-- Text © Eurodressage (this article expresses Eurodressage's' eye-witness account and opinion of the class)
Andreas Helgstrand and KWPN stallion Jovian won the 5* Grand Prix at the 2025 CDI Herning on Friday 7 March 2025. Helgstrand made his come back to the international show ring on home turf after his highly discussed one-year suspension for horse abuse in his company. His return was a winning one.
Only eight pairs entered the 5* Grand Prix division, even though it has a purse of 84,600 euro (52,600 in money, 33,000 euro in kind)!
The CDI classes in Herning take place in the Boxen arena while the 2025 Danish Warmblood Stallion Licensing goes on in the other exhibition halls.
A Shift in Judging?
The world's 5* judges recently had a major meeting in Basel (SUI) at the start of February 2025, where the future of dressage judging and the sport was discussed. It has produced a mini-seismic shift in the system as the "welfare bell" was the hot potato being passed round and is now being considerably but inconsistently applied at the first CDI's of the year in Europe and Florida. In addition, judges seem more "alert" to poor bridle contact although harmony in down-scoring failing submission and self-carriage is not yet found.
Helgstrand's power house stallion Jovian (by Apache x Tango) certainly has his fan club with his spectacular extended gaits - in Herning many gave the rider a standing ovation after his test - but the international judging panel was not so easily bamboozled by all that flash in comparison to their national colleagues. At Helgstrand's national come back in a rather similar test he scored 76.967% (with Kirsten Søgaard even at 79.00%). His international return earned him 72.478% (with 73.261% being the high score).
The 72.478% turned out to be the winning score of the class, a boost of confidence for the rider, but in all fairness a low score for a 5* division which normally yields higher marks and a stronger competitive field. Maybe the early timing on the calendar is the reason? Dressage riders, however, should stop complaining about a lack of money in the sport if they willingly pass by on such a great purse!
Jovian in the 5*
Helgstrand and Jovian began their Grand Prix test with a halt not supported on all four legs (right hind not down). The three trot extensions were all huge, but appeared overridden and hurried. There is no need to ride for a 15 / 10 score. Take it easy! The trot work has massive ground cover and is lofty, the half passes are mega impressive and were very smooth, although one can question whether there is proper collection in them. The stallion pushed himself high. The halt for rein back not square but there were good reverse steps. The stallion skated through the corners (no collection). In passage the stallion gets wide at the base and in his front legs (lack of balance and collection), the piaffe remains a hurdle as the stallion crosses the legs behind while doing a handstand (leaning on the shoulders, there is no sit). The extended walk was good: two hooves overtrack and a clear rhythm and also the collected walk was well executed. The best passage bit came after the second piaffe. In canter the two tempi changes swung to the right but were ground covering. In the zig zag there were double beats behind in the first two half passes, then the horse improved. The one tempi changes were good but the horse was pulling in the bridle. The pirouette left was nice, the right one small. The final passage was very uneven.
He scored 72.478% for the win with 71.630% as low score and 73.261% as high score. The class was judged by the very experienced panel including Isobel Wessels, Dr. Hans-Christian Matthiesen, Maarten Van der Heijden, Elke Ebert, and Susanne Baarup.
What About the Others?
The second place went to classicist Dorothee Schneider (GER) on the Chinese owned 13-year old Westfalian Dayman (by Daily Deal x Flovino) with 72.196%. Schneider had a bit of a difficult start to her test with a halt that was wide behind and trot steps that were uneven and too passagey. The rein back was quite on the hand aid. In the second trot extension the horse got more in front of the leg and the regularity in the rhythm improved. The passage had good energy and with a hindleg under the body, and the transitions in and out of piaffe were smooth. Dayman shows a more classically correct piaffe but traveled forward at times. The bay horse is a bit phlegmatic in the body and is not equally elastic on both reins, with the right rein more 'on.' The canter tour was very secure though with a good zig zag, good one tempi changes. They finished with a final centerline with nice energy and rhythm.
Nanna Skodborg Merrald and the 14-year old Hanoverian Blue Hors St. Schufro (by St. Moritz Junior x Don Schufro) landed fourth place with 70.761%. The gorgeous black scored high notes in the canter work with good tempi changes, a well ridden zig zag and pirouettes, but in the trot extensions the regularity was not crisp clear and today the passage underwhelmed with the hindlegs not coming sufficiently under the body. He also gets very wide behind in the piaffe, a sign of a lack of balance. The trot work was light-footed. Merrald is coached by her long-time trainer Michael Sogaard.
The top five was completed by Denmark's Olympic team reserve Nadja Aaboe Sloth aboard the 12-year old Danish bred Favour Gersdorf (by Ferdinand x Leandro). The sympathetic pair showed good half passes, a rushed rein back, and the horse did not achieve sufficient overtrack. He remains fixed in the frame and does not lengthening stride nor frame enough. Also in the passage the hindlegs were too much out. The piaffes, however, were sweet. There was a good extended walk with a clear rhythm and just enough overtrack and a clear collected walk. The two's were good, the ones straight, the extended canter well ridden, but there was a bobble in the final change in zig zag. The pirouettes were small. Sloth is coached by Rune Willum.
Photos © Ridehesten
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Scores: 2025 CDI Herning