
--- Text © Eurodressage (this article expresses Eurodressage's' eye-witness account and opinion about the competition)
It's been one week since I arrived in Wellington for a one-month stay to cover three CDI's at the Global Dressage Festival. While everyone is eagerly awaiting for America's big stars to crawl out of the woodworks, the first World Cup qualifier on 7 - 11 February 2024 had to make due with a small but albeit pleasing field of combinations.
The really interesting and inspiring dressage was in fact happening in the national arena.
Calm Tidings
If one travels to the big CDI's in Europe, the majority of a Grand Prix class will score over or around 70%. Let's look at the CDI Le Mans which happened at the same time as the CDI-W Wellington and also presents a mixed bag of riders, from top professionals to sport loving amateurs. Le Mans had 39 (!!) Grand Prix pairs of which 10 scored 69% or more. In Wellington the Grand Prix for Special was won with 69.348% and the second best score was 67.804%. In the Grand Prix for Kur two of 11 riders scored over 70%.
It's the start of the season, some riders and horses are still ring rusty or inexperienced and there is plenty of time to grow. Fortunately what gives great reason for optimism in the U.S.A is the national starters' field, where little treasures were to be discovered.
"Starr" Struck
On Friday 9 February I re-potted myself from the international arena to the national ring and probably saw one of the most promising pairs of U.S. dressage I've seen in a long time! Genay Vaughn on Gino.
After Donarweiss' retirement in 2018 a three-year break from international showing followed. In 2017 they had found FEI horse Gino (by Bretton Woods x Haarlem) in Europe and brought him to the USA. He was owned by Anton van Limpt as a youngster and competed by Demy Kurstjens. After two years, in 2019, Vaughn put him in training with Holga Finken's barn in Germany to produce to Grand Prix level. Holga rode him in the 2020 Louisdor Cup Finals but the horse felt overwhelmed and was withdrawn from the finals test.
Genay herself returned to CDI competition in 2021 at small tour level with Furstin P (by Furst Piccolo x Diamantino). In 2022 she premiered Fleur Noir WSHS (by Furstenball x Weltmeyer), which they had bought in 2020, while she made her CDI show debut in the senior Grand Prix tour on Gino in Wellington in 2023 under the supervision of Frederic Wandres.
By the way there's a video online where Genay says that the best advice she got was from her dad: "when you are not practising, someone else is, and will come to take your spot, so practice."
More to Watch
That same Friday Grand Prix class had more interesting pairs.
Maybe not ending up that high on the score board, but certainly worth keeping an eye on is Eliane Cordia-van Reesema's 15-year old Rhinelander Codiak (by Cristallo x Carabas). The pair has lately been training with U.S. based Ecuadorean Julio Mendoza Loor and that really seems to be paying off as Mendoza's signature in piaffe-passage is visible.
Canadian Tokyo Olympian Lindsay Kellock premiered her Paris hopeful at Grand Prix, the 12-year old Hanoverian Tu Le Merite (by Totilas x Sarkozy x Royal Dance). The black seems hot to trot, is quite refined looking and has plenty of talent for the big tour, but was quite impressed by the task at hand that day.
It was great to see Danish Signe Kirk Kristiansen back in action. Now that the Kristiansen family is sweeping the big broom through their entire horse business, closing Blue Hors stud and sister-in-law Agnete Kirk Kristiansen have quit horse sport all together... She had a good ride on Blue Hors Zee Me Blue. Signe's last international show was in 2020. She returned to national showing in Denmark in November 2021 on Zee Me Blue and Suarez.
In that Saturday class British Susan Pape proved her skill in training horses to Grand Prix level with yet another well produced big tour horse, Giulilanta, a 13-year old KWPN mare by Jazz. Another one to keep your eye on!
Developing GP Horse Class
Moving back to the main stadium on Friday afternoon, the national Developing Grand Prix class as part of the Lovsta Future Challenge took place in there and the starters frield was a nursery of wonderful young Grand Prix horses. There was truly a lot of talent gathered there, which made me hopeful for the future of American dressage sport.
The best schooled horse was without a doubt Tina Konyor's J Everdale, aka "Grover. While in Europe everyone is screaming and shouting that Everdale offspring can only be ridden with tight/short necks, Konyot proves you wrong. Of course also J Everdale could be a bit more open in the throat-latch but this horse was not get held with hands parked on the rider's thighs. J Everdale does not yet drop enough in the croup and could move those hindlegs more under the body in passage, but Konyot keeps chiselling away at this big bay and in training you truly see him close a bit more. Fascinating ride to watch as this is a horse with challenging conformation and getting better through dressage. And just like his sire, this Everdale excels in the tempi changes. Konyot went off course, otherwise she could have won the class.
Local rider Ellesse Gundersen had her hands full with a very tense 10-year old Quintessential (by Quaterback x Cordoba). This chestnut "red head" was very overwhelmed by it all and while his rider stayed quiet in the saddle and made the most out of a very difficult situation, she could not get the good scores on the board. The judges were right, but it was obvious that on a good day this horse has much more to offer.
Let's see what happens this week....
-- Text and Photos © Astrid Appels - NO REPRODUCTION ALLOWED / NO SCREEN SHOTS
If interested in photos, please send me an email. Florida rates apply for this horse show as our colleague Sue Stickle is the official photographer
Related Links - Last Week's articles from Wellington
Scores: 2024 CDI-W Wellington
Photo Report: Doom and Gloom on Sunny Horse Inspection Day at 2024 CDI-W Wellington
Photo Report: Chestnuts Hyatt and Fayvel Grab the Blue at 2024 CDI-W Wellington
Anna Marek Secures Ticket to World Cup Final at 2024 CDI-W Wellington
Vilhelmson Draws on Experience and Name to Win GP Special at 2024 CDI-W Wellington
Wandres and Maass' Floricella Make it a Small Tour Double at 2024 CDI-W Wellington