Sweden and Denmark have battled it out in the second leg of the 2016 FEI Nations Cup in Odense, Denmark. At the Odense Horse Festival Sweden took a narrow lead after the Grand Prix but was overtaken by the Danes in the Grand Prix Special. On Monday 16 May 2016 the Freestyle was crucial in a close and exciting battle where Denmark managed to secure the victory.
The competition was wide open and the pressure was on the top riders from Sweden and Denmark. The two Scandinavian countries were alone in the lead, leaving Germany behind with a gap of 10% in the third place.
Denmark’s Agnete Kirk Thinggaard, World Cup finalist on Jojo AZ, came to Odense with a brand new and very lovely freestyle. Jojo AZ was reacting to the strong winds sweeping the showground, and Agnete struggled to follow her music. "I am not so familiar with my freestyle yet, but I love the music of Robbie Williams and the choreography," said Kirk Thinggaard. "At the end of my test I show piaffe and passage on a heart shaped line in front of the judges." Agnete gained 73.975% for her freestyle, and the question arose: Will that be enough to secure a Danish victory on home ground?
The suspense was almost unbearable for the home crowd and the Danish team. They followed the decisive Swedish rider Therese Nilshagen and her lovely black stallion Dante Weltino OLD cruising through her almost flawless test. But also Dante Weltino was a bit tense and the judges were not in total agreement. With a score of 75.425% Therese Nilshagen secured the individual victory in the freestyle, whilst it was the Danes who took the overall victory in the FEI Nations Cup at Odense.
Swedish rider Therese Nilshagen was very pleased with her test. "It is our first Grand Prix season, and he (Dante Weltino OLD) is only nine years old, so I am very pleased with the result," said the German based Nilshagen.
Denmark’s Cathrine Dufour won both the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Special on the Danish Warmblood gelding Atterupgaards Cassidy. She was over the moon, especially after her performance in the Grand Prix Special scoring 75.961% showing a very relaxed horse in a harmonious ride.
Commenting on her individual victories and the Danish team victory Dufour said: "This was super exciting and the victory in the FEI Nations Cup today crowned a perfect weekend for me. I simply love riding in team competitions, and I find it very valuable to ride together with my colleagues in a team competition. It adds to the unity of the team."
Two riders per team competed in the Kur to Music finals and the lowest score was scratched for the team total, which includes the three best scores per team from the Grand Prix and the two scores of the two riders per team that competed in the Special. At every leg of the FEI Nations' Cup series the show organisation can decide which score format and tabulation they want to use for deciding the Nations' Cup ranking.
The Nations Cup series is in the first year as an official FEI annual event after three years as a test programme. The first event this year was the CDIO3* in Wellington, Florida at the end of March, won by the United States. Odense was the second leg in the series and the Nations' Cup continues on Saturday 21 May at the CDIO Compiegne.
The result of the 2016 CDIO Odense FEI Nations Cup:
- Denmark: 436.521
- Sweden: 436.204
- Germany: 412.113
- Australia: 406.129
- USA: 403.524
- Great Britain: 400.007
- Finland: 393.471
Related Links
Scores: 2016 CDIO Odense
Denmark Takes Over Lead in 2016 CDIO Odense Nations Cup after GP Special
Dufour Leads Danish Effort in Nations Cup at 2016 CDIO Odense