Roger Fitzhardinge previews the second day of Grand Prix competition

By Roger Fitzhardinge

The second day’s Grand Prix (Sunday, 7 August) is going to be super exciting, with the better team members competing. The other exciting part is going to be seeing the newer combinations, and there is no obvious winners here with many exciting, wonderful horses. It is going to be a really fabulous day with some wonderfully seasoned horses that for sure will take the eye.

Then there is a huge group that score in the mid-70% that will be all trying so hard to get to the best they can; will that be by going all out and risking a mistake, or being safe for the team and making no mistakes?

One that will take the eye, especially in the trot work, will be Ryan Torkkeli and Sternenwanderer,
a wonderfully elegant bay with a cadenced, huge trot and really impressive work. The canter perhaps lacks the uphill tendency, but what a horse for the Canadian team.

Of course all eyes will be on Charlotte Dujardin and Imhotep, by Vivaldi. This bold chestnut shows all movements, but perhaps in the warm up showed a little lack of maturity in the atmosphere with him loosing attention and therefore plenty of work on the basics with much attention to the entry and the square halts. Charlotte is of course the consummate rider, and she oozed her way around the warm up day with confidence and humility. She loves the big competitions and is so cool.

Lyndal Oatley and the dappled grey Eros will be pushing for a personal best, and with the consistent work we saw in the warm up day, this will for sure be in reach with a highlight being the piaffe and passage and Eros the trier above all. The combination looking fabulous and with the frame more up now and Eros carry more, this will be a great test to see.

Lyndal Oatley and Eros.

© Roger Fitzhardinge

An all-time favourite who wowed the few people in the stands watching the final warm familiarisation session was the simply magnificent and supremely confident Therese Nilshagen for Sweden. The beautiful black stallion Dante Weltino would have to be a huge medal contender, and with not a mistake in the changes where he made a few minor glitches recently at CHIO Aachen to lose marks. The piaffe and passage is as good as it gets; let’s hope he can take this in to the arena. It was hair standing up on the back of the neck work, and seriously the trot work was breathtakingly wonderful, made all the more beautiful with the diminutive Therese sitting so in balance with imperceivable aids. It was as you dream of!

It’s the big guns, and next is Isabell Werth and DSP Quantaz by Quaterback. Isabell is simply a genius and this horse when you see walking along on a loose rein doesn’t give the impression of a top scoring horse, and then the magic begins when she picks up the reins. This horse doesn’t have the expansive paces that some show, but Isabell makes the most of every step and what preparations and positions she gets, but she has probably ridden more winning Grand Prix tests than anyone riding dressage in the world! It’s amazing. The walk will be the testing place to see if she can mix it with the big guns, as tension here can interrupt the fluency of the walk, but we will see.

Steffen Peters was keeping Suppenkasper under wraps with just a snaffle, no spurs or whip, and only walking, with the occasional steps of great piaffe, so we will have to sit and see, but another one to watch. It is important to keep these horses fresh, as they will have three tests in three days, so experience says don’t leave the best work in the warm up days!

Isabel Freese and Total Hope for Norway was another inspiring stallion, and some stunning work! There was a serious explosive moment in the piaffe and let’s hope he has that out of his system. He’s a glorious horse, and being by Totilas it will for sure draw big attention.

Morgan Barbançon for France on Sir Donnerhall II OLD is of interest and one that may well surprise.

Aussie Simone Pearce was laid back during the last warm up day with Fiderdance, and will have a great wake up entry into the arena for Australia, as she will follow Great Britain’s diminutive Charlotte Fry. Glamourdale made a few canter movements forward and back to check the brakes and the accelerator, and what an impressive horse indeed. The canter is so uphill and expressive. All hope will be here, and everyone loves the full on attitude here and an exciting horse indeed.

Then there was a horse that simply wowed everyone in Indian Rock by Vitalis and ridden for Holland by Emmelie Scholtens. Just you wait to watch this rock star. The piaffe and passage show the most sitting and expressive forehand. The trot was huge and the canter so uphill. If there are no mistakes, this combination may well be a huge success.

Next will be the golden girl of the competition in Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour and Vamos Amigos. What an amazing rider and attitude in the final familiarisation. She simply walked and did a few moments of work, then walk again. The piaffe and passage was in rising trot and it was obvious that this is quite some amazing horse. The frame was quite round and the suppleness and softness was all she worked on. It’s obvious that this horse can be the V8 and sharp and full of expression, so wait and see. The changes this day were perhaps a little too sharp and keen, and maybe could cover more ground, but you have the feeling you were seeing simply 5% of what was in there!

Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour and Vamos Amigos with Kyra Kyrklund and Princess Natalie.

© Roger Fitzhardinge

It just keeps coming, and Touchdown by Quaterback for Sweden’s Patrik Kittel were out there showing what was in store for the competition with great expressive piaffe and passage, and expression to burn. What a horse, and experience here will show and hopefully no mistakes to make the Swedish team a hot contender.

Second to last is Frederic Wandres and the unassuming chestnut, Duke Of Britain. What a campaigner and he just gets on with the job and is not unassuming in the way he is ridden and the wonderful correct test that Freddie rides. There are no weak points in this horse’s repertoire, and what a great test they will put together for the last of the German team members!

Last to go for the USA will be Salvino and Adrienne Lyle, and what a way to bring the US team home. Adrienne showed sensational work. Collected and expressive and so in front of the leg, with Adrienne so still and the aids totally not apparent. A horse that also could really come to the fore, and the work looks the best that has been seen from this pair. Will it be their day, and will the US team be up for a medal?

The team competition will be now decided and it’s going to be so open. The standard across the team and the world is improving so much and there is no outstanding team; they are all so good.

It’s worth watching every horse. It’s going to be the best day ever for dressage, and the mood around the venue is positive, happy and easy, and everyone just thinking of their own horses and making the best they can do with not thinking of the end %, just doing the best to show their training and horse to the best they can. The feeling is one of great interest, with so many great horses and a very open competition.

View the draw here.

When will the Aussies compete?

Sunday, 7 August

Lyndal Oatley and Eros: 3.20pm local time, 11.20pm AEST

Simone Pearce and Fiderdance: 7pm local time, 3am Monday AEST

Draws and live results from Herning can be found here.

Read more about the Aussie dressage team in the August issue of Equestrian Life here.

You can watch all the action from the FEI World Championships in Herning via Clip My Horse TV.

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