Henri Ruoste and Kontestro DB Withdraw from 2022 World Championships

Dressage

Finland

Finland's star duo Henri Ruoste and Kontestro DB will not be competing at the 2022 World Championships Dressage in Herning on 6 - 11 August 2022.

Ruoste and Jochen Arl's 12-year old Belgian warmblood gelding Kontestro DB (by Contendro x Cassini II) is not fit to compete.

Break Through Year

Henri and "Konsta" made their international Grand Prix debut in February 2020 and achieved a first career highlight at the 2021 European Championships in Hagen, where they were sixth in the Kur Finals with 82.600% after scoring 77.314% in the Grand Prix.

They continued to rise on the board in 2022, first winning the CDI 5* Grand Prix Kur in Doha with 84.245% and then placing third in the CDIO Aachen 5* Grand Prix Special with 76.404%.

As the best scoring Finnish pair they were selected to represent Finland as team anchor at the 2022 World Championships in two weeks.

Temperature

Unfortunately the pair has been forced to withdraw for health reasons.

"A week after going beyond our expectations in CDIO Aachen, our last planned competition before the world championship, Kontestro came up with high temperature, which has lasted more or less constantly the last 14 days," Henri told Eurodressage. "Our team at home, together with our veterinarians, have done everything they can to make him comfortable, and support his quick recovery."

Henri continued, "we want to give Kontestro the time he needs to recover, recharge, and come back even stronger. All this happened at a very unfortunate timeframe, and naturally means no world championships for us this year. As we always say, the welfare of our horses always comes first and foremost, for this principle we make no compromise."

Substitution

Ruoste has a second Grand Prix horse qualified, Rossetti (by Romanov), but he did only one CDI this year. Henri decided not to field him for Herning.

"We have only competed once this year, which means we are not in a competition rhythm and routine, needed for a huge event like Herning," he said.

The Danish based Anna Tallberg (on Grevens Zorro) is the reserve for Team Finland.