CDI Al Shaqab 2013 - Grand Prix Freestyle

Today’s live stream of the Grand Prix freestyles from the CHI Al Shaqab did not cut out, and had the cool slow-motion shots that the jumpers did yesterday. Great shots of tack, clothing, and facial expressions of the horse and rider. Designed for our viewing pleasure!

Flying changes were still causing problems today!

Morgan Barbançon and Heimliche Liebe: 69.350

• Proved today that the troubles in yesterday’s ride were miscommunication. The highlight of the test is the bouncy and energetic passage, which was liberally shown. Heimliche Liebe shows some tension at times by curling her lips above her front teeth, but looks to be in a nice open frame. Barbaçon’s test began by showing off a good deal of passage. In the trot half-pass to passage half-pass, there was a little tightness in the trot, though it was active with good crossing, and the passage half-passes beautiful, with no loss of the gait. The transitions from passage to piaffe and up again are not quite smooth. Today, the two-tempis that started yesterday’s problems went off without a hitch: they were big changes, but with big aids. They were going to happen! Unfortunately, there was a mistake in the one-tempis, which were also too small and not straight. The canter pirouettes were small, though they could take more weight behind. Barbaçon’s test finished with the highlight piaffe-passage. I really liked her dramatic Swan Lake music, even though there is a lot of Tchaikovsky going around the past few seasons.

Anna Paprocka and Daiquiri: 65.025

• Daiquiri is an energetic horse, but can get a little tense in the test. The active passage could use to sit more. In piaffe, the horse drops behind the vertical and creeps forward. The trot extensions are big, but develop slowly to music that was quite jarring. I think the music was the weakest part of the freestyle: unceasingly loud, and Paprocka got ahead of it by the end. The trot zig-zag was active with clear, soft changes of bend. The extended walk showed the horse’s tension and lacked sufficient stretch. Daiquiri lost balance before the left canter pirouette and came above the bit. The right pirouette was big, but better in the contact. Definitely an improvement on yesterday’s ride.

Silvia Rizzo and Donnerbube: 65.400

• The horse looked a little livelier today, which improved the overall picture. Donnerbube is always in a nice frame. The music, however, was a weak point in the ride: “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree” has already been used in a well known way by Tina Konyot, and Dukas’s “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” was too fast for the walk. Also, the music did not fit together in any theme, even when—as it canter and trot—it was suitable for the horse. The passage was a highlight again today, with the piaffes still very small. Today the trot half-passes had better rhythm, but the haunches were lagging. Donnerbube did not step under sufficiently in the trot extensions or the tempi changes, though the ones down the centerline were very straight. In the canter half passes, the horse stepped better underneath itself. Though the passage got a bit rushed on the final centerline, it was nicely active.

Henri Ruoste and Don’t Forget 2: 64.675

• The first extended trot of the test was powerful, but a bit uneven behind, but the other two were big and ground-covering without unevenness. The slow motion footage showed the horse’s tongue come out very briefly at one point, a sign that there was tension in the test that was not so apparent in the live stream. The half-passes were light, but a bit too quick in rhythm. The transitions between piaffe and passage were smoother today. The collected walk became tense and almost pacing. The canter pirouettes were big and the steps were too big around. There was a mistake in the first series of two-tempis, but they were repeated with good ground cover. Unfortunately, they led up to a pirouette with a bobble in the preparation. The one-tempis were a bit stuck behind. At the end of the test, Ruoste does a pair of ten-meter circles in passage before passaging up the centerline. I am not sure that the circles are the best choice of movement, however, since they cause the horse to become uneven behind in its otherwise excellent passage.

Minna Telde and Don Charly: 72.575

• An interesting start: halt into piaffe pirouette and then into canter work. The piaffe pirouette showed the best piaffe of the test: the most active and in place. The canter pirouettes had good canter rhythm, but got a bit big. Don Charly showed a huge extended canter without rushing or getting tense. The twos were straight down the centerline, but the pair had a missed change in the one-tempis, which overall could have used more push from behind. The extended walk was marching with nice stretch. Don Charly’s expressive trot became a little quick and flat in the trot half-passes. The trot extensions were super expressive again. The last piaffe was big, but creeping forward. Telde showed nice piaffe-passage transitions, and finished with an expressive one-handed passage.

