Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Aachen Nations Cup, Last Big Time Show Before Olympics, To Decide Remaining Top Teams for Rio

Jose Daniel Martin Dockx and Grandioso in their return to the competition arena after almost four months out with an injury. © 2016 Len Braddick/dressage-news.com

Jose Daniel Martin Dockx and Grandioso in their return to the competition arena after almost four months out with an injury. © 2016 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com


By KENNETH J. BRADDICK


AACHEN, Germany, July 13, 2016–Ten countries will compete in the World Equestrian Festival CDIO5* Nations Cup that kicks off Thursday that will decide the team for powerhouse Germany for the Olympics as well as for Denmark and Spain.


At the same time, the Netherlands national championships are being staged just 150 miles (240km) away in Ermelo where another medal contending team will be decided.


Australia, Belgium, Great Britain, Japan, Sweden and the United States also have teams in the Nations Cup, but their riders for the Olympics have already been decided.


Competition began Wednesday in the Deutsche Bank stadium at the CHIO, as the Aachen show is designated with Nations Cups in multiple sports, with a world class Prix St. Georges won by Woodlander Farouche and Michael Eilberg, the British partnership that were world champions at both five and six years of age.


Michael Eilberg and Woodlander Farouche on their way to victory in the Prix St. Georges. © 2016 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

Michael Eilberg and Woodlander Farouche on their way to victory in the Prix St. Georges. © 2016 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com


The British-bred Hanoverian mare, owned by Michael's parents and Anne Walton who has several horses competing in eventing and Farouche is her one venture into dressage, wowed the mostly German crowd with a score of 76.368 per cent with the top German riders Dorothee Schneider on Santiago second on 75.263 per cent Isabell Werth on the seven-year-old DSP Belantis third on 73.895 per cent.


Hubertus Schmidt on Imperio with 76.403 per cent led a German sweep of the top three places in the CDI4* Grand Prix.


Jessica von Bredow-Werndl on her 2015 World Cup bronze medal mount Unee BB was second on 74.900 per cent and Annabel Balkenhol on her 2012 Olympic and 2010 World Games mount Dablino was third on  74.486 per cent.


A highlight of the Big Tour was the return to competition of Jose Martin Dockx on the American-owned Grandioso that was out of the show ring for almost four months with an injury that threatened the pair's chances of making their second Olympic team.


Jose and the 17-year-old stallion scored 71.500 per cent in an outing that the rider described as a superb return as he did not know what to expect after so long away from competition and the first time back in in arena that to the dressage world is the equivalent of Wimbledon's Center Court with the accompanying crowd and electricity.


Chris von Martels on Divertimento, the duo that were contenders for one of Canada's two starting places at the Rio Olympics, scored 69.114 per cent in the first competition for the pair outside North America since their partnership began in Florida at the start of the year.


Chris von Martels on Divertimento in the Aachen, Germany CDI4* Grand Prix. © 2016 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

Chris von Martels on Divertimento in the Aachen, Germany CDI4* Grand Prix. © 2016 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com


Results:


CDI4* Grand Prix


Judges: K: Thomas Lang E: Susanne Baarup H: Maribel Alonso C: Gary Rockwel M: Eduard de Wolff van Westerrode B: Peter Holler F: Stephen Clarke







































































































































































































































































































































































































