The German dressage team captured the gold medal in the Grand Prix Nations' Competition at the CDIO Saumur, France, on Friday April 29, 2005. Big deal! What everyone will remember is that the Belgian dressage team rocked
in Saumur by ranking second in silver medal position; a historic achievement as Belgium hasn't even had a Grand Prix dressage team since the 1994 World Equestrian Games in The Hague.
Last year, the Belgians already accomplished a memorable achievement by winning team bronze at the CDIO Mondorf les Bains in Luxembourg, but this year they even moved up to silver medal place! How 'bout that!
The Grand Prix test in Saumur had a field of 36 competitors and six nations in the running for a top three place. The German team won with 4958 points and had former Olympian Alexandra Simons de Ridder on Wellington (by Wanderer) as team rider. Simons de Ridder scored 70.58% for a ride in which the canter pirouettes and flying changes were the highlights.
Second best German was Jonny Hilberath on the drop dead gorgeous Fariano. This horse has a lovely piaffe passage, but the transitions are not always as smooth as can be. Hilberath scored 69.667% which placed him third.
Placing second in the Grand Prix was Belgian Jeroen Devroe on the Rhinelander bred Paganini (by Pavarotti van de Helle). "He's going better than ever before at home, so we'll have to see tomorrow," Devroe told Eurodressage the day before the Grand Prix. A bit more confidence could have been in place, because Paganini is in the shape of a life time. The thoroughbred looking dark bay gelding is overall a bit tight in the neck, but his conformation is like that. Absolutely delightful are Paganini's trot half passes and his fluency and balance in the piaffe and passage. The combination scored 69.792% in the Grand Prix and placed second.
Trained by Bert Rutten, Jeroen Devroe is bringing Belgian Dressage to unprecedented heights and the entire Belgian camp (pony riders, juniors, young riders and small tour competitors) were verbally rooting from the sideline for the Belgian team in Saumur.
Belgian Mieke Lunskens is following in Devroe's wake by placing sixth (!!!) in the Grand Prix with 67.708%. Aboard Reiko Newton's Trakehner gelding Jade (by Ressort), Lunskens is upward bound. The piaffe passage tour shows much potential; only the extended trot needs to be a bit less hectic.
Third Belgian team rider is Philippe Jorissen on his home bred Pikante Pia van den Bergerhoeve (by Donnerhall). He placed 18th with 64.083%.
The Russians, who are getting ready to host the 2005 European Championships in Moscow, sent a complete delegation to Saumur to promote the Russian cause in Western Europe. Their Grand Prix team consisted of their A-team riders, Alexandra Korelova, Elina Kalinina, Tatiana Sleptzova and Vera Minaeva. Anchor rider for Russia is the experienced Korelova aboard her pearl white Balagur. Trained by Georg Theodorescu, Korelova scored 68.833% and landed in fifth position.
Worth mentioning are Elena Kalinina and her Royal Black Label, who are on the rise. This beautiful pair showed a lovely trot tour, but did not always maintain a pure 3-beat rhythm in the canter work.
The British dressage team finished fourth and supported much on Olympic rider Emma Hindle, who made her come back on Wie Weltmeyer (by Weltmeyer). Not having been shown since the Olympics in Athens, Wie Weltmeyer looked fresh and energetic in the Grand Prix ring. His movements were bigger and more expressive than ever, and only the transitions between the different movements could be more fine tuned in order for the score to rise above 70%. In Saumur, Hindle got 68.875% for her Grand Prix ride and finished fourth. Second best Briton was Laura Bechtolsheimer on the charming Douglas Dorsey (by Donnerhall). They placed 15th with 65.417%
Text and Photos copyrighted - Astrid Appels/Eurodressage
