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1999
Jumping Amsterdam
Bonfire wins World Cup Qualifier with Royal 82.29%
The organizers of Jumping Amsterdam chose to program
the dressage Kur to Music in the evening hoping to attract
a sold out crowd. Around 8 p.m. the greenhouse-like
looking indoor arena was packed to 98 percent.
 The
dramatic score of Ulla Salzgeber's Kur easily made the
German rider stand out after several rides with musical
scores that were less than exciting. Salzgeber simply
shocked with the lovely soundtrack on which her young
Russian beauty danced. Wall Street, who lost strength
and impulsion from behind at the end of his performance,
still left an impression. "Her seat is so strong and
correct" commented one upper level judge watching from
the stands. The combination ended up on a fourth spot
with 74.06%.Heike Kemmer and Albano, a twelve year old
Oldenburger gelding by Argentinus x Grundstein I, moved
into third position, scoring 75.56%. Kemmer is currently
having a great season with her two horses Caesar and
Albano. The 37 year old professional dressage rider
is the manager of the famous stallion station Amselhof
in Walle, Lower Saxony (Germany), and trains with Johan
Hinnemann.
Arjen Teeuwissen who rode to music with the sounds
of castanets, a type of freestyle introduced by the
German Klaus Balkenhol at the 1994 World Equestrian
Games in The Hague and often used by the Spanish team
riders who found that the castanets had an excellent
beat for their Andalusians' movements. Teeuwissen was
again a crowd-pleaser with the KWPN gelding Gestion
Goliath showing brilliant piaffe-passage transitions
and canter and trot extensions. "My horse was more obedient
to my aids and he trusted me more in the freestyle,
"Teeuwissen explained afterwards. Arjen, who lives in
's Gravenwezel, Belgium, with his boyfriend Frank Garritsen,
received 76.29% and moved into second place.
 The
custom made freestyle of prima donna Anky van Grunsven,
known as the West Side Story Kur, remains to outdo all
other compositions. Maybe it's because Gestion
Bonfire drills the exercises out of his head, or that
van Grunsven has been known to play the music day in
and day out at her barn in preparation. There was hardly
a point to be remarked in the immaculate test of van
Grunsven and Bonfire. This resulted in an 82.29% score,
a new victory and a standing ovation from the crowd.
The panel of judges, which was formed by Uwe Spenlen
(GER), Francis Verbeek (NED), Stephan Clarke (GBR),
Leif Thornblad (SWE) and Wim Ernes (NED), unanimously
placed the Dutch pair first for the second time during
a weekend owned by Anky.
Image Anky copyrighted by Mary
Phelps
Image Ulla by Astrid Appels and copyrighted by Phelps
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