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2007 World Championships for Young Dressage Horses
Deveraux Wins the 6-year old Qualification
Class at the WCYH Verden
August 3, 2007
 The
black Oldenburg gelding Deveraux won the 6-year
old qualification class today in sunny
weather conditions at the 2007 World Championships
for Young Dressage Horses in Verden, Germany,
August 3, 2007. Unlike other years, the 5 and
6-year old classes are taking place on different
days in order to spread the program of the CDI
Verden, which also features an international
Grand Prix, a national Prix St Georges and the
Hanoverian young horse championships (alongside
a CSI). In the WM-arena (the fourth different
location for the World Championships on the Verden
show grounds), Dutch rider Miranda Rongen represented
Germany aboard her German bred Deveraux (De Niro
x Rohdiamant) and won the class with a total
score of 8.78 points.
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 The
black gelding Deveraux is bred by Auguste Berding
and owned by Miranda's father Harry Rongen.
The horse excelled with his extremely cadenced
trot which was relaxed but engaged and balanced
throughout the ride. It could have been a bit more
naturally uphill. The walk was very ground covering
with three hooves overtrack and the canter featured
much suspension and bounce. The lightness and the
steadiness of the contact with the bit was exemplary
and the judges rewarded that with a 9.0 for submission
and 9.0 for overall impression. The gaits earned
an 8.8 for trot, 8.6 for walk and 8.5 for the canter.
All in all a total of 8.78 and good for the victory
in the qualification class. |
 The
6-year old qualification class started at 8 AM
in the morning and the first group of horses
contained four of the best six-year olds at this
year's championships. Placing second thanks to
the generosity of the judges was Edward Gal aboard
the KWPN licensed stallion United (Krack C x Partout).
United is a super talented young dressage horse
with very good basic gaits, but his sour expression
-- his ears were lying flat throughout the ride
-- was an example of an "unhappy athlete".
The
halt was
crooked and the horse was often stiff in the
back. Furthermore, there was hardly a halt for
the rein
back. For a technical point of view, the test
should have scored much lower than the generous
8.7 the
judges' panel awarded. Nonetheless, the gaits
of United are high quality. The horse moves with
much
dynamics. In trot, he was elegant, active and
engaged, though sometimes the movement was too
passagey
and lacked forwardness. The walk was very good
in rhythm and the canter was very expressive
and well suspended, especially the extended canter,
and the flying changes were big. The judges
scored
the gaits 8.5 for trot, 8.2 for walk and 8.7
for canter. In light of the sourness, the open
mouth
and the technical mistakes, the score of 9.0
for overall impression was too high. With a total
of
8.62, United placed second. |
 Third
place went to the 2006 World Champion Uzzo (by
Lancet x Indoctro). The selection of Uzzo for this
year's championships was a problem and not until
two weeks
before the
show it was announced that Uzzo would participate.
Today, Patrick van der Meer presented a fresh horse
who has improved much in the trot work, but whose
canter work was not always clear in its 3-beat
rhythm. The trot was the highlight of the ride
being very balanced, light footed and expressive.
The judges scored the gait 8.7. The walk
was good (7.9) but the canter needed
to
be
more
cadenced
and rhythmical
(8.5). Both for submission and overall impression,
the pair received an 8.8. Their total mark was
8.54. |
 The
fourth place was captured by the Hanoverian licensed
stallion Rascalino under Wolfhard Witte.
Bred by Edgar Butt and owned by the Celle State
Stud, the black stallion was the last horse to
enter the ring and impressed immediately with
his flowing trot tour. The horse moves with much
elegance and lightness and showed a fantastic second
extended trot on the diagonal (see picture). Witte
showed Rascalino in a nice frame but his horse
lost some balance in the traversal movements. They
scored 8.7 for trot. The walk was ok but not
spectacular
(7.5).
The flying changes were outstanding but the judges
were generous in scoring the canter 8.9, especially
in light of the mark San Remo received (8.8), the
horse with the best canter of all 6-year olds in
Verden. Witte and Rascalino achieved 8.52 in total
and ranked fourth.
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 The
black Oldenburg stallion San Remo, the bronze medallist
of the 2006 World Championships, placed
fifth in the 6-year old qualification class. The
horse has changed much in one year time gaining
muscles and losing a bit of "baby" fat. Unfortunately
today the contact with the bit was not as ideal
as one is used to seeing. British
born Susan Draper-Pape had her hands full keeping
the contact steady and the position of the head
at the vertical. The trot was rhythmical but in
the extensions there could have been more engagement
with the hind legs moving towards the gravitational
point. The rein back was hesitant, the walk was
good but not brilliant. The canter, however, remains
the strongest gait of this horse with a beautiful
moment of suspension in each stride. There was
a hiccup in the second flying change. The judges
gave 8.4 for trot, 8.2 for walk and an underrated
8.8 for canter. Their 8.4 mark for submission was
a bit high maybe. The overall impression earned
an 8.7 and the total mark was 8.50. |
 The
Dutch warmblood Freebird Ucelli T was another
lovely young dressage horse that ranked high
in the 6-year old qualification class. Under
Hans Peter Minderhoud, the dark bay Olivi x Gribaldi
offspring moved with much grace and ease. The
trot was beautiful with much freedom in the shoulder
but sometimes became a bit too passagey. The
connection with the bit was constant and the
position of the head stayed the same throughout
the ride. The walk was good with two hooves overtrack
and the canter showed nicely balanced strides.
The first flying change was good, but the second
early. The judges scored the pair 8.5 for trot,
7.8 for walk, 9.0 for canter (bit high in comparison
to San Remo), 8.2 for submission and 8.8 for
general impression. In total 8.46 and a sixth
place.
Text and photos copyrighted: Astrid Appels/Eurodressage
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