RANK NR. RIDER



 EUR PERCENTAGE
HORSE 
1 349

Hubertus Schmidt




GER





 3200 76.043
Imperio 3 
2 381

Jessica von Bredow-Werndl




GER





 2000 74.900
Unee BB 
3 313

Anabel Balkenhol




GER





 1400 74.486
Dablino FRH 
4 314

Fabienne Lütkemeier




GER





 1000 73.814
D´Agostino FRH 
5 355

Jenny Lang-Nobbe




GER





 700 72.700
Loverboy 26 
6 364

Beata Stremler




POL





 600 72.429
Rubicon D 
7 307

Charlott-Maria Schürmann




GER





 400 71.943
Burlington FRH 
8 344

Jose Daniel Martin Dockx




ESP





 300 71.500
Grandioso
9 357

Mikala Münter Gundersen




DEN





 200 71.329
My Lady 
10 325

Inna Logutenkova




UKR





 100 70.371
Don Gregorius 
11 361

Jan-Dirk Giesselmann




GER





 100 69.357
Real Dancer FRH 
12 397

Henri Ruoste




FIN





 69.257
Roble 
13 396

Chris von Martels




CAN





 69.114
Divertimento 
14 300

Claudio Castilla Ruiz




ESP





 68.571
Alcaide
15 376

Bernadette Brune




GER





 68.386
Spirit Of The Age OLD 
16 390

Borja Carrascosa




ESP





 68.300
Wonder 
17 316

Shelly Francis




USA





 68.214
Danilo 
18 315

Victoria Michalke




GER





 67.686
Dance On OLD 
19 395

Julie Brougham




NZL





 67.586
Vom Feinsten 
20 342

Morgan Barbançon Mestre




ESP





 66.471
Girasol 7
21 308

Agnete Kirk Thinggaard




DEN





 66.429
Cassio 







Prix St. Georges


Judges: E: Maribel Alonso H: Maja Stukelj C: Annette Fransén-Iacobaeus M: Ulrike Nivelle B: Thomas Lang















































































































































































































































RANK NR. RIDER



 EUR PERCENTAGE
HORSE 
1 391

Michael Eilberg




GBR





 1300 76.368
Woodlander Farouche 
2 368

Dorothee Schneider




GER





 900 75.263
Santiago 221 
3 330

Isabell Werth




GER





 600 73.895
DSP Belantis
4 334

Hubertus Schmidt




GER





 400 73.026
Escolar 
5 377

Helen Langehanenberg




GER





 200 72.921
Suppenkasper 
6 341

Ingrid Klimke




GER





 160 71.553
Geraldine 189 
7 386

Jorinde Verwimp




BEL





 110 69.868
Wendor 
8 340

Isabel Freese




NOR





 110 68.868
Fuerst Levantino 
9 320

Juan Matute Guimon




ESP





 110 68.711
Dhannie Ymas 
10 339

Nadine Capellmann




GER





 110 67.974
Forpost
11 393

Judy Reynolds




IRL





 67.947
Zigal 
12 365

Shelly Francis




USA





 67.605
Rubinio 
13 311

Julia de Ridder




GER





 67.500
Comtessa 103 
14 375

Marcela Krinke Susmelj




SUI





 66.789
Smeyers Sonny Star 



 


 

Posted by at No comments:

Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Rosamunde Withdrawn From USA Aachen Nations Cup Team After Fall, Legolas Takes Place On Team

Steffen Peters working Rosamunde in the warm-up arena at the World Equestrian Festival in Aachen, Germany Tuesday. © 2016 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

Steffen Peters working Rosamunde in the warm-up arena at the World Equestrian Festival in Aachen, Germany Tuesday. © 2016 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com



By KENNETH J. BRADDICK


AACHEN, Germany, July 12, 2016–Rosamunde that was to be ridden by Steffen Peters in the CDIO5* Nations Cup, was withdrawn from this World Equestrian Festival Tuesday, to give the nine-year-old mare more time to recover from a fall four days ago.


Legolas, that has been named as Steffen's mount for the United States Olympic team next month, was switched to the Nations Cup from the companion CDI4* in the last competition before the Games in Rio de Janeiro next month.


Rosamunde, a Rhinelander mare that has been named a traveling reserve for the Olympic squad, was being worked lightly by Steffen in the warm-up arena at Aachen and appeared sound.


Rosamunde spooked when a mare and foal passed by while Steffen was holding the mare last Saturday.


“She went up then apparently lost her balance and came down on her right butt with her left leg under her,” Steffen of San Diego, California told dressage-news.com.


The mare apparently did not sustain a serious injury but was being treated and reported recovering well along with work under saddle but no collected movements.


Another day or two of light work, Steffen said, and Rosamunde could have been fit enough for competition but he decided to switch Legolas to the Nations Cup and withdraw Rosamunde from the show.


Kasey Perry-Glass of Wellington, Florida withdrew Dublet, 13-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding on which she has also been named to the U.S. team.


Debbie McDonald, her trainer, said the focus for Kasey and Dublet was preparing for the Olympics less than four weeks to the start of dressage at Rio de Janeiro.

Posted by at No comments:

Monday, July 11, 2016

Carl Hester–Coach of Entire British Olympic Dressage Team, Rider, 3 Horses Through His Program–Does He Muck Stalls, Too?

