After some rain on Friday afternoon and at night the warm spring weather in western Europe returned in time for the Grand Prix Spécial on Saturday afternoon 30 April 2011 at the 2011 CDIO Saumur. The main arena was visibly more crowded than the days before and provided a beautiful setting for one of France’s most important dressage competitions of the year.
Again a strong French and British presence could be found on the starters’ list which included 5 French and 4 British pairs out of 14. As French dressage riding lacks a real outstanding pair since the retirement of Karen Tebar’s mare Falada, let alone medal contenders like Margit Otto-Crépin and Corlandus were, at Saumur some promising young horses stepped on the international scene under the tricolore-flag. It will be interesting to follow their progress.
The French On Their Way to the Top
First to go was the youngest horse of the class, 8-year-old Werner, presented by former Olympic rider Dominique Brieussel’s wife Stephanie Collier. She entered the arena smiling and began concentrated, giving her stallion no chance to repeat the disobedience from the Grand Prix. For such a young horse Werner turned out to be already quite mature in the even more demanding Special programme. The piaffe and passage were regular and particularly well done on the last line towards the judges. Only in the two-time flying changes the massive bay by Anky van Grunsven’s former WEG horse Krack C made a mistake at the end, but he ontinued convincingly in the one-time changes and pirouettes to finish 7th with over 67%.
France’s most regular international performer since the 2008 Olympic Games, Marc Boblet, rode the Florestan son Florijn and achieved the 3rd best French result in this class with an 11th place. The big framed chestnut with the characteristic white front legs and big blaze made no major mistakes, but in his powerful passage Boblet was forced to give several visible half halts to avoid the horse coming too deep. Highlights were the flying changes which were forward, straight and settled.
Back on fifth place was Catherine Henriquet with a relative newcomer at Grand Prix- level, the gorgeous 11-year-old Paradieszauber (Saxonian warmblood by Paradiesvogel). The horse had been trained by the rider and her trainer for the past 6 years and was presented in a style which has almost disappeared from international dressage competitions based on the old French principles of dressage riding. Henriquet’s gelding moved with ease and showed an exemplary bit contact, in particular in the second half of the programme. The flying changes were outstanding while in the piaffe the horse could be a bit more expressive. In the final halt the crowd could admire the charming chestnut’s absolute relaxation when he stood immobile like a statue with long reins for quite some time.
The Young and Restless Rank High
One of the crowd pleasers, the grey PRE stallion Norte, stood out with his expression and eagerness, so typical for many of this breed. The 11-year-old, ridden by José Antonio Garcia Mena from Spain, owns extreme forehand action which is of advantage in the expressive piaffe- passage- tour. The flying changes on the contrary were not too ground covering and more upwards than forwards. This member of the Spanish national team at the WEG in Kentucky finished in 9th place.
Germany’s Young Rider Kathleen Keller, who also competed in the YR classes with Halloween and Lord, entered the arena like all the days before: Smiling and patting her horse. Wonder FRH, a Hanoverian by Werther, had been successfully shown in the Piaff Förderpreis classes in the past and was already highly placed at the CDI Saumur a year earlier. The reliable bay once more gave a good performance as he is a horse with no real weak spots. They ranked 6th.
After his 3rd place in the Grand Prix, Anne van Olst’s KWPN gelding Taikoen again did well. The dark bay is by Negro, a Ferro-son who is stabled in van Olst’s stables in the Netherlands, and had been successfully competed by her until an injury short-circuited the Keur stallion's career. Aged 11, which is still a rather young Grand Prix horse, Taikoen has already some real highlights: in the passage, which he executes in a very good rhythm, he honestly carries weight and his flying changes were copybook: forward, straight, settled and expressive at the same time. Obviously van Olst’s Olympic bronze medalist Clearwater has to face opposition from his own stable mate.
Brits Hunt for Victory
After their extremely successful appearance in the Grand Prix the Brits were again the favourites in their hunt for victory. Amy Stovold and her Swedish liver chestnut MacBrian, made a stylish entry with their perfect grooming. Well known as a country in which the grooming of horses is always at the top, McBrian appeared with a stylish muster on his quarter mark, which some of the other British horses wore, too. The Union Jack in heart-form made many spectators smile and was even announced by the speaker.
However, as a Special is not a show-class MacBrian had to earn his placing in another way: by doing a faultless test in which the flying changes were a real pleasure to watch. The passage was regular and expressive, but the horse should step a bit more under. The British-Swedish- co-operation made the biggest step up in the rankings to improve from a 9th place in the Grand Prix to an excellent 4th.
The last two (British) starters were the clear favourites to win. This time Valegro, another Negro-offspring, who had been bought by Carl Hester as a 2-year-old, is competed by his student Charlotte Dujardin. This Ferro-grandson moves with tremendous power and energy and has no real weak spots. Once more he wowed the crowds. Everything moved on quite a high level, except the last canter pirouette in which Valegro lost rhythm. Even before his result of 73,85% was officially announced it was obvious that Carl Hester with Uthopia had to repeat their great performance of two days before to beat his student.
The picturesque KWPN stallion Uthopia is smaller framed than Valegro, but owns similar energy. Again he excelled in the wonderful trot extensions, in his passage and the flying changes, but he broke into canter in the trot half-pass and did not always keep the clear rhythm in a piaffe, though it was engaged and with much push. In the end it was a very close decision and Hester placed 2nd behind his compatriot Charlotte Dujardin.
When two KWPN horses lined up at the top during the prize-giving ceremony after the class, I had to think of a recent article I had read in Britain’s popular Horse & Hound magazine, in which was written that a full sister of Valegro, owned by Carl Hester, expects a foal by Uthopia. To combine the bloodlines of both 2011 winners of Saumur might secure further British success in the future. Until then it will be interesting to follow the careers of the foal’s father and uncle.
Text and Photos © Silke Rottermann for Eurodressage.com
Related Links
Scores 2011 CDIO Saumur
Raising the Union Jack: a British Festival in the Grand Prix at the 2011 CDIO Saumur
Working Day at the 2011 CDIO Saumur