by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 6, 2024
The U.S. didn’t bring its Paris Olympic eventing team to Aachen, but the squad that finished second Saturday at the International Equestrian Festival demonstrated the country has some impressive depth for the future.
Chef d’Equipe Bobby Costello said the riders’ performances and their placing “proved a couple of things. One, that the U.S. is here to stay and we intend on being a player at the highest level of the sport. But I also was excited we came here with a mixed team, either riders who did not have a lot of international experience, and also a couple of young horses with more experienced riders.
“To me that was the cool thing,” he continued, noting it demonstrates that Eventing Emerging and Developing Coach Leslie Law’s program “is really working and the pathway all the way to the top is producing results.”
The British – the favorites for Olympic gold with different horses and three other riders — won the SAP Cup title handily with a score of 112.8 penalties. (Olympic team member Laura Collett rode DaCapo here, but will be aboard London 52 in Paris). The USA accumulated 123.7 penalties, while Ireland was third on 138.
James Alliston was the top finisher of the U.S. contingent, ninth on Karma. Alyssa Phillips finished fourteenth on Oskar, Liz Halliday sixteenth with Shanroe Cooley and Hallie Coon’s stop with Cute Girl at the next-to-last cross-country fence put her thirtieth.
James Alliston and Karma, the top-finishing U.S. pair in eventing, on cross-country at Aachen. (Photo U.S. Equestrian)
James moved up from thirty-third in dressage to twenty-third after the best show jumping round of the competition, and wound up ninth overall. He was fourth in the cross-country phase, with just 2.40 time penalties over a course designed for the last time by Rudiger Schwarz.
Bobby noted that when he and the riders walked the “masterfully designed” course, it seemed, “significantly less intense than the previous two years I’ve been here. But we knew with it being Aachen and the speed factor and everything coming up so quickly, it wasn’t going to be a cakewalk but it was really interesting that it caused as much trouble as it did. We knew not to take it for granted but we had a simple plan we tend to like to stick with, as clean and as fast as we can go, get all the jumps done first.”
James called his first time at Aachen, “An awesome experience. Being in a team dynamic, you don’t get to experience that all the time. There’s been more pressure and you have to deal with that sort of thing.”
The U.S. eventing team victory gallop: Liz Halliday, James Alliston, Alyssa Phillips and Hallie Coon. (Photo US Equestrian)
In that intance, the team’s pathfinder on cross-country noted, “going first is a little bit more challenging.” But he added, “I was really happy with the horse. We had a great environment with all the teammates. We weren’t far away from gold either, a few little things could have been different.”
Of Karma, the Californian noted, “She’s an exciting horse, a really good athlete, good jumper, a lot of energy. The dressage has taken a little bit of time.”
But James quickly mentioned that the mare is “definitely moving in the right direction.”
He thinks the Oldenburg, a mere 10 years old, will relax and improve “as she learns the sport and learns the first phase.”
Karma was bred on the west coast by Casey Crowley’s family in Oregon. Her trainer found she was freezing in the arena, so he sent her to James. When he phoned a few weeks later to find out how she was doing, James advised that while Karma was not freezing anymore, she was “sort of flying around.”
James said Karma was “pretty hot, and as a result, he said, I don’t think I can sell her.”
“So then they said, `Do you want her?’ and James’ answer was, of course, “yes.”
In October, the Maryland 5-star is “a possibility” for James and Karma, but he noted they had done a lot in a short amount of time. So he is “a little bit cautious of going too gung-ho.”
Individual gold went to Germany’s Julia Krajewski for the second time. She also won in 2018.
Julia Krajewski and Nickel 21, individual winners in eventing. (Hubert Fischer photo)
“Winning Aachen is something very special, almost as big as a championship,” said the only woman to take individual gold in Olympic eventing.
Of her victory, she said, “I don’t think it’s something many people predicted,” adding that “makes it very special.”
It was also very emotional.
“We cried a lot. The owner is still crying,” she chuckled.
Despite losing a shoe, her mount didn’t miss a beat.
“Nickel is such a genuine horse who wants to do everything right. He basically waits for me to tell him what to do and then he does it.”
Click here for team results
Click here for individual results
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 4, 2024
It was a disappointing way to spend the Fourth of July for the Americans at the Aachen International Equestrian Festival.
