Von Bredow-Werndl and Dalera BB Prove to Be Ready for the Challenge by Winning 2023 CDIO 5* Aachen Grand Prix

Reigning Olympic champion and World Cup winners Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and Dalera proved themselves ready for the challenge of the summer - the 2023 European Championships in Riesenbeck - by winning the 5* Grand Prix at the 2023 CDIO Aachen.

In front of an almost sell out crowd of 5,000 empathic spectators, von Bredow-Werndl and Beatrice Burchler-Keller's 16-year old Trakehner mare Dalera BB (by Easy Game x Handryk) was the only pair to crack the 80s marker in a field of 36. 

Oohs and Aahs

The 5* Grand Prix in Aachen annually has all the ingredients of a Championship: the world's best lined up to compete for a team spot for the summer championship, a massive crowd oohing and aahing with mistakes and erupting in cheers at the end of each test, especially for the German home riders as well as for their favourites.

The temperature was ideal, a mild 22 C° and an overcast sky making it pleasant to compete and watch and just soak up the atmosphere of the best horse and most impressive horse show in the world. 

 Germany on Top

Germany topped the leader board in the nations cup ranking at the end of a class with a total team score of 235.413%, well ahead of World Champions Denmark (228.608%) and challengers Great Britain (228.565%), but this historically successful dressage nation was unable to smack a fist on the table like they did four years ago at the 2019 Europeans in Rotterdam where they had two horses scoring over 80% and one 79% in the Grand Prix  (Bella Rose, Dalera, Cosmo). The Nations Cup will conclude after the Grand Prix Special

As the class unfolded itself in blocks of 9 riders followed by a ring maintenance break and a one-hour lunch break the bar was set higher and higher, but none truly gave the impression to rival the form that Von Bredow-Werndl and Dalera could produce and have shown a few weeks ago at the German Championships. Her assignment for the day was to stay faultree and she did. 

One could hear a needle drop in the arena, it was that quiet during their test and you saw the rider visibly sigh in relief after her salute for a job well done. The crowds rewarded her with a standing ovation. Probably the biggest bobble in the test came right at the start: the halt at entry in which the mare lifted her hind leg and did not stand immobile nor square. Judges Michael Osinsk, Kurt Christensen, Raphaël Saleh, Maria Colliander, and Eduard de Wolff van Westerrode rewarded that halt with a 6.4. The trot extensions covered ground, the half passes were fluent and the first piaffe-passage was lightfooted. The extended walk had two hooves overstep and it was a good day for the clarity of rhythm, but the collected became edgy (score 5.5 - 8.0).The second piaffe-passage was super relaxed with effortless transitions in and out. Dalera does not have the most developed neck muscles, but she is very steady in the neck position, always up in the frame and the contact is quiet and soft, though one would wish to see the mare show the bit a fraction more and foam. The zig zag was clean, the one tempi's well done, maybe the pirouette left could have had a bit more uphill lift in front, but the final centerline was superb. They scored 82.304% for the victory with individual marks ranging from 80.543% from the voice of reason (Maria Colliander) and 84.022% from a hyper enthusiastic judge Eddy de Wolff - these two officials were consistent though and carried that trend through the day with most riders. 

“For me it is not as much about winning, but instead about the development,” said 37-year old Jessica after winning the class. When asked to explain why the mare lifted the hindleg in the halt at entry she replied, “that is an energy thing. She can hardly wait for us to start.” 

Germany's second best score came from Frederic Wandres on the 13-year old German (ahum Russian) owned Oldenburg gelding Bluetooth (by Bordeaux x Riccione) with 77.087%. They ranked fifth. Despite his age, Bluetooth still appears rather green at Grand Prix and overall his self carriage needs to improve as the tall bay relies heavily on his rider to pilot him through the test. Wandres is able to show some very pretty classical work with a very lovely second piaffe that was sitting and up in front, but in the other two the gelding gets wide behind (to search for more balance). The two tempi changes took a full diagonal and the ones were really straight. Hof Kasselmann's head rider has two horses in the running for a team spot for Riesenbeck, his more experienced Duke of Britain and Bluetooth. To me the former is the better horse at this moment in execution of the movements but Bluetooth is fresher on the legs and younger. We'll see which choice will be made. 

Isabell Werth rode Victoria Max-Theurer and Madeleine Winter-Schulze's 13-year old Bavarian Quantaz (by Quaterback x Hohenstein) to 76.022 and an 8th place, a rather unusually low spot on the board for the most decorated rider in the world, but she was visibly pleased with her ride on the not so easy Quantaz. 

