by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 11, 2022
It was bad news for the U.S. show jumping team today at the Agria FEI World Championships, as it finished just one place out from qualifying for tomorrow’s final round of Nations Cup competition. But it gets worse.
The goal for the show jumping team in these championships, as it was for dressage, involved a high-enough finish to qualify the country for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Dressage made the cut; show jumping did not.
Ten nations will go through to the team finals at these championships in Herning, Denmark. The U.S. finished 11th this evening in the first round of the Nations Cup. When the team jumping competition presented by Helgstrand wraps up Friday evening, the five highest-placing countries in the finals will qualify for Paris.
This autumn’s Nations Cup final in Barcelona also offers a chance for a spot in Paris, but the U.S. did not qualify for that competition due to complications involving the pandemic. The 2023 edition of the final does the same, so the U.S. will try to qualify for that.
The other alternative for a Paris ticket is next year’s Pan American Games in Chile, where three slots will be available to the highest-ranking countries which did not qualify previously. So all is not lost, but there’s work to do and plans to make for an important trip to South America in 2023.
Sweden, the Tokyo Olympic gold medal squad, is at the top of the team leaderboard in Herning, to the delight of its vocal fans dressed in the country’s yellow and blue colors.
One of Sweden’s equestrian heroes, Peder Fredricson with H&M All In. (Photo courtesy FEI)
It is followed in the standings by, as one might expect, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Great Britain and Switzerland, the western European countries that often dominate the sport. But Canada also made it (nice to know a North American flag is in the mix), with Ireland and Brazil wrapping up the top 10.
“Being one spot off is tough. It didn’t go our way today,” said Lizzy Chesson, the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s managing director of show jumping,
“It was just one of those years. If you look at the record since 2014, this jumping team has had an incredible record.”
True enough. The U.S. was the defending titleist of the world championships, having won gold in its last edition in 2018.
Lizzy noted two thirds of the Tokyo Olympic silver medal team, Laura Kraut’s ride Baloutinue and Jessica Springsteen’s Don Juan, are still recovering from injuries.
“They’re going to be back,” said Lizzy, but it didn’t happen soon enough for a trip to Denmark.
That meant there wasn’t as much choice of top horse and rider combinations as usual, so less-experienced riders needed to step up.
“At this level of the sport, you can’t afford to have two top horses not in the game,” Lizzy pointed out.
“We had a younger group here that really fought hard to get it done. They tried. No one had any major disasters, it was just minor things. Our younger athletes got great experience building for the future,” she pointed out.
McLain Ward, the U.S. four-time Olympic medalist, performed as expected in the Stuttari Ask Stadium with his usual textbook clear trip on Contagious today after a rail down in the speed opener yesterday.
Noting he had a long night trying to analyze what went wrong on Wednesday, McLain switched the time of when he would jump so he could have firmer ground for his horse. And it worked.
“After the third jump, I felt he was in different form than yesterday,” McLain said.
He is 12th individually and will compete with others in the top 60 for the individual medals to be awarded on Sunday.
Brian Moggre, at 21 the youngest competitor among the 103 who started in this competition, put in an amazing clear trip yesterday on Balou du Revonton but had a rail today. He stands 26th individually. I expected nothing less than a stellar effort from Brian despite his inexperience in senior international championships, because he has distinguished himself all along the line.
The other two members of the team did not qualify for the individual medal contest, finishing 68th and 69th respectively.
Adreinne Sternlicht, a member of the 2018 world championships gold medal team anchored by McLain, had a rail and time faults yesterday with Cristalline, and two rails today.
“My plan was to ride a bit more aggressive than yesterday,” said Adrienne.
About her mare, the rider commented, “She has not been at this level for a while, but she was fantastic today. We are both getting used to the level again. She has been out with an injury, so all has been about her well-being, she is more than just a horse to me. I feel blessed having this opportunity again after four years out.”
The other team member, Lillie Keenan, had two rails today with Argan de Beliard and three penalties for going over the 86-second time allowed for the 17 jumping efforts.
“My horse jumped really well today,” commented Lillie, who like Brian, is in her first senior team championship.
“For myself, I expected him to be more green. For the team. it was not what I needed to do. Next time, I need to believe in him more. It is my first championships, and not the last, I hope.”
The highly skilled Julien Epaillard of France kept his top placing in the individual standings with Caracole de la Roque.
France’s Julien Epaillard has ranked number one two days in a row at the championships. (Photo courtesy FEI)
“My horse was so fresh this morning, so I wasn’t in 100 percent control despite a small jog and some flatwork this morning,” said Julien, who warms up his horse in a pelham bit but competes in a hackamore.
Second in the standings is Scott Brash of Great Britain with Hello Jefferson, a horse on which he has spent a lot of time, being patient to develop a partner he can trust. The class took six hours to run, including breaks, as he pointed out.
“It’s quite a long time. We walked the course at midday, and, to remember what I walked at the end, you watch a lot of different horses and riders and they have bigger strides and smaller strides, but then you have to remember that the way you walked is focused on what suits your horse, so you have to remember that plan.”
