A hattrick of victories in the Young rider division at the 2013 CDI Nice on 5 - 7 April 2013, Italy's Arianna Petroncini performed three 68% tests aboard Royal Angelo and as a result is just one more win away from securing her spot on the Italian team for the 2013 European Young Riders Championships in Compiegne, France in July.
"It has been a very good competition for me in Nice, as I won all the three tests," mentioned the 20-year old from Milan. "The first day, in the Young Rider Team test, I scored 68,526%, and on the second day in the Individual test I scored 68,237%"
Rounding off the three days with a 68,750% in the kur, Arianna was pleased with all her results but feels that day one was the most stressful. "The first day was the most important for me because it was the qualification test for the European Championships. I was very nervous and worried but luckily it went really well," she confessed.
More relaxed on the second day, Arianna, rode her best-ever individual test yet feels her freestyle could have been better. "Angelo had problems entering the arena because of the loud music and the strong wind. As a result of this I had to hurry to get back in time with the music but I’m happy in any case."
Arianna felt that her 13-year old Hanoverian gelding Royal Angelo (by Rotspon x Pik Bube) was working "super" on all the three days of the Nice competition. "He was relaxed, careful and he was willing in all of his work so I’m very glad for this," she said.
Petroncini has been riding the gelding for the past three years and told Eurodressage she met her dressage partner on a very significant day for love. "He is like a puppy! I love him and I met him for the first time the 14 February 2010! It was love at first sight!"
Often behaving just like a dog and sometimes like a human, Angelo sleeps all the time, is very curious and likes, more than anything, to be cuddled. "During the work session we “dialogue” together constantly. He is all the time “with me." I trust him so much. I could ride though fire with him! If he were human, he would be my boyfriend for sure and he is gorgeous and also very cute!"
If Royal Angelo were a famous human, Arianna would compare him to her favourite actor, Ian Somerhalder of The Vampire Diaries. "He would say to me: "stop working and have fun,” as he is a little bit lazy," she joked.
While the highlight of the competition was when her national anthem played out over the prize giving, Arianna had never won a trio of classes in the same CDI before. She didn't tire of hearing that song played just for her. "It’s touching hearing the Italian Anthem during the Easter holidays and of course the prize-giving ceremony was pretty special too."
To qualify for Italy for the European championships, Arianna must score 66% at least three times in the Young Rider Team tests at three different CDI's. With Nice in the bag, she just needs one more. "I have achieved two scores that fit the criteria and for the third: we will see."
Born in Milan, Arianna keeps Angelo at a stable near Carpiano during the autumn and winter seasons and then, during summer, when it’s too hot, he is brought to Triuggio to stay at Monica Iemi's Roncobello Dressage stables of Carab.
"My trainer is Stefano Mantica and he is a super coach. He has been training me since 2009 and teaches me a lot. I trust him," she said. "In fact, with him, I achieved the M Junior and then the D level in only three years. Together we went to two European Championships, Kronberg as a Junior and the Berne as a Young Rider."
Certain that being Italian makes dressage a little more difficult, Arianna feels this is partially due to there being more show jumpers in Italy than dressage riders. "So the dressage world is not as defined and we have to learn from the other great nations such as Germany, the UK, and the Netherlands," she explained.
Unfortunately, Arianna only has one horse in work, her previous horse being sold in 2010 to buy Angelo. "He was my mother’s horse and I learned a lot with him," she added.
With this year’s greatest challenge being the European Championships, the evnet is also Arianna's goal for 2013 and her dream way to end this segment of her career as she is in her final years of Young Riders.
by Sarah Warne for Eurodressage
Photos © Astrid Appels
Related Links
Scores 2013 CDI Nice