Emmelie Scholtens and her KWPN licensed stallion and 2010 World Young Horse Champion Astrix confirmed their quality by winning the 6-year old Preliminary Test at the 2011 World Championships for Young Dressage Horses in Verden, Germany, on Friday 5 August. The black stallion scored an impressive 9.16 to refer Laurens van Lieren on Avanti to second place (8.8) and Dorothee Schneider on St. Emilion to the third spot (8.78).
The quality of the field of 6-year olds was amazingly high, just like yesterday's 5-year old division. Unfortunately the judges became more lenient and generous with the points towards the end of the class and many horses got high notes while their better performing colleagues in the morning got less for better work delivered.
Though the notes don't seem to reflect it, the judges were faced with a tough challenge to pick a winner. Even though Astrix led the class with 9 scores, the tables could easily turn in the Finals on Sunday as the entire top ranked quite closely together. Scholtens had a wonderful ride on the Perlee family's KWPN stallion Astrix (by Obelisk x Olivi) in which the horse's high class basic gaits came to full expression. Astrix has super cadence in trot with much self carriage, but he often tilted the head and the rider had her hands working high above the withers. In the rein back the horse did not take diagonal steps backwards. The walk was beautiful: good relaxation, big strides, though there was little difference between the medium and extended walk. The canter was excellent quality with much uphill tendency, especially in the extensiosn. The flying changes were big but for a 6-year old Astrix should have shown much more collection in this gait. It all looks to freely forward. Overall it was a flowing test and Astrix certainly left a very sympathic impression.
The judging panel, which consisted of Baarup (DEN), Markowski (POL), Santos Redondo (ESP) and Sanders-van Gansewinkel (NED), were crazy about the test and gave the horse 9.2 for trot and canter, 9.5 for walk, 8.7 for submission and 9.2 for general impression. This totaled 9.16.
Dutch Laurens van Lieren and the bay Dutch warmblood stallion Avanti (by United x Farrington) surprisingly finished second. Van Lieren, who is a former Dutch Grand Prix team rider and team medalist, did a fabulous job presenting this normal looking bay. He brought much control and relaxation to the ride and stayed absolutely fault-free. The bay could have more spring and swing in trot, but he covered good ground in the traversal movements. The walk was gorgeous and in canter he executed very confirmed flying changes. The transition downwards from canter to trot was a bit difficult. Avanti, who is owned by Kooiman and President Stables, misses that sparkle in his gaits, so his flawless ride must have attributed to the high scores. The pair got 8.7 for trot and canter, 9 for walk, 8.8 for submission and 8.8 for general impression.
Dorothee Schneider and Christina Ullrich's Westfalian gelding St. Emilion (by Sandro Hit x Ehrenwort) slotted in third with an 8.78 score. Schneider was very focused and in total control of her horse. The trot was very functional though the horse lost ground cover in the half passes. The walk had good relaxation in the back and the flying changes were outstanding: uphill, big and straight. The very rideable St Emilion, who is a former PSI auction horse selling for 550,000 euro in 2008, might not be as spectacular as some of his peers but he was absolutely solid throughout the test and perfect in the contact with the bit. He receoved a 9 for trot, 8 for walk, 8.9 for canter, and 9 for submission and general impression.
Isabell Werth's in-house rider Matthias Bouten and the Rhinelander gelding Lezard (by Lord Loxley x Riccione) were fourth. The silhouette in trot on the short side was absolutely gorgeous. In the bends and half voltes the horse slightly lost the rhythm. The trot was smooth but could have been more pure in regularity as you regularly see the left hock quiver while moving. The rein back was not diagonal. The extended walk was clear 4-beat but a bit economical in ground-cover. The canter work was excellent: big flying changes and powerful uphill extensions. The uberstreichen was only done with the inside hand. Overall the contact with the bit was very soft and Lezard certainly gave the impression that he did not struggle with the job. Right before the end halt, he did collapse in the hindquarters. The talented chestnut scored 8.8 for trot, 8.3 for walk, 8.9 for canter, 8.7 for submission and 8.8 for general impression.
Andreas Helgstrand returned to Verden with Pernille Rugaard's Danish warmblood mare Torveslettens Stamina (by Stedinger x Carano) and presented a horse that had built up much muscle and was more secure and confident in the test. The dapple grey mare has a phenomenal trot, the best of the day for sure. She has so much power and regularity, spring off the ground and very cadenced. The mare is always forward and her engine behind has the Ferrari stamp on it: go go go! The mare struggled slightly with crossing the legs in the half passes. The walk is her least gait: there's barely overtrack and she was not over the back. In canter the mare continued to be powerful. The first flying change lacked uphill tendency, the second was better. Helgstrand put in a very strong ride and if the walk were better, she could easily match the top horse.
