After having been abroad on my winter as well as my Easter holiday working on different projects, I decided spending the first prolonged May weekend relaxing in France and doing nothing specific on horses, even though by choosing the town of Saumur it was obvious that it would not be able to avoid my equine friends.
My initial plan was to finally visit some places in the town on the Loire, which I always wanted to see, but due to horsey commitments could never realize so far. Also, the busy bee as I am, I was in a certain way curious how I would manage with no real project at hand.
To CDI or Not to CDI?
A week before departing for Saumur, just back from a visit to England at Fiona Bigwood's, I discovered to my amazement that the 2014 CDIO would be held in Saumur the same weekend I would be there.
I reported for Eurodressage from this lovely event back in 2011 and my initial reaction was to change my plans, getting myself accredited and take my camera to work instead. However, in the course of the week I decided to be firm with myself, stick to my original plan and forget about the show, which in any case would be kilometres outside town. Without car the temptation to go there would be small.
So giving my camera bag one last proving glance I left my house on Thursday 1 May 2014 in the morning to tackle a 12-hours ride by train. In France the first day of May is a bank holiday which means there are significantly less trains available than usual. The trip to Saumur always fills me with a strange mixture of apprehension and horror. If I would not have such a soft spot for this historic place I would never bear the boring long hours in the train, changing several times and every time rushing through the metro in Paris to catch the corresponding train towards Angers.
This time the hours went by very slowly and I asked myself why the hell I was voluntarily doing this ordeal for three days, not wanting to think about the way back home. But as soon as I arrived at Saumur station the ordeal everything was forgotten and it was once more like coming home: The wonderful townscape with the imposing castle behind, the cavalry school buildings and the ever-present vineyards as soon as you leave the town itself. Not even the grey, cloudy skies lessened the beauty of this place.
2 May 2014: Flying visit number 1
I am used to an ever-sunny Saumur, so cold and windy weather at the first morning helped me enormously to put any thoughts of visiting the CDIO aside. A leopard cannot change its spots, so I started digging into the interesting archive in the house of my host! The fascination of brushing off the dust from old equitation books and magazines never seems to leave me, let alone in a place like Saumur.
However, after lunch my host suggested to drive to the show to see the rest of the Grand Prix class.
So for the first time since 2009 I headed for a CDI without my camera and felt pretty anxious about it while checking the starters' list on my iPhone on our way to the National Riding School in the woods of Terrefort. Carl and Charlotte were towards the end of the class.
I tried to feel delighted, but the whole thing felt like things half done.
After watching riders prepare in the warm-up arena close to the main parking for about an hour, I headed to the main arena to see the two stars from Great Britain in action.
Nothing has changed since I had been at this show in 2011. Visitors strolling around the show-grounds, mixing with high class competitors standing near the tent where the start-and result-lists are exhibited. Ann-Kathrin Linsenhoff and daughter Marie (who competed in the pony nations cup for Germany) were having a refreshment, Rudolf Zeilinger telephoning busily while there was Topiberian staff everywhere. The Spanish media agency did an extensive livestream-coverage of the show, but also photographed the classes.
Just before I entered the grandstands at one long side heaven opened and it rained cats and dogs. I snuck into the press-centre nearby, even though I knew I was not really allowed to be there and took a hot tea. Compared to 2011 the press facilities had significantly improved with single working spaces and the result service was tweeting and Facebooking immediately after every ride. What an improvement compared to three years ago.
As if the weather had waited to show its best behaviour when the undisputed stars of the show were starting, the rain stopped, the clouds ceased and sunshine appeared with all its strength, turning a freezing me into a sweating someone with my jacket and scarf gone in minutes. Uthopia showed a nice ride, but surely not the best he's capable of, losing the rhythm when coming out of the first piaffe. So the way was open for stable-mate Dances with Wolves to win the class. He executed a fairly fautless rounds with nice piaffes to overtake the Olympic team champion.
I decided not to wait for the prize-giving and to finish an adventure which felt strange from the beginning. So I walked to the parking and while passing the cascades of the Cadre Noir stables I did what I always do when I'm here: I admired the overly patient and maybe quite bored four-legged members of the Cadre Noir whose noses were patted and patted and patted with no end in sight. Bright smiles of little girls whose fathers lifted them to touch the silky coat of the horses...isn't this often the beginning of something life-long?
3 May 2014: The Return
The weather had finally realized I am there again and was its usual, warm sunny self in Saumur. In the morning I started working in the archive again, but the brilliant sunshine outside was just too tempting and I enjoyed the spring atmosphere at the Cavalry School so much I acted against all intent and did not visit the museum I planned to finally see. Instead I took care that my French perfume, soap and shower gel supply got properly restocked, light-heartedly filling my trolley.
