Photo Report: American Wave in Grand Prix Kur Tour at 2018 CDI Leudelange

American WEG team candidates were riding the wave at the 2018 CDI 4* in Leudelange, Luxembourg on 6 - 8 July 2018. Hosted at the Sunnen Family's Les Ecuries des Pres and organized by Dressage Grand Ducal, the CDI Leudelange returned to the calendar after a five-year break.

The American WEG team candidates are currently based at Eliane Cordia-van Reesema's Jewel Court Stud in Wuustwezel, Belgium, and used the CDI Leudelange as a preparatory show for the CDIO Aachen coming up in two weeks. Originally Laura Graves and Verdades were also entered for Leudelange but according to team trainer Robert Dover the plan of action changed and Graves will focus fully on Aachen and prepare with a mock show in Wuustwezel. 

The 4* in Leudelange featured two Grand Prix tours and the Kur one was held on Friday 6 July 2018. Steffen Peters and Ashley Holzer were the Americans entered in that class, which featured 15 riders in total. The Special tour on Saturday and Sunday had a larger field of 29 riders in total.

The Grand Prix for Kur was judged by Peter Hansaghy (HUN), Evi Eisenhardt (GER), Elisabeth Max-Theurer (AUT), Irina Maknami (RUS) and Lars Andersson (SWE). They rewarded Steffen Peters and Akiko Yamazaki's 11-year old Rhinelander mare Rosamunde (by Rock Forever x Fidermark) the winning score of 75.652%. The athletic mare showed good trot extensions and beautiful half passes and much ability to collect in the pirouettes. In the passage she tends to swing in the loins and not really pull the hind legs under. In piaffe she has amazing ability to sit, but Rosamunde not always find the balance and gets very narrow in the base. The combination's marks ranged from 73.913% to 77.935%.

Canadian born American Ashley Holzer placed second on Diane Fellows' 11-year old Hanoverian mare Havanna (by Hochadel x Rodgau) on 71.935%. The bay mare is in her second year at international Grand Prix level but her first for the U.S.A. She showed a solid walk and trot extensions and a powerful extended canter, but in the passage the left hind not always tracked up evenly. Their scores ranged from 70.00 to 74.022%.

Luxembourg's Sascha Schulz and Dressage Grand Ducal's 10-year old Lusitano stallion Dragao (by Unico) slotted in third with 71.913%. The grey stallion has amazing talent for piaffe. He sits well on the hindquarters and has a good rhythm. Overall the stallion needs to be more consistent in the contact and reach more for the bit. A mistake in the one tempi changes pushed the score down a bit.

Another Lusitano took centre stage in Leudelange: Maria Caetano's 11-year old Coroado (by Rubi). The stallion needs to develop more strength in the hindlegs for a more powerful passage and trot extension, but overall Caetano did a lovely job presenting the big grey in a friendly and consistent way in all the Grand Prix movements. 

Check out a photo gallery of the Grand Prix for Kur class on Friday

Photos © Astrid Appels - No Reproduction Allowed

Eurodressage was on the scene in  Leudelange on Friday to photograph. If you are interested in prints or files for social media, send us an email.

Related Links
Scores: 2018 CDI Leudelange
Eurodressage Coverage of the 2018 CDI Leudelange