Laurens van Lieren and Ulysses La Haya: 70.925

• The pair enters in extended trot and the music theme is clear: it’s gonna be Queen! The extended trots are ground-covering, but a little rushed. In the frame of the body, the piaffe is excellent, but Ulysses La Haya needs to lift his limbs more and not inch forward. The piaffe-passage transitions were clearly executed. The canter pirouettes were executed into the rail, which was very effective in keeping them small, though the horse jumped a little together behind at times. The two-tempis on a circle were big, but lost a little uphill tendency. On the other hand, the ones—after a mistake in beginning them—were more uphill, but were a little stuck. The walk, both collected and extended, was relaxed and showed good over-track. Unfortunately, Ulysses La Haya cantered into the transition from walk to trot. The final passage was running away from van Lieren a little, but was still active and uphill.

Peter Boggreve and Laureus: 68.750

• The test began with a trot half-pass that was a little short and quick, but with good crossing. In the piaffe and passage, Laureus could use to take more weight behind and show a little more energy. The pirouettes had good canter rhythm and came up nicely in front. The one-tempis on the diagonal were flowing and ground-covering. The walk was executed way ahead of the music, either because Boggreve wanted to perform the transition at a letter, or because the horse decided it was time to walk. The extended trot is a bit out behind. In the overall picture, the contact with the mouth is lovely and soft.

Joyce Heuitink and Wup: 69.850

• Heuitink sets the tempo with and energetic extended trot to energetic passage. Wup crosses in front in piaffe and could use to bring his hind legs more underneath him. The left trot half-pass was super, with Wup really carrying himself forward and sideways. The canter pirouette right started small, but got big; the left was the opposite. There was a mistake at the end of the two-tempis. Wup jumped nicely up and forward in the changes, but in the one-tempis, he swung his haunches very slightly. In the canter half-passes, the horse stepped nicely under and separated his hind legs. This final passage was a little rushed and uneven. Wup is nicely responsive to Heuitink’s aids.

Kristina Sprehe and Donnerball: 69.875

• Donnerball is a lovely horse and Sphrehe a lovely rider, but their ride had too many major mistakes today, mostly in the collection. The piaffe was a problem every time, with the horse stopping in the transition and not really picking up the piaffe rhythm. Oddly, there was lots of piaffe in the test. The extended trots are very good, big and even from front to back, with lots of over-track, though they were better on longer lines (centerline, full diagonal) than on the few short diagonals Sprehe used. The left canter pirouette was huge, but with better sit today and with a good canter rhythm. The right pirouette had some resistance, but was smaller. The one-tempi changes were lovely and uphill, carrying Donnerball nicely across the arena. Sprehe’s face showed she was not too thrilled with her test, especially since she ended way ahead of her music.

Dorothee Schneider and Kaiserkult TSF: 72.375

• Kaiserkult’s piaffe closes well at the base, but should be more in place. His passage could have more energy, and in the transition from piaffe to passage, he often leaves a leg out behind. The horse has a funny habit of opening and closing his mouth, though it is clearly just a habit, since Schneider’s hands are lovely. The trot extensions have good reach, but could be more up in front, and the trot half-passes lose a degree of suspension. The left canter pirouette had kept the canter rhythm very well, but needed a little more bend; the one to the right was excellent. In the canter half-passes, Kaiserkult steps well underneath himself. The one-time changes were ridden well uphill, but became a little stuck towards the end. The extended trot made for a great dramatic final centerline. Schneider is a very tactful rider.

