flam, Deborah McDonald on Brentina and Lisa Wilcox on Relevant. |
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| Number 360 Rali Baba and Daniel Ramseier representing Switzerland. Rali
Baba is a 14 yo Danish Warmblood by Leonardo ll and this horse reminds me of a 'sea horse'
he is so beautifully round and up in front. He did seem a little tight in the neck
in the start of his test ad I would have liked to seem the neck softer and stretching into
the extended trot a little more. The half passes also were tight - but this is a
small criticism as it was a delightful test with loads of charisma and style. The
judges liked it and awarded 68.24% which had them in 21st place at the end of the Grand
Prix. Special: The test was of similar expression and quality - the judges awarded 68.68% and they moved up 2 placings to = 19th. |
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| Number 315 for Denmark. Esprit De Valdemar and Jon D. Pedersen.
This is another of the combinations that we saw in Sydney 2 years ago so I was keen to see
them again. As with almost all of these top horses, Esprit De Valdemar has an exceptional
canter. There were a few little problems - for instance he stepped back in the final
Piaffe - a little thing but quite costly as it shows the judges that the horse is not
always right on the aids. I felt that this test just lacked a little in polish when
compared to the very top combinations. 69.40% was the score the the Grand Prix
giving them a first up placing of 16th. Special: This test was of slightly less quality than the Grand Prix - it only takes a couple of losses of balance or concentration to make the 2% of difference that we saw here - their Special score was 67.64% which gave them 18th place at the end of the competition. Grand Prix Kür: This was a strong performance to a
strong musical accompanyment. I felt that the professional preparation of the music
was as much a part of the Freestyle performances as the dressage. |
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| Number 345 Gonnelien Rotherberger and Jonggor's Weyden - a 16 yo
Hanoverian stallion by Western Star. This horse seems to have a 'stand out'
temperament. I remember when Gonnelien's husband Sven who formerly rode for Germany
before marrying and changing his citizenship to that of his wife, bought this young horse
and within a short space of time the pair took part in the Atlanta Olympic Games. So
Weyden has been on top for a long time and all credit must go to the owners and their
grooms for keeping him sound and happy. I felt that the opening extended trot showed
a couple of irregular steps - but maybe the rider asked for a little too much!. They
settled into very nice trot half passes which swept across the arena. Weyden has a
wonderful walk and the extended walk was one of the best that I saw. The canter pirouette
to the right was nicely prepared, but to the left 1 step got 'stuck' The test was of
lovely quality - and all this from a mum of three little children - what a woman!
66.20% had them in 22nd place after their Grand Prix ride. Special: With the few little technical faults in their Grand Prix test this combination were certainly capable of moving up the leader board. Gonnelien really gave the Special her best shot and a score of 69.88 gave them a final placing of 17th. Grand Prix Kür: Gonnelien chose a very appropriate musical collection which began with a strong beat augmented with castanetes. As mentioned above Weyden has a great walk and the Jazz/blues which highlighted the lovely swing was most pleasant. The canter was punctuated with a modern Spanish guitar piece, which was beautifully measured and rhythmic. Again the double pirouettes were part of this Freestyle to gain the high marks for artistry. The one times changes had mistakes. This was a very polished and well choreographed performance and I am sure that the rider would have been very pleased with her 14th placing at the World Dressage Championships. |
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| Go Forward | Jerez 2002
Index | Go Back Go to Page 1 - Starters List and where to find photos and information Return to the Main Equestrian Index |
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