Much was expected from Sönke Rothenberger and the youngest kid on the block, the 9-year old Danish bred Kjaerholms Fendi (by Franlin x Diamond) as they beat Dalera in Balve and showed ability to be on the 80s club. However at age 9 the horse does not yet have the experience nor maturity and that showed today. They started strongly with a very nice first trot extension (maybe a fraction quick) and very good crossing and ground cover in the half passes. In the rein back the bay gelding dragged his feet a bit. The first passage was not regular despite Fendi's fantastic ability to bounce off the ground and in the first piaffe the horse got very narrow in the hindlegs and struggled with the transition out. The extended walk was nice, the collected a bit quick. In the second passage the horse lost the rhythm completely and the piaffe was laboured. The loss or lack of confidence showed and it all sadly started to fall apart. The zig zag was tense with one change imperfect. , there was a loss of canter stride before the pirouette right. The piaffe at X was not well articulated but still scored 6.9. It was a great pity and Sönke could not hide his disappointment as he patted is young horse and left the arena. But do not disappear, this horse has so much in the tank and there will be a come back, Terminator style. 

Denmark Follows

Denmark is currently standing in second place in the nations cup ranking and the best scoring ride of their team came from their third starter, the 2023 World Cup Finals second placed pair Nanna Skodborg Merrald and Blue Hors Zepter.  They were fourth in the ranking with 77.478%.

The 15-year old Zepter, which Blue Hors once eagerly tried to sell (through horse dealers Helgstrand and Kittel), has now become the best scoring dressage horse of the Danish stallion station. I always found it strange that the station, owned by the Danish Lego family, wanted to part ways with this powerhouse. In Aachen the pair produced a lovely test with fantastic piaffe work. The trot and canter tour were quiet, controlled, fluent. It all looked so established. Overall the horse's nose needs to come out a fraction more and it would be nice to see Merrald ride less on the curb for a change, a habit she has on all her horses.

Carina Cassoe Kruth and Poul Thogersen's 12-year old Danish warmblood mare Heiline's Danciera (by Furstenball x De Niro) delivered what they are known for: a dynamic, forward  ridden test in which the mare's high quality basic gaits are the strongpoint. The piaffe remains an issue as she crosses the legs both in front and behind. There was a mistakes in the two's and at times Danciera ground her teeth. They scored 76.804% to land 6th place. 

It looks like Andreas Helgstrand is finally able to ride himself back on the Danish team since 2013 (Euros in Herning with Akeem Foldager). His ticket on the team: Cathrine Rasmussen's gigantic 9-year old KWPN stallion Jovian (by Apache x Tango) with whom he won the World Young Horse Championships in 2021. They steamed to Grand Prix a few months later, skipping the small tour entirely. These jumps in the training are ext externalised in this horse. Every exercise is ridden in the medium or extended mode of the gait. The super tall and mega impressive Jovian makes your jaw drop in the extended trot and canter, but as soon as he has to collect, the cracks in the training in show. This big young horse still struggles to truly take the weight on the hindlegs and slide them under the body. The best proof are the piaffes, which are a handstand, or the passage in which he comes very much up in front (impressive) but the hindlegs are out and not supporting the movements. Or in the pirouettes in which the intention for collection is certainly there, but in the exit the horse loses the balance. His highly critiqued walk was actually quite nice today. They scored 74.326% for 9th place with 72.500% as low score and 75.761% as high score.

Great Great Britain 

It looks like Great Britain will certainly a key player again this year for the team medals at the European Championships. World champion Lottie Fry left her number one Glamourdale home from Aachen, postponing the clash of titans until September, but she brought along Gert-Jan van Olst's 14-year old KWPN stallion Everdale (by Lord Leatherdale x Negro) and placed third with 78.913%.

Everdale has always been a high energy horse, very stalliony and temperamental. He has plenty of power in the engine, but Fry literally had her hands full controlling that energy. The horse was often tense in the top line, swooshing the tail and tight in the neck. That tightness is unfortunately still there, with Lottie's hands firmly parked on the withers, but Everdale seems to have settled down much more in the work and gives a more established impression. The piaffes have improved (although the hocks are often high) and the canter tour is a high point with big tempi changes, extensions, and a ground covering zig zag. 