The U.S. show jumping team failed to qualify for the second round of the 1 million Euro Mercedes-Benz Nations Cup Thursday during the world’s greatest horse show, after three of the riders logged 4 faults each.
Laura Kraut and Baloutinue put in a clear round for the USA. (U.S. Equestrian photo)
Only Laura Kraut produced a clear round, riding Baloutinue in the test watched by 40,000 spectators.
Teams from 10 countries took part, but under the class specifications, just eight were allowed to continue into the second round over the same course designed by Frank Rothenberger.
The USA is Aachen’s partner country this year as the festival marked its hundredth anniversary, and the show made a big effort at halftime to highlight that, with a country singer and a cowboy galloping around the arena with an American flag. And there was even an American flag plank jump on the course. But sadly, it just wasn’t the USA’s day. (Switzerland, the defending title holder, wound up last and also didn’t make the cut.)
Instead, the Irish—whose first rider had the first fence down—rallied to finish on zero faults, after the 4-fault penalty became the drop score. The anchor rider, Cian O’Connor, didn’t even have to jump Fancy de Kergane in the second round after teammate Shane Sweetnam clinched victory with a sparkling clear performance under pressure on James Kann Cruz to secure the 250,000 Euro winner’s prize for his homeland. It was the sixth time the Irish won the class at Aachen, but the first since 2010.
Shane modestly downplayed what he did, explaining, “It gets easier knowing you have strong teammates that you can count on.”
Shane Sweetnam, the Irish team hero, aboard James Kann Cruz. This jump depicts Charlemagne, who had his capital at Aachen before show jumping was invented.
Mexico, which hadn’t sent a team to Aachen in 20 years, was second on a total of 4 penalties after a remarkable effort by their anchor, Eugenio Garza Perez on Contango, that matched Shane’s trip for drama.
“We are literally speechless,” said team member Federico Fernandez.
“We are so grateful to the organizers for allowing us to take part. It is the most important show in the world. It is magic in every respect. To ride into this stadium gives you goosebumps. It is an amazing feeling, an adventure, a dream. We will never forget it.” In addition to Federico and Eugenio, others on the team were Nicolas Pizarro and Andres Azcarraga, the latter having flown in from Spruce Meadows in Canada.
Britain was third with the same score and a slower time. Robert Whitaker of that team noted, “We were close to winning it. Everyone rode well and the horses jumped brilliantly. We are really happy with the result.”
U.S. Coach Robert Ridland, who will announce his Olympic team after this show, noted, “Obviously, the result today was disappointing for the entire team. We are always aiming for the second round and for the podium and that’s a collective mindset. But I thought all our horses jumped really well and the cards just didn’t fall in our favor.
“There were a lot of clears in the first round, which left very little room for error in terms of the first round scores. Laura and Baloutinue jumped a great clear for us and there is still plenty of jumping left this week.”
McLain Ward had a pole down in the middle element of the triple, which Ilex seemed to jump a bit out of stride.
McLain Ward and Ilex. (U.S. Equestrian photo)
Natalie Dean on Acota M was going clear until she had a knockdown at the final fence, while Katie Dinan with Out of the Blue SCF dropped a pole at the Liverpool marked with the German coat of arms that was a big trouble spot on the course.
The Irish team consisted of three of the riders who will be going to Paris for the Olympics; Shane and Cian, who are on the team, and Bertram Allen, the traveling reserve. The third team rider, Daniel Coyle, is not showing at Aachen.
Michael Blake, Ireland’s ebullient chef d’equipe, congratulated the Mexican and British teams for “pushing us all the way to the line.”
He complimented the enthusiastic spectators, noting, “This show and the Dublin show, the crowds are so big and so knowledgeable.”
The Irish team and Michael Blake. (Jennifer Metzner photo)
EquiRatings’ interesting form guide for the Nations Cup had a lot of great statistics, even if it didn’t pick the winner. Germany, which has won the class 30 times since 1929, more than three times what any other nation has done, was given a 40 percent podium chance (it finished sixth). The U.S. was given a 39 percent chance (and we know what happened to that team), France 38 percent (they were seventh) and Ireland a 34 percent chance. And I’m going on the record to announce Ireland is my pick for Olympic gold. I have heard the Irish national anthem played more times than any other at shows I reported on this year.
