Fifteen competitors challenged each other in the seventh leg of the FEI World Cup Western European League series 2008-2009 in Neumunster in the northern part of Germany. The winning pair was Isabell Werth aboard Madeleine Winter-Schulze's Satchmo, scoring the highest mark (84,610%) so far in a qualifier this season.
Nations competing included Germany, Great-Britain, Denmark, The Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Australia and the United States of America. The judges were Katrina Wust (GER) Gotthilf Riexinger (GER), Mariette Withages-Dieltjens (BEL), Wim Ernes (NED) and Linda Zang (USA).
Highlights
The historical event in the Holstenhalle in Neumunster marked brilliance in the winning test of Isabell Werth on Satchmo. It brought the excitement of a record score for this World Cup season.
" I have never seen Satchmo this good before," said Mariette Withages-Dieltjens, the chair of the judges. The Olympic individual silver medallist Isabell Werth agreed with that. She said: " I already was happy with the behaviour of "Satchie" in the Grand Prix yesterday as he showed relaxation and happiness in the arena. The Holstenhalle in Neumunster are small and has a special atmosphere. It's never a certainty how the reaction of your horse will be. Today in the Freestyle the atmosphere was top and so was Satchmo. He really enjoyed himself while performing and simply did his job without one single mistake or wrong reaction!"
Withages rewarded Satchmo the ultimate ten for one of the canter half passes and she gave a lot of eights and nines. Another ten was given for the piaffe of the 19-year old grey Balagur shown by Russian Alexandra Korelova. The willingness and eagerness to perform of this former police horse is amazing! Not a single mistake occurred and they took the runner up position. Alexandra Korelova and Balagur even beat their trainer Monica Theodorescu who was aboard Whisper. Whisper is getting stronger and it seems his piaffe is improving too. They finished third with their pleasant test.
Bad luck
British Laura Bechtolsheimer did a wonderful test with her talented Mistral Hojris but mistakes in the one tempi and two tempi changes and a lack of relaxation in the final halt cost her some points. Nathalie zu Sayn Wittgenstein had made some mistakes in the Grand Prix which pushed her into one of the first starting positions for the kur. It was her turn to improve in the Freestyle which she rode without mistakes, although it could have been a bit more powerful. She improved her CDI Amsterdam-score and was rewarded with some valuable points for the provisional standings. Jeannette Haazen had to withdraw due to personal circumstances.
Tension is building up towards the Final
American Catherine Haddad showed a very harmonious test on Maximus. She was the second competitor to enter and the crowd really went crazy, clapping and yelling for Maximus. He now performed his movements without mistakes to the music of Gladiator about the eponymous emperor Maximus. So Haddad, who won the CDI-tour Grand Prix and Grand Prix Special aboard Cadillac, experienced one of her bigger weekends in Europe! She improved her results from Mechelen and Amsterdam and took some valuable World Cup points as well. Haddad recently renewed her sponsorship with Schockemohle Sports and she has set her heart on competing in the final in Las Vegas. Her schedule includes this week's Gothenburg Horse show where she will show Cadillac in the World Cup qualifier.
To meet the qualification criteria of a minimum of two World Cup qualifier starts in order to be eligible for the Finals, Anky van Grunsven and Salinero decided to ride at the CDI-W Gothenburg (SWE) as well as the last European Qualifier in 's Hertogenbosch. Isabell Werth has chosen to compete in Bremen, Dortmund and the last qualifier in 's Hertogenbosch, after which she will make the decision which horse to bring to Las Vegas.
" I must say, after Neumunster Satchie is already half aboard," Isabell quipped.
FEI press releases edited for publication by Eurodressage
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