Germany’s von Bredow-Werndl and Dalera deliver another class victory at Basel

Continuing on from where they left off, the world number one horse-and-rider combination of Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and the wonder-mare TSF Dalera BB produced another superb performance to win the seventh leg of the FEI Dressage World Cup™ 2023/2024 Western European League at Basel in Switzerland today.

In yesterday’s preliminary Grand Prix the pair led a German whitewash of the top four places, while today compatriots Isabell Werth with Emilio 107 and Matthias Alexander Rath with Destacado FRH again filled second and third spots, Sönke Rothenberger having to settle for fifth this time out when headed by Austria’s Florian Bach and Fidertraum OLD. 

This was a second successive victory for von Bredow-Werndl and Dalera in Basel, having also topped the line-up at the Swiss fixture to get their 2023 season off to a flying start 12 months ago. They went on to claim their second successive FEI Dressage World Cup™ title three months later, and on home turf at CDIO5*-NC in Aachen in July won all before them, then took double-gold and team silver at the FEI European Championship and finished off the year by winning both the Grand Prix and Freestyle at CDI5* in Stockholm (SWE) in December. 

The pair who are also reigning Olympic champions continue on a roll into the Olympic year of 2024, and after posting a handsome winning score of 91.010 today von Bredow-Werndl said,

"Dalera is the best and I am very happy. It is such an amazing feeling to have her in such in a great shape here in Basel!"

Jessica von Bredow-Werndl GER

Target

It was Werth who set the target high when putting 87.950 on the board with Emilio, the horse set for retirement at the end of 2023 who, however, is showing the best form of his entire career recently and who sparkled again today with a test filled with confidence, rhythm, harmony and co-operation. 

At 18 years old the Westphalian gelding seems to be enjoying his work more than ever, and it shows in the focus he is applying to his job, the smoothness of his transitions demonstrating just how settled and concentrated he has become. It’s no wonder his joint-owners Werth and Madeleine Winter-Schulze have decided to extend his career after all.

Only von Bredow-Werndl and Dalera could better that, their Paris-themed soundtrack carrying them to maximum scores of 10 for Choreography, Degree of Difficulty and Music and Interpretation across the board from all five judges - Susanne Baarup (DEN), Hans Voser (SUI), Raphael Saleh (FRA), Stephen Clarke (GBR) and Henning Lehrmann (GER) - for that winning total of 91.010.

The word “retirement” seems to be popping up a lot lately, sometimes inevitable when a horse is as consistently successful as Dalera who turned 17 this year. But von Bredow-Werndl insisted this evening that it’s not on the agenda anytime soon for the mare owned jointly by her mother, Micaela Werndl, and Beatrice Buerchler-Keller despite rumours that Paris 2024 may bring the horse-and-rider’s career together to an end. 

“It is difficult to find the right words to describe what Dalera has done for me and is still doing. I not only want to maintain our current form, but also develop it further if possible and I am so thankful that Dalera wants to do it with me. So I will do my best for her and we will see what the rest of the season brings”, von Bredow-Werndl said this evening.

Main priority

She pointed out that the Paris 2024 Olympic Games is her main priority this year so the FEI Dressage World Cup™ Final 2024 in Riyadh (KSA) in April is not in her schedule. But Werth has it clearly in her sights.

"Emilio is in great shape and enjoys it so much at the moment. We have now done two World Cup qualifiers and would be qualified for the Final so I will see how he is feeling week after week and make our show plan from that. But it would be nice to ride him at the Final"

Isabell Werth GER

she said.

She has rocketed up to seventh on the league table ahead of the next qualifier in Amsterdam (NED) in two weeks’ time, picking up the maximum 20 qualifying points at both Stuttgart (GER) in November and again today in Basel because, as defending champion, von Bredow-Werndl does not earn points. 
 
Matthias Alexander Rath was well pleased with his third-place finish today with the charming 11-year-old chestnut stallion Destacado FRH whose suppleness in half-pass and extravagant extended walk helped them on their way to a combination-best score of 81.750. 
 
“He has made so much progress in the last year and I am happy to see the results today and look forward to this season with him”, Rath said of his horse. And he really enjoyed the atmosphere at Basel. “Everything works well, the atmosphere is amazing. I was here with my whole family and we had a really nice time”, he added.

