The Dutch warmblood stallion Johnson, the Belgian warmblood gelding Tumbling Rocky and the NRPS stallion Karolus van Wittenstein were the dominating horses in the small tour classes at the 2012 CDI Drachten in The Netherlands on 6 - 8 January 2012. The small tour mustered a troop of 21 combinations for action in the Prix St Georges alone.
After a rocky show come back at the 2011 CDI-W Mechelen, Hans Peter Minderhoud and the KWPN licensed stallion Johnson (by Jazz x Flemmingh x Sultan) found their groove again in Drachten, even though the Prix St Georges was not the highlight ride in their career so far. The bay stallion was on the aids, but appeared quite busy and overeager in the trot work. The extended walk was good in rhythm but lacked overtrack. In canter the horse has nice straight flying changes but could have shown more uphill tendency as he also crept behind the vertical. The pirouettes showed great promise because Johnson has wonderful ability to collect and sit. The winning score of 71.342% must have been a pleasant surprise. The duo went on to place second in the Kur to Music with 72.650%.
For the very popular KWPN breeding stallion Uphill the first week of January was a very busy one. On Wednesday morning 4 January he won the Prix St Georges at the national show in Zuidbroek and the same day late in the evening he finished second in the Inter 1 Kur to Music. Two days later he was second again in the Prix St Georges at the international show in Drachten and fourth in the Inter I Kur on Sunday. Under Christa Laarakkers the beautiful and chunky bay stallion (by Oscar x Apollonios xx) displayed his FEI potential, but the 11-year old still needs to improve on his self carriage and submission. The trot was decent but the horse showed a better balance on the right lead losing the rhythm on the left volte. The collected and extended walk were good and Uphill had little problems with the canter work. The submission, however, needed some fine-tuning. He regularly had his mouth open and he loudly ground his teeth in walk. The duo scored 70.131% to finish second in the PSG. They got a 71.925% Kur score two days later, which ranked them fourth.
Patrick van der Meer and the 9-year old NRPS registered stallion Karolus van Wittenstein (by Krack C x Partout) are a pair to watch for the future. The elegant chestnut stallion, which appears a bit small under his tall rider, excelled in the trot extensions with his suspension and power. The trot work was smooth and floating but Karolus could have been more steady in the contact and consistent at the vertical. Some half halts on the short side at A were very visible. The extended walk was brilliant, the best one could see in the Prix St Georges that day. The horse became slightly tense in collected walk and started to do half steps in the turn on the haunches. In the canter the stallion lost some impulsion and was slower in his reaction to the aids, but he still did the job. The three tempi's were good but in the fours the horse lost the straightness in the body and become crooked to the left. The pair scored 69.079% to finish third in the PSG and their promise and potential showed as they continued the competition with a win in the Inter 1 Kur with 72.925%.
Belgian former young rider Lynn Maiburg and her 16-year old Belgian warmblood Tumbling Rocky (by Fortuin Z x Feinschnitt van de Richter) were quite undervalued in the Prix St Georges. The combination, which showed tremendous progress in their training, had a flawless test with beautiful canter movements and total control over the rhythm and flow. Only the contact with the bit could have been lighter as the horse got behind the vertical in the trot work and occasionally opened his mouth. Their 65.236% Prix St Georges score made no sense and the Belgian pair certainly set the record straight by winning the Intermediaire I class with 69.052%.
Text and Photos © Astrid Appels - No reproduction allowed.
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