Christopher Hector sits back for a feast of dressage…
Rebecca Ashton took the photos…

I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather be than perched in the press row at the back of the big dressage stand, with a cast list that resembles a who’s who of international dressage, let the play begin!

Mazy Klovenhoj.

First out, the Swedish pair, Johanna Due Boie riding Mazy Klovenhoj. The bay mare is by Bocelli out of a mare by the Thoroughbred National Zenith. It’s really a lovely test, but sorry Johanna, you are first out, no matter what you do, the score ain’t going to be wonderful. 69.435.

Next the British young rider, Annabella Pidgley riding Vamos Amigos (Vitalis / Hotline). To my mind, it is an unreasonable amount of pressure to load on to the shoulders of a nineteen-year-old, straight into the saddle of an international superstar previously ridden by a genius. Why not give the poor child a couple of years in Young Riders before tossing her off into the deep end? Better still take a gap year and go surfing (she is blonde…)

The bay seems to have lost his bloom, and he also seems to have lost his rear end engine. Even with the best will in the world, and I am sure they are trying very hard, the judges can’t push the score above 70 –  69.870.

Isabell Werth and DSP Quantaz (Quaterback / Hohenstein).  There’s a loss of rhythm in the big trot, doesn’t matter the judges are hot to trot. As always Isabell is the consummate professional, and the work is  focused and accurate, but does it make your heart sing? It looks like hard work and the horse’s tail tells the same tale. Surprise, the judges are handing out 8s like confetti at a Greek wedding. Score 76.022.

As a horse, I love Jovian as I loved his dad, Apache before him (he’s out of a Tango mare). But I do not like the way Andreas Helgstrand rides, the stallion’s  mouth is open most of the time, still judges love it and quickly have them  right out in front.

There’s no doubt Jovian is an amazing mover but it is spur spur spur in piaffe, and still the horse is standing on its front legs, the horse just cannot handle piaffe. Much of the time it looks like a four beat canter to me and.  What would I know? The judges go ga ga, 74.326, first with one, second with two, third and fourth with the others to slip into second behind Isabell.

Frederic Wandres and Bluetooth (Bordeaux / Riccione), the gelding has become stronger and more balanced with Frederic, he even looks shorter in the back than he did when he first appeared. The work is polished, assured and they soon go into the lead. 76.987, the Germans are looking good to take home the Nations Cup…

Dante Weltino is just the most magnificent creature and Therese Nilshagen is an elegantly effective rider, they have always looked as if they could go anywhere, but never quite made it to superstar status, and I am not sure why.

Therese’s test with Dante Weltino is more elegant than the test Isabell produced with Quantaz, softer, freer, more harmony, she ends up just a fraction in front of Isabell on a score of 76.152

Charlotte Fry on the stallion Everdale (Lord Leatherdale / Negro), very hollow in the back, very short in the neck, tight in the hand, and here comes the protesting tail. 7.9 for an advancing piaffe and you know what sort of mood these judges are in, big powerful extended canter for an 8.2. I might not like Charlotte’s style of riding, but she is very clever and doesn’t toss a mark away. I just can’t handle that sway backed extended trot with his head jammed into his chest, with the hind legs trailing along.  Score 78.913 into the lead, first with four of the judges, only the Dane, Kurt Christensen has Everdale, third, his top score goes to Dante Weltino. Just remember, sometimes the odd man out is the one who has got it right…

Six years ago when he won the Grand Prix at Frankfurt, Blue Hors  Zepter (Zack / Wolkentanz II) was being hailed by good judges as the next superstar, then his rider, Daniel Bachmann left Blue Hors, and Zepter went to that dressage horse Bermuda Triangle (google it kiddies) Patrik Kittel’s barn, following in the footsteps of a number of high profile horses, sent to the Swede, to pursue their Grand Prix career, like them, Zepter disappeared.  The gelding was briefly with Andreas Helgstrand, before returning home to Blue Hors, where he ought have been all along, to be ridden by the supremely talented Blue Hors trainer, Nanna Skodburg Merrald. The pair came out in February this year to wow the world at the Neumünster World Cup. It is oh so great the chestnut gelding has found a sympathetic rider again…

He’s circling the ring, and wow, the magic is there again, the extraordinary softness somehow combined with equally extraordinary power.

Magnificent  trot  diagonal just 7.4 oh oh, they haven’t been updating the form book. It’s kinda everything Everdale was not, but no prizes for guessing who gets the better scores. Really great harmonic piaffe, beautiful collected canter, sweet changes. Fabulous left pirouette, just as good to the right, hello an 8.6, and Zepter has crept into second 77.478, once again Mr Christensen is the odd man out placing Zepter first. What’s that about in the country of the blind? I am greatly re-assured when the dressage journalist with the best eye I have ever encountered, tells me she  thought Zepter a clear winner.

Sönke and Fendi, 8.4 entry to grab the lead, 8 for the extended trot, the bay gelding does not seem to have a chink in his armour, it all looks effortless, or so it seemed at Frankfurt last December. Oh oh, a little levade coming out of the piaffe and the transition mark is down to 4.4.  Another 4 for passage, 6 for piaffe, 4.2 for the transition, a 5.4 for passage, and the pair are sitting in the mid-twenties. To give them their due, they were destined to compete in the four-star until two days ago, and were rushed into the 5* when Franziskus was found to be unsound. They finish on 69.891.

The stories are only now starting to emerge about how tough it was on the horses to compete in the World Cup Final in Omaha, apparently they only had two days break after the long journey in, before they had to compete Grand Prix. At least two topliners, Franziskus  and Hèrmes are currently listed as Omaha casualties, word is, more to come.

Charlotte Dujardin and Imhotep, the horse like most Charlotte has had success with recently, has Dutch blood (Everdale / Vivaldi) even though it was bred in Britain. In keeping with its ancestry the chestnut is a bit short and tight in front at times, but the gelding is getting the work done, though it looks a bit like hard work for both horse and rider. They finish on 79.782 to take the lead. Was it nicer than Everdale? Probably, Better than Zepter? No way…

Time for the crowd favourite, Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and her all conquering mare, Dalera (Easy Game / Handryk). The opening moves are a bit modest and Jessy will have to battle up the board from fifth place, then as if by magic, great piaffe and the pair are in the lead. Super passage, more wonderful piaffe, it’s delicate, it’s ethereal, it’s that wonderful synergy of horse and rider. I could live without the tail flashing in the changes, but the oh so tight pirouette makes up for that. How could we ever have doubted, and yes, at last the judges are agreed, first with all of them for a score of 82.304. Dalera might not be the most brilliant dressage horse you have ever seen, but she could well be the best…

What a perfectly splendid way to spend the day…