The ‘King of Dressage’, British rider Carl Hester, and Spanish Olympic rider Beatriz Ferrer-Salat had a close first match in the second week of the 2015 Barcelona Dressage Tour. Hester and Nip Tuck (by Don Ruto) were the winners of the Grand Prix for Kur on Thursday evening and then won the Freestyle ‘Night under the Lights’ on Friday. With wonderful music and another beautifully correct test, full of memorable moments, they achieved a score of 78.125%.
Beatriz and Sir Radjah (by Sir Donnerhall) took second place two times. In the Freestyle they came very close to taking the crown, breathing down the winners’ necks with a score of 77.775%. They were, without question, part of the group of the most highly anticipated combinations at this show.
Come Back for Delgado
Beatriz seems to be well prepared for the coming seasons, having two astonishing Grand Prix horses in the backyard of her beautiful Villa Equus dressage stable. She made a winning comeback with Delgado (De Niro x Wildrose) in the Grand Prix for Special with amazing marks, reaching 75.540%. It was a pleasure to see them so sound, back in the competition ring.
Behind her were Fiona Bigwood and her wonderful Atterupgaards Orthilia (in second place with 74.660%), while the score of another Spanish combination, Claudio Castilla and PSL-bred Alcaide (69.900%), a horse from the Spanish Lusitano stud La Perla, was not too distant from this week’s third place getters, the combination Michael Eilberg and Marakov (70.480%).
The second week of the 2015 BCN Dressage Tour started on 25 March and lasted until Sunday 29 March so there were five days of some really interesting sport. Maybe the scores were not that spectacular, but there was very good riding and interesting horses at this show. One of the key characteristics of this event was that riders have fun while competing, relaxing and meeting up with friends. Everybody enjoyed barbecues, a gala dinner and after hour/after-event dancing and music.
The judges highlighted the good sport on display and Stephan Clarke, international 5* judge on the ground jury for the second week, was pleased with the level and the interesting horse-rider combinations he had seen. Carl Hester was also on the scene, one of the most important international dressage riders of the moment.
BCN Dressage Tour ‘against all odds’
Everything was ready and set for the second week, when unexpected difficulties led to a situation that looked to threaten the whole event and hamper its completion before it even started. What had happened? One of the competition arenas was closed last Monday, due to special licensee and political problems within two town councils in the region where the facilities are located. To focus on the silver lining, the positive side of a worrying situation was the overwhelming support offered by the whole dressage crowd present at the event.
Riders, of course, were most affected by the changing circumstances as they had to bear with the situation. Yet they gave the go-ahead almost unanimously. It was the dressage community, together, shoulder-to-shoulder: judges, officials, the riders and their teams offering amazing support for the show. Everybody squeezed into the new schedules without complaint and the smooth flow of the show was the result of this unanimous attitude. Beautiful weather, sunshine and nice temperatures right up to the end of the event helped to make up for the initial inconvenience.
Albany Trustee Grand Prix
After a first week with interesting competition: Farouche, Dornröschen,
Royal Concert and the Eilbergs taking it all, it was still exciting to
watch this second ‘round’. At this second edition, the show was supported once again by the financing office from Guernsey Islands. In fact, Albany Trustee Company sponsored the whole Grand Prix Class at the CDI4*. The company has a big heart for horses; the generous sponsoring of Albany Trustee Company, an offshore family business, has been essential to the show.
What happened in the competition arena? Aboard his ‘big boy’ Nip Tuck (75.840%), Carl Hester took the Grand Prix for Kur, once again offering a true example of steady and correct work and its benefitial effects. Nip Tuck is unquestionably a big mover, although he might not have the most favoured body when it comes to the morphology of an ideal dressage horse. Nonetheless, his half passes were wide and floating, and in excellent balance! Points rose to 8.5 in the trot tour. With the exception of a slight mistake in the last transition from piaffe to passage, most of the transitions were very fluent, while the piaffe showed good rhythm and was on the spot. In the canter tour, the combination presented wonderful two-tempi and flying changes; they came very easy and were a joy to watch. However, the absolute highlight was still to come: flawless zig-zags. The easy going and the wide strides in the half passes were truly pleasant to watch, the changes were big and again in perfect balance.
Even Nip Tuck"s owner Jane De La Mare was at the event. She flew to Barcelona to see her horse and Carl. Carl was very happy with this outdoor season opener. “Nip Tuck behaved very well, I am so pleased, because he can become quite hot. It was his first time ever under the night-lights and we reached our personal record, the highest score ever,” stated the British rider after his test. And, of course, he was delighted to win the Grand Prix sponsored by Albany Trustee Company, based on his home island of Guernsey. Behind the scenes, Carl and Alan Davies, Nip Tuck’s groom makd up the winning team and there is no doubt that Alan takes excellent care of Nip Tuck.
Carl Hester was also back in Spain, although many years have passed since the sunshine tour. This is the second time the ambassador of our discipline has come to ride at the Barcelona Dressage Tour. With good humour and a lot of patience for the audience and his fans, it was a pleasure once again to have him and his pupils around at this second edition of the show.
Carl has had a huge impact on dressage, not only in Britain but worldwide. He and some of the world’s best riders were at the BCN Dressage Tour on that Friday night. The Grand Prix for freestyle kicked off at 7 p.m. and lasted until 10 p.m. Although it was only Thursday night, many spectators gathered around the Polinya Arena to see their stars live.
Beatriz Ferrer-Salat and her Sir Radjah (by Sir Donnerhall) scored a total of 73.980%, which earned them second place with a lovely test; they entered the ring fresh, energetic and with a great deal of spring. He has always had a touch of extra ‘go’ and in the arena, watching how he carried himself, one could see Sir Radjah was in magnificent shape. Also, for these two, it was their first outdoor show this season. After Doha, they excelled with a top test, a personal best score for them. They showed the widest strides in the half passes, very fluent, and their extended trot was amazing with such good balance, regular passage, rhythm in the piaffe and super transitions, and again their flying changes were extraordinary wide and uphill; with one big jump he seemed to literally take off. Beatriz couldn't be happier with her test and the show, all just half an hour from her home, Villa Equus
The third position in the Freestyle night was again taken by another British combination, Henriette Andersen with Warlock's Charm (by Jazz out of Marjola). He carries the “Jazz” stamp on his forehead; there is no denying his parentage. Henriette Andersen showed her Grand Prix horse for the first time at an international show abroad and the pair achieved a score of 70.340%. These two have certainly become another charming combination. They also achieved a personal record during the night of the Grand Prix for Freestyle. Warlock's Charm displays a lot of quality; although he is still quite green at this level, one could see his potential. He is an elegant mover and showed wonderful flying changes.
Another Spanish combination climbed up to third place in the Freestyle. Morgan Barbançon and her mare Vitana V (by Donnerhall x Hemmingway) stepped up on the podium in this test, after floating on a beautiful choreography, leading them to be marked at 72.375%. Many more stories and details are still to come on the Barcelona Dressage Tour. It has offered us many long days filled with competition and gatherings.
Text by Katharina Braren - Photos © Top Iberian
Related Links
Scores: 2015 CDI Barcelona
Promising British Combination Wins GP Special on Closing Day 2015 BCN Dressage Tour
Fiona Bigwood Makes Stunning Come Back To the Big Tour at 2015 CDI Barcelona
First Big Tour Winners, Spain and Britain Take the Podium at 2015 BCN Dressage Tour
Michael Eilberg and Woodlander Farouche Impress at 2015 BCN Dressage Tour
2015 Barcelona Dressage Tour Ready for Kick Off
The 2015 Barcelona Dressage Tour is Around the Corner