He characterized his horse as, “a bit sharper today, a bit more tense, not just as smooth as yesterday, I didn’t think, but he was jumping great and I think he’ll be good tomorrow.”
Peder Fredricson, a pillar of the Swedish team, was fault-free on H&M All In and stands third.“I had a good plan after the course walk and I kept it,” said Peder, whose brother, Jens, number 10 in the rankings, also was fault-free with Markan Cosmopolit.
“When I am in there, I have to get the feeling of my horse and have the highest focus on the task,” Peder commented.
“I really have to concentrate the whole time and take one thing at a time. Jens and I had the same plan. He did seven strides to (fence) eight I kept the plan and did six. Our team spirit is great, and we are there for each other. Everything can happen and we have to take 1 day at a time and really do the best we possibly can. Tomorrow will be a long day.”
World number one Henrik von Eckermann of Sweden is fourth with King Edward, while the only woman among the top 17, Tiffany Foster, couldn’t talk enough about her ride, Figor.
Tiffany Foster and Figor.
“My horse is a bit sensitive and tends to get stressed, so it could go either way, but he was so cool in this atmosphere with the audience close by. He saved me on fence number four, after that I thought ‘Let’s do this for him’ and went for it. With a double clear, this is the first time on this level I dare to think we might have a shot against the big names.”
Every rider in the first five is carrying less than one penalty.
It was nice to see some competitors who are not big names and don’t come from show jumping powerhouse countries distinguish themselves. One was Roger Chammas of Lebanon, who missed the cut for the individual competition by finishing 62d. He had just a single time penalty this afternoon for a memorable round on Humphrey G today, and I was impressed.
“Today was just amazing,” he agreed.
“Yesterday, we had a tough time because it’s the first time on the course, and it is the first time my horse competes at this level,” said Roger, who had three knockdowns.
“I wanted to do good, and the horse is ready for it so I know the result will be good if I ride properly.” And that’s how he left the poles in place today.
It certainly wasn’t easy. Dutch courses designer Louis Konickx upped the ante without making the route too hard. He had varying levels of riders competing, and the challenges were appropriate.
Brian Moggre and a view of the “houses.”
He didn’t overdecorate the interesting fences, which had a bit of local color. The next-to-last obstacle was flanked by statues of legendary Danish writer Hans Christian Anderson and one of his creations, the little mermaid.
From the 4-meter water jump, it was eight strides to Hans Christian and then five to the final vertical (though a few ambitious riders with long-strided horses did it in four). That segment at the end had plenty of heart-breaker knockdowns.
Another interesting fence featured mischievous Danish trolls. The focal point of the ring, though, had to be the triple combination, two strides from an oxer to a vertical and one stride to another vertical. There was an expression I used to hear from riders walking a course when they saw big fences—“They’ve built houses out there,” and so it was with the triple. Really. The first part had houses as its standards, the B element had two lighthouses on either side and the C element repeated the houses.
For team standings, click here. For individual standings, click this link
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 10, 2022
Brian Moggre, only 21 and riding in his first international senior championships, made his mark as the top American finisher today in the Ecco FEI World Championships, not far behind some of the greatest names in the sport of show jumping.
The results of the speed class that kicked off four days of the discipline in Herning, Denmark, are led by distinguished French rider Julien Epaillard, 45. He was clocked in 79.48 seconds on Caracole de la Roque over the course of 17 jumping efforts designed by Louis Konickx of the Netherlands, under a format that adds 4 seconds for each knockdown.
“I had a good start and my horse felt relaxed today. I had my plan and followed it,” Julien said after his ride.
Commenting about his horse, he noted, “She jumps everything with a great scope but can sometimes react to the public.”
Julien Epaillard of France and Caracol de la Roque at the triple bar.
Even so, the rider who is ranked number nine in the world was able to keep everything under control with his mare, who is shoeless like the Swedish horses that excelled in the Tokyo Olympics.
Julien has 402 wins in 3,431 starts, and is known for his ability to ride fast, as demonstrated this morning. He has won gold, silver and bronze medals in both the Olympics and previous world championships.
In contrast, Brian has 27 victories in 404 starts, which have never included a competition on the magnitude of this one. But his performance did not reflect his lack of experience.
Riding Balou du Reventon, his fault-free round finished in 83.89 seconds. He now ranks 19th among 99 competitors, finishing 10 places ahead of U.S anchorman McLain Ward, who has four Olympic team medals and led the U.S. squad to gold in the last world championships, held in 2018 in Tryon, N.C. Brian understandably was overjoyed with his mount.
Brian Moggre and Balou du Reventon. (Photo courtesy of U.S.. Equestrian)
“He was fantastic. I am so, so happy. My plan after watching the first two riders from my team go (was) giving it a shot,” said Brian, who trains with Laura Kraut and her partner, British Olympic gold medalist Nick Skelton.
“I was going for it and to finish like this is a very great start of the weekend. My horse is such a gentle stallion outside the ring, but inside, he is such a powerhouse. He is fantastic, and has such a nice temperament.”