Charlotte Dujardin riding Valegro to new Freestyle for Rio Olympics with coach Carl Hester (in yellow jack in background) looking on. © 2016 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

Charlotte Dujardin riding Valegro to new Freestyle for Rio Olympics with coach Carl Hester (in yellow jack in background) looking on. © 2016 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com


By KENNETH J. BRADDICK


HARTPURY, England, July 12, 2016–When Carl Hester goes to his fifth Olympics it will be unprecedented in a century of equestrian sports at the Games as he is the coach of his three team mates and three of the four horses came from his barn.


But instead of feeling the burden of expectations, he's looking forward to Rio de Janeiro as a break from the demands of an over-full schedule of taking care of students at a regular show. In Rio, he'll be dealing with just the four team combinations, enough to keep him busy and to prevent him becoming obsessed with his own performance on Nip Tuck.


The entire British team of Charlotte Dujardin on Valegro, Spencer Wilton on Super Nova II, Fiona Bigwood on Orthilia as well as Carl and Nip Tuck competed at the Hartpury Festival of Dressage, a CDI3* staged at the sports and agriculture-centered college in the English countryside near Carl's Gloucestershire home.


The team doesn't have an official coach as such–Carl is the individual coach of the combinations.


“I think the Olympics will be the easiest place for me to get stuck in,” Carl told dressage-news.com after the show that was a send-off for the team defending the gold medal Britain won at home in London in 2012, the first award of any color for British dressage in 100 years of Olympic equestrian sport.


“The pressure I find is actually here or at a show like this. This is my local show so I've got a lot of other students here who equally feel they need my time. I'm trying to gently explain this is my last ride and I'd like to have a  bit of time for myself but that goes in one ear and out the other and… 'well I'm riding at three will you be there?' I'm like, 'er, yes I suppose I will'.


“The Olympics will be the perfect place for me to sit down. We've got plenty of time, we've just to do four horses a day. I think that's going to be the least amount of pressure there.


“Actually, it's a relief almost. I can give them the time they want and it will give me something to think about instead of my performance.”


Carl Hester on Nip Tuck at last pre-Olympic competition where the pair logged personal best results in the Grand Prix and the Special. © 2016 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

Carl Hester on Nip Tuck at last pre-Olympic competition where the pair logged personal best results in the Grand Prix and the Special. © 2016 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com


Carl describes his unique situation as just having “evolved.”


Charlotte and the KWPN gelding Valegro with so much success over the past four years are recognizable the world over. Valegro is part owned by Carl who also oversees the training of the pair, the defending team and individual gold medalist. The duo last week returned to the show arena for the first time in almost a year with a Grand Prix that showed a Valegro fresh spirited and looking much younger than his 14 years. The music for a new Freestyle specially created by Tom Hunt responsible for the stirring British-themed 2012 ride was delivered just hours before the performance. Charlotte's love of the music and her ability had to overcome a sound system of such poor quality as to not do the performance or the composition justice.


Spencer Wilton rode with Carl for 13 years before buying Super Nova, 13-year-old British-bred Hanoverian gelding that the rider now 43 years old owns with Jen Goodman. Spencer's previous team experience for Great Britain was on a couple of Nations Cups last year.


Carl calls Spencer a “great rider” who has done “a great job” bringing out the best of Super Nova that “has the talent to be one of the top five horses.”


“That's another one that people say, 'that's one you should have kept',” he said. “But you've got to spread these horses about.”


Spencer Wilton on Super Nova II that are on Great Britain's Olympic team. © 2016 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

Spencer Wilton on Super Nova II that are on Great Britain's Olympic team. © 2016 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com


Fiona Bigwood, 40 years old and the mother of three young children, has a great deal of experience, as a Junior and Young Rider in the European Championships more than two decades ago and five senior European Championships including the silver medal team last year with Orthilia, the 11-year-old Oldenburg mare she will take to Rio. She was also on the British team that made a breakthrough by taking silver at the 2010 World Games in Kentucky


Fiona is married to the Danish team rider Anders Dahl, himself a prospect for his nation's Olympic squad with the American-bred Selten HW. Fiona has been making the four-hour drive with Orthilia to Carl's farm  for coaching.


