The 2011 show season reached a first apex at the 2011 Wiesbaden. At the moment there are four titanic horses in the world who can challenge each other: Totilas, Mistral Hojris, Parzival and Ravel. The 2011 World Cup Finals were unable to deliver a coveted clash and at the 2011 CDIO Saumur, CDI Hagen, and CDI Munich rising stars excited the crowds (Valegro, Dablino, Uthopia, Scandic, Donnperignon). However at the 2011 CDI Wiesbaden finally the first heavy weight confrontation took place with Totilas and Mistral as duellists. The score was 1 - 1.
The crowds were stacked, layer ontop of layer, to catch a glimpse of the competition in the Wiesbaden CDI Grand Prix for Special. If you are amongst the hordes you will realize that the Totilas hype is even bigger in Germany than it was in 2009 and 2010 in The Netherlands. Applause upon entry, a warm up ring barely accessible and media trenches bulking large with mainstream tv- and photo-journalists are just a few of the signs of the popularity of dressage nowadays.
Mistral Hojris Majestic in the Grand Prix
Totilas was fifth to go and the crowds swelled to massive proportions around the arena to catch a glimpse of the star. And these spectators stayed till the end which generated an almost championshiplike atmosphere for the class. Under Matthias Rath the black stallion started out with a fidgety halt followed by a good extended trot with two hooves overstep. The half passes were excellent: well balanced and big. The first passage was very nice but a loss of impulsion started to show which led to a very problematic first piaffe. In the extended walk Totilas had two hooves overtrack but was unsteady with the head and barely stretched the neck. The second passage was hyper-collected with the horse lifting the legs to extreme heights. The second piaffe was much better in rhythm but the stallion came behind the vertical. The test took a turn for the worse in the canter work with a faltering zig zag. The two tempi's should have been straight but in the one tempi's there was four times a double beat behind and once no change at all. The entire diagonal failed. This caused the left pirouette to be difficult and the horse broke into trot on the centerline. The pirouette right was quite good again and Rath was able to finish the test with a good piaffe passage centerline. The pair left the ring with Rath's facial expression crestfallen and Totilas dripped wet. They scored 72.915 % to finish third.
The highlight ride of the day came from WEG triple silver medallists Laura Bechtolsheimer and Mistral Hojris. The 16-year old Danish warmblood shows not a single sign of travel despite his age and is one of the very few international top horses who is schooled at shows in a snaffle. His lightness and obedience are a pure joy to watch and his quality training is evident also in the show ring. The chestnut was powerful in the trot work in a nice uphill frame. The first passage and piaffe were excellent though there was a slight hesitation at the onset of the piaffe and Mistral dropped behind the vertical in the following passage. The extended walk was huge but could have been a bit more over the back. The collected walk was clear in rhythm. The second piaffe and passage were brilliant. The canter work was very strong though in the two tempi's two changes seemed a bit shorter right behind. The pirouettes were exceptional. All judges placed this pair first with a total score of 78.766 %
The second place went to a new pair on the scene: "routinier" Hubertus Schmidt on Joachim Arl's up and coming 9-year old Dutch warmblood Valentino G (by Ferro x Damiro). The sympathetic gelding is not the most spectacular looking horse but he certainly has potential. The still very green bay has problems with the extended trot in which he hurries and loses self carriage. The half passes are fantastic. The first passage was a bit open in the frame and could have been more collected, the first piaffe traveled too much forward. The extended walk was superb with three hooves overtrack. The second passage was much nicer but the transition to piaffe was very abrupt and the piaffe itself was quite small. Also in canter most of the movements were still rough around the edges. The zig zag was ridden sloppily and the two's needed more straightness. The one tempi's were big though. They scored 73.447 % with a 75.213 % from Fouarge and a 71.596 % from Tornblad.
Totilas Turns the Tables in the Grand Prix Special
The tables were turned in the Grand Prix Special as Matthias Rath had changed his warm up strategy. Yesterday "I didn't have Totilas on my leg like I needed for the test. I already felt it in the warm up and in the test he didn't react the way he should have. It was a fine tuning mistake," Rath explained about his Grand Prix ride. Rath prepared Totilas differently on the Special day and it paid off.
The first trot extension barely had any overtrack, but the second was better. The trot half passes were fantastic and the passage work brilliant with super lift in the legs even though the head could still be more steady. In the extended walk the nose definitely had to be more out but the overtrack was very good. The first piaffe started 6 meters before the centerline which affected the clarity of the collected walk. The transition to passage was difficult, though the second passage and piaffe on the serpentine were excellent. The canter was more forward and energetic than in the Grand Prix. The half passes were very nice, the two tempi's were decent with bigger stride from behind. The one's still started out short behind but were correct. The ones on the centerline had one double beat and one short change at the start. The pirouettes were well executed. The final trot extension was a lot of flash in front but not enough engagement from behind. The final passage was superb though the piaffe at X became slightly unbalanced as the horse turned the haunches to the left. Albeit, their Special ride was certainly a big improvement from the Grand Prix which the judges generously rewarded with 81.479 %
"I'm very happy that it went well today," Rath told the press after the test. "Today I rode more energetically in the morning and made Totilas more sensitive to the leg. I did the same in the warm up before the test and Totilas handled it well. He was in front of me the entire time. I will head to Balve (German Championships) with a better feeling than after yesterday's ride, but I won' count on it that I'll be scoring over 80% in all three tests."
British Laura Bechtolsheimer was right on Rath's heels but a mistake in her test kept her from winning. Mistral started out with powerful trot extensions and a very regular bouncy passage in between. The half passes were good but could have been a bit more flowing. In the extended walk, Mistral should have dropped the neck a bit more so he could overtrack even better. The first piaffe was lovely and the Danish warmblood gelding stayed crystal clear in the transitions to passage. His nose could be a little bit more out in piaffe though. In canter Laura B rode big half passes and two tempi changes, but the one's began a bit short behind. A problem arose in the one tempi's on the center line while the pirouettes remained high class. She scored 80.500 % placing first with two judges and second with three. Her highest score was 81.563 % from Wust, her lowest 78.750 % from Bürchler-Keller.
Danish Sune Hansen and Blue Horse' Oldenburg licensed stallion Romanov (by Rohdiamant x Grundstein II) finished third. The Danish duo is certainly coming of age this year and has set their sights on the 2011 European Championships in Rotterdam. The dark bay stallion has a beautiful piaffe and passage but the transitions could be still smoother. The trot half passes are delightful and the horse is expressive in the extended trot. The two tempi changes lack straightness in the body. In canter Romanov should flex the right hind hock a bit more. The judging panel was unanimous about their GP Special ride and honoured Hansen's ride with 73.146 %.
Text and Photos © Astrid Appels/Eurodressage.com - NO REPRODUCTION ALLOWED
Related Links
Scores 2011 CDI Wiesbaden
Photo Report: Saturday at the 2011 CDI Wiesbaden