Thomas Straumann, President of the Board of Directors of CHI Classics Basel was also delighted with how today’s competition played out. Dressage only joined the show programme in 2023, and it is already proving immensely popular with spectators.

“We had, as last year, great sport this afternoon with an amazing atmosphere and the public is showing so much support. I am really happy to have started with Dressage last year, and we will for sure continue in the future!”, he said.

He certainly will, because next year Basel will host the FEI World Cup™ Finals 2025 in Dressage, Jumping and Vaulting.

So don’t miss a hoofbeat….

Result

Standings

Link to FEI World Cup™ Finals 2025 Basel 

Felicitas Hendricks Comes Full Circle at Adequan® Global Dressage Festival

Felicitas Hendricks & Drombusch OLD during their winning test in the FEI World Cup™ Grand Prix, presented by Palm Beach Equine Clinic. Photo © SusanJStickle.com

PRESS RELEASE

Opening day of the 2024 Adequan® Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) delivered a poetic win for Germany’s 23-year-old Felicitas Hendricks and Drombusch OLD in the FEI World Cup™ Grand Prix, presented by Palm Beach Equine Clinic on Thursday. Hendricks and her 13-year-old Oldenburg gelding (Destano x Dimaggio) claimed their first Big Tour win after Hendricks made her international debut at AGDF in 2015.

The class was a qualifier for the FEI World Cup™ Grand Prix Freestyle, which takes place under the lights on Friday night during the first of the “Friday Night Stars” series. 

Wellington has watched Hendricks climb the ranks, and will again watch her compete during “Friday Night Stars” for the first time in her career. She and Drombusch OLD will again perform the freestyle that won them an individual silver medal at the European Under-25 Championships this past summer. 

“I'm always happy to be back here,” said Hendricks, whose AGDF career started when she was a junior and has cued many “firsts” since, including her senior Nations Cup debut – and gold medal for Germany. 

Of Drombusch’s reaction to being in Florida for another season, Hendricks noted, “He got off the trailer yesterday and he knew exactly where he was. He was like ‘okay, I don’t need to be nervous; I’m home.’”

READ MORE

FULL RESULTS

Anna Marek Leads Off for Home Country

Anna Marek & Fire Fly, winners of the CDI3* Grand Prix, presented by Olympia Footing. Photo © SusanJStickle.com

Coming off a U.S. team gold medal at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, Anna Marek and her partner Fire Fly started their campaign at the Adequan® Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) with a win in the CDI3* Grand Prix, presented by Olympia Footing on Thursday. 

The pair that was also the highest-placed individual U.S. combination in Chile were awarded a 70.652% for the victory on opening day of AGDF. 

“We’re becoming more of a partnership every day,” said Marek of her 14-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding (Briar Junior x OO Seven) owned by Janet Simile. “It seems like with each show we go in, I can relax and trust that he’s going to do what I want.”

Marek noted that her number-one goal for the 2024 season is to make the shortlist for the Paris Olympic Games and travel to Europe for the first time for the selection trials.

READ MORE

FULL RESULTS

Dynamic Pur highlight of last nights stallion presentation in Münster (Agravis-Cup)

A huge program for yesterday evenings stallion presentation

2nd reserve champion from Mecklenburger stallion licensing Dynamic Pur by Dynamic Dream/Finest, bred by Wieghaus-Vorwerk, presented by Rene Tebbel was the highlight of the evening for the newly licensed stallions presented by hand. Gonna be very interesting to see this boy under saddle.

Two Vivino sons were presented under saddle. Van Vermeer (ds St Moritz) super presented by Steffi Ahlert and Viva Romance PS (ds Sir Donnerhall I) - both long legged with good expression and look like very rideable horses showing three nice supple paces.

Entertainer Number ONE by Escamillo / Vitalis presented Bart Veeze, very nice supple for the trot, good walk but could show a bit more volume and power for the canter and Etienne by Escolar / Sir Donnerhall with super nice development, powerful expression in both trot and canter and with good clear rhythm for the walk. Emiliano 4 yr old full brother of Entertainer shown by Steffi Ahlers, very similar to Entertainer but still bit young balance wise for the canter and could also show bit more clear forward search for the walk.

Glamdale WP by Glamourdale / Millenium presented by Steffi Ahlers. A pure dressage model with round powerful hindlegs under the body. Look like super riding comfort.

