There was total silence when Edward Gal and his invincible Totilas entered the arena for their CDIO Grand Prix test at the 2010 CHIO Aachen in Germany on Thursday 15 July 2010. However, this silence lasted only a nanosecond as the crowds could not contain their exhilaration and burst into a deafening plaudit like a box of Chinese firecrackers that explodes on New Year's Eve. The most beloved dressage horse of the nillies was saluted as the victor, even before he had done his test.
Gal and Totilas were definitely on form and the judges were on a high, willingly tossing tens at this pair like the plebeians would throw flowers at their Roman emperor in a triumphal procession on his return from battle. The 10-year old black stallion by Trakehner sire Gribaldi was his usual great self and showed stunning movements. Delightful half passes, amazing passage and great pirouettes. In both the first and second piaffe there was a loss of rhythm. The trot extensions were extremely expressive but clearly lacked ground cover. Only one hoof overtrack and little lengthening of the frame do not suffice for high scores, though the second of three extensions was the best. The extended walk was good, in the collected walk he came slightly above the vertical .
Though the high marks were flashing on the board with a constant pulse the judges were struggling to be in unison with their marks, especially in the canter tour. Scores significantly oscillated between 7s and 9s in movements such as the zig zag, two and one tempi's. The zig zag was nicely ridden though going to the right the hindquarters swung too much out. The two tempi's are groundcovering but lacked some straightness and in the one's the horse goes more up than forward and becomes tight and deep in the neck. The final trot extension was extravagant and on the final centerline Gal and Totilas displayed a superb piaffe and passage which made the crowds ooh and aah and the judges climax as 9's and 10's lighted up on the score board. The total score of 83.860% was plenty for the victory. Hail Caesar!
"Looking back to all the Grand Prix tests I've ridden, this was our best one," Gal told the press officer of the Dutch Equestrian Federation. "I was able to have the relaxation which is necessary to execute all the movements well. Maybe the first piaffe could have been better. The onset was too big and I had to let Totilas go a bit forward in it because he'll sit too much on the hind legs and loses his balance. The walk was very relaxed, the zig zag went well and in trot there was much balance. If I weren't content with this test, than you can call me insane."
Parzival Steps Up to the Plate
Adelinde Cornelissen and Parzival (by Jazz x Ulft) made a huge leap forward in their training compared to their incomprehensibly overscored (!) performance in the Grand Prix in Rotterdam. No more water-skiing position in the saddle and no more open mouths and hanging into the curb like last time. Thank God! Cornelissen and Parzival were their usual great selves again (finally coming close again to their peak performance of 2008) and their test was a joy to watch! The judges reshuffled their deck of cards only to keep the highest scores in their hands to give to Cornelissen. Her entry, halt, salute straight away earned her three nines whereas ten more combinations before her did the same immaculate entry and were barely given 7s for it. Why this major difference all of a sudden?
Anyway, Cornelissen started out strongly with active, energetic trot work and big half passes. The hindquarters were slightly trailing behind in the half pass left but the one to the right was awesome. The first piaffe and passage had much rhythm and elasticity, though in piaffe the croupe should be lowered more to be more "correct." The second piaffe and passage were rhythmical and regular but the horse has a tendency to pull his hocks high instead of moving the hindlegs under the body.
The walk was good. One of Parzival's highlights are the tempi changes: forward, big, ground covering and straight; simply lovely to watch. The zig zag was a bit messy as the horse lost his balance, but the pirouettes were nice. Cornelissen wrapped up her test with a solid piaffe passage centerline. With 78.541% they ranked second.
"We have found more balance between relaxed work and the tension necessary to perform. It shows in his total way of moving and I'm very happy with that," said Cornelissen. "We're on the right track and maybe it's good were not at a peak yet, because it would have been too early. But we're on the right way for WEG and I'm happy about that, especially because I notice that there is still possibility for progress."
Laura B and Mistral Hojris Shine
Finishing third with 77.447% were last year's European bronze medallists Laura Bechtolsheimer and her 15-year old Danish warmblood Mistral Hojris (by Michellino x Ibsen). This combination is one of the most amazing and exciting pairs on the scene and they could have easily been placed second in the Aachen Grand Prix. There were so many highlights to this ride and the absolute power Mistral combines with relaxation is exemplary. At age 15 Mistral has not lost a bit of power and flexibility and he moves with as much pounce and bounce like a stampede of 100 gnus crossing the savannah.
The combination started with a strong trot extension and flowing half passes. Mistral could have picked up his legs more in the rein back. The first piaffe and passage were phenomenal: such rhythm, such buoyancy and a tail hanging totally quiet and relaxed while doing this strenuous movement. Mistral tends to become a bit deep in the piaffe but not this time. He stayed nicely up in the frame. In the extended walk the chestnut was a bit distracted but he still had good overtrack. The canter work was strong. The pirouettes were small and with good lift of the forehand. Only the one tempi's were a bit constricted. They could have been more forward and over the back.
A new judging concept is being tested in Aachen this year. Seven judges are scoring the test and a Judging Supervisory Panel is overseeing the matter. Furthermore only three riders per nation compete in the class and there is no scratch score. A fourth individual rider can also compete in the test but his score does not count for the team ranking. The team championship is decided over two classes: the Grand Prix and Special. The added scores will decide the ranking of the nations.
Seven judges, including Ernes (NED), Gardner (GBR), Rockwell (USA), Svalling (SWE), Schüle (GER), Roudier (FRA), and Törnblad (DEN), were spread out over five boxes on the short side at A and two on the long side. Two members of this experienced panel separated themselves from the pack in assessing Laura's ride. Rockwell's score had Laura at a 74.681% whereas Roudier had her at 81.277%, creating a striking difference of 6.59%.
Holland is currently in the lead in the nations' cup with 236,140 points, followed by Germany 219,665 and Great Britain 209,726.
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