Glock´s Voice and Edward Gal - Rotterdam 2017. Photo credit: Koen Gomes
A solid 7,5 winning test all the way with just some minor variations for Edward Gal with Glock´s Voice.
Important comeback
For today's test it was a comeback for Swedish Don Auriello with Tinne Vilhelmson-Silfven, as Don Auriello has been "on hold" since after Rio 2016 due to an injury. Lovely having him back with Tinne, as he is a real Tinne horse. He looks fit and motivated, for the halts a bit over motivated, but of course lot with the final competition sharpness. Placed 2nd with 73,174%. For Tinne this was of course a very important comeback in terms of the Swedish team for WEG.
Super Suppenkasper back in Europe
The long legged athletic now just 10 year old Suppenkasper, former educated and ridden by German Helen Langehanenberg, changed last year ownership to American Akiko Yamazaki sponsor of Steffen Peters, as his hope for the future. The big gelding suits Peters very well and together they make a very nice picture, but said that the test today was a bit in the same direction as yesterday with Rosamunde. Peters looks as if he just wants to ask a bit too much all the way, and again today it looked very much as if there were no need for that. Super expressive start, bit unbalanced half pass to right, good halt bit tense rein back, good walk, bit tensions/disturb for the piaffe tours where Suppenkasper looks like doing his absolute best with lovely activity and sit, but the transitions and passage becomes with some tensions, nice zig-zag, nice balanced pirouettes not asking too much and with 3 one times between. From H2R point of view the overall picture from the test just lacking "less is more" to get a more clear and steady picture.
The stallions
The not so experienced stallions Expression, Desperado, Charmeur and Duval´s Capri Sonne jr were also at start.
Best placed was Expression with Diedrik van Silfhout in the saddle. Correct technical test, but Expression is just lacking more power and push from behind in general. Today the Dutch judge at M became very positive having them as 2nd placed. The final placement was as no 7.
Desperado with Emmelie Scholtens did not show the same sharp piaffe / passage tours as we saw them lately at Equitour in Denmark, but still with a nice quality test which still miss more experience.
Charmeur with Madeleine Witte-Vrees was for sure motivated for the job, still lacking more control and experience, but showing ability and power for piaffe/passage and with nice series.
For Laura Tomlinson with Capri Sonne today's challenge seems a bit different, as Capri from the very beginning of the test seems to be a bit behind her aides, as you can see from the entering halt that Laura really has to ask him to go forward. The piaffe tours becomes like small steps over 4 meters and lacking both activity and correct balance, the collected walk is also unbalanced, both series with errors, and for the 1 times you get the feeling that Capri might want to stop in the middle not being in front of the aides of Laura. No easy task today.
See the results here.