Gonçalo Carvalho and Rubi: 74.225

• This is fantastic music and a nice overall picture, but unfortunately there were a number of small mistakes today. A break into trot during the canter, kicks in the passage to keep it active (they were effective, though: the passage was improved from yesterday), missed changes in the one-tempis. During the freestyle, the already amazing piaffe was more energetic with more spring than in yesterday’s test, and Rubi looks like he could piaffe all day. The extended trots were a little rushed again. Carvalho executed a marvelous soft transition from piaffe to extended walk, though the later walk became somewhat tense. The changes executed on a circle were the straightest of anyone to do them on a curve, but there were, sadly, mistakes in them. The halt at the end was perfectly square.

Patrik Kittel and Toy Story: 74.275

• Toy Story has very good, springy gaits, but overall, could use to sit more behind and come more uphill. In piaffe and passage the croup needed to come under more, though the passage had lots of bounce, and the piaffe had more lift than yesterday. The trot half-passes reach powerfully across the arena, and did not get tight in the neck today. The collected walk was relaxed and had good over-track—better over-track, surprisingly, than the extended walk. In the left canter pirouette, the canter was flat again and the haunches swung out a little. The right pirouette was big, but the haunches did not swing around. The canter half-passes were really well ridden, like the ones in trot.

Lisbet Seierskilde and Jonstrupgaardens Raneur: 74.525

• A lovely mistake-free test. The extended trots have good over-track, but could use open up more in the frame. The trot half-pass had excellent rhythm and crossing, keeping the suspension. Raneur’s super bouncy passage gets a bit uneven at times. The piaffe is active and in place. In both the two- and one-tempi changes, the horse has a lot of jump, but comes up in the croup a little. The canter half-passes traveled nicely sideways, but lost a little energy. Raneur swung his haunches around just slightly in the pirouettes, but they are otherwise small with super sit. Seierskilde’s test has a tricky little move where she goes from extended walk (which was just a little out behind) to piaffe to canter pirouette, which she executed flawlessly. Her choice of music suited the horse well: mostly classical with flute and strings that gave the freestyle both lightness and drama.

Natalie zu Sayn-Wittgenstein and Digby: 78.825

• Digby looked a little tight or tired in trot in comparison to yesterday, but the test was still clearly the best. The trot half-passes were super correct, but needed more suspension. The piaffe was beautiful: exactly in place, croup lowered, forearms lifting. The transitions between piaffe and passage are clear and appear effortless. In the extended walk, Digby marched very positively into the contact. The canter half-passes were uphill, with Digby carrying himself sideways and separating his hind legs. The one-tempi changes  were straight, sitting, and forward. The first two canter pirouettes lost the canter rhythm, but the second two were excellent: good in the canter and tiny. On the final centerline, the transition from canter to piaffe pirouette was smooth and clear. A harmonious pair, and again, the clear winners.

The large man and small Arabian were back again today, so I actually got to see them go. The horse is a bit quick in trot and often loses rhythm. It piaffes in place, but gets a bit wide behind. In the walk, the rider looked around to check out the scene. The canter is the lively horses highlight. Lacks polish and needs a little more relaxation, but not too shabby. Lots done one-handed: the rider is a ham!

CDI Al Shaqab 2013 - Grand Prix

Today, I watched the live stream from the CDI Grand Prix at Al Shaqab in Doha, Qatar. My initial thought was that the arena was terribly noisy. The sounds of yelling kids and brash too-loud music echoed through the enormous dome. I imagine that it was a hard atmosphere to ride in, though none of the horses seemed obviously phased by it. The noisy indoor was beautiful, though, with its sleek metal frame and appropriately Arabic styling for the arena rails.

The second issue was the live stream. It worked perfectly when I watched the jumpers galloping around the show’s gorgeous fences. And there were neat close-up shots of matching helmets and coats and fly bonnets and saddle pads, in the fashionable way of the jumper riders. The dressage footage cut out more and more as the class went on, so that I missed a good deal of Natalie du-Sayn Wittgenstein’s lovely winning ride.

The trouble of the day: tempi changes. It seemed like there was hardly a ride without a missed change or at least a change together behind.

