Story – Christopher Hector        Pix – DigiShots

To ‘qualify’ for the Kür, you had to score a 60% in the Grand Prix, so in the first half we got to witness one modern phenomenon, horses so talented that they can produce great movement despite the rider, the dressage equivalent of those amazing jumpers that can carry non-riders over a huge Grand Prix course. Truly saintly creatures…

Morgan and Sir Donnerhall II

But there were also genuine highlights. Morgan Barbançon’s Kür is a work of dazzling difficulty and her horse, Sir Donnerhall II has so much athleticism, so much scope, they almost bring it off. Halt, gallop flat out, straight into a one and a half pirouette, a sequence of ones to another double. Fab passage but the piaffe lets her down a bit, super tight reaching half pass, more stunning passage, once again the piaffe is a bit weak (she got it in the warm-up around the arena), super walk, and the music a masterful blend of big, and soft, lovely change of hand in passage, and you will piaffe – and the stallion does. It’s the first really exciting test and the crowd loves it. The judges pay a 74.511 and we are away.

Judy Reynolds and Vancouver K

Judy Reynolds and Vancouver  K, can they recover from the freak out in the GP? Yes, and the Kür is so much richer because like the rider’s Emerald Green outfit, the music is essence of Irish, revolving around Lord of the Dance, the fiddles and pipe sing, driven by the pounding resonance of the Bodrán (that’s the traditional goat skin drum). The choreography seems a bit simple at first (anything straight after Morgan’s show would look that way) but the degree of difficulty grows as the test progresses. Huge gallop down the centre line straight into piaffe, they finish with some mega passage, and once again the crowd roars its approval. 79.350.

Maria and Coroado

Maria Caetano aims Coroado straight at the C judge in a super series of ones, and they too are away, the drama of Pirates of the Caribbean underlines the drama and power of the handsome grey Lusitano stallion. A lovely half pirouette in piaffe, really sustained, a super passage change of hand to the final halt, it is a Kür full of highlights and with 76.393, they slip into second for now.

next Emmelie Scholtens and Apache

Emmelie and Apache

I really love Apache as a type (and I’ve seen great colts by him at the stallion show) and Emmelie Scholtens is determined to show us what a big trot he has. The piaffe is not so successful, the horse tends to transfer the weight to his front rather than coming into a truly collected balance, still it is a pretty impressive show, and the pair slip up the leaderboard to third for now with an 80.782.

Hans Peter and Dream Boy

Next in another Dutch stallion, Glock’s Dream Boy with Hans Peter Minderhoud, it’s another of those Dutch computer driven scores, with a voice over, Do you dream about me? No, and neither do the judges. 80.286.

Laura and Verdades

The new degree of difficulty scoring system has been a great innovation and the emphasis is on tricky transitions for the bonus marks. Laura Graves is making the most of Verdades effortless ability to switch from passage half pass to flowing half pass, to piaffe. The trot is, as usual, huge, the big canter likewise, the pirouettes, including two and a half times, are just perfect. And the music? Call that music?? It would be totally forgettable if it wasn’t so noisy. As expected, they grab the lead with a 87.179 – and it was nice at the halt, as the crowd exploded, Laura responded with a charming restrained smile instead of the over-the-top theatrics of some, they really deserve a yellow card.

Daniel and Zack

Daniel Bachmann Anderson and Blue Hors Zack. Here is a horse that is really in balance, so light to the ground, truly self carriage. And you can see the movement flow through the horse’s back, as Daniel is gently lifted up and down. Daniel is up for the challenge, really going for it, nearly but not quite. 85.468.

Kasey and Dublet

One of my favourite tests of the night came from Kasey Perry-Glass and Goerklintgaards Dublet. The horse is a perfect blend of the best of German, best of Dutch, Diamond Hit over Ferro. Right from the start the music invites you in, Kasey realises that a single note of the piano can say more than a wall of wailing computers. This is another horse in lovely balance, and there are real highlights, like the half pirouette piaffe into extended trot, but what shines with this test is the overall softness, this is dressage, correct dressage. The score of 84.795 is mean.
Next Isabell and Weihegold, can she beat them?

Come on Weihe, more collection. The mare gives a little pig root, oh you wanted piaffe, that’s okay, and Isabell turns in the saddle to pat the mare on the bum. This of course occurs before their test begins. The score is based on an Italian tune, Isabell heard while driving the car, it suits the mare, she swings. The passage is a classic as is the piaffe. Half pass to passage half pass,  half pirouette piaffe, passage half pass, into a flowing half pass. I like the trend to incorporate human voice into the scores, I never really understood the prejudice against it in the first place. The huge canter really flies, there’s a 9 for a double pirouette, the mare is dancing through the twos when Hello Panic Stations!!! There’s a mistake in the ones and the score plummets to 4.7 and Isabell is below Laura, can she make it up again? She is certainly giving it her best, impossibly perfect piaffe pirouettes help, but has she done enough to repair the damage? Yes. 88.871, that’s it we think.

Perhaps we’d forgotten what an ice cool competitor Helen Langehanenberg is – and she has the big bay stallion, Damsey stoked for this one. Passage to halt, and off they go. Stunning and sustained passage, towering piaffe, fabulous changes, the double pirouette right summons up an 8.9, as does the double to the left. An 8.1 for a piaffe pirouette, and the pair are in the lead. The extended trot down the centre line has the C judge thinking about baling out. Whew, they stop just in time. Are we about to see one of the great World Cup upsets? No, 86.57 and the established order is restored. Isabell first, Laura second, Helen third.

Still it was truly one of the great World Cups – thank you Göteborg…

Would you like to breed a top dressage performer in 2019? You can many top European stallions are available from IHB. You can even breed to the full brother of Sir Donnerhall ll. Find out how, go to www.ihb.com.au

Sir Donnerhall l