The first American to ride, Adrienne Sternlicht on Cristalline, had a knockdown that added 4 seconds to give her a time of 93.07. The veteran of the USA’s 2018 championships gold medal team stands 69th. Her teammate, Lillie Keenan, was fault-free but relatively slow on Argan de Beliard, 38th with a time of 87.23 seconds.
The U.S. is in ninth place on 9.6 penalties as Tokyo Olympic champs Sweden took the lead with 3.69. France is second on 5.44, even though anchor Kevin Staut had a fall when his horse looked down over an oxer. Belgium is a very close third with four strong performances and 5.49 penalties.
McLain said of his trip that included a knockdown, “It wasn’t the starting round I wanted to have, but Contagious dug in and we kept it on a good score.”
McLain Ward and Contagious. (Photo courtesy U.S. Equestrian)
Now the team faces a challenge.
“‘We have to jump some clear rounds. We’re sitting on a mediocre position…all the riders and horses are capable of it, but we certainly have to step up our game,” said McLain, who blamed a miscalculation on his part for the error in his trip. Contagious, he noted, “is afraid of everything but brave when he has to do his job.”
McLain called having mentored Adrienne and now working with Lille “an incredible source of pride.”
The course was just testing enough as a prelude to the Nations Cup that will decide the team medals tomorrow and Friday. There were faults around the course, but if you wanted to say there was a bogey fence, it was the triple bar one stride from a vertical in a double combination.
The ring is not perfectly flat, it is a bit elevated where the double stood, and that made it hard for some riders to judge the triple bar early in the going. By the end of the class, they tended to figure out what to do there. Meanwhile, a flat and narrow Longines wall, that I thought would cause problems, was handled easily by most horses.
Right behind Julian in the standings
The British, who stand fourth on 6.66 penalties, had a good day. Their two most experienced riders, Scott Brash and Ben Maher, were second and 10th respectively. Scott was on Hello Jefferson and Ben, the Olympic individual gold medalist from the Tokyo Games, left Explosion W at home and rode Faltic B instead.
“I am used to bigger horses, Faltic is smaller, but very athletic and I tried to ride as fast as I felt possible,” said Ben, who mentioned the question was deciding how much he would risk for a fast time.
Scott and Ben are the two most experienced British competitors in Herning. The other half of the team is composed of younger, up-and-coming sons of two well-known riders.
Harry Charles, who rode in the Tokyo Olympics, said Scott Brash is his idol, but he works closely with his own father, longtime team member Peter Charles. Romeo88 and Harry are 48th with a knockdown.
Joseph Stockdale, 65th on Equine America Cacherel, was a cricket player who had to make a choice whether to pursue that sport or ride full-time. He decided on the latter when his father, Tim, was dying, so he could continue working with the horse the family bought as a 3-year-old.
The rest of the top six is Switzerland’s Martin Fuchs, the world number 2, standing third with Leoni Jei, followed by Sweden’s Peter Fredericson and H&M All In. His teammate, world number one Henrik von Eckermann and King Edward, is fifth. The highest-placed North American is Canada’s Tiffany Foster with Figor, in sixth place,
Click here for the individual standings.
Click on this link for team standings.
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 10, 2022
There’s a new queen of dressage.
Great Britain’s Charlotte Fry made it two victories in a row with the expressive Glamourdale to take the Blue Hors Grand Prix Freestyle this evening at the Ecco FEI World Dressage Championships. It happened the day after she beat the odds and Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour’s Vamos Amigos to win the Grand Prix Special.
Charlotte and the extravagant black stallion earned 90.654 percent for their freestyle as part of a British medley to tunes that included “God Save the Queen” and “Another One Bites the Dust.”
Lottie Fry and Glamourdale.
Odd juxtaposition, but the judges obviously liked it, giving her two 10s for choreography, use of the arena and inventiveness. They weren’t reluctant to hand out more 10s for everything from the extended canter (the gait in which Glamourdale excels) to extended trot, two-tempis and rhythm, energy and elasticity.
“He was just dancing and I was literally loving every second,” said an ecstatic Charlotte, only 26 years old and unable to believe what happened to her in front of 12,000 cheering fans at the Stutteri Ask Stadium in Herning, Denmark.
“I think I never dared to dream of a 90 percent,” she said, explaining that she really appreciated, “the fact that we got it here tonight at the world championships in our second-ever freestyle together with amazing new music.
“Glamourdale went in there and knew what he had to do and he could feel the atmosphere. If there’s a lot of crowd, he’s going to show off even more. I can just sit there, it felt so easy and he was just bouncing through his music.”
She was so excited that she jumped up and down when she stood on the top spot of the podium.
Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour is greeted by Princess Benedikte of Denmark during the medal ceremony.
The competition, presented by Helgstrand, included a bevy of stars, but what made it most exciting was that many saw it as a face-off between Glamourdale and Vamos Amigos, the anchor of the Danish gold medal team that triumphed in the Grand Prix over the weekend.
Cathrine looked nervous as she was led into the arena on her bay gelding, but he was on point, as always, when they got going to themes from “Les Miserables,” which earned 10s and one 9.8 for her music and its interpretation.