In order of go:

Kristina Sprehe and Donnerball: 67.894

• Donnerball is nicely even from front to back in the trot extensions (like Sprehe’s top horse Desperados), but could still use to build up a little more suspension in them. The second extended trot was better than the first in this respect. The rhythm of the passage is good, but does not carry into the piaffe, though Donnerball does stay in front of the vertical in the frame. Sprehe maintained a nice consistent frame through the test, even in the difficult piaffe. There was a small bobble in the transition from walk to passage. The canter work showed fluid, ground-covering changes, but overall the horse needs to develop more sit in the canter (evident in the pirouettes). A nice developing combination.

Morgan Barbançon and Heimliche Liebe: 60.447

• Everything was going quite nicely until the changes. There was minor stiffness in the right half-pass, which improved to the left. The piaffe and passage was a highlight, with nice transitions. But the two-tempis did not happen at all. She cantered left through the corner, executed a nice change to the right, and then the horse swung its haunches and pulled on the bit for most of the rest of the diagonal before finally executing one left change and another to the right. No problem with the left change at the end of the extension, but missed one in the zig-zag, and then there were almost no one-tempis. The right pirouette was tiny, but the horse trotted at the end. The left was very good in size and canter rhythm. The final passage was big and springy. The fact that she could execute any good movements after the mid-test fiasco is a testament to her mental strength. Also, the 60% is a testament to the strength of the rest of the ride, since the canter and submission scores must have been quite low. I expect the problems are the result of miscommunication with a very new horse.

Peter Borggreve and Laureus: 65.213

• First a style note: the tails of Borggreve’s coat are so short as to be indistinguishable from a short coat. The first piaffe had nice sit and forearm lift, but was not sufficiently in place. The collected walk showed good over-track, which is rarely seen. In the second passage, there could have been more sit, and the piaffe, in addition to creeping forward, didn’t hit a rhythm. The canter work was lost to the frustrating live-stream. Sigh.

Laurens van Lierens and Ulysses La Haya: 68.936

• This horse has a fantastic ability to drop its croup and sit, which makes for a very nice picture. The trot extensions were fluid and carrying with good over-track. In the early passage, the horse stepped nicely underneath itself, but made a few rhythm mistakes and the sitting piaffe crept forward. The tempi changes were big, but could have been more uphill. The extended canter floated softly across the diagonal: big without getting frantic. Up the final centerline, the piaffe-passage was very good and expressive, with only a little creep in the piaffe.

Dorothee Schneider and Kaiserkult TSF: 69.489

• After a nice entry and extension, the horse lost some power in the trot half-passes. In the piaffe, the horse lifts its legs in exactly the way Diva Royal does, which I presume must be a signature of Schneider’s training. Unfortunately, Kaiserkult’s piaffe is still a bit of a struggle, and the transition out into passage was a bit unclear. The two-tempis were huge, and the ones good, but a little stuck in comparison. Both pirouettes showed good rhythm and were decent in size, though the one to the left could have used a little more bend. The frame in the final piaffe and passage was good, but the passage was a bit too flat.

Henri Ruoste and Don’t Forget 2: 63.021

• The horse shows a nice piaffe and passage, but gets a bit behind the vertical in piaffe. With sit, power, and ground-cover, the two-tempis were excellent, but unfortunately Ruoste had a big mistake in the ones. The horse’s haunches swung off parallel quite a bit in the zig-zag. The pirouettes showed sit, but were very big. They had a nice final centerline, showing piaffe and passage in good rhythm and clear transitions between them.

Minna Telde and Don Charly: 68.809

• Don Charly started his test with his characteristically excellent extended trot, forearms reaching up and out and hind legs stepping well underneath himself. The half-passes in trot showed nice bend and crossing. There was a small bobble in the first passage, but the transitions in and out of the piaffe were clear and in the piaffe itself, Don Charly lifted his forelegs and sat very nicely. The two-tempis were a bit hurried and had a mistake near the end, but the ones were better. Both pirouettes, especially the left, were a bit big, even though the horse sat nicely behind Down the final centerline, the pair showed their best piaffe and passage.

