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With outstanding rides by Isabell
Werth and Nadine Capellmann, the German team was
able to secure
a solid lead in the nations' competition at the
2006 World Equestrian Games. They won the team
gold medal with a big advance (223.625 points)
to silver medallists Holland (217.917 pts) and
bronze medallists U.S.A (213.917 pts).
Especially
second placed Heike Kemmer (75.792%) and third
placed Isabell Werth (75.000%) were ecstatic about
their high scores
rides. |
| The Dutch team was of course happy
with their silver medal, though they had secretly
aimed
for gold. Anky
van Grunsven made two mistakes in her test and
Salinero was quite tense, which caused them to
land 'only' a third spot with 75.00%. Imke Schellekens'
Sunrise was quite unfocused in the trot tour, but
the mare seemed more relaxed and solid than she
did at the 2006 World Cup Finals in Amsterdam.
Edward Gal put in a very decent ride on Lingh
and was a bit underscored. The KWPN stallion was
attentive to the aids and smooth throughout the
test. The piaffe and passage were very solid and
rhythmical. |
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As expected, the U.S. team claimed
the bronze medal. Guenter Seidel produced a score
one could
anticipate, but both Leslie Morse and Debbie McDonald
stayed below par. Especially Brentina put in a
lackluster ride. Even though the piaffe and passage
were very harmonious and delightful to watch, the
mare looked uneven behind in the extended trot
and just gave an overall tired expression. The
highlight ride for the U.S. team was without a
doubt Steffen Peters on Floriano. They were brilliant
and got a matching super score for it. |
The ride of the day, however, came from Danish
Andreas Helgstrand on his 9-year old Danish warmblood
mare Matine. The mare by Blue Hors Silver Moon
(by Kostolany) out of a Matador dam is well known
in Denmark as the former young horse champion but
she only made her international break through at
Grand Prix level this year at the CDI Wiesbaden
and Lingen. If you are impressed by Elvis' passage,
than wait and see Matine's. This mare bounces half
a meter off the ground both in passage and piaffe
without losing rhythm, power and suspension. The
crowds were gasping during the final piaffe-passage
on the center line and the combination was the
only pair to receive a standing ovation from the
crowds! They scored a fantastic 76.333%
However,
the ride was not flawless. You can see the
mare is still green at the level and there were
some
uneven steps in the passage and Helgstrand
constantly had to work on the bit to keep the
mare completely
through. Her mouth opened regularly and you
saw that all that power in the movement was not
resolved
in the contact with the bit. Furthermore, Matine
has a helicopter tail that keeps swooshing
all the time (mainly in the pi-pa), but mares
are more
easily prone to do so (Wansuela Suerte does
it too) and
you
still
get an impression that she is relaxed in the
movement. |
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Isabell Werth finished third with
Satchmo with 75.000%, an achievement she must have
dreamed of. Her first Grand Prix horse Warum Nicht
was withdrawn from the WEG because of an injury
and Werth now had to rely her 'unreliable' Satchmo
who mixes moments of genius with madness. In the
WEG Grand Prix, he had a genial moment, fortunately.
The trot half passes were top quality and the piaffes
were really good, though the second transition
from piaffe to passage was hesitant. In the pirouette
left he changes behind. The main problem with
Satchmo was that he often became tight in the neck,
especially in the piaffe and the passage could
have been more closed and engaged from behind.
Though it was an outstanding ride, the judges were
generous with their 75% score.... |
| ...And they made no exception in their generosity
for Anky van Grunsven and Salinero who tied in
third place with 75.00%. Van Grunsven's WEG Grand
Prix was not her highlight ride and did not come
close to the fantastic test she delivered
at the
World Cup Finals in Amsterdam in April. The Hanoverian
Salinero was tense again which clearly showed
in the passage which was barely moving forwards.
It looks like a piaffe moving forwards at very,
very slow speed. Anky also made two unusual rider
errors, picking up the wrong lead in the transition
to canter and messing up the two tempi's (though
the ones were good). Yet, there were also super
moments. The final piaffe-passage on the center
line and especially
the transition
to
passage
after X were brilliant and the extended walk was
actually really good with two hooves overtrack
and decent relaxation. |
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For Elvis VA and Nadine Capellmann, the World
Equestrian Games seemed to have come one year too
early. The pair has been scoring phenomenal marks
this show season, but Elvis is not yet fully 'ripe'
and that showed in the Grand Prix in Aachen. The
piaffe has improved and the front legs don't open
as much
any more, but the ride generally lacked consistency.
