Adelinde Cornelissen, Morgan Barbançon, and Amandine Prevost were doing business in the three big tour classes hosted at the 2022 CDI Meerle in Belgium on 7 - 10 July 2022.
Beautiful Boutique Show
Hosted by Anne Sterkens and Jef Coenegrachts at their gorgeous, modern yard in the Belgian countryside right on the Dutch border, the CDI Meerle celebrated its second edition with a good starters' field across the levels from pony to Grand Prix. The action on the first two days of competition took place in two adjacent ring, while on Saturday and Sunday the outdoor arena was transformed into one main arena.
While Meerle could be considered one of the more low-key shows, the organizers did an excellent job with their ringside tent and catering, for once offering healthy food to the riders and spectators (fresh strawberries, salads and an array of sandwiches and baguettes) compared to most fries-and-sausage shows. Even their house wine - only savoured at the end of the work day - was a feast for the taste buds. Furthermore the show provided good footing, two warm-up arenas, and nearby stabling so all the ingredients were there for a successful show.
The Grand Prix was won by Adelinde Cornelissen on her 17-year old Aqiedo (by Undigo x Metall). The former Dutch team rider rode the trot work on the safe side, but she made her skilled test riding and accuracy count. A mistake in the tempi changes affected the score. She won the class with 72.000 even though the judges were not in unison. The class was judged by Hamoen (NED), Lopes (POR), Riexinger (GER), Fälth (SWE) and Toernblad (DEN). They had her between first and seventh place with scores going from 68.152% to 74.174%.
The runner-up in the Grand Prix was new up and coming Belgian pair Amandine Prevost on the Brandenburg stallion Quaterdance, a 12-year old Quaterback x Expose. He scored 70.413% for second place. His marks were between 68.804% and 72.174%. French Morgan Barbançon and her 10-year old KWPN gelding Habana Libre A (by Zizi Top x United) slotted in third with 69.848%.
"Aqiedo gave a very nice birthday present (on Friday)," Adelinde wrote. "He won the CDI Grand Prix in Meerle. During (the) freestyle he got a bit too tense so I retired him. The overall feeling is really nice, so we go home and practice some more."
Morgan was pleased with her horse's performance. "Plenty of highlights and a few miscommunications, still very happy," she said. "I was super happy of his improvement in the Special, even though we still have many points to improve he keeps on getting more and more confident in the ring. I'm blessed to have him."
Text and Photos © Astrid Appels - NO REPRODUCTION ALLOWED
Eurodressage photographed all riders competing at the 2022 CDI Meerle. If you are interested in our photos for social media or prints, email us.
Related Link
Scores: 2022 CDI Meerle
