Four-Peat Victory for Morgan Barbançon Full Throttle at 2021 CDI-W Fot

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2021 CDI-W Fot

French Olympian Morgan Barbançon has not been resting after a very busy summer, which took her from the Tokyo Olympics to the European Championships. Just three weeks after Hagen, Barbancon took three Grand Prix horses to the 2021 CDI-W Fot in Hungary and scored a "four-peat'.

Four Peat

Sweeping all four big tour classes including the world cup qualifier, the 29-year old Barbançon went full throttle in Fot on 30 September - 3 October 2021.

Based at her own boutique barn near Lake Geneva in Switzerland, Morgan trailered three horses to Hungary to commence her autumn show schedule. With her rising start Deodoro, a 10-year old Westfalian by Damon Hill x Lauries Crusador xx which her family purchased from Swedish horse dealers Per Runesson and Johan Ifversson, Morgan won the Special Tour. The liver chestnut who began his international Grand Prix career at the start of the year, scored a winning 70.826% in the Grand Prix besting a field of five combinations.

Deodoro edged out stable mate Bolero, a 15-year old KWPN gelding by Johnson x Vincent who made his long awaited come back from injury in August. Morgan and Bolero finished second with 68.304%. Morgan and Deodoro went on to win the Grand Prix Special with 72% in a field of four, after pulling Bolero from this second test.

The Grand Prix for Freestyle CDI-W tour only had three combinations entered and the rivals were no match for the seasoned Barbançon, who unlocked a new level in her riding when she switched to training with German Olympian Dorothee Schneider. Aboard her number one in the barn, 15-year old Oldenburg stallion Sir Donnerhall II (by Sandro Hit x Donnerhall), who is nicknamed Gus, she won the Short Grand Prix with 73.368% and the World Cup qualifier freestyle with 76.385%. German duo Ferdinand Csaki (né Fischer) and the 15-year old Stevie Wonder M (by Stedinger x White Star) were twice the runners-up.

Full Throttle Summer

"I was very happy with Gus this weekend, he felt fresh and very willing," said Morgan. "It was our first shot at the Short Grand Prix, he was a little surprised but he seemed to enjoy it. It was very strange to ride a different test but it was nice." When asked how she would compare her three rides in Tokyo, Hagen and Fot, Morgan replied, "I’m disappointed with my ride in Tokyo even though the experience was amazing. I felt we had a good preparation but it just wasn’t our day in the GP. In Hagen I was happy with my GP except for my second piaffe, I was expecting a little more points but ok that’s our sport. Most important is that I was happy with my horse. Gus definitely felt better in Fot, maybe I had less pressure."

Morgan trains one or twice a week with Schneider via video training and gets coaching at shows. " I always bring a second horse to work with her," said Morgan, adding that the biggest lesson she has learnt from Dorothee is, "Listen to your horse and get your basics before anything else, the rest comes. And she’s very right!"

Hattrick for Vincent Marechal

At small tour level Belgian Vincent Marechal scored a hattrick aboard Christopher Laurent's 14-year old Dutch warmblood mare Calibra (by Vivaldi x Juventus).

The Belgian duo made its international show debut in May 2021 at the CDIO Compiegne and have been enjoying the summer show season with starts in Le Mans, Grote-Brogel, Sint-Truiden and Fot. Nine small tour riders competed in the Prix St Georges and Intermediaire I in which Marechal won both with 69.735% and 70.765%. He went on to win the Kur to Music on Sunday with 72.375%

Youth Classes

The youth classes at the CDI-W Fot were quite filled with riders from various European nations.

In the pony division the battle was between Czech Zuzanna Hradilova on the 12-year old Holsteiner bred Arturo Martini (by Auheim's Maximus x Mondrian) and Hungary's Kíra Málna Major and the 10-year old Rhinelander mare Davida (by FS Don't Worry x FS Golden Highlight). Hradilova, who has been competing the chestnut internationally since 2019 and already done three European Pony Championships, won the team test with 68.057%, while Major won the individual test (69.027%) and Kur to Music (71.40%)

At junior level it was a triple victory for Hungary Lilla Felvinczi on the 10-year old Danish warmblood Bonjour Majlund (by Bogegardens Boney M x De Noir). She won the team test with 70.242%, the individual test with 71.088%, and the kur to music with 73.48%.

German Ida Luise Niederdorf and the 14-year old KWPN gelding CSI (by United x Gribaldi) reigned supreme in the Young Riders division, winning all three rounds. Niederdorf and CSI, who was a double Swedish team horse under Sofie Andersson at the 2017 and 2018 European YR Championships, scored 70.412% in the team test, 71.265% in the individual and 72.545% in the Kur.