Vamos Amigos lacked the expression of Glamourdale, though he was perfectly correct, but what cost Cathrine was the extended trot. It garnered a 6, a 6.5 and a 7, in addition to 7.5s. In the end, her score of 89.411 fell just short of her rival’s. But she was happy anyway.
“It was crazy good to enter the arena today with all the audience meeting us already when we passed through the entrance of the arena,” commented Cathrine.
“I think we have had fantastic sport, what a medal podium we have. And I really thrive under this kind of pressure, it just makes me better. This championship has been good for Denmark and our sport.”
In third place, as was the case in Monday’s Grand Prix Special, the Netherlands’ Dinja van Liere on Hermes found her technical marks lagging behind her artistic marks (80.143/93.657) for a total of 86.900. The three women celebrated on the podium and off, joyfully shaking their bottles of champagne and spraying them on each other until officials told them to go get their horses for the victory pass.
The medalists take their victory pass.
Isabell Werth of Germany, the world’s most decorated dressage rider, wound up ninth on DSP Quantaz (83.339) who is workmanlike but not particularly exciting.
“It was a great experience for Quantaz. He needs more routine, but I am very happy with him today, he really listened to me,” said Isabell.
“We had some mistakes in our 2-tempis and he waited for me to tell him what to do next. We love to compete in this great atmosphere, and in the last piaffe pirouette I was hoping for the audience to cheer–which they did.”
Right behind her was the woman who hold’s the world’s freestyle record, Charlotte Dujardin, but Valegro her multi-gold medal mount is long retired and she was dealing with Imhotep here. He had never done a freestyle, and it was quite a credible effort, good for 83.132 percent. He’s only nine and full of energy, so she was clever not to be too clever and make the challenges she posed doable. Her mentor, Carl Hester, has said Pete, as the horse is known, may be the best he and Charlotte have ever had. That’s saying something.
“I’m so happy with Pete,” said Charlotte, who rode to the same music with which she won individual bronze at the Tokyo Olympics on Gio.
“He’s done absolutely amazing this week and I couldn’t have asked any more from him,” Charlotte enthused.
“He has taken everything in his stride, he’s gone beyond what I thought he could have done here. He’s dealt with the atmosphere and the crowd amazingly. When I go in, they all applaud and he stays very calm. He’s never been in that environment before, so I’m absolutely thrilled with him.”
The USA’s only competitor among the 15 who qualified for the Freestyle was Adrienne Lyle, sixth on Salvino (83.704). This was a first for her with the U.S. team. Adrienne missed competing in the freestyle at the Tokyo Olympics when Salvino wasn’t feeling up to snuff after he and his rider contributed to the team silver medal, and the freestyle at the 2018 world championships was cancelled due to heavy rain.
Adrienne Lyle finally gets her chance to ride the freestyle with Salvino at a team championship. (Photo courtesy U.S. Equestrian)
Herning offered a most welcome opportunity for her to really show off the stallion.
“He was very electric today in the warm-up,” Adrienne mentioned.
“This is the third time he’s been in the stadium now packed with people and he started to realize there was a big crowd in there and had a few more nerves than we normally do, but once we got into the ring, he took a breath and he knew what his job was and what he was doing and that’s what makes him such a special horse.”
She already satisfied her other ambition in coming to Denmark when the U.S. team finished sixth to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics, which was the squad’s main goal.
For full results, click here.
(Feature photo of Lottie Fry courtesy of British Equestrian Federation/Jon Stroud)
by Nancy Jaffer | Jul 28, 2022
The U.S. Equestrian Federation’s dynamic director of sport, Will Connell, is leaving the organization after eight hugely successful years.
“What drives me is trying to find programs and solutions that will grow the pathway, increase performance and everything,” said the native of Great Britain, explaining his decision to take another road.
“You have to give 100 percent. When you start feeling that it’s time for someone else to take the reins, that’s the time for me to move on.”
Will, who is staying with USEF through Nov. 25, will continue living in Gladstone, N.J., with his wife, Lizzy Chesson, the USEF’s managing director of show jumping. She will remain in her post.
Thinking about his time with USEF, he said, “There’s a huge amount I’ll miss. I don’t do this job for the check at the end of the month, even though that’s quite generous.
“I’m sure walking away from a well-paid job in the face of a recession is perhaps not the most intelligent move, but I’ve always been driven by my instincts and I feel that now’s the time. There will be plenty of people out there who can take up the reins and run with it.”
As he reflected about his time in the job, he commented on how much he appreciates those who step up to back the sport.
“The one thing the U.S. has that I don’t think any other country has is the support from the donors and that ability to engender financial support from people who really get nothing out of it, other than liking to see the team win. That is something the U.S. must never lose.”
Other countries’ sports programs, he pointed out, are supported by the government or commercial interests, or lack financial aid entirely.
“When you see the enthusiasm of the (U.S.) donors and how they’ll get behind projects, I wish I had been better at structuring programs they could have gotten behind,” he said wistfully.
He pointed out that “there are some incredibly talented and dedicated people in the U.S. across the whole spectrum,” running from the grooms, coaches, athletes and horse owners to the leaders in the federation.
Will Connell at work at a championship.
