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2006 World Championships
for Young Dressage Horses
Uptown and Minderhoud Failed to Fulfil the
Expectations
August 8, 2006
 Dutch rider Hans Peter Minderhoud has a subscription
to World Champion's titles in Verden (4 so far) and
this year it was expected of him to go for it with
Uptown,
Holland's
most successful KWPN breeding stallion at competitions.
Uptown (Kennedy x Ubis) was the KWPN licensing champion,
he won the Pavo Cup and the KWPN Stallion Competition
Finals,
there is nothing more to win in Holland for a young
horse than that.
Owned by the Dutch breeder Toine Hoefs and his American
friends Kathy Connelly and Al Guden, Uptown has three
outstanding basic gaits. A very good walk, a stand-out
trot and a super canter. It was not the quality of
the gaits that kept him from a medal, but his stressed
performances in the first and second round.
In the first round, Uptown showed a very flashy trot
with a clawing front leg and a hind leg that fortunately
tracks up. There could have been more bending in the
body in the curved lines of the test. The horse is
true eye candy to watch but he was tense, especially
in
the
walk,
where
he
showed
two hooves overtrack but was nervous. In canter, he
showed good engagement but the final transition to
trot was hesitant. Minderhoud did a good job keeping
the tension under control, despite the fact that Uptown
sometimes came behind the vertical. The judges scored
the gaits well (8.7 for trot, 8.6 for
canter,
7.4 for
walk)
and
were
too generous on the submission mark (8.8). He got 8.5
for general impression which totalled 8.4 and a third
place.
 In the finals, Uptown was more nervous than in the
first round. The trot tour was very inconsistent with
the horse going behind the vertical regularly though
Minderhoud kept a steady, light contact. There was
a constant loss of rhythm in the trot and the horse
did not move over the back, but the extensions were
very nice. The walk showed good
overtrack
but
could have been more free from the shoulder. The simple
changes in canter lacked good walk and he broke into
trot after the second extended canter.
The judges scored his final ride with 8.6 for walk,
8.8 for canter (too much!!), 8.2 for walk, 7.5 for
submission and 8.6 for general impression. The overall
score was 8.34 which placed them fifth. The judges
praised Uptown for his "active, regulated trot" but
added that he needed to "swing more through the back".
Hopefully next time we get to see Uptown a bit more
relaxed and harmonious and then a medal is guaranteed.
Text
and Photos copyrighted Astrid Appels/Eurodressage
- No reproduction allowed without permission
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