Fanegro by Blue Hors Farrell / Negro / Dimaggio presented by Bart Veeze. Super model with three good paces in nice balance and rhythm.

Global Hope by Global Player / Fidertanz, missing more stallion expression but well moving in all three gaits.

Escaneno by Escamillo / Veneno presented by Hannah Laser. Lovely stallion super supple with power in all three gaits. (Might only by H2R but seems a bit odd with the willy clearly shown all the presentation).

Maxim-N by Toto jr / Johnson (2017) with Moritz Treffinger. Powerful and expressive for the trot, the canter missing bit more volume and good walk.

Headline for this stallion presentation must be the focus on rideability with some very good samples by Vivino, Escamillo, Glamourdale and Toto jr.

Tomorrow starts DSP stallion licensing - Schaufenster der Besten, Brandenburg Anhalt

No 38 Fynch Hatton / Fürstenball - H2R top favourite for the Champion title.

Schedule:

Wedneday

15.00 - free jumping of dressage stallions

Thursday

13.30 - presentation on hard surface

15.00 - lunging of dressage stallions

Friday

08.00 - free presentation dressage stallions

12.00 - licensing and annoucement of premium stallions and champion stallion

Saturday

17.00 - Hybrid auction licensed and not licensed stallions.

Auction

LINK for full collection of stallions for both licensing and subsequent auction.

H2R highlights from the video collection:

Day 5 highlights from KWPN stallion pre-selection 18 December

Blue Hors Monte Carlo TC has three sons selected and Las Vegas has four.

Well moving in all three gaits, medium framed by Monte Carlo, while Las Vegas seems to produce them with an open frame, long neck and missing a bit more stallion expression.

Final ordinary pre-selection day with H2R highlights:

Dancier Gold / Desperados - modern elegant type with lovely suppleness and power, bit one the toes for the walk.

Still very young body wise but very well moving with freedom and suppleness for all three gaits.

Nice frame with good suppleness and expression, bit long top line combined with a bit short croup.

Super nice uphill quick of the ground with power movements.

First stallion presentation 2024 Wednesday at 7 pm during Agravis-Cup

Exciting list of stallions for Derby Hengstgala 2024

When the first big German national event comes up from Wednesday in Münster it is also with the traditional stallion show.

H2R will of course keep an eye on the entire presentation with focus on the stallions here below⬇️

  • Westphalian champion stallion Dark Dynamic by Dream Boy / De Niro / Sir Donnerhall.

  • Dynamic Pure by Dynamic Dream / Finest, 2nd reserve champion in 2023 at Mecklenburger stallion licensing.

  • Vjento by Valdiviani / Sir Donnerhall, Premium stallion from HANN licensing 2023 (One of H2R favourites).

  • Glamdale WP by Glamourdale / Millenium (2019).

  • Just in Time by Jameson RS2 / Morricone, licensed in 2023 in Redefin.

  • Escaneno by Escamillo / Veneno (2019)

  • Segantini by Secret / Fidermark (2018) presented by Dorothee Schneider

Get Ready for the 2024 Adequan® Global Dressage Festival!

Part of press release

As we saddle up for the 13th season of the Adequan® Global Dressage Festival, our hearts brim with gratitude. The continuous support from our devoted community has molded this event into an unparalleled spectacle of equestrian competition. Equestrian Village awaits your presence, and for the dressage enthusiasts, this year promises extraordinary feats of elite sport. Wellington International's commitment remains rock solid: bringing you world-class dressage competition from the heart of Wellington, FL.

🏆 A Season of Olympic Ambitions: Dressage and Para Dressage riders from around the globe are flocking to Wellington with Olympic dreams in their eyes. Their goal? To don their nations' colors at the 2024 Paris Olympics and Paralympics. Our jam-packed calendar features three World Cup Qualifying events, two CDI4* weeks, and the dazzling five-star event sponsored by Douglas Elliman at Wellington International's International Arena. With the inclusion of the FEI Nations Cup Series CDIO3* and the two CPEDI3* Para Dressage events, we proudly present the most expansive circuit of Dressage the world has to offer.

huge winter PROGRAM

📺 Stay Tuned: Can't join us in person? We've got you covered. Immerse yourself in the action via our live stream at www.gdf.coth.com and stay abreast with real-time updates on our social channels. 

