Christopher Hector reports – Roslyn Neave took the photos

First out and off to a great start –  Bodyguard and Matthias Bouten

So here we are in the great Festhalle in Frankfurt for the first round of the famous Nürnberger Burg-Pokal, Germany’s show case for up-and-coming small tour horses. But the scores from this class won’t count for the final, and given that master trainer, Wolfram Wittig has three of his students in the final, it probably won’t even decide the order of the draw for the final on Saturday. Still, I’m glad to be here…

The first horse out is Bodyguard (by a previous Burg-Pokal winner, Burlington and out of a Pik L mare) ridden by Matthias Bouten. The compact chestnut stallion has a wonderful hind end, and is being ridden tactfully and quietly, shown by the lovely relaxed stretch in the walk. Matthias rides Bodyguard up into the collected walk without losing losing self carriage and the length of neck. The canter is a trifle forehandy to start, and the demi pirouettes look hard work, the flying changes are modest but improve for the tempi changes. Sitting where I am, I am perhaps the only person in the hall to be able to give a definitive judgement on the straightness of the threes, and these are pretty good. Nice to see the rider drop the reins as the horse walks relaxed from the arena. It’s an all-German judging team: Katrine Würst, Dieter Schüle, Dietrich Plewa, Evi Eisenhardt and Peter Holler – but this does not mean that they are uniform in their assessment – right from the start, the discrepancies show. Würst has the horse on 74, Plewa, 73, the rest on 70ish for a final score of 71.707.

The spectator judging is pretty well spot-on with a 72, but you suspect any move to save money by letting the crowd judge could result in a bit of crowd stacking by the wealthier stables…

Hubertus Schmidt giving Escolar a look at the arena

Last night I watched some of the training, and marveled at Hubertus Schmidt’s ability to maintain a beautiful long frame for Escolar (Estobar NRW / Fürst Piccolo) in all the movements, and of course, the lack of jamming in front lets the horse’s great natural movement flow through the body. The cadence is still there for the test. Huge reaching half passes, maintaining that lovely frame. There is a little, well actually quite a big whoopsy in the walk pirouettes, some un-asked for piaffe, and a threat to spin before Hubertus gets the big bay stallion motoring again. Great demi pirouettes in the canter, big expressive flying changes, incredibly big canter, and great canter half passes.

What a canter!

Except for that moment in the walk pirouettes it has been a brilliant test, but no, they decide to kill it, two 9ths, two 10ths, with only Dietrich Plewa having the guts to place the horse 4th on his score card with a 74.63 – the others are 70, and sub-70. Not great judging in a class for younger horses… Escolar ends up 70.22% lucky it won’t affect the final.

And the trot is not too bad!

It is nice to see the judges stomp on some nastily spectacular riding by Marcus Hermes on Abegglen FH, by the Dutch sire, Ampére out of a Carabas mare and ridden à la Hollandaise, front legs waving, hind legs trailing. They finish on 68.22% right out of the placings.

No score for ‘spectacular’ – Abegglen and Marcus Hermes

Kyra Wulferding is a supremely tactful and elegant rider, her  compact mare, Soiree d’Amour (San Amour / Latimer) is almost too short.

Kyra Wulferding and Soiree d’Amour

The frame gets better – longer – when Kyra opens up the trot, and the rhythm has been like a metronome. A lovely long engaged walk and nicely back for super half pirouettes. The canter keeps that rhythm and is oh so light to the ground. Big expressive changes, two lovely square halts on the final centre line, the score is a bit mean, especially the score from Dr Schüle who has the mare on a 67, the rest hand out 72 to 74s, but they will still finish in lowly 7th place behind a few tests that were a bit dodgy.

Helen Langehanenberg and Brisbane

Next in, Helen Langehanenberg on Brisbane (Belissimo / Fürst Heinrich) – the mare carries the Hanoverian brand and is the old fashioned Hanoverian colour, orange with lots of bling. The work is accurate and tidy, without showing that special something, and Helen’s half halts are sometimes more like quadruple halts, still the judges know that cute blonde hair (done in the style created by Rosemarie Springer) when they see it. Scores range from 76 to 73 but they will finish the day in third place on a 75.122%.

more Hannoverians to come

Foundation and Matthais Rath

Foundation (Fidertanz / De Vito) and Matthias Alexander Rath. There is no denying that this is a magnificent stallion, currently, I am led to believe, the most popular in Germany, but there is also no denying that Matthias has wide, busy, pram hands, as in when you use your hands to push a pram, which I have seen Matthias doing, but it would be wrong to blame his hands on his first born.

The stallion does some very nice things, it’s just that the test lacks a bit of harmony and flow. The judges like it well enough: second on a 73.54% with Evi Eisenhardt, down to 7th with 70.98 from Dieter Schüle, then finally finish fourth on 73.707%.

next Isabell Werth

Starring yet again, Isabel and Flamboyant

It’s the Isabell Werth show, and once again this extraordinary rider delights and amazes, this time with QC Flamboyant OLD – Fidertanz again, out of a De Niro mare. The frame is just on the edge of being too tight but of course, the half pass is dazzling, as is the huge, unhurried trot diagonal, beautiful stately collected walk, great demi pirouettes, and the frame for the canter is super, as are the canter demi pirouettes.

Great big trot along the long side ALL the way to the subtle, and on the spot, transition. Fabulous canter work, great changes and a super final centre line. Isabell drops the rein and strolls from the arena, remarking as she exits, and in English, ‘not too bad…’

Isabel Freese’s Fürst Levantino (Fürst Romancier / Sandro Hit) is another compact horse, and neatly, professionally ridden, but the Grand Dame of Dressage is a tough act to follow. Still they will finish the day in 5th place on 73.049 with scores ranging from 76.34 and 3rd from Peter Holler to 10th and 71.83 from Dietrich Plewa.

Isabel Freese and Fürst Levantino

Another professional test from Matthias Bouten this time with Quantum Vis MW (Quaterback / Gloster), especially in the canter work when Matthias was able to show off the canter Quantum inherited from his sire.

more follows

Matthias Bouten and Quantum Vis MW

He’s an imposing cut of a horse and the judges loved the test – three had him third, one fourth, and one (Peter Holler) had him winning. Final score 75.439 and second place.

The class may have no real significance, still we have the full on German presentation ceremony and the scene has been set for a great final, though you might not be wise to bet against Isabell cleaning up for a fourth time.

We look at the history of the Burg-Pokal and find some amazing horses…

There’s plenty of ‘F’ line stallions available from International Horse Breeders, plus many more of the bloodlines of the top horses in this story – go to www.ihb.com.au