Click here for the team standings.
Click here for the individual standings
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 5, 2024
The U.S. eventing team at the Aachen International Equestrian Festival is in podium position—just—after dressage and show jumping, the first two phases of the three-part test.
The squad stands on 102.100 penalties, only 0.5 ahead of fourth-place New Zealand. Great Britain leads the way on 96.3, with Australia on 100.1.
Dressage wasn’t the best, but the team recouped in the afternoon show jumping.
The highest-placing American Friday was Hallie Coon, sixteenth for the two segments with Cute Girl, one spot ahead of Alyssa Phillips on Oskar. James Alliston was first in the jumping with Karma, moving up to twenty third from thirty third in dressage. Liz Halliday is one placing ahead of James on Shanroe Cooley.
Eventer Hallie Coon and the aptly named Pretty Girl. (Photo U.S. Equestrian)
And guess who was in first place?
Who else but Germany’s superstar Michael Jung with fischerChipmunk FRH? He won the dressage and came fourteenth in the jumping on time, while adding no jumping faults to his 22.5 penalty dressage mark. But the multi-gold medalist isn’t taking his Olympic horse cross-country. So another German, Julia Krajewski, is actually first on Nickel 21 with 23.9 penalties. Julia was the first woman to take the individual gold in Olympic eventing when she achieved that feat in Tokyo three years ago.
Michael is on the team with another horse, Kilcandra Ocean Power (42.20), but he had two rails. That didn’t help the fortunes of the German squad, which stood sixth on Friday afternoon.
Bobby Costello, the U.S. chef d’equipe is pleased so far with his team. But Saturday’s cross-country laid out by Rüdiger Schwarz will tell the tale, as it always tends to do at Aachen–even if the designer has borne in mind that most teams are using it as a prep for the Paris Olympics.
“After a bit of a slow start in the dressage this morning, all four of our athletes rode really classy and clear rounds to move right up into the conversation for tomorrow,” Bobby said.
“The cross-country is serious, as it usually is here in Aachen, and our riders have a very clear plan for what they need to do.”
In the big dressage arena Friday, no U.S. riders were competing. The team will reappear Saturday in the 5-star Grand Prix Special.
But there was plenty of action in that discipline as world champion Lottie Fry of Great Britain made it two-for-two in her Aachen recordbook as she took the 4-star Grand Prix Special on her Paris Olympic mount, Glamourdale, the way she won the Grand Prix – almost.
Her second pirouette this time went astray when her mount did a flying change and then lost his balance in the pirouette.
But no matter. His quality was such that he was marked at 80.107 percent, far ahead of runner-up Isabell Werth on Quantaz DSP. The German pair was marked at 75 percent, ahead of another German entry, Frederic Wandres on Duke of Britain FRH (73.128)
“To be honest,” said Lottie, “that was one of the best feelings that he has ever given me in a test.”
Lottie Fry and Glamourdale at Aachen. (Photo © DigiShots)
So why the error?
“I was so pleased with my pirouette to the left that I somehow forgot to ride the rest of the center line. So it was my own fault. But in the remaining parts of the test, he was so focused on me, had so much `go’ and so much fun in there. That was the best feeling I could have wished for before Paris.”
Dressage for fun was not neglected either. The Prize of Handwerk is a quadrille competition, and the winners took the USA’s Partner Nation status for 2024 seriously.
The District Association of Bergisch Land was directed by their team leader, Norma Frerck, dressed as the Statue of Liberty. They rode to the song, “Hit the Road Jack.”
The winning quadrille team. (Photo by Hubert Fischer)
Dressed in the traditional Uncle Sam red, white and blue costumes, Stefanie Haase with Chestnut K, Nicola Heynen with Livius, Heike Holtkamp with Sambuko and Ramona Müller with Dr. Mo, were excellent.
“Anyone who manages to get a Statue of Liberty rocking has achieved a great deal,” said judge Katrina Wüst, who awarded the quartet 93 percent for their second victory in a row.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 4, 2024
The only U.S. entry in the Aachen four-in-hand driving, Chester Weber showed style and grace in winning the dressage phase with a score of 35.59 penalties over Australia’s Boyd Exell, the world number one, marked at 38.79.
Chester, the world number 11, said modestly, “There were no obvious mistakes.”