Tid til nytænkning - Ridesporten har brug for kræfter, der både kan og vil bredden og eliten

Med dagens meddelelse fra DRF om at både Ulf Helgstrand (pt. på orlov fra formandsposten i DRF) samt fungerende formand, næstformand Jacob Blicher Ravnsbo, ønsker at fratræde til den kommende generalforsamling åbner der sig et nyt kapitel for DRF.

Hvordan kan DRF udvikles med blik på fremtiden?

Hestesporten er populær, desværre har ridesporten også været i hele befolkningens søgelys gennem længere tid, ikke ubegrundet. Den krise har også bredt sig til DRF´s top, som nu reflekteres i afgang fra både formand og næstformand.

Med et skifte i toppen af DRF er det tid for modernisering af forbundet, herunder burde man også kigge på strukturen i foreningen. Er tiden ikke inde til, at bestyrelsen måske alene skal være en ledelse med en generalsekretær/formand, og en næstformand med et tilhørende underliggende forretningsudvalg. Et forretningsudvalg som består af forretnings- og hestefolk med fingeren på pulsen fra både bredden og eliten i ridesporten. Begge parter skal være repræsenteret i skarpeste opstilling - det ene udelukker ikke det andet.

Back to basic - kulturbærerne

Når interessen for hestene er skabt, så handler det om fokus på hvad samvær med hestene og kammeraterne kan, helt fra den første dag på den lokale rideskole eller i den private stald.

Børnene og de unge skal kunne spejle sig i de bedste - ikke kun via Instagram, men også derude i den virkelige verden. Der skal i højere grad være events, hvor bredden og eliten mødes - vi skal stå sammen om vores passion for hestene, for uden bredde ingen elite.

Kommunikation er vigtigere end nogensinde

Ridesporten har brug for en stærk kommunikativ ledelse, som er på forkant med udviklingen, og som erkender faresignaler, når de opstår og agerer på dem. Der er brug for en ledelse som selv “lugter af hest”, da branchen ikke alene kan guides via excelark, personlige interesser eller Karnov´s Lovsamling.

I krisetiden, som ridesporten lige nu befinder sig i, mangler man i høj grad de gode historier. Herunder eksempelvis dækning af nyligt afholdt træningssamling for dressureliten, hvor man savner at de ansvarlige stiller sig frem til nettet og fortæller, hvordan er status på kvaliteten, hvor er vi på vej hen, hvad arbejdes der på og hvad er delmålene - vi står faktisk lige nu med foden i bøjlen i et OL år.

Kammerateri og inhabilitet er der ikke plads til i en moderne forening

Alle har deres favoritter, men lad det nu være de faglige kvalifikationer og erfaring som kommer i højsædet i al fremtidig rekruttering af ledere og trænere.

De personlige meninger og holdninger har indenfor de senere år givet anledning til flere forkerte beslutninger fra DRF, også selvom resultaterne har talt deres tydelige sprog. Med et nedskrevet regelsæt i DRF, er tiden nu også moden til at beslutte, om de skrevne regler alene er vejledende, eller de rent faktisk skal efterleves, uanset farven på t-shirten.

Det er altafgørende at resultaterne frem mod endelig udtagelse til OL bliver den toneangivende faktor, idet en måling altid har været mere håndgribelig end en mening. Lad det blive H2R´s ord her få dage inde i et super spændende 2024, hvor hjertet for sporten og avlen stadig banker.

20 & 21 January OLD stallion licensing schedule

For Romance I - Depardieu - Fürst Heinrich - photo: OLD art

The preparations for the Oldenburg Stallion Days 2024 in Ankum are in full swing. From January 18th to 21st, the P.S.I. Sport and Auction Center Ankum will open its doors and welcome the young licensing candidates.

Stay tuned for an exquisite selection of show jumping and dressage stallions who will face the critical eyes of the licensing commission to earn the coveted Oldenburg licensing predicate. You can find the exact schedule here:

The entire OLD licensing will be available to follow LIVE at Clipmyhorse.

FEI publishes Olympic and Paralympic Rankings for Paris 2024 

Part of FEI Press Release

Following the end of the qualification period at 31 December 2023, the FEI has published the Olympic and Paralympic Rankings which are used as the basis for the individual qualification slots for Paris 2024, and where relevant for reallocation and composite team purposes as per the qualification systems inherent to each discipline.