"When I saw the starting list, I thought, okay, that is in principle the same as a championships: Everyone is here and the level is so high," said Fry. "I know what Everdale is capable of. But for everything to go right on day X and in the arena in Aachen, that is something different. So I couldn’t have been happier today. I was actually a bit emotional after the test because he felt so super and I am looking forward to the next class."

2012 and 2016 Olympic champion Charlotte Dujardin is back on the battle field after delivering a baby. She won the Prix St Georges on Wednesday aboard Kismet and with her 2022 World Championship ride Imhotep, a 10-year old KWPN gelding by Everdale x Vivaldi, she placed second in the Grand Prix with 79.782%. Carl Hester and Coral Ingham's liver chestnut gelding has matured much in one year time and showed lovely work in the Deutsche Bank stadium. The trot extensions and half passes were fluent, the rein back very nie and the passage lightfooted. The side view of the piaffe might be impressive but seen from in front, it shows that the balance is still very much work in progress. The horse does sit and take the weight, but gets very wide in front and the frontleg should be straight under the shoulder and not under the belly to be executed correctly. There. is still some homework to do even though the rhythm is good. In the extended walk, Imhotep does not have the greatest amount of overtrack, not truly stretching over the back. In the canter work, Dujardin took a stronger rein contact on the curb and the horse got tighter in the neck and at time opened the mouth. The zig zag was well executed though and the pirouettes were tiny. In the two tempi changes the ones to the left cover more ground. In the passage on the final centerline, Dujardin lost the hindlegs a bit but overall it was a very well ridden, interesting test with still room for improvement. Her score was between a realistic 77.826% and a whoohoo 80.652%.

“My goal was to compete here and here I am, I came second and am absolutely delighted with Imhotep," said Dujardin. "How he coped so well with the atmosphere here (...) He is an inexperienced horse, he hasn’t done many Grand Prix tests yet, he is ten years old and it is such fun riding him! He is the horse with the best piaffe I have ever sat on. All I have to do is sit there and keep him in balance.”

The Best of the Rest

Swedish Therese Nilshagen probably rode one of her best tests in years on the 16-year old Oldenburg stallion Dante Weltino (by Danone x Welt Hit II). The horse is always soft in the contact, very forward and one fire and this time there were no major mistakes. She landed 7th place with 76.152%. 

The best Dutch rider on the team was newcomer Lynne Maas on the 14-year old KWPN mare Electra (by Jazz x Ferro) with a personal best of 74.283%. The black mare is such an eager pleaser and gives much more energy than needed. The stressed mouth is not so pleasant to watch, but Maas does a great job handling this fire cracker who jumps huge uphill climbing tempi changes.

Holland's more experienced team riders Dinja van Liere and reigning Dutch champion Marlies van Baalen performed below par. Van Liere's Hartsuijker (by Johnson x Scandic)  had a booboo in the one tempi changes and lost the balance in the pirouette, but the twos were nice. Van Baalen and her talented 11-year old home bred Habibi DVB (by Johnson x Don Schufro) rode on turbo speed with the rider sitting rather stiff in her pelvis and leaning backwards today.Their halt at entry was fabulous though and the passage was floaty, but the extended walk did not really happen (6.0) and in the collected he ambled.  The zig zag, extended canter and straight one tempi changes were the highlight but the piaffes were difficult today.

America's best was Anna Buffini on the 16-year old Hanoverian mare Davinia la Douce (by Don Frederico x A Jungle Prince). She flew in her horse for this show and was very consistent, like at the 2023 World Cup Finals. Trained by Guenter Seidel, Buffini scored 72.804% for 17th place. 

Spain's leading rider was not current champion Beatriz Ferrer-Salat on Elegance, but Jose Daniel Martin Dockx on the PRE Malagueno LXXXIII (by Joyero XXIV x Dominante XVI). Salat had to hold on for dear life as her KWPN gelding Elegance (by Negro x Monaco) seemed tense and scared and ran away from her. Dockx and Malagueno shone in the piaffes, tempi changes and pirouettes but the stressed mouth and tight neck need to be better. 

 - Text and Photos © Eurodressage (this article expresses Eurodressage's' eye-witness account and opinion about the competition).

NO Reproduction ALLOWED / NO SCREEN SHOTS !!!!
Eurodressage took photos of (almost) all competitors. If you are interested in photos for social media use, send us an email and you can BUY our photos 

Related Links
Scores: 2023 CDIO Aachen
Dujardin and Kismet Open 2023 CDIO Aachen with Prix St Georges Win