One of his great achievements was putting the U.S. para dressage program in the spotlight, which paid off with the country’s first team Paralympic medal in Tokyo last year.
So what’s next for Will, who came to the U.S. in 2014 from a job as the British Equestrian Federation’s Performance Director. He had the responsibility for co-ordination and delivery of the UK Sport National Lottery-funded World Class Program, which covered eventing, dressage, showjumping and para dressage. In 2012, HRH the Princess Royal presented him with the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire at Buckingham Palace, in recognition of his service to equestrian sport.
That was a hard act to follow, but he did it when he came to the U.S. Now he’s still thinking about another appropriate move.
“In my ideal world, if I could write the next chapter, there would be four or five or six projects that would be differing in nature but very focused in outcome. You might as well dream big,” he mused.
“Probably within sport, but maybe other areas as well. I think I’m also the sort of person that until I make that jump, I’m not going to force myself to find out what the next step will be.”
He noted that he has yet to rewrite his resume.
“I think it still says, `Just left the army, ’” he laughed.
There can be no doubt that whatever he does will involve some aspect of his leadership experience. While in the British army, he served as commanding officer of the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery. In that prestigious position, he oversaw 165 soldiers and 130-plus horses that comprise the ceremonial saluting battery of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s Household Troops.
Will Connell (second from left, front row) with the Queen Mother during his King’s Troop days.
Combined with his knowledge of elite sport, he noted, “those experiences can shape what I do next in terms of what I deliver.”
He is looking forward to having more time for his family, both here and in Britain, and plans to return to the London International Horse Show, where he works as a volunteer.
Will sees that show as “a beacon, where elite sport meets entertainment. You’ve got sport at the very highest level and you’ve also got entertainment at the highest level. When you can bring those two together, that’s pretty special.”
He’s pleased that the FEI World Cup Finals are going to Ft. Worth, Texas in 2026, a follow up to the dressage, show jumping and vaulting Cup that will be in Omaha for the second time next year.
“I hope they can find that balance between entertainment and sport,” he said.
With the World Championships looming next month, he’s still all-in for helping the U.S. teams in para, dressage and show jumping qualify for the 2024 Paris Paralympics and Olympics with their performances in Herning, Denmark.
Dressage will be interesting, he notes, with the Germans looking to be far from the juggernaut that they usually are in that discipline. Although the Danes are favored for gold, there is plenty of room for other countries to maneuver for the medals.
In jumping, he called the quality of the teams “unbelievable. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a championships or Games with such depth of quality jumping teams.”
The U.S. squad has several young athletes, but he noted, in the big picture, the U.S. show jumping program has done extraordinarily well, and the pride he feels about it was obvious.
“When you look at what the jumping team has achieved since 2012; medals in 2014 (the Normandy world championships), 2016 (the Rio Olympics), 2018 (the Tryon world championships) and ’21(the Tokyo Olympics), the World Cup finals. It’s been incredible. I think it’s had more success than any other team in history, probably, over an eight-year period.”
And he’s optimistic about prospects going forward.
“When you look at what is on the horizon for Paris, it’s very exciting. I would say it’s more exciting now in ’22 looking at ’24 than in ’18 looking at Tokyo. The team is super excited to be going, and that enthusiasm will carry them onto the field of play and they will come together as a team.”
But he also cautioned, “Yes, it’s wonderful to win medals every time you go out, but more important, it’s about having the long game.
“The first stage of Long Term Athlete Development is fundamentals. FUNdamentals. Having fun in sport. While we have great and good governance, we must never lose track of the fact that ultimately and initially, sport should be fun taking activity.”
The USEF will be hiring a new director of sport, and plans call for Will to help that person get established in the job.
In the meantime, CEO Bill Moroney had kind words for the man who is departing.
“Will Connell has provided important leadership and contributed greatly to the success of the U.S. teams since 2015; his accomplishments and contributions are many,” said Bill.
“We support him in his decision and appreciate that he remains completely committed to our efforts to field and support the athletes, their horses, and their support teams for the upcoming World Championships, as well as his continued support of our sport staff team and programs across all the FEI disciplines.”
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 8, 2022
The glamorous Glamourdale and Great Britan’s Charlotte (Lottie) Fry short-circuited expectations for a home country winner at the Ecco FEI World Dressage Championships in Denmark, edging Danish star Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour and Vamos Amigos for the Grand Prix Special gold medal by a bit more than one percentage point.
Lottie Fry and Glamourdale.
After leading her country’s team to gold yesterday, Cathrine fell short in the individual contest for the Special when she received a mark of 3 among 4s and a 5 for mistakes in the two-tempi lead changes.
“Vamos was really fantastic in the ring, we enjoyed ourselves immensely and the crowd do a bloody good job supporting me in the ring. Vamos Amigos is the cutest little gelding, and he just loves the stadium, the audience and the whole atmosphere,” said Cathrine, acknowledging the “blip” that affected her score of 81.322.
But Glamourdale was right on point.
“It’s literally incredible. I have no words for this,” said Lottie, a 26-year-old, who was completely in control of her expressive black stallion. His extended trot and canter work was breathtaking, captivating what was a good-size crowd for a Monday in the 10,000-seat Stutteri Ask Stadium.