We have outlined below the current status for team and individual qualification for Dressage - which, as you will note, is subject to confirmation based on the relevant qualification requirements, procedures and deadlines.

Dressage Update

Overall quota: 60 Athlete/Horse Combinations – 15 Teams (45 Athlete/Horse Combinations) & 15 Individual Athlete/Horse Combinations

You will find here the Dressage Qualification System and the 14 NOCs that have obtained a team quota place (subject to meeting relevant requirements – NOC Certificate of Capability to be confirmed by 8 January 2024): France (as host nation), Denmark, Great Britain, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, United States of America, Austria, Belgium, Spain, Poland, Brazil, Canada, Australia. These NOCs have until 5 February 2024 to confirm their Team quota place with the exception of France (as host country) who is required to confirm by 8 January 2024. The 15th team quota slot for Group F, which is yet to be allocated, will be confirmed as per the reallocation procedure of unused team quota places in the Dressage Qualification System in due course.

 

Once the teams have been confirmed (including any required reallocation process February/March 2024), only NOCs that have not accepted a Team quota place will be eligible to obtain one of the 15 Individual quota places, based on the FEI Olympic Ranking for Dressage published today (see links below) which is limited to the best four results per Athlete/Horse combination in Olympic Ranking events, within the period from 1 January 2023 – 31 December 2023. 

Currently, the following nations have qualified an individual qualification slot, however, depending on the reallocation of unused team quota places and/or should any nations decline their team slot (deadline 5 February 2024), the reallocation process for unused team quota places would have an impact on the nations listed below. Furthermore, should the overall quota of 60 places not have been filled after completing the reallocation process, the leftover quota places will be allocated via the overall FEI Olympic Rankings for Dressage and a NOC that has already earned/accepted an Individual quota place will be entitled to earn a second Individual quota place.

Individual Olympic Ranking including validated results from 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2023- DRESSAGE (As per the current status at 02/01/2024, the nations listed below have qualified one individual slot, however, this list of nations may change should any NOCs listed above decline their team slot or not meet the relevant requirements as per NOC Certificate of Capability.)  

  • Olympic Ranking - Group A: Norway and Finland

  • Olympic Ranking - Group B: Portugal and Luxembourg

  • Olympic Ranking - Group C: Lithuania and Moldova 

  • Olympic Ranking - Group D and E: Dominican Republic and Venezuela // through Pan Am Games: Ecuador and Chile 

  • Olympic Ranking - Group F: Morocco and Palestine 

  • Olympic Ranking - Group G: New Zealand and Singapore 

  • Highest ranked NOC not yet qualified: Switzerland 

TOTAL 15

Key upcoming deadlines – JUMPING, DRESSAGE & EVENTING

  • 08 JANUARY: Submission of NOC Certificate of Capability to FEI (Failure to submit a valid NOC Certificate of Capability by 8 January 2024 will result in the withdrawal of the team quota place as per the FEI Regulations for Equestrian Events at the Olympic Games. The FEI template of the NOC Certificate of Capability and the FEI Regulations for Equestrian Events at the Olympic Games detailing the required MERs for each discipline are available on the dedicated FEI Paris 2024 Olympic hub.)

  • 10 JANUARY: NOCs/NFs to be informed by FEI of their allocated team quota place

  • 15 JANUARY: Registration and change of Horse Ownership/Nationality deadline (Refer to Article 139 of the FEI General Regulations and Article 606 of the  FEI Regulations for Equestrian Events at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 for further details.) 

  • 05 FEBRUARY: NOCs/NFs to confirm or decline allocated team quota place to FEI

  • 19 FEBRUARY: NOCs/NFs to be informed by FEI of their allocated individual quota places and composite team(s) quota place(s) 

  • 18 MARCH: NOCs/NFs to confirm allocated individual & composite team quota places to FEI 

  • 28 MARCH: NOCs/NFs to nominate long list of potential Athletes to Paris 2024 

  • 24 JUNE: Deadline for achieving Olympic MERs for all Athlete/Horse combinations

  • 08 JULY: Paris 2024 Sport Entry deadline – NOCs submit final entries

Dressage – Olympic Ranking (31 December 2023)

Qualification System: 

Dressage Qualification System (updated 06 November 2023)

2023 List of Olympic Ranking Events & MERs Events (published 15 December 2022 - Updated 15 December 2023 - clean version)

2024 List of MERs Events (published 15 December 2023 - Updated 22 December 2023)

Links at H2R calendar for international dressage- and breeding events

Easy access to start lists, results and live stream

Remember to use H2R calendar and save to home screen if you want to have easy access to the current month international dressage- and breeding events with live stream including start & results for some national Danish events.