While last year Helgstrand was tapped on the fingers for riding Driver too passagey, this year he made sure that Stamina was not too collected. A smart move because it earned him great points: 9.4 for trot, 7.5 for walk, 8.7 for canter, and 8.8 for submission and general impression. This brough him an overall score of 8.64. The Danish warmblood society certainly showed that they are pro-active by ordering advertisement space on the score board. Each time a Danish bred horse entered the arena, the Danish warmblood logo was posted on the board with the slogan: "Top of Europe".
Dutch Theo Hanzon should thanks the gods for the high scores he got for his average ride on Joop van Uytert's Dutch warmblood stallion Amazing Star (by Flemmingh x Ferro). The dark bay failed to impress in trot. The gait had little roundness and the horse was tense in his entire body which made him lack swing over the back. He was crooked on the centerline, distracted (whinnied), pushed himself high in the medium trot, showed very little bending in the half pass left and lost balance in the half volte right with the hindquarters collapsing to the right. The extended trot was better but the horse hollowed the back. The medium walk was good, but in the extended walk he got tense and whinnied again. The uberstreichen was really nice but the entire canter work had no collection. The horse was chased round the arena in medium canter. Both flying changes should have been more uphill. For this test, the judges posted the following jaw-dropping scores on the board: 8.8 for trot (???), 8.1 for walk, 8.5 for canter, 8.0 for submission (?) and 8.7 (????) for general impression. With 8.42 Hanzon and Amazing Star automatically qualified for the final.
The abundance of speed and forwardness that made Amazing Star's test far from amazing should have been injected into Uta Gräf's test on Prof. Hitschold's Rhinelander stallion Damon Jerome (by Damon Hill x Guy Laroche). The gorgeous liver chestnut stallion was ridden beautifully. Super steady in the contact with the bit, head and nose at the vertical at all times and uphill in all three gaits. Unfortunately Graf was stuck in second gear insted of fith and the entire ride was extremely letargic. The trot extensions were beautifully controlled, but Gräf forgot to ride the rein back, which made her lose 0.04 points on her total score because she want off course. The walk was extraordinary and in canter the horse was well balanced and very confirmed in the flying changes, but it all went sooo slow. If Gräf can motivate her horse much more in the finals to get some expression and energy into her ride, than she can certainly put the 9s on the score board. For this ride she got 8.3 for trot and walk, 8.5 for canter, 8.6 for submission and 8.5 for general impression.
One horse that should have finished in the top three, maybe even second, was the Voss family's Austrian warmblood Ratzinger V (by Riccione x Pablo), ridden by American Jennifer Hoffmann. This imposing dark bay stallion with long legs made a stunning entry. He showed fantastic trot work in which he picked up his legs actively and covered much ground. The medium and extended trot were brilliant. Only in the half passes the rider brough the horse off balance by pushing him too much to the side. Ratzinger took huge steps in the rein back (maybe a bit too big). In the walk he was clear in the rhythm and had massive overstep, showing little difference between the medium and extended walk. The canter was wonderful: big flying changes, enormous uphill extensions. Hoffmann should have collected the horse more in canter and she struggled with the transition from canter to trot in which there was loss of impulsion and the the horse dropped to walk. Ratzinger was brimming with talent and became one of the highest potential horses for the future in the 6-year old class. He got 8.8 for trot, 8.0 for walk, 8.5 for canter, 8.0 for submission and 8.5 for general impression. This brought him to a 8.36 total score.
Dorothee Schneider tied with Hoffmann on 8th place aboard Sven Rothenberger's Hanoverian gelding Horatio (by Hochadel x Matcho AA). The refinished black gelding is not super impressive in trot. He lost the rhythm in the half pass right and could bounce more off the ground. Schneider, however, did an amazing job correctly presenting this horse. He was always uphill and light in the bridle, there was a super halt and rein back and the canter work was very solid. One flying change happened too early and in the end halt he was wide behind. He scored 8.5 for trot, 8.2 for walk, 8.0 for canter, 8.5 for submission and 8.6 for general impression.
Text and Photos © Astrid Appels - No Reproduction allowed
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