“He was incredible, the atmosphere was incredible and he went in there and just did everything I could ask. He was just ready for it today,” said Lottie, who marked at 82.508 percent, with 9s and 10s for his final halt and a range of marks from 9 to 10 for general impression.
Lottie, who was on her country’s bronze medal team at the Tokyo Olympics with Everdale, the sire of teammate Charlotte Dujardin’s energetic Imhotep. Lottie is the daughter of the late Laura Fry, who also rode for Britain.
“I really felt I had to do something extra today because we came in straight after Cathrine and we tried our best,” said Lottie.
Never one to lose any points, Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour executes a perfect halt with Vamos Amigos.
“I actually heard the crowd being loud in my canter work and it was amazing. Yesterday, I had problems with the pirouettes, but Isabell Werth gave me some pointers to work with and it was much better today, she is simply the best, such a nice person and she has been my idol since I was a kid.
“Glamourdale is nothing short of amazing right now, and yet I know so many things I know we can work on to improve, it is only his first season.”
I’m an I-told-you-so kind of person (not one of my better traits) and you’ll remember I said yesterday that I liked Glamourdale better than the more highly touted Vamos Amigos—a wonderful horse, but a plain bay can’t captivate like a flashy black stallion in my book. Especially if there are mistakes.
But of course, Vamos Amigos is lovely and did get a 10 for the trot half-pass and twice for the difficult passage-piaffe-passage transition that tripped up more than a few competitors.
Dinja van Liere of the Netherlands with another personable stallion, Hermes, completed the podium. Transition problems with the passage/trot/passage and the transitions from trot into collected canter when Hermes looked as if he spooked downgraded her performance, but she still was in line for honors with 79.407 percent.
The medalists: Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour, silver; Lottie Fry, gold and Dinja van Liere, bronze.
In a rare occurrence, Isabell Werth of Germany did not add to her lifetime collection of 62 medals when she finished fourth on DSP Quantaz, who doesn’t have quite the flair of some of her other horses. He was marked at 79.073 percent.
Glamourdale’s victory gallop.
Right behind her, in fifth, was her teammate on the bronze medal German squad, Benjamin Werndl on Famoso OLD (78.237 percent). The Germans were missing his sister, world number one Jessica Von Bredow-Werndl, who is pregnant. Another member of the German team, Frederic Wandres, was supposed to compete in the Special but withdrew Duke of Britain at the last minute.
Britain’s once and future superstar Charlotte Dujardin (those Brits love their Charlottes) was sixth with 77.523 on the very green 9-year-old, Imhotep, who is a bundle of energy. Used to living outdoors at home, he spends a lot of time being handwalked in Denmark.
Even so, when Charlotte rides him, she said, “I feel like I’m on high speed and full power. He’s so enthusiastic.” He wants to do everything; she compared it to driving a go-kart.
“When he gets it all under control and waits for me, I think it’s going to be spectacular,” she said.
It was only the third Grand Prix Special for her horse, known as Pete. He’s never done a freestyle.
“I’m just trying to ride and give him confidence,” she said.
Gareth Hughes, also a member of Britain’s silver medal team, was right behind Imhotep, seventh in the standings with Classic Briolinca (77.280),
The mare was undone on the first day of the Grand Prix Saturday when the crowd started clapping as she was going down centerline to finish her test and blew the halt. (There’s a rule that says the halts have to last at least three seconds, and her wasn’t.) The crowd has been better-behaved since then, now that they have seen that their well-intended enthusiasm had the wrong effect.
“Today she felt really calm and relaxed,” Gareth said of his horse.
“She’s got such good mechanics and she’s really regular,” added Gareth, who was pleased with his ride.
“Where we finished, I don’t care.”
Gareth revealed yesterday he had contracted Covid, but he didn’t test positive until he got to Herning. Today, he tested negative for the second time, having tested negative previously last night.
“I don’t want anyone to feel uncomfortable,” said Gareth, adding he was “a long way away from everyone in the stadium.” It is outdoors, not an enclosed arena like Madison Square Garden.
There were no masks on the podium for the team medals, thank goodness–enough of the Covid craziness and photos of everyone in masks from last year–but he said he abided by Denmark’s rules on handling the virus. How many people do you think were in the stadium who might have been positive for Covid if they tested?
Tomorrow is a rest day, so we’ll have to wait and see what happens Wednesday evening in the freestyle. Will Vamos Amigos fulfill expectations for gold? How will the lively Imhotep handle that challenge? Can Glamourdale make it two in a row?
Only two U.S. riders made it to the Special, which had 28 placings. The top 15 qualified for the freestyle, which was redemption for Adrienne Lyle and Salvino, who had trouble yesterday in the canter half-passes to bring down their score when she had to slow to a walk to get reorganized.
Adrienne Lyle and Salvino in the Special; we’ll see them again in the freestyle. (Photo courtesy U.S. Equestrian)
Adrienne pulled it out this time with marks of between 6.5 and 7.5 for that movement, and finished ninth with 75.699 percent. The score gets her into the freestyle, which has extra importance in Herning because it was not held at the last world championships in Tryon, N.C., due to storms.
