Since its introduction in 1985 the Stuttgart German Masters indoor show has established itself as one of the most popular and most successful indoor competitions of the entire winter circuit.
Its extreme popularity not only amongst the spectators, but also with the riders is proven on many occasions such as the event is regularly selected as the official venue for the the retirement of such horses as Olympic Champions like Dr. Reiner Klimke’s Ahlerich or Isabell Werth’s Gigolo FRH of Isabell Werth.
The 2010 version again saw high class dressage competitions with top horse- rider- combinations in the classical German Masters- tour as well as in the freestyle tour and the Piaff Förderpreis final. Whereas 2009 was dominated by the Totilas hype this year there were several well known international horses which reached out for success and made the classes exciting to watch.
German Masters Grand Prix: Augustin OLD Excels and El Santo NRW Passes the Test
Saturday morning at 7.45 o’clock dressage enthusiasts who prefer high performance dressage to a lie-in after a week of hard work streamed into Schleyerhalle to see the German Masters Grand Prix competition. Early in the morning their number was rather limited, but as the morning progressed the seats in the well-heated arena filled with interested spectators. Amongst them also many children and teenagers in high spirits to see their heroes live in action. The starter list promised an interesting competition as Victoria Max-Theurer rode her top horse Augustin OLD as well as Isabell Werth who had decided to start her young hopeful El Santo NRW instead of Olympian Satchmo. The latter would be shown in the freestyle in the afternoon. Edward Gal, who had enthused the Stuttgart crowds a year earlier with Totilas, brought his second Grand Prix horse Sisther de Jeu (by Gribaldi x Amor) to face the competition. Traditionally two regional riders from Baden-Württemberg are allowed to start: Martina Steisslinger and Hans-Peter Bauer.
First to go of the favourites was Edward Gal on the athletic 11-year old Sisther de Jeu. The spectators welcomed this Dutch pair with a warm applause, many of them recalling Gal's appearance with Totilas in Stuttgart in 2009. The bright bay mare, which is a pleasant model of a dressage horse, owns very dynamic movements and had to face flashlights from everywhere when she showed her first extended trot. Though just 11 years old, Sisther de Jeu appears less experienced than Totilas, but now with her being Gal's new no.1 she might soon get more starts at international shows. The expressive ride without major flaws had a few highlights in the good flying changes in which the mare remained straight and covered ground. The passage is already expressive and regular, but she could even work more from behind. It seems like Edward Gal will not be out of the Dutch team for a very long time with her at hand. The judges awarded 73.23% which meant a respectable 3rd place in the end.
Another mare who is a very impressive model, almost looking like a stallion, is the 10-year old dark bay Biagotti W. This Oldenburger is a breeding product of the Wittig family, sired by Wolfram Wittig's great chestnut stallion Breitling (by Bismarck) out of a mare by Diego xx and presented by Wittig's wife Brigitte. Biagotti W already has an impressive career behind her as a young dressage horses. She was the bronze medalist at the 2006 World Championships and more recently a finalist in the 2010 Medien Cup final. In Stuttgart she continued showing much promise for the future, being very engaged from behind in the extended trots. She showed faultless forward going flying changes and a walk in which she clearly stretched her topline. In the canter pirouettes though she could carry even more weight on her hind legs and she also lost points with a not really straight reinback. Though their 67.78% left them in 9th place overall, one shouldn't forget how young and inexperienced this mare is at GP level and how well she did in a top field here at Stuttgart!
Directly after Wittig Isabell Werth entered the arena with her Medien Cup Final winner El Santo NRW. This sympathetic Rhinelander gelding by Ehrentusch is even a year younger than Biagotti W, but has shown much talent by winning several Grand Prix classes during the summer season. In Stuttgart Werth seemed to have so much faith in him that she preferred riding him instead of her Olympic Champion Satchmo in the German Masters tour. The bay with the generous eyes did not disappoint his rider nor the many young Isabell Werth fans in the Schleyerhalle. Werth asked for an impressively sitting and rhythmical piaffe at the short side before she patted „Ernie“ and entered the arena to begin her test. From the first second on one can see how dynamically Werth intended to present her great hopeful. Whereas some riders had problems executing a correct transition from passage to canter El Santo did it beautifully. Also the two-time changes were very good. The gelding's big strength is his extreme ability to sit on his hind legs, not only in his piaffes which are one of the most classical on the whole scene, but also in the canter pirouettes. The second one was less brilliant than the first. All in all El Santo NRW had completely lived up to expectations of his rider and the crowds alike and in the end finished a very good second with 74.85%. Werth is in the enviable situation to have now at least three horses which could be considered for team contention next year.