The calendar will of course be regulary updated if new events will be added during the current month.

KWPN late stallion pre-selection with full house for Danish Warmblood breeder Stutteri L-Horses

5 stallions received a ticket for 2nd round inspection at KWPN late pre-selection today

For Danish breeders Karsten Bundgaard og Maria Rudbeck, Stutteri L-Horses in Skanderborg today became the true icing of the cake, as both their stallions co-owned by Stal van de Sande received a ticket for the 2nd inspection taking place during the KWPN main licensing 2 & 3 February in s´Hertogenbosch.

More Stutteri L success as international rider Anna Kasprzak made national Grand Prix debut today with 8 yr old gelding Everian-L by Everdale/Hochadel scoring 70.400%.

Both stallions were also selected earlier this month for Danish Warmblood licensing taking place in Herning from 6 - 10 March 2024.

For Van Olst Horses today was both successful at CDI-W in Mechelen with Everdale and Lottie winning and for the late pre-selection they´ve also could add no 10 stallion for the 2nd inspection as their Glamourdale/Zhivago son also was selected.

Additionally the Secret / Spörcken was also selected today.

The 7 yr old stallion Vaderland by Vitalis / Krack C was also invited for the 2nd inspection.

Video clip of both Danish stallions from Danish Warmblood pre-selection:

Britain’s Fry and Everdale win sixth leg in Mechelen

Great Britain’s Charlotte (Lottie) Fry and her Tokyo 2020 Olympic ride, Everdale, were convincing winners of today’s sixth leg of the FEI Dressage World Cup™ 2023/2024 Western European League in Mechelen, Belgium.

Scoring 84.980 they pipped The Netherlands’ Marlies van Baalen and Habibi DBV for top spot, while two rising stars - Belgium’s Flore de Winne with Flynn FRH and Germany’s Rapahel Netz with Great Escape Camelot - filled third and fourth places.

The event attracted a truly international line-up, with Singapore’s Caroline Chew (Blue Hors Zatchmo) and India’s Anush Agarwalla (Sir Caramello OLD) amongst the first group of eight to come before the judges panel of Eduard de Wolff van Westerrode (NED), Jacques van Daele (BEL), Freddy Leymann (BEL), Isobel Wessels (GBR) and Christof Umbach (LUX). And it was de Winne and her fabulous nine-year-old stallion Flynn who were the first-half show-stealers when putting it right up to the rest of the field with a great performance that set the second-half target at better than 80.330 percent, much to the delight of her home crowd.

Threaten the lead

It came down to the final three to threaten that lead, van Baalen and the 11-year-old Habibi producing a lovely test for a mark of 81.160 that put them out in front, only to be immediately overtaken by Fry and her 14-year-old stallion who were next into the ring. 

In a ride that oozed precision, supreme confidence and class this pair presented a picture of coordination as they threw down strong half-pass and canter pirouette along with multiple big-scoring flying changes and, of course, Fry’s particular speciality - extended canter that lives up to its name. The spectators knew they had seen something special as they roared their approval when the score went up on the board. 

Last into the ring, German 24-year-old Raphael Netz didn’t let that un-nerve him or his new partner Great Escape Camelot, the multiple U25 gold medallist steering the former ride of Switzerland’s Estelle Wettstein to the last of the over-80-percent scores of the day when earning 80.215 with the 12-year-old horse he has only been competing internationally since March of this year.

The Netherlands’ Thamar Zweistra and Hexagon’s Ich Weiss slotted into fifth place ahead of Belgium’s Charlotte Defalque and Botticelli in sixth and Morgan Barbançon and Habana Libre A from France in seventh. Eighth place went to Belgium’s Larissa Pauluis who made little short of a miraculous recovery after her 13-year-old gelding Flambeau threw a bit of a tantrum at the very start of his test only to settle into some lovely work that pulled back their score to a very respectable 77.905 in the end.