“He didn’t put a foot out of place, he felt even better than the Grand Prix,” said Adrienne.
As she assessed her ride on Salvino, she said, “Overall, he felt really honest,” noting, “I can just sit up there and pilot him around. He’s not a horse that likes to make mistakes and was rather upset after the Grand Prix that he got his legs tangled up.”
She praised the stallion’s owner, Betsy Juliano, who is very supportive and has enjoyed Salvino’s journey. That trip likely will include a visit to Paris in 2024 for the Olympics, since the U.S. squad qualified for those Games with its sixth-place finish in Denmark.
“He’s taken us everywhere we dreamed to go,” Adrienne said of her mount.
Things didn’t go as well for Adrienne’s teammate, Steffen Peters, and Suppenkasper, who wound up with a score of 73.708 percent that put them 17th, two away from the magic number that would have gotten them in the freestyle.
“Overall, I’m very, very happy with him,” said Steffen about the 18.2-hand horse he compared to “a gigantic teddy bear,” but added, “I wish the results would be better. The judges felt very different than I did, but that’s part of the game.”
He was getting assistance in Herning from Debbie McDonald, Adrienne’s mentor and the USA’s former dressage technical advisor, whom he has known for 35 years. Debbie had called him back then asking for help, and now he asked her for help.
Steffen Peters and Suppenkasper.
And while we’re on the subject of USA problems, let me go off topic for a minute and mention that RMF Zecilie did not pass the horse inspection for the U.S. show jumping team, whose world championships start Wednesday morning. (The freestyle is that afternoon). Zecilie, who will have an opportunity to be re-presented, is the mount of U.S. team traveling alternate Jessica Springsteen.
This evening, Denmark said goodbye in a moving ceremony to retiring Grand Prix veteran Cassidy, Cathrine’s horse, a sprightly chestnut she called, “not the most obvious Grand Prix star.”
Cathrine Dufour and her pal Cassidy on the eve of retirment. (Photo courtesy Ecco Herning)
But he excelled with her focus and the help of an “awesome team of trainers.”
Cathrine, whose parents gave her the horse when she was 17 and he was six, said, “By working with the talents the horse is given naturally, you can go really far, and I think Cassidy is a great example of that.
“And then he has just taught me love of the sport, and love of competing, as well as the daily training. He is the entire cornerstone in my love of the equestrian sport. He is completely unique and will likely be the most special horse I have had and will ever have.”
For Grand Prix Special results, click here
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 7, 2022
Denmark, as predicted, made history today, taking the place usually reserved for Germany at the top of the dressage world championships podium and earning the Scandinavian nation’s first medal in the global title competition since it won bronze in 1982.
Cathrine-Laudrup-Dufour and Vamos Amigos. (Photo courtesy FEI)
The home country crowd at the Ecco FEI World Championships in Herning, Denmark, gave full flag-waving and Viking horns-wearing support to its team, anchored by Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour on Vamos Amigos, who stands first individually with 81.864 percent. She put the Danes over the top for the team honors, which they won with a total of a 235.451 combined percentage ahead of irrepressible Great Britain (234.223) and Germany (230.291).
Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour was overcome with emotion after her winning performance on Vamos Amigos.
It was just revealed this evening that Gareth Hughes of Great Britain contracted Covid, but nonetheless contributed to his team’s score on Classic Briolinca yesterday. He stands 13th individually and plans to ride in tomorrow’s Grand Prix Special in the big outdoor stadium.
The bad news for the U.S. was that it didn’t finish near the medals, winding up sixth with a score of 220. The good news was that the top six teams are automatically qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics, so that’s a goal accomplished with a sigh of relief.
The best-placed Americans, Steffen Peters with Suppenkasper (15th on 74.767 percent) and anchor rider Adrienne Lyle on Salvino (18th with 74.394) qualified for the Special, which is open to those ranked in the top 30. They were two-thirds of last year’s silver medal Tokyo Olympic team. The third combination of that successful squad, Sabine Schut-Kery and Sanceo, was missed in Denmark. Sabine had the highest score for the U.S. in Japan, but did not enter any qualifiers for this championships.
“Mopsie was very excited today in extended canter, the arena was getting really small,” recounted Steffen, calling Suppenkasper by his nickname.
Steffen Peters and Suppenkasper. (Photo courtesy U.S. Equestrian)
“He lowered his neck and I couldn’t get him up as much as I wanted to. Well, it’s pretty amazing when you have so much power underneath you. I think we can step it up a bit tomorrow. Pressure? You get there, you’ll always be nervous, I’ve learned to accept it.”
Salvino started well in his running score with 80 percent, but got a bit long in the crucial passage/canter transition, where a number of riders lost points. He broke in the canter half-passes, going into the walk briefly, and received marks of 2 and 3 from the judges for that mishap.
