American Allison Brock, Swedish Tinne Vilhelmson and Danish Lars Petersen were the big tour winners at the first international dressage competition of the 2015 Dressage in Florida show seaon on 8 - 11 January 2015. Brock won the Grand Prix, Vilhelmson the Special and Lars Petersen the kur to music.
Allison Brock (USA) and the 13-year old Hanoverian bred Rosevelt topped the competition in the Grand Prix with 71.00%. Brock was elated with the performance of Fritz and Claudine Kundrun's Rosevelt in a class of 17 riders. The Hawaii native Allison initially trained him in Sweden with Jan Brink, but has brought him to the U.S.A. a while ago. Coming off a spectacular 2014 season, accumulating wins at Dressage at Lexington and Devon, Brock is now making her mark at international Grand Prix level.
"I'm very pleased with him. He was so rideable. More than anything, I am just pleased to be in the company of these other riders. To be riding with them is such a big deal," Brock said. "I have the utmost respect for them and I know how hard they have worked to get to this level. It is truly an honor to be competing with them."
Making the move to Grand Prix was not an easy transition for the pair, as they encountered some bumps in the road with before truly hitting their stride in 2014. "I did a year of Small Tour, where he won his regional championships and then I decided to start developing him to the Grand Prix level. It was a longer process than we expected, but with those things, they happen when the horse is ready and you have to just be patient," she commented.
Vilhelmson Tops the Special
Tinne Vilhelmson-Silfven (SWE) and Divertimento, a 13-year-old Westfalian gelding owned by Antonia Ax:son Johnson, received a 72.980% to take home the top prize in the Grand Prix Special.
Vilhelmson-Silfven was very pleased with the duo's performance, commenting that this week was their first competition back together in a year. "He felt really, really good today. I am very pleased with him. I managed to get the perfect amount of tension I was looking to have in the test, and that is always difficult to find," she said. "I was a bit more daring today, and it ended up being a lovely test so I'm very happy."
Divertimento, who can tend to be hot, settled nicely for Vilhelmson-Silfven and is beginning to come into his own at the Grand Prix level. "He's really learning, opening up his mind and listening to me now. He's much more with me now," she stated. "With a horse like this, you must have 150% focus for your entire ride. It is a matter of being in the exact same moment as him because the tiniest change from me can lead to mistakes."
Lars Petersen and Mariett Dance to Kur Victory
Lars Petersen (DEN) and Mariett took home the win in the first Grand Prix Freestyle of the Florida season. They scored an impressive 78.325% to secure the victory.
Petersen and Mariett, veterans to the Grand Prix Freestyle, displayed their impressive form, a clear indication of the duo's long-standing partnership. "I think I said this last year, but it seems like she's actually getting younger," he said smiling. "She's 17 and knock-on-wood, still so fresh. I don't work the tests with her very much, it's more about keeping her fit. She still has a few more great years left in her."
Petersen rode to brand new music and was pleased with the result. "I was motivated to change my music as I had been using it for nearly three years. I felt like there was a need for something new. It is actually quite a lot of work to put something like that together, and I'm so lucky and thankful for my team," said Petersen.
Text by Carly Weilminster, edited by Eurodressage - Photos © Sue Stickle
Related Link
Scores 2015 CDI Wellington