Gonçalo Carvalho and Rubi: 69.979

• In the trot extensions, Rubi is nicely matched back to front, but lacks suspension. The trot half-passes have good bend and crossing and the haunches stayed more parallel than most. Rubi stepped nicely under himself in the first passage, but this nice form was lost a little in the later passage. In the piaffe Rubi is closed at the base, in a good frame, in rhythm, and perfectly in place: the highlight of the test. The extended walk lacked stretch at the beginning and was a little slow. The passage lost its rhythm before the canter transition. The changes are big, but just a little hurried. On the final centerline, the passage became almost out behind, but the piaffe was superior, as usual.  Carvalho has a beautiful position and invisible aids.

Joyce Heuitink and Wup: 67.234

• In the trot half-passes, the horse was a bit resistant to the bend, though better to the left than the right. In the reinback, Wup dragged his feet. The two-tempis were big, as were the ones, though there was a mistake in them. The canter zig-zage was executed with precision. The pirouettes had good sit, but the one to the right was a bit bigger. On the final centerline, there was not quite a clear transition into piaffe, but the passage itself was powerful.

Lisbet Seierskilde and Jonstrupgaardens Raneur: 69.787

• Though this horse has a difficult neck that tends to get tight and short, especially in the piaffe, Seierskilde rode very well. The piaffe and passage were active with good transitions. The extended walk has good march and overstep, despite the insufficient stretch in Raneur’s neck. The collected walk was a little tense. In the one-tempis, the horse started a little short and tight, but they improved quickly and became expressive. The pirouettes were small and Raneur came nicely up in front.

Silvia Rizzo and Donnerbube: 63.596

• In the trot tour, Donnerbube appears quite sticky, though the second extension had more drive. The halt before the reinback was square and the reinback had clear diagonal steps. The passage is big, but the horse shuffles in the piaffe. The extended walk was also a bit tight. The one-tempis were short behind. In the pirouette, there is a significant loss of the canter rhythm. Donnerbube is a powerful horse, but could use more suppleness.

Patrik Kittel and Toy Story: 71.830

• I missed most of the highlights of the test when the live stream cut out. The trot half-passes were expressive and had good crossing, though Toy Story got a bit low in the neck. Toy Story is similarly weak in piaffe and pirouettes: he does not close at the base or sit enough. In the piaffe, the rhythm is good, but the horse does not lift its legs enough. The last piaffe was best, and the passage is dilligent, springy and active.

Natalie zu-Sayn Wittgenstein and Digby: 75.426

• Very good piaffe and passage, where the horse stepped nicely under himself and executed clean transitions. Digby marched across the arena in a relaxed extended walk with good over-track. The tempi changes were big and flowing. The pirouettes were small and keep a good canter rhythm. Digby looks more powerful and developed than ever, on top of the correctness the pair has always shown. A well deserved win.

Anna Paprocka and Daiquiri: 59.851

• In the half-passes, the horse’s nice trot got very small and flat, though it was better to the left. The transition from passage to canter was quite early. Lots of tension caused a mistake in the two-tempis and made the zig-zag rushed. The pirouettes were very big and lost rhythm at the end. The live stream cut off the final centerline.

The day ended with a demo freestyle of a large man on a small Arabian. It seemed quite well trained, doing obedient one-tempis and cantering nicely into the double bridle. But I couldn’t tolerate the live stream, so I did not watch to the end.

Dressage Commentary

I am starting this blog with the hope of contributing to the commentary on dressage riding and competition at the FEI levels. There are many excellent eyes out there already, but not many post their thoughts for others to read and consider. Over time, watching the skills and struggles of the greats has been a boon to my own riding. I hope my remarks will be of value, or at least of interest, to others.

Shout-outs to my favourite reads:

• Eurodressage, whose commentary is so thorough, I wish it existed for every CDI there is.
• Horse2Rider, whose remarks are brief, but astute.
• Karen Robinson, whose snappy (if sometimes harsh!) blogs The Low Down and Straight-Up are the closest we have to real analysis journalism in the horse world.