“He got his legs comp tangled up in the zig zag and so I just walked and carried on. I didn’t want to get him worried about it,” said Adrienne. She noted she’s looking forward to the Special and most of all, is excited the team qualified for Paris. Adrienne is in Herning as a coach as well as a rider. She trains Katie Duerrhammer, who rode Quartett yesterday to a score of 70.839 to finish 34th and just miss qualifying for the Special.
The podium in Herning: the silver medal British, the victorious Danes, the bronze medal Germans.
Let’s turn our attention back to Cathrine, who said, “Thank you to the audience–you rocked the arena to perfection. I was a bit nervous, I am always nervous. My horse was nothing short of amazing. I feel so immensely proud for what my team members have done, we are all so proud of our achievement.”
Cathrine is coached not only by Kyra Kyrklund of Finland and but also by Nathalie zu Sayn Wittgenstein. Interestingly, Nathalie is a Danish princess, the daughter of Princess Benedikte, who gave out the medals!
Four women with incredibly impressive performances joined Cathrine at the top of the individual standings. Great Britain’s Charlotte “Lottie” Fry, was only a little more than one percentage point behind the Dane, earning 80.838 percent on the magnificent Glamourdale. With better results on her pirouettes, she might have overtaken Cathrine this afternoon, and she’s hoping to work on that for the Special.
Glamourdale and Lottie Fry. (Photo courtesy FEI)
Glamourdale, whose name suits him, is a dynamic black stallion. I’m guessing Cathrine was playing it safe with Vamos Amigos, but he didn’t have the compelling presence of his rival.
“I’m a little bit numb, said Lottie after her ride.
“From the second we left the warm-up, he had the crowd and he was just ready for it. He was just on fire. When they started clapping on the last centerline, he just rose to it and was seriously loving it.”
Frankly, I appreciate Glamourdale more than Vamos Amigos, because he brings excitement to a discipline that outsiders often compare to watching grass grow. But that’s not the case with this stunning boy.
Lottie’s late mother, Laura Fry, competed at the 1992 Olympics and was a teammate of Carl Hester, the mentor of Charlotte Dujardin (more on her in a minute). Lottie also trained with Carl, who helped her secure a place at Van Olst Horses in Holland, working and training with five-time Danish Olympian Anne Van Olst.
Standing third is Dutch rider Dinja van Liere, who led for the first day on another super stallion, Hermes with 78.835. Her score wasn’t enough for the Netherlands to move ahead of Sweden, however. The Dutch finished fifth on 225.621, while the Swedes were fourth with 227.142.
Germany’s Isabell Werth, the most decorated equestrian in history, is ranked fifth on the stallion DSP Quantaz (77.407), who is not as compelling as some of the horses she has ridden over the years. (I’m thinking of the recently retired Bella Rose, among others).
She finished behind British superstar Charlotte Dujardin, who brings out horse after horse with Carl Hester’s help to boost her standing with her considerable fan club.
Okay, I admit, I’m one, and was happy but not surprised to see her marked at 77.407 percent with Imhotep, who had only been in three international shows before coming to Denmark. After all, this was the woman who teamed with Valegro in perhaps the greatest dressage partnership ever, from the time they were part of the landmark British European Championships gold medal team in 2011 through the 2016 Olympics. I will never forget her gold medal performances at the 2012 London Olympics with that very special horse.
Charlotte Dujardin and Imhotep.
Charlotte was thrilled with Imhotep’s performance amidst the crowd and the buzz. He would have scored higher except for a miscommunication in the transition from passage to canter (as I mentioned above). There’s quite a story behind this 9-year-old Dutchbred by Everdale, so indulge me while I tell it.
Carl picked the horse, who they call Pete around the barn, from a video.
He had a huge canter, but, according to Charlotte, “looked really ugly I’m not going to lie. Whomping head, skinny neck. The naughtiest young horse. Like those bulls you let out of those cages in rodeo. He bucks like I can’t even tell you. He has that side of him, which meant Carl didn’t want to ride him.”
So she took him over when he was 5. “I absolutely love that horse. He makes me smile from ear to ear every day. He wants to please you every day. He never runs out of energy.”
She noted that she and the horse have mutual trust.
“What I don’t want to do is scare him. He feels so ginormous,” she said, noting when she can manage all his power “it’s going to be spectacular.”
He’s only done two Specials, and never a freestyle, so the next few days should be interesting.
Not all the stories are happy at the championships.
I was so sad for New Zealand’s Gaylene Lennard, who had a heck of a time getting her Jax Johnson from his home on the other side of the world to Denmark. Then when he arrived, he had a temperature, which meant he had to skip the horse inspection. He got better, so the inspection was rescheduled and he passed.
But the days he lost meant he missed training time in the arena, and when he arrived today for his competition, the atmosphere had him whirling prior to his entrance to the stadium.
It’s believed he may have bitten his lip during that time. So while he was able to complete his test, the fact that there was pink color on a swab of his mouth meant automatic elimination. And with that, the New Zealand’s team chances were scuttled, because it was only three members to begin with and two members do not count as a team. That ended their chance to qualify for Paris 2024.
There’s often as much heartbreak as there is glory at these events, so we shouldn’t forget those who give it a try, but can’t prevail against circumstances.
To see the individual results, click this link
To see the team results, click on this link