A third horse which competed in the Medien Cup final this year entered the arena: the elegant 10-year old Holsteiner gelding Lamborghini (by Lavaletto x Feldherr). Owned by the Luttgen family this dark bay makes an elegant pair with Anna Katharina Lüttgen. Both had grown up together over the past 4 ½ years and only a week ago they were second in both GP classes at CDI Oldenburg. Lamborghini impressed with a very nice passage and very settled canter pirouettes. The flying changes were straight and well forward, but the Holsteiner should have been a bit more in front of the vertical in this exercise. 68.12% put them in eighth place.
Following Lamborghini was a very well known 10-year old stallion: Augustin OLD had come from Austria to attend his first Stuttgart show and of course the Oldenburger by August der Starke was a favourite for the victory. The home bred horse of Olympic champion Sissy Max-Theurer has a tremendous ability to carry weight on his hind legs and excels in the collection. Especially the impressive passage and the pirouette exhibited this. In the piaffe Augustin sits so deeply that one expects him to show a levade soon. This makes the transition to passage much more difficult than for horses which aren't enough on their haunches but still Augustin did it beautifully. Victoria Max-Theurer also rode with a very nice rein contact in which the curb rein was longer than the snaffle rein. Augustin's heack-neck position was exemplary throughout the ride. 75.14 % meant a well deserved victory in the end, though Max-Theurer still had to wait four more horses to come till it was confirmed.
Though she presented her three times reserve World Champion Mistral Hojris last year young British rider Laura Bechtolsheimer brought her second horse Andretti H to Stuttgart this year. The 15-year old Hanoverian by Aarking xx is a different type of horse compared to Mistral, but he fits Laura very well. They showed a ride in which the very supple, straight and forward flying changes were a real highlight, though one got the impression the horse tensed up a bit at the beginning of the canter tour. Also the passage, in which Andretti H became a bit short in the neck, and in the piaffe his thoroughbred blood influenced him to perform well with very smooth transitions. 70.76% could no threaten Augustin, but meant a respectable 6th place.
The competition had already shown some young talents of the German dressage scene and there was another one to come: Hubertus Schmidt's bright chestnut Donnelly. This only 9-year old Westfalian gelding by Donnerruf was already a team candidate for the 2009 European Championships and now one year older and more matured, he really shows how bright the future might be for him. Schmidt presented the horse in an outstanding way with a very fine bit contact and in harmony with his horse. Donnelly has almost no weak spots and performed in a very relaxed and supple way. He is one of these horses which are able to show a classical piaffe completely on the spot. Unfortunately he tripped at the beginning of the second extended trot, but recovered quickly to finish the diagonal with a nice extension. In the one-time changes Donnelly was once a bit short behind and the two tempi's lacked sparkle. The sympathetic Westfalian did not bat an eyelid when he left the arena with thousands of frantically clapping dressage friends and walked out happily on long reins. Schmidt finished in a very good 4th place.
Nadine Capellmann had brought her new super star Girasol to train, but competed her 2008 Olympic team champion Elvis VA. The now 14-year old Hanoverian gelding by Espri showed brilliance in the powerful passage and his trot work, but the piaffe is still his weak spot and he could have shown a bit more forward flying changes, though he stayed faultless. He finished 7th overall.
Last to dispute Augustin's victory was another shooting star of the 2010 season which like Augustin missed the WEG in Kentucky: Eremo del Castegno. At the CDIO Aachen this cute and impressive 9-year old Italian Sport horse with a German pedigree (by Rohdiamant out of a Weltmeyer dam) drew lots of attention with his young rider Valentina Truppa, daughter of FEI judge Enzo Truppa. Eremo did not disappoint in Stuttgart. In general his piaffe is one of the best as he does it settled, rhythmically and on the spot, but in his very nice passage he could even work more under. The flying changes were very expressive and forward, but the 9-year old had had a little hiccup in the first pirouette. With only 5 points less than Schmidt on Donnelly, Valentina Truppa placed 5th and confirmed that she belongs to the top.
Truppa and Victoria Max-Theurer had real fun during their laps of honour, releasing their dressage cracks into a canter which could have matched any eventing horse! The great Stuttgart crowd was raging in delight.
Text by Silke Rottermann for Eurodressage
Photos by Barbara Schnell and Silke Rottermann
Continue the Story on the Next Page: A Fun Afternoon at the 2010 Stuttgart German Masters