Introducing her Swedish warmblood stallion A'Ha to the international arena, Swedish rider Jeanna Hogberg was proud of her 10-year old who won all three small tour tests with scores of over 70% at the 2016 CDI Vestfold on 22 - 25 February 2016.
The pair scored 71.026% in the Prix St Georges, 70.395% in the Intermediaire I, and 73.075% in the Intermediaire I Kur to Music. Jeanna also competed on her Grand Prix Stallion Duendecillo P who finished 7th in the Grand Prix with 65.480%, and third in the Grand Prix Freestyle with 67.650%.
“I had a really nice show with my two stallions," Jeanna told Eurodressage. “One of them had a little too much ‘spring feeling’ but both were a pleasure to ride!”
A’HA (by His-Higness x Prestige VDL) is bred and owned by Christina Olsson and the horse is credited for his very good rideability. Jeanna has enjoyed her journey with A'Ha the past three years. She got the ride on the black right before he turned seven years old. At their first major championship, they were third in the 2013 Swedish Championships for 7-year olds.
Jeanna explained that the horse's strengths are definitely his pirouettes as he almost always gets an 8 for that movement. “Overall, the canter work is very good," she added.
Hogberg's A'Ha has also been introduced to the medium tour classes which require piaffe and passage steps in Sweden, but Vestfold was the horse's first international, so the rider decided to go for small tour.
“Aha felt really good. He was a little tense the first day but ins spite of this he still managed to pull off a really nice test," she said. "He gave me more energy and willingness each day and I am very pleased with his performances!”
A'Ha will next compete in the Lövsta Future Challenge, a show circuit for developing Grand Prix horses in Sweden, as well as at the CDI Herning.
"The Lovsta qualifications are at Intermediaire II level and the final, at the Sweden International Horse Show in Stockholm, is the Short Grand Prix," she said.
by Sarah Warne - Photos © Maiken Engh
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