Fiona Bigwood riding Orthilia for Great Britain at the 2015 European Championships. © Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

Fiona Bigwood riding Orthilia for Great Britain at the 2015 European Championships. © Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com


At 49 years of age, Carl is philosophical that so many people think he arrived on the scene seven years ago as a member of the British team that won team silver at the European Championships at home in Windsor, England in 2009 to begin a record of being on the medals podiums for all championships, plus the 2012 Olympics, since then.


His first Olympics was 1992 in Barcelona, 2000 in Sydney, 2004 in Athens then 2012 where Britain struck gold in London. His first World Games was even earlier, the inaugural version in 1990 followed by his first Europeans a year later.


“I have actually been doing this for quite a while,” he laughed in reply to a question about what he thinks his legacy will be, “Everyone forgets that. I didn't arrive six years ago. I was looking at pictures yesterday and there's a great one of me at 15 bareback . It doesn't feel very long ago but it was actually 35 years ago. That's where I remember thinking about wanting to be a competition rider.


“It's not such a big surprise to me that we've had success because I did chip away at it for over 20 years to try to find my way and find a way of training, finding the right horses, of course, and being able  to put together a team of people rather than it just being me.


“I could see over the years that there was always one great one but not a great team and that's how we've evolved. I hope that's how my contribution will be, that I've helped other people train horses and be good competition riders. That's what my passion is. I think that's more of an impact really so that is more of a legacy.”


Expectations this time around will be different than they were in 2012 when Valegro and Uthopia were both to be put up for sale after the Games and Carl, who had found the horses, trained them and pwned with others, hoped to make enough to pay off his mortgage, or as he puts it, “come out alive.”


“It never happens.”


Not only did it not happen, Uthopia became embroiled in a bankruptcy wrangle that only recently, four years on from the Olympics, was resolved when an anonymous buyer put up the money to insure Uthopia stays in Carl's care for the rest of the stallion's life.


“It just made me realize that nothing's for sure, is it?.” he said. “In actual fact, I still think that my happiness that has come from being successful with the horses is the most important thing… and the fact that they're still here, they have changed my life in other ways.


“Yeah, it didn't pay off my mortgage but they changed my life in so many other ways and it's still been worth it. I'm happy that we got to that decision. It was kind of made for me, and sharing in the fight we put up to make sure that Uthopia stayed with me which is fantastic that he's doing that.


“And Valegro, I couldn't imagine his future anywhere else.”


Carl Hester and Uthopia at the Olympic Games in London. © 2012 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

Carl Hester and Uthopia at the Olympic Games in London. © 2012 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com


His thinking about the Olympics this time around is different, too.


“Last time it was about what will happen after the Olympics. This time it's life will continue after the Olympics as normal, chipping away at all the things you do. I will be coming out of it as if it was just another show.and I'm going on to another show.”


Although he sometimes thinks out loud about changes in his life, he says he doesn't want to be “one of those people who reires every 15 miniutes. People will say he's cried wolf so many times so they won't care when I do retire. I would like people to care.”


He admits to thinking about competing less. And though “the whole Grand Prix circuit doesn't excite me” he see young horses that both he and Charlotte own and compete that does excite him to the point of “thinking we're producing another one, let's get on with it.”

Posted by at No comments:

Olympic Equestrian Venue Among Last to Be Completed, But Organizers Promise Will Be On Time

Olympic equestrian venue at Deodor outside Rio de Janeiro.

Olympic equestrian venue at Deodor outside Rio de Janeiro.


RIO DE JANEIRO, July 11, 2016–The Olympic equestrian center in Deodoro outside Rio de Janeiro is one of the last two venues to be completed but the International Olympic Committee reported Monday the complex is in “the final stage of preparation” and will be ready for the Games.


The first of the 200 horses plus reserves to compete in dressage, eventing and jumping are scheduled to leave Europe on Sunday, July 31 ahead of eventing dressage beginning Aug. 6 to kick off equestrian. Dressage starts with the Nations Cup on Aug. 10.


Nawal El Moutawakel, chair of the IOC Coordination Commission that tracks preparations, declared in a final pre-Games report that “Rio is ready” 25 days before the Opening Ceremony and provided an upbeat assessment of the first Olympics to be staged in South America.


“The velodrome and equestrian venues, which were being monitored closely by the organizers, are also in the final stage of preparation, and will be ready for the Games,” she said.


The report addressed some of the issues that have swirled around the Games–from the Zika virus to security, but not the political instability and serious government funding issues that have left thousands of police and other public safety officials without pay for months.


