Swiss Estelle Wettstein brought three horses to the 2015 CDIO Saumur on 30 April - 3 May 2015 and even though it rained cats and dogs throughout the weekend, the young Swiss was victorious with all three, sweeping the Under 25 division and claiming several trophies in the CDI and CDIO Young Riders classes.
Aboard her 2014 European Young Rider Championship horse Friedrich der Grosse, Estelle took the win with 69.349%. In the Young riders division, Wettstein made her CDI debut on new ride, the 8-year old Hanoverian Darlington C (by Don Frederico x Weltruhm) and won the CDIO Team Test with 69.605%. Aboard her second brand new ride, the 9-year old Hanoverian Fighting Freddy (by Fighting Fit x Landadel), Estelle produced a hattrick in the CDI tour winning all three rounds with 67.553%, 70.158% and 71.625%. Both Darlington C and Fighting Freddy are owned by the Liechtenstein based Ruth Kranz-Candrian.
“The first day Darlington was very motivated in the nice arena and he did a great job,” said the 18-year old Estelle. “He is sometimes a little bad boy at home but when it gets important he is always listening to me.”
Fighting Freddy made his second ever international competition in style after making lots of progress in his training during the winter.
“He started the competition feeling very confident in himself," Estelle told Eurodressage.
Estelle's current Grand Prix ride, the 10 year old Friedrich der Grosse (by Lorencio x Freiherr), also made his debut in the Under 25. Estelle said he was just amazing.
“He always gets more motivation when it gets more difficult. He's very attached to his rider and is a horse that needs a strong contact. If you establish that he does everything for you. The weather was really bad and it was raining cats and dogs for most of the show, but the atmosphere was still amazing. I really like this competition.”
Training with her mom Marie-line and father Ernst and their own stable near Zurich, Estelle heads every winter and spring to train with Jonny Hilberath in Germany.
"I have one more dressage horse at home, a 7-year old who is going to start at S-level this year. Wettstein is known to be a very versatile rider and is also an active, international show jumping rider. She has three more S-level jumpers at home that she trains. Estelle's dressage goal is to get more experience in the Under 25 and make her debut at senior Grand Prix mevem later in the year.
“I’m also attending a sport/business school in Zurich, and I’m working as an intern at a BMW garage in Wetzikon," the busy bee added.
by Sarah Warne - Photos © Rui Pedro Godinho
Related Links
Scores 2015 CDIO Saumur
Winning Junior Debut for Swiss Elena Krattiger at 2015 CDIO Saumur