Chester Weber during his winning four-in-hand dressage test. (U.S. Equstrian Photo)
Even with top horses and fantastic facilities for preparation at Aachen, “you still have to get it done,” he pointed out.
One of Chester’s wheelers is Nico Teusje C, who has a story behind him.
“He was a Covid purchase,” said Chester, who explained that during the pandemic, he was going through Facebook saw Nico and another horse on line.
“They were quite young,” he mentioned, but he bought them over the phone anyway. One of them didn’t work out for the four-in-hand, but Nico certainly did.
“This one keeps stepping up and stepping up. This one kept impressing me,” he said of the wheeler.
“We’re always tweaking the plan and trying to listen to what the horses tell us.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 3, 2024
Boyd Martin remains the top American on the FEI’s eventing ranking list, but he has dropped from second to sixth. Meanwhile, Caroline Martin Pamukcu, who will be his teammate at the Olympics this month, made a big jump up from twenty first to eleventh. Liz Halliday Sharp, U.S. Olympic reserve rider, went from nineteenth to fourteenth.
The biggest change was at the top, with Great Britain’s Oliver Townend dropping from first to second after nine months as his compatriot, European Champion Ros Canter, hit number one. Ros is on the team for the Olympics; Oliver is not.
“I was quite shocked to hear I’m world number one.” said Ros, “as it was something that wasn’t on my radar. It’s really exciting news, and I’m thrilled for my whole team because this is a joint effort. I’ve been really lucky to have some fantastic horses in my team.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Jun 27, 2024
One of the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association’s first employees has become its executive director, as Whitney Allen succeeds Kevin Price in the role.
Whitney, formerly USHJA’s director of operations, started her work in governance with the American Horse Shows Association, the predecessor of the U.S. Equestrian Federation. She earned a master’s degree in sports science with a business minor at the University of Kentucky, and has also served as marketing director and managing director of sponsorship for USHJA before taking over the operations position.
Britt McCormick, who became USHJA president in April, said, “We are delighted that Whitney Allen is stepping into the role of executive director. She is a multi-talented, visionary leader with a complete set of creative, strategic and analytical skills to guide our organization in a highly competitive and evolving environment.”
He added, “She has proven operational and leadership experience, a tremendous passion for success and a deep network of relationships within our industry. She also fully embraces the principles of excellence, dedication and service on which the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association was founded. We are confident she will build upon the organization’s legacy and lead us toward a successful future.”
Britt added that the board and USHJA appreciated Kevin Price’s “steady leadership. With many key achievements under Price’s tenure, the United States Hunter Jumper Association is ready for new leadership to build on our past successes and realize our full potential for the future.”
For her part, Whitney said, “I am honored to step into the role of executive director.
“I have great respect and appreciation for what our team has accomplished, and I look forward to leveraging our strong foundation to expand our reach and impact. I have the clear goal of moving the organization forward by working with the board to identify and pursue growth opportunities, collaborating with and inspiring our team, and delivering improved performance for our stakeholders. I cannot wait to get started and take advantage of the significant opportunities ahead.”
Under Whitney’s leadership as director of operations, the organization significantly improved its operational efficiency and strategic direction, driving growth and enhancing performance. Allen spearheaded key initiatives, including the development of innovative marketing strategies and successful sponsorship programs.
In her volunteer roles, Whitney has been a long-time board member of American Horse Publications, where she served as president for five years and is now treasurer. She is also president of the Secretariat Center’s board.
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 4, 2024
The USA just missed the podium in the Grand Prix that opened the 5-star dressage team competition at the Aachen World Equestrian Festival on Thursday morning. The team finished fourth with a total of 214.283 percent behind third-place Denmark (215.544).
The squad was led by Olympic team member Marcus Orlob on Jane, who did not disappoint as he came in seventh individually (73.326 percent) on Alice Tarjan’s 10-year-old mare.
Although she was excited upon entering the arena, Jane soon paid attention to her work.
As he went down center line, Marcus said, “I was just praying she behaves better than going in. That’s all I was thinking. Once I turned on the first medium trot, she actually was still a little bit tense and looky, but I knew I had the forward drive, then I said, `Okay, I think I’m in a good place.’
“This was a new experience, with the people, with a huge stadium,” he pointed out.
