The pressure off. Matthias Rath and Totilas have made their first show debut together at the 2011 CDI Munich today and it was a total triumph. The 26-year old Kronberg based German kept his cool and steered the 11-year old Dutch warmblood stallion in a relaxed and open frame through the test. With no major mistakes the pair scored 76.787% to book their first international victory.
One could hear a pin drop in the arena when the highly publicized pair entered the ring for the test. It was immediately visible that Rath rode the horse in a different frame from Gal. Totilas was able to stretch his neck more, but this resulted in the horse coming deep on occasions. Their halt at entry was not square. The first extended trot had two hooves overstep but the horse came deep. The trot work was ridden with much relaxation and it was nice to see the black stallion "not on edge" for a world record. Flowing half passes followed. The second extended trot lacked overtrack. The piaffe and passage were super expressive, uphill in the frame and with good sit in the piaffe but the rhythm was not flawless. The horse was unsteady with the head in the extended walk. The second piaffe-passage was relaxed but again could have been more clear in the rhythm. The canter work was solid: no mistakes in the tempi changes, tiny pirouettes and a moderate extension pushed the scores up.
It was very obvious that Rath was going for the clear, relaxed ride and not for brilliance, the way we are used to seeing Totilas shine bright. The horse could have been more engaged from behind in trot, the tempi's could have been more ground covering and straighter in the body (which was also a "problem" for Gal) but in general it was all prim and proper and a successful acid test. They scored 76.787% with a 74.681% from Dieter Schüle as "low" score and 78.723% from Markowski as high score.
Those who were following the test on Clip My Horse's live streaming were left extremely disappointed by the horrendous quality of the feed. The entire test was choppy and pixelated and it made no sense watching it as the individual movements were broken up, delayed or not displayed. Furthermore the presenter couldn't shut his mouth for one second and kept blabbing about the horse's history without focusing on the actual ride.
The first rider to go, Carola Koppelmann on her 18-year old Hanoverian gelding Le Bo (by Lauries Crusador xx), finished second with a very clean ride that earned them 69.234%. Le Bo is extremely experienced in the Grand Prix movements and there was a nice contact with the bit throughout.
Nadine Capellmann and her "Totilette" Girasol (by Gribaldi x Landioso) are the living proof that it takes at least one year to form a combination with a new horse. The delightful liver chestnut mare is brimming with potential but the fine-tuning is not there yet. The passage is super in spring and elevation, but the transitions to piaffe are hesitent and Capellmann can't seem to get in the rhythm with her. All the extensions (trot and canter) are so boring, while the mare is dying to throw her legs out. Furthermore the poll is hardly ever the highest point in the test. The two tempi's were beautiful, the ones ok but behind the vertical. The zig zag was super clear and the pirouettes showed promise. The final passage on the centerline was lovely but there was no end halt. They scored 68.766% to rank third.
Many eyes were also focused on the international show debut of Emma Hindle aboard her new acquisition, the 10-year old Swedish warmblood Brisbane (by Briar). The massive chestnut has a bit of a sunken back but is a very impressive mover. The trot was wonderful: lofty, well suspended, powerful from behind. The trot and canter extensions were quite conservative and in the extended walk there was two hooves overtrack but the rhythm should have been clearer. The passage is delightful as "Brisi" has much buoyancy and spring. The canter tour was very solid with no major mistakes. Hindle and Brisbane executed a very nice first international Grand Prix ride with much potential for the future. Their 68.596% was quite moderate from the judges. They placed fourth.
Austrian Victoria Max-Theurer saddled her second GP horse Eichendorff (by Ehrentusch) for the Special tour. We've certainly seen them on better form before. There was no gas in Eichendorff's tank and the passage lacked collection and togetherness in the frame. All piaffes were difficult with the horse creeping forward or not finding the rhythm. The canter work was faultfree but in between movements the canter became staccato. The fact that Vici did not have her usual cheerful smile at the end of the ride said it all. Better next time. The jugdes honoured the ride with 68.404% and a fifth place.
Text by Astrid Appels
Photo © NDR
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Scores 2011 CDI Munich