“The subject of Zika was discussed during the visit,” Nawal El Moutawakel said. “It was underlined that the latest advice of the WHO (World Health Organization) reaffirms that 'there should be no general restrictions on travel and trade with countries, areas and/or territories with Zika virus transmission, including the cities in Brazil that will be hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games.


”…The local authorities and organizers explained the ongoing work that is being carried out to minimize the risk to visitors. It was also pointed out that the Games will take place during the winter months of August and September when the drier, cooler climate greatly reduces the presence of mosquitoes and therefore the risk of infection.”


Brazilian authorities, she said, “reinforced their commitment to safe and secure Games, with a combined security force of 85,000 people guaranteeing the security of the Olympic Village, the sports venues and key infrastructure, such as the city's airports and main roads. Security personnel from 55 countries will be involved in securing the Games.”

Posted by at No comments:

Sunday, July 10, 2016

Carl Hester & Olympic Mount Nip Tuck Post Personal Best in Hartpury CDI3* Special, After Same in Grand Prix

Carl Hester on Nip Tuck in their farewell performance before the Olympic Games. © 2016 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

Carl Hester on Nip Tuck in their farewell performance before the Olympic Games. © 2016 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com


By KENNETH J. BRADDICK


HARTPURY, England, July 10, 2016–Carl Hester and Nip Tuck produced another personal best performance in their last ride before heading to the Olympic Games in winning the Hartpury Festival of Dressage CDI3* Grand Prix Special Sunday.


For the second ride at this send-off event for the defending gold medal team from the London Olympics in 2012 Carl and the 12-year-old KWPN gelding scored 79.215 per cent that was similar to the Grand Prix two days earlier which was also the best result in just over two years at Big Tour.


Carl and Nip Tuck were on the British silver medal team at the 2014 World Games in Normandy and the 2015 European Championship team that also won silver at Aachen, Germany.


Gillian Davison on Alfranco placed second on 68.843 per cent with Henriette Anderson on Flavio third on 68.509 per cent.


The performances by Carl and Nip Tuck were among the highlights of this event that saw all four combinations compete in front of British fans for the last time before going to Rio de Janeiro in three weeks to defend the gold medal won at London in 2012, historic as the first dressage medal for Britain in a century of Olympic equestrian sports.


Carl coaches his three Olympic team mates and three of the four horses came through his training center–Charlotte Dujardin on Valegro, Spencer Wilton on Super Nova II and Fiona Bigwood on Orthilia all are coached by him while all but Orthilia came through his barn near this college.


Nip Tuck has been a special project for Carl who admits, “I don't know what to do with him. I really feel like I am peaking.


“I feel like he's been the most interesting horse I've ever trained because he appeared so talentless.


“I've got to stop saying. 'I've got there, there is no more.' It has really come together, the expression, obedience, moving to what I thought was to his maximum.


“Is there any more that's hidden in the pot? That's what's so fascinating about him.I like to feel when I've got to this stage I'd like to stop and let someone else enjoy riding him.


“He's so fun to ride. It's like a mathematician going around; it's like pressing buttons. I only have to steer him. He's so willing. I'd like another student or someone else on him.”


That's as long as  Jane De La Mare, who owns the horse with Carl, is happy.


Results:


CDI3* Grand Prix Special





 

Posted by at No comments:

Saturday, July 9, 2016

Charlotte Dujardin & Valegro New Freestyle Video

Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro performing for the first time a new Olympic video specially created for Rio de Janeiro. © 2016 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro performing for the first time a new Olympic video specially created for Rio de Janeiro. © 2016 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com


https://youtu.be/a_O_yLDPNLo

Posted by at No comments:

Charlotte Dujardin & Valegro in New Olympic Freestyle Scores 90.625% in Farewell Performance at Homw

Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro score 90.625% in performance of new Olympic Freestyle in final competition before leaving for Rio de Janeiro. © 2016 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro score 90.625% in performance of new Olympic Freestyle in final competition before leaving for Rio de Janeiro. © 2016 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com


By KENNETH J. BRADDICK


HARTPURY, England, July 9, 2016–Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro performed their new Olympic Freestyle at the Hartpury Festival of Dressage Saturday night, scoring 90.625 per cent nefore a home crowd that came to farewell Great Britain's team going to the Rio de Janeiro Games.


More to come

Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)