“It was a little bit shocking for me to see her act like this, but usually she’s learning, she’s smart, actually she allows me then to push her each show a little bit more, show a little bit the brilliance she has.
Piaffe and passage are the strongest points of Marcus Orlob’s mount, Jane.
“In general, the piaffe/passage is a highlight…on the last centerline she was really breathing and relaxing. I was happy with her because I could actually finish on a good note.”
What is he hoping comes out of his work before the Olympics?
“I think, honestly, to trust each other more. It’s a brand new relationship…specially with this scary moment in the beginning, I hope that she trusts me more.”
The third score that counted for the U.S. total was Anna Marek’s mark of 69.522 percent on Fire Fly. She was nineteenth of the 34 who finished the test.
Germany topped the standings on 228.173 ahead of the Netherlands (215.674), propelled by a brilliant performance from the eternal Isabell Werth aboard Wendy de Fontaine (76.500), who will also be her Olympic horse.
The German team has yet to be announced, but it obviously is getting a boost with Isabell’s new mount. The mare has never finished lower than second place since Isabell started showing her in February. The horse, previously known as Queenparks Wendy, had been ridden by Andreas Helgstrand until he was ruled off Denmark’s team after a documentary showing training methods at his stables.
Isabell Werth and Wendy de Fontaine in the awards presentation.
This is the year for new high-powered combinations. In addition to Isabell and Marcus, USA team member Endel Ots (the Olympic traveling reserve) also has been riding Zen Elite Equestrian’s Bohemian (eleventh, 71.435) only for this year. The same is true of Adrienne Lyle and Helix, who skipped Aachen to focus on a combo of training and relaxation. (Read the details here).
“I haven’t ridden in an atmosphere like that,” said Endel, who never started in an international Grand Prix before taking over Bohemian, fourth in the Tokyo Olympics with Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour. Endel consulted with her before his ride as he sought words of wisdom.
“Don’t try too hard,” she advised.
Endel called the stadium experience “really cool and really fun.” He added, “I wanted to do a nice clean, consistent solid ride. It felt great. Each test I learn something new.”
Endel Ots and Zen Elite Equestrian’s Bohemian. (Photo U.S. Equestrian)
Isabell led Germany’s 1-2-3 finish at Aachen, and that was without its world number one rider, Jessica von Bredow-Werndl on the world number one horse, TSF Dalera BB. But Ingrid Klimke, also known for her eventing prowess, came very close to Isabell, with 76.043 percent on Franzikus FRH. Ingrid’s father, the late and legendary Olympic multi-gold medalist, Reiner Klimke, would be proud.
Frederic Wandres was third (75.630) on Bluetooth Old. As with the glitches that surfaced during his ride in the 4-star Wednesday on Duke of Britain, a mistake in the tempi changes cost him. It would seem that Ingrid and Frederic will be named to the German team after this show, along with Jessica and Isabell.
Britain, fifth on 213.152, was without its strongest players. World Champion Lottie Fry rode her Games mount, Glamourdale, to victory in the 4-star at Aachen Wednesday and had another horse, the 10-year-old Especial in the 5-star, to wind up tenth (71.935). Neither Carl Hester (who is having a documentary made of his life) nor Charlotte Dujardin, Britain’s other stars, rode at the German show.
Get team results here
Get individual results of the 5-star Grand Prix by clicking here
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 3, 2024
Steffen Peters had a disappointing test with the veteran Suppenkasper in the 4-star Grand Prix at the Aachen World Equestrian Festival on Wednesday, scoring 68.131 percent as he finished nineteenth in a field of 22 starters.
The 16-year-old Suppenkasper, or Mopsie as he is nicknamed, previously never had failed to break 70 percent in a Grand Prix at an FEI competition.
The Dutchbred gelding lacked his characteristic cool, with the trouble starting right at the beginning of the test, when he was marked at 48 percent for the entry and halt, where he was restive and moved backward for a few steps.
Steffen Peters and Suppenkasper.
“Tonight’s test had uncharacteristic tension,” observed U.S. Chef d’Equipe Christine Traurig.
“Steffen, with his vast amount of experience, handled it skillfully.”
While Germany and Denmark are not naming their dressage teams for Paris until after Aachen, the U.S. squad was selected June 25. Steffen was named along with Marcus Orlob and Adrienne Lyle.
