The 2015 German Dressage Championships are about to start on Thursday 11 June 2015 but it will be in a slimmed down version with three of Germany's best Grand Prix horses absent from the event.
The German A-Team has six combinations (von Bredow, Lutkemeier, Rath, Salzgeber, Sprehe and Werth) but two of them will not be appearing at the Nationals in Balve. Totilas was never entered for the show as he had not progressed far enough in his training to be in proper show shape after injuring himself in July 2014.
Isabell Werth has also withdrawn her top horse Bella Rose from competing there. Her 11-year old Westfalian mare Bella Rose (by Belissimo M x Cacir AA) became lame at the 2014 World Equestrian Games in Caen, France, in August due to a hoof infection and has so far only been shown once in November 2014 at the CDI Stuttgart. Werth stated that the mare sustained an infection in the knee right before the CDI Wiesbaden. While she is back in full training, she is not ready to show in Balve.
The third top scoring German horse that has been withdrawn from Balve is Sönke Rothenberger's Rhinelander gelding Favourit (by Fidermark x World Champ). Rothenberger is a B-team member and recently produced an excellent performance at the CDI Aachen at the end of May. Favourit sustained a minor injury after Aachen and can only be worked on the lunge line for the moment.
Photo © Barbara Schnell
Related Links
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