Realizing that I couldn't stay away from the show, but at the same time felt pretty stupid watching it from the side-line, I borrowed a small Nikon Coolpix from my host to do some shots for a possible blog. I absolutely underestimated how difficult it is to use a camera as lightweight as this tiny one! Being used to holding and steadying several kilos, my hands seemed unable to fix the Coolpix properly and the pictures I tried to do of the warm-up for the Inter I freestyle were so shaky and unsharp I immediately deleted them.
Maybe it was better that way because what was presented to me during the 45 minutes I attended both warm-up rings, an indoor and an outdoor close-by, did little to enthuse me. Of the five horses I saw, three permanently grinded their teeth loudly with one additionally showing its tongue to the side and gaping as far as possible despite the cranked cavesson. One of them even didn't stop “singing on the double bridle bits” when it was standing to have the bandages removed before departing towards the competition arena.
The warm-up techniques shown did little to lift my spirits. For example, riding endless trot extensions with an already tense horse seems to make little sense, the more so if the tension then had to be compensated by an overly strong bit contact in front.
While this was maybe and hopefully just a snapshot in time, it made one more than pensive to see a member of the French team already moving from the stables to the indoor with his stallion being visibly hyperflexed. That he was able to continue like that for almost his entire warm-up under the eyes of few officials was even more puzzling. The horse showe resistance on several occasions and it left me absolutely speechless that no steward intervened. To me it put a shadow on this so pleasant and enjoyable show.
The more so as all the warm-ups were accessible to the public at all times, the way it should be. This open policy is not to the benefit of the horses nor the public images of the sport if courageous stewards are missing to intervene and allowing such ugly pictures to happen in front of the eyes of interested spectators.
Rather disillusioned I strolled to the stands and watched a few freestyles, but the bitter taste of what I had just seen earlier never left my mouth that day and I returned to Saumur annoyed and frustrated, having wished not to have attended the show at all.
4 May 2014: Another Visit on the Fly
Sunday not only brought brilliant weather, blue skies, and warm sunshine, but also some restoration of my mood and some urgently needed success with the miniature camera.
The show grounds were crowded and the atmosphere very relaxed and joyful.
Carl Hester and Charlotte Dujardin once again practiced their form of “Rule Britannia” in France, dividing the victories in the Special and freestyle between their horses Dances with Wolves and Uthopia, with Nick Tup coming 3rd in the freestyle.
The Saumurois long have adopted the successful duo and cheered them on more than their own riders.
Charlotte and Uthopia did one lap of honour after the other while the rider waved to the crowds smiling. The small black power house visibly enjoyed the razzmatazz after standing long minutes in the prize-giving. Considering this length all horses behaved impeccably.
With the last of 30 prize-givings of the CDI was over, the show became a bit of a family affair with the red-clothed volunteers getting presents in acknowledgement of their engagement, the hard working staffers of the organizing team were now relaxing and sharing a glass of champagne at the end of a work intensive May weekend.
Officials, riders and dressage personalities were chatting and recalling the past days.
I wandered around and while taking some last photos, I decided to write a blog about the event, because watching Saumur only from the side line is an unbearable situation.
My days at Saumur had been long and full and I happily flopped into a chair at the edge of the empty competition ring, closed my eyes and enjoyed the sunshine which in the late afternoon was intense, causing me a sunburnt nose in just a few minutes!
Some metres away from me Carl and Charlotte were being interviewed by Topiberian, with other photographers and journalists waiting next to them.
The elder French ladies with cameras around their necks beamed at Carl, only that they didn't speak a word of English and to my amusement were quick in organizing an interpreter. Cadre Noir's former chief rider Colonel Christian Carde was snatched for the job as interpreter. While the ladies were delighted getting some quotes that way, one of the young volunteers was helped by Cadre Noir rider Philippe Limousin to get an autograph of her idol.
I admit the happiness that young girl expressed afterwards reminded me of my early days at international shows and suddenly I wished to be 12 again; expecting nothing more of a show than seeing my idols compete and meeting them for an autograph.
Those were the days and how they have changed!
This was first CDI in five years more or less only from the side line: an experiment which in the end was interesting to go through, but led to the clear conclusion that once a writer always a writer. Switching roles like clothing in the morning is an impossibility once the fire has started burning.
Text and Photos © Silke Rottermann
Related Link
Scores 2014 CDIO Saumur