Christopher Hector reports from the World Young Dressage Horse Championships in Ermelo…
Las Vegas (photo – Dirk Caremans)
Las Vegas (Ferdeaux / Winton), third out and exquisitely ridden by Emmelie Scholtens, just took over the little arena in the five-year-olds. The class was being held out the back of the grounds for some reason, while in the main arena we had a class for the five-year-olds who didn’t make the grade on the first day, strange. The bay stallion is huge – 1.80 – but he looks perfectly in proportion in the ring. The test was a study in effortless power, and the judges rightly overlooked a couple of little glitches to bring up an appropriately big score, 9.42 (Trot 9.8, walk 8.2, canter 10, submission 9.5, prospective 9.6) The stallion also looked like a stallion, and there are a few super stallions going round this weekend. It reminded me of the maxim of the legendary Australian Stock Horse judge, John Stanton, ‘if you have to get out of the car to check that’s the stallion, just keep driving…’
Hesselhøj Downtown (photo – Ilse Schwarz Dressage-News)
Of course I should never have under-estimated last year’s World Champion Five Year old Hesselhøj Downtown, bay like his dad Hesselhøj Donkey Boy (there was a popular Scandinavian pop band DonkeyBoy) bay with cute white socks. Last year here at Ermelo, Downtown, swept all before him with scores of 10 for trot, 10 for prospective, walk, trot and canter, rideability 9.5! 9.7. And the striking stallion has lost nothing since then, power packed with charm. This year the scores went; Trot 9.5, Walk, 9.6, Canter 9.2, Submission 9.5 and Prospective 9.6 for a 9.48 to slip into the lead.
Downtown is out of a mare by Zack.
Global Player (photo – Ilse Schwarz Dressage-News)
Just two points behind, we find a stylish black stallion, Global Player (Grand Galaxy Win / Don Schufro) Global Player is shown by Evie Möller with her usual professional panache. It’s perhaps no surprise that like his grandsire, Apache, and his dam sire Don Schufro, Global Player is WFFS positive, if that sort of thing excites you. Global Player receives (9.5, 9.4, 9, 9.5 and 9.6) and finishes on a score of 9.4, wow this is going to be a fun final. Stay tuned…