Great joy

There was great joy at the Belgian results during the post-competition press conference in which Jeroen van Lent declared that Flore de Winne’s score was “another mark in the history of Dressage in Belgium getting the first 80 (percent) in history, so as manager of Belgian Dressage I am a happy man!”, he said. 

De Winne agreed. “Yes, we’re back! It is unbelievable, nobody could have dared to dream that!”, she said.

The excitement around herself and the very elegant stallion Flynn is growing with every outing. In London (GBR) just a couple of weeks ago the pair were already hugely impressive when finishing sixth in the Freestyle. At only nine years of age the horse is still developing, and the partnership he has established with his 28-year-old rider suggests there is so much more to come.

Asked if she thinks they could reach the level of today’s winners, Fry and Everdale, de Winne replied with honesty and conviction,

"“that is everyone's childhood dream and also my dream! We are slowly growing, we are both green at this level but I hope to get close in the future, or even better!"

Flore de Winne BEL

And asked if she found the atmosphere created by the packed arena of spectators difficult to handle she added, “we came from London and London was huge already but Mechelen is definitely on the same level as London. It was even more impressive to come through the corridor and enter the arena, it made my hair stand on end and I can’t wait to be back!” said the third-placed rider.

Full house

Runner-up van Baalen said the “the crowd here is amazing, it was a full house and you feel the great atmosphere!”

And today was a special day for the Dutch star too.

“Habibi and I rode a fantastic Freestyle. He had a break after the European Championship and we rode our first indoor again in Kronenberg (NED). That was a very good warm-up for Mechelen, and we rode a Personal Best in the Freestyle today so that was just great!”, she pointed out.

And of course Lottie Fry was also a happy lady. “It’s my third time here in Mechelen but my first time winning so that’s always more fun! I had a great ride yesterday and today on Everdale, I think these were two of his best ever tests, and he’s just improving all the time. And the atmosphere in there today was pretty incredible!

"Even for the Grand Prix there were so many spectators which we don’t always get so that was really nice to see, and the prize-giving was insane - it was like the roof was going to be lifted off!"

Lottie Fry GBR

said the 27-year-old who is second in the world rankings and who took double gold at the 2022 World Championships.

As 2023 draws to a close, the Western European League table still shows Sweden’s Patrik Kittel out in front while French rider Morgan Barbançon is second and young German, Netz, has moved into third following today’s result which has also boosted Fry into joint-sixth place.

With five more qualifiers to go before the series Final in April 2024 there is still plenty more action to come and the next leg in Basel, Switzerland in two weeks’ time will get the New Year underway. So don’t miss a hoofbeat….

Result

Standings

Day 3 with 18 selected KWPN stallions - 15 December

Day 3 with 4 sons by Glamourdale and 5 sons by Jameson RS2 invited for 2nd inspection

From day 3 the Glamourdale / Jazz stallion stood out with a lot of stallion expression, supple and powerful. This boy for sure look like a very interesting stallion for the breeding and future sport.

Also the 5 yr old NRPS approved stallion Everest by Especial / Negro has been invited for the 2nd inspection.

VIDEO - Everdale and Lottie Fry in a league of their own for today´s World Cup Grand Prix in Mechelen

Everdale and Lottie winner of World Cup Grand Prix with 76,152%

Everdale and Lottie were shining today. Lottie manage to show Everdale in an even more open outline for more parts of the test today, like also the piaffe tours are more relaxed and soft. The extended walk was shown today for a clear 8, but scored 7-8-7-8-7,5. Judge at Christoph Umbach saw the combination at just 71,848 while his collegues were from 76 - 78%. Result 76,152%.

It is a pleasure to watch Everdale at the subsequent pricegiving where just stands and enjoy the atmosphere.

Placed 2nd today is young Raphael Netz with Great Escape Camelot with new Personal Best 73,152%. Lovely side picture, super position and seat, lovely soft hand. A young combination just started their international career last year.

Marlies van Baalen and Habibi with a super solid performance without any technical issues but the walk tour becomes somewhat unbalanced.

Larissa Pauluis with Flambeau was best local combination with 72,500%, but entering the arena Flambeau looked a bit spooky, and Larissa clearly rode the first part of the test to feel if he was with her. Lovely passage, super sit and balance for the piaffe tours.

If you did not manage to watch the Grand Prix live today, you can find the entire class here below.

Here you find the detailed results.

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