2004 CDI Hagen

Hubertus Schmidt wins 2004 German Professional Dressage Riders Championship

Zeilinger Put to the Test, a Bit More than the Others

July 5, 2004

Placing second at the 2004 German Professional Dressage Riders Championships was Rudolf Zeilinger. He and Hubertus Schmidt were in a neck to neck race, turning the horse change finals into an exciting thriller. In the horse change finals, the professionals get only 10 minutes' preparation time before they have to ride the Short Grand Prix. It is very interesting to see how differently the horses perform under each rider.

Zeilinger, who is a Willi Schultheis' student, and puts a lot of emphasis on the seat and invisibility of the aids, rode superb flying changes with Motown, while Hubertus Schmidt made an error in the tempi's on his own Motown. In the piaffe and passage, on the other hand, Zeilinger kept Motown a bit above the bit, making the piaffe look not round enough and through the back. Aboard Duvalier, Zeilinger showed a fantastic piaffe passage reprise.

Although the horse change finals was blessed with bright sunshine, the second Championship qualifier on Saturday took place in very different weather conditions. The sky was constantly overcast with regular precipitations messing up the party, but when Zeilinger and The Lion King B entered the ring for the Grand Prix Special torrential rains hit Hof Kasselmann. It was impossible to ride a test.

Zeilinger and The Lion King had to leave the arena in the middle of a thunder and rain storm, only to reappear 15 minutes later in a mud pool ring for his test. The crowds, which were packed like Guatemalans in a car underneath the white tents around the ring, cheered Zeilinger to victory. Not only did he ride the best Special of the day (69%), but he earned the sympathy of the crowds by having to compete under such extreme conditions.

When Zeilinger was interviewed on the podium during the award ceremony he said that he had had much fun at the show and that it was an interesting competition, but added, "I'd like to have won anyway."

Zeilinger has one of the most beautiful barns in Germany and is located in Emsburen, where he trains Elke Kampmann, the Danish Olympic Grand Prix dressage team, Michelle Gibson and several other renowned riders.

Text and photos copyrighted Astrid Appels/Eurodressage

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