Story – Christopher Hector Photos – Roslyn Neave
The final of the Louisdor-Preis for nine and ten-year-old Grand Prix horses was another triumph for the stunning Trakehner mare, TSF Dalera BB and Jessica von Bredow-Werndl.
The mare may have been a little more tense than she was in the first go-round, and certainly found Poinsettias a major threat, spooking twice at the flower pots, but this is an ethereal creature, so perfect her rhythm in the trot that it gets the snappers’ cameras clicking along with her in sync.
Beautiful passage / piaffe tours, okay she gets a bit agitated in the canter zig zag but she finishes with a super centre line to the C judge – and they all have her first, and they are all on 76, save Ghislain Fourage who gets up to 77. This is something of a first in itself since they have been up and down like a heart beat for most of the class… Final score 76.72.
After every test, Kim Kreling from ClipMyHorse has a little de-brief with Dietrich Plewa (I suppose it is better to have him on the sideline commenting, rather than embarrassing the rest of Ground Jury by getting it right in the judge’s box) and then a mini-interview with the rider. Like a real discussion, not the sort of gushing platitudes served so often…
next Dorothee Schneider and Faustus
Dorothee Schneider’s Faustus reminds us what pity it was that his sire, Falsterbo, was relatively unused. The gelding is everything you might want, a lithe, supple, calm athlete, and what a professional Dorothee is – she doesn’t tiy to nail the nine-year-old to the spot in the first piaffe and lets him move a bit forward, and sure enough the second one comes up so much better.
Super collected walk, balanced uphill canter, and the one times changes are so expressive.
Absolutely correct angles for the legs in the extended trot, and once again the judges are in agreement, though this time Fourage is Mr Scrooge with a 71 while Katrina Wüst is the Christmas Fairy with a 75. Final score – 73.76
By the time we get to third place and Ingrid Klimke and Franziskus (Fidertanz), the happy unity has disappeared, Evi Eisenhardt at C, scores them 70.1, sixth on her score board, while two others – Raphaël Saleh and Ghislain Fourage, have the big stallion, third.
Truth is he looked way more like something you’d like to send a mare to than ride in a show arena! Final score – 72.16.
more follows
Fidertanz is available from International Horse Breeders – click here for information
Carlos and Heiner Schiergen
The horse in fourth place is a real triumph of professional horsemanship. Carlos has been so freaked by the atmosphere in the first round that Heiner Schiergen was forced to retire him. Back they come into the cauldron and those proper basics show through, a neat accurate test, and after the final halt, Heiner drops the rein and the gelding walks out oh so cool, what me worried? Here is another of those mid rank German professionals in action, that provide such depth to the sport here. Alas our judges are all a-muddle. Is the test the 8th best, as Fourage thinks, with a miserly 67.6, or is Katrina Wüst correct to see it as her third best on 73.5? Indeed, Ms Wüst has Carlos in front of Franziskus, and I am inclined to agree with her.
Fifth to the British bred, Duke of Britain, and PSI jockey Frederic Wandres. The halt is more of a nod than a salute, but this is an accurate, active test, surely the chestnut is going to make some very rich lady happy… at least for a while. Score 70.94 but was it third (Fourage) or seventh (Wüst)?
Anja Plönzke’s Tannenhof’s Fahrenheit is also by Fidertanz, which makes it two by that stallion into the Louisdor – just as he was the only stallion with two in the Burg-Pokal. I like Fahrenheit, he is loose through the body, lovely reaching half passes, and correctly bent. Sure he’s green but this is a class to bridge the gap to big Grand Prix. 70.26, 5th with one judge, 9th with another.
One of my personal favourite combinations is tiny Ninja Rathjens and her grey Hanoverian gelding, Emilio. What a super honest pony! You want piaffe – okay here it is. Passage – no worries, sequence changes – here they are, 14, 15. Let’s pirouette – how’s that for tight? And while we are no the subject of tight, sometimes the curb bit is a touch parallel to the ground, but still it is a combination to enjoy. 69.72, and yes, they are fifth with one judge, ninth with another.
The judging may not have entirely up to standard, but the horses in this class have been such an exciting bunch, it will be great to watch them as they take the next step…
In case you missed them:
Mr. Hector, I live for your color commentary!
Thanks Chris, keep it coming! Dalera is gorgeous, and what incredible expressions on her face! A champion on the rise, me thinks.