The extensions were of course extraordinary, both
in
trot and in canter. The extended walk was decent
with one hoof overtrack. The zig zag looked ok.
The second pirouette was rushed and the first change
in the single tempi's was in two phases. The two
tempi's could have been more relaxed though they
are ground covering. Nadine's ride overall missed
that finishing touch to be all the way up in the
ranks. They placed fifth with 72.833%. Let's see
how she manages the Special. |
A thrilling ride was done by Steffen Peters and
Floriano. This American duo has now become U.S.
most successful dressage pair in the international
ring, beating Debbie McDonald on Brentina as well
as many other world class riders.
The extended walk and canter were breath taking
and the piaffe-passage tour was really solid, though
the passage could have shown a bit more power from
behind. The flying change following the extended
canter was a bit flat. The pair scored 72.708%
and finished sixth.
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Winning the 2005 CDIO Aachen last year will probably
be Briar's best achievement in his career. Though
the Swedish stallion is still world class, he no
longer seems to be able to put in that extra spark
to make him the winner. The piaffe and passage
are still gorgeous, but he could be bouncing off
the ground with more power. The second piaffe was
delightful though. He's often been criticized for
being spectacular in
front
but with
nothing
behind. In the extended trot he did however overtrack.
It was essentially a mistake in the single tempi's
that pushed Brink's score down to 72.167% and seventh
place. |
| At the 2002 World Equestrian Games they were
the revelation of the show. Four years later they
helped secure the U.S. team a ticket to the 2008
Olympic Games in Bejing by winning the bronze medal,
and that was all the steam that was left in Brentina
in Aachen. She looked very tender behind in the
trot extensions and a mistake in the two's kept
the American duo from reaching the top of the leader
board. The piaffe and passage are still so fantastically
harmonious and a pleasure to watch, but the general
power in the pair is lost. They scored 71.417%
in the Grand Prix, won team bronze, and then withdrew
from further competition due to an injury. |
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A pair who could have slightly earned a higher
score in Aachen was Edward Gal with his KWPN
stallion Lingh
(by
Flemmingh). They placed 10th with 71.375 for
a lovely ride. At the European Championships
in Hagen
last year, Lingh was completely lackluster and
tired, but here in Aachen he was on the job again.
The half passes were good, the first piaffe
passage was good, the extended walk was relaxed
but could
have shown more overstep. The steps in the
second passage were a bit uneven. The extended
canter
was outstanding, the two tempi's were good
but the ones had a mistake in them. |
The Finnish duo Kyra Kyrklund
and her Swedish warmblood gelding Max finished
in 12th
place with 70.625%. The sweet Max is the most
happy horse competing in Aachen though we've
seen him
on better form before. The transition to the
second piaffe was difficult and the passage could
have
been more engaged. In the one tempi's
the horse did not stay straight and made one
short change
behind. The extended walk was superb though. More
can be expected in the Special.
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Definitely rising to the occasion were British
Emma Hindle and the Hanoverian stallion Lancet.
Training with Kyra Kyrklund has definitely paid
off. Hindle kept Lancet closed and collected
throughout the ride.
The trot tour was in total relaxation, the horse
was nicely on the bit with the right length in
his neck. He swung from the extended trot into
the half passes and back into the extended trot.
The piaffe and passage kept rhythm, although
the passage could have been a bit more powerful
and pushing from behind. A mistake in the single
tempi changes kept the score from climbing any
higher than 70.458% |
An interesting moment in the prize giving
ceremony. While all photographers were lined
up to take that
ultimate victory gallop shot of the German team,
a horse and ride flew by. Looking away from the
lens we spotted Salinero on the run with Anky
van Grunsven. The gelding spooked and had taken
off
and there was no stopping to him, not even a double
Olympic champion could curb the instinct of this
animal. She shouted "help" and had to
steer Salinero into two police horses to bring
him to a stop.
It was a very scary sight and even Anky held her
heart there. At the press conference she said "Salinero
really got scared in the prize giving and I did
as well. I did the fastest trip today," she
joked.
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