Ranked first in the Olympic standings since last year, Steffen competed in Europe during the head-to-head Grand Prix match for short-listed riders at Hagen, Germany. He was, however, excused from June competitions in Rotterdam and Kronberg, Germany, where other candidates participated.
Marcus is competing on Jane with the U.S. team in the 5-star at Aachen, where the U.S. Olympic traveling alternate, Endel Ots, also is on the squad with Zen Elite Equestrian’s Bohemian. Adrienne skipped Aachen to give Helix a break and do a bit of fine-tuning. (Read about it in the second feature on this website)
The 4-star was won by world champion Lottie Fry of Great Britain on Glamourdale, who blew everyone away with a perfectly measured test and great extensions, a package marked at 80.78 percent. That was her second-highest score since she earned 80.97 percent in the 2023 European Championshps. Lottie was far ahead of German favorite Isabell Werth on DSP Quantaz (75.443), who lost impulsion in the second pirouette.
Lottie Fry and the glamorous Glamourdale. (Photo courtesy British Dressage)
Another German, Frederic Wandres on Duke of Britain, had some brilliant moments, but his score wasn’t what it could have been due to mistakes in his tempi changes, so he settled for third on 73.913 percent.
There was better news for the U.S. in the jumper arena, where McLain Ward finished second of 44 starters in the Turkish Airlines Prize of Europe grand prix with Callas.
One of seven clears in a 12-horse jump-off, Callas was clocked at 44.06 seconds, a tenth of a second ahead of Germany’s Janna Wargers on Dorette and 1.62 seconds behind the winner, Richard Vogel of Germany on Cepano Baloubet. It was the second victory of the day for Richard, who took top honors earlier in the Prize of Handwerk with Phenyo van het Keysersbos.
“My mare jumped spectacular. She’s been having a great summer, so I’m not disappointed,” McLain said about his placing in what riders consider the second-hardest class at the show.
About Richard, McLain said, “He’s a great winner. It’s a fast horse and a super-fast rider. I pushed him to the limit. I made it not so easy.”
McLain Ward and Callas. (Photo U.S. Equestrian)
Although he has been competing at Aachen for three decades, McLain still finds it a thrill to be in the awards ceremony.
“It never gets old,” he said.
Katie Dinan, part of the U.S. Nations Cup team that will be in Thursday’s two-round class, was thirteenth with a single time fault on Atika des Hauts Vents. The other U.S. rider in the fray, Lauraa Kraut, wound up thirtieth with 8 faults on Bisquetta.
Click here for dressage results
Click here for Turkish Airlines Prize of Europe show jumping results
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 2, 2024
Arguably, the Aachen World Equestrian Festival is the greatest horse show on earth. But Adrienne Lyle won’t be joining her U.S. Olympic dressage teammates there this week.
Instead, she’s staying at Swiss equestrian Daniel Ramseier’s farm in Germany to focus on working with her Games mount, Helix, as there is only a little more than three weeks to go before the opening ceremonies in Paris.
Adrienne Lyle and Helix. (Susan J. Stickle Photography)
“I think we can fine-tune little stuff to maybe bring the scores up a little bit,” Adrienne responded when asked what she would be doing with the 12-year-old by Apache. Since she started riding him only this year, she’s appreciative of any extra time she can have with Helix when a competition isn’t imminent.
It’s a nice opportunity, but she observed in the window available, “you’re not going to change dramatically the strength and the training and all that. So I really like to just maintain and perfect the little details. But we’re not going to introduce anything new or really challenging at this point.
“We want to grow his confidence and make it routine,” the two-time Olympian explained.
Chef d’Equipe Christine Traurig noted, “I supported that idea because I feel she has made such great progress on Helix that she now really focuses. It’s a very good strategy. We talk about these things and consider all aspects very carefully.”
Christine Traurig with Steffen Peters and U.S. Dressage Federation President George Williams. (Photo courtesy Christine Traurig)
She said plans are implemented “in consultation with the riders and the team around them, their personal trainers, coaches, home veterinarians, team vets and of course, the USEF staff.”
Meanwhile, Steffen Peters, who rode with Adrienne on the silver medal Tokyo Olympic team three years ago, will be participating Wednesday as an individual on Suppenkasper in the 4-star competition at Aachen during his preparation for Paris.
Adrienne’s other Games teammate, Marcus Orlob, will be on the U.S. Nations Cup squad in Aachen’s elite 5-star competition. He has had even less time with his horse, Alice Tarjan’s Jane, than Adrienne has had with hers. And it’s a comparable situation with Olympic traveling reserve rider Endel Ots and Zen Elite’s Bohemian, who belongs to the same stable as Helix.
He and Marcus will be joined on the Dutta Corp. team at Aachen by Pan American Games double medalist Anna Marek (Fire Fly) and Anna Buffini (Fiontini).
Aachen will have more atmosphere than any other competition experienced by Jane, who is only 10. But Adrienne noted that Helix’s resume included some big shows with his Swedish former rider, including Rotterdam in the Netherlands, so he knows about crowds She pointed out, however, that at Olympic Games, the crowd generally is seated further from the arena than in big stadiums like those in Aachen or Rotterdam. That would make fan presence less of a factor than in the other venues.
In the Olympic observation competitions, Adrienne and her mentor, Debbie McDonald, took care to make sure Helix didn’t startle.
“He is Dutch bred and can be a little looky,” she mentioned.
“We do a lot of groundwork with him. We knew it might rain at Kronberg (the venue for the final trial), so Debbie and I spent a lot of time doing umbrella training the week before — opening umbrellas next to the arena while I was riding and throwing tarps over the letter boxes (the markers around the arena).
“He got really comfortable with that and I was really glad. When we went in for the Grand Prix, it started to sprinkle and they threw a big rain jacket over the (video) camera. He took one look at it and said, `No big deal. I’ve been practicing that.’”
Helix has adjusted well to travel and his new crew.
“He enjoyed himself. We were all commenting on that at the last show,” Adrienne revealed.
“The more he’s kind of gotten to know us, the more his personality has come out. At the end of these long shows, some of these horses have this feeling of `Just leave me alone.’ ”
But not Helix.
“He still walks to the front of his stall, he’s still nuzzling whoever walks by. I think he enjoys the attention and enjoys being a show horse and having that much interaction with people,” Adrienne mused.
“He’s been going pretty strong since he arrived (in the U.S.) at the end of January. He’s had an intense spring and a lot of CDIs to complete for our initial qualifying, and then, of course, our trip to Europe.
“Right now, he’s having a week of down time, tack walking, trail riding a little light trot work to let him have a little rest and recovery and that’s why we chose not to do Aachen. He’s proven himself at many different venues. And he’s been very good about it. I thought it would be the best plan for him to get to rest a little bit and then focus on training.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 2, 2024
Slices of American life, from surfing to Barbie, cowboys, cheerleaders and even the Statue of Liberty (not the real one, of course) were on display during the energetic opening ceremonies of the Aachen World Equestrian Festival Tuesday.
A view of the arena during the opening ceremonies.
The USA is Aachen’s “partner country,” for 2024. The role was filled last year by Great Britain, which brought over its Household Cavalry for the occasion. That prompted the query. “How can you top it?”
Here’s how: with 800 performers and 200 horses; a chorus line in pink tutus and riders in pink shirts holding pink balloons (Barbie), inflatable shark pool floats (accompanying surfers who dangled their feet in the Aachen lake), a stagecoach carrying Mrs. Universe and a football team. Did I mention the bubbles let loose to dance around in front of the packed grandstands, where spectators waved little American flags?
“A Perfect Match,” was the slogan of the partnership, appropriately inaugurated in speeches by German dressage star Isabell Werth and U.S. show jumping star Laura Kraut before the festivities really got under way.
A sign from the opening ceremonies; NRW is North Rhine-Westphalia, where Aachen is located.
Bald eagles, the symbol of America, were among the cast of characters that appeared in the ring. The list was a long one, including a country singer from Texas, a covered wagon complete with pioneers, a lariat artist who also was proficient with two whips and in-line skaters towed by a horse. They jumped off a ramp as fireworks exploded from their skates in several “wow” moments.
Will Connell, the U.S.-based Partner Nation project consultant, said “the Aachen team did an outstanding job producing a fun, entertaining program that I hope all Americans present and watching enjoyed.”
He added, “It was a privilege to be involved in a very small way. Tonight, the USA arrived in the Soers, Aachen.”
