CDIO3* Wellington Dressage Nations Cup - Prix St. Georges

I watched most but not all of the Wellington Nations Cup CDI, and include here remarks on most of the rides that I got a chance to see. Watching lots of riders from the Americas,  I noted a common (though not universal) difference from the Europeans. The American (not just US) horses tend to be very evenly developed back-to front, but the European horses are ridden with a flamboyance that the American horses lack. Today, flamboyance was sometimes associated with tension, and the the solid American rides scored better. Of course, in the end, we all aspire to ride a relaxed, willing horse with knees that reach it's nose!

Also, I have to hand it to the USEFNetwork. Last week, technical problems led to a terrible live stream for the Global Dressage Festival CDI5* Freestyles. But they made lots of sincere apologies for the trouble and vowed to fix things for this week. And they delivered! The live stream has been flawless, and they're quickly posting video-on-demand of the rides.

Note that the nations listed next to the names are the team names, which don't always correspond to the rider's actual nationality (for example, EUR for Europe is not a nationality!).

Kimberly Herslow & Rosmarin (USA I): 72.079%

• This pair was the well-deserved winner of the class. Herslow did not produce the most expressive ride, but it was smooth, correct, and without mistakes. Rosmarin has a very nice extended trot, with good over-track and pushing dynamically across the arena. In the volte, Herslow did a good job keeping the uphill balance. The trot half-passes had good bend, but the haunches could have been a little closer to parallel. Both walk pirouettes were small and active, with the one to the right slightly better. Romarin was swinging nicely through the back in the extended walk, though he is a little slow. Herslow produced good collection for the canter pirouettes, getting her horse to close at the base and lift up in front. The four-tempi changes needed to be bigger, and the three-tempi changes were smaller than the fours. The extended canter was beautifully uphill.

Heidi Gaian & Chicago (ARG): 66.132%

• Chicago's trot was a nicely active, though a little uneven in rhythm at times, improving through the trot work. The extended trot was ground-covering, but a little quick and needed more reach in front. Gaian rode trot half-passes that were active with good crossing. The horse collected very nicely for the canter half-pirouettes, but got just a little flat by the end. The flying changes were the highlight of the test: in all of the Chicago jumped up and stepped well underneath himself. 

Christopher Hickey & Witness Hilltop (USA II): 68.237%

• Hickey started off with a big medium trot which was slightly rushed. The movements—like the excellent trot half-pass left, which really crossed and reached forward and sideways—were generally very well executed, but Witness Hilltop was sometimes a just little unsteady in rhythm or contact as a result of tension. There was a small resistance in the walk before the half-pirouette right. The horse collected very well for the canter pirouettes, sitting and closing at the base. The extended canter was big, like the extended trot, but was also a little rushed and could have come up more in front. A good test that could just use that last bit of polish.

Marco Bernal & Farewell IV (COL): 65.342%

• Well, they began on a 40% with a very odd resistance in the first halt: it started out at a 45º angle and then Farewall backed up. Luckily, this was not a sign for anything to come. The rest of Bernal’s ride was very soft, with just small mistakes. The shoulder in had a good, consistent angle and the horse stepped under well. Farewell showed some resistance to the bend at the beginning of the right trot half-pass, but finished nicely. The canter half-pirouettes were small, but could use to come up more in front.

Christilot Boylen & Dio Mio (CAN I): 70.395%

• The trot work was very good. The shoulder-in was a bit steep, restricting it just slightly, but the still of good quality and better to the right. The trot half-passes were super, stepping actively forward and sideways. In the collected walk, the horse was very tense, opening its mouth and dropping the bit. Then the horse gave a major resistance in the transition from walk to canter. In the canter half-passes, Dio Mio could reach more sideways. The flying changes had good jump and were uphill, though could cover more ground. Overall, the canter and trot work was super, and Boylen might have gone into the lead had it not been for the tensions in the walk.

Lindsay Kellock & Hunter Douglas Rhapsody (CAN II): 65.974%

• Kellock kept Rhapsody in a quite forward trot, which was appropriate to maintain his gaits, but sometimes led to some inconsistency in the rhythm. In the shoulder-in left, Rhapsody had good angle, but needed more bend.  The haunches trailed slightly in the canter half-passes, but the canter itself was expressive. The canter pirouettes were small, but Rhapsody's canter became quite flat. The tempis could have shown more reach up and forward in the forelegs, but were sufficiently ground-covering.

Kristy Treubenbach Lund & Reel Adventure (AUS): 60.316%

• In the first shoulder-in, Reel Adventure drifted off the rail slightly at the beginning, and lacked sufficient reach forward and sideways. The walk pirouettes were not sufficiently active behind, with the horse rotating on his hind legs. The extended walk was relaxed with good stretch. Reel Adventure broke out of the canter after a small half-pirouette to the left, and the half-pirouette right was quite big. The four- and three-tempi changes were a bit short and small. Treubenbach Lund had an unfortunate mistake in the flying change after her nicely forward extended canter. 

Patricia Ferrando & Alpha’s Why Not (VEN): 63.316%

• Why Not has a huge extended trot, though it could use to come up more in front. Ferrando had trouble maintaining a consistent angle in the shoulder-in. There was some tension in the early collected canter, continuing into the half-passes, though they showed very good crossing behind. The canter pirouettes lost the quality of the canter. The tempi changes could be more uphill, though they were nicely ground covering.

Juan Matute, Jr. & Gasper (ESP): 65.895%

• The medium trot was even from front to back and stepped under well, but could have used more suspension; the extended trot was more expressive, but was uneven at the beginning. The collected walk was a little hurried, though the half-pirouettes were small and active. In the canter half-passes, Gasper could have crossed more behind, though the changes at X and M were super. The half-pirouettes were quite big. Matute missed the first count of his threes, though the changes, again, were of good quality.

Caroline Roffman & Her Highness O (USA I): 69.684%

• Roffman’s test started with a super medium trot with lift and ground cover. In the shoulder-in, the horse stepped well underneath itself, maintaining a correct bend and angle. In all the trot work, the rhythm was totally consistent. Well, except for an unfortunate break into canter in the extended trot. The collected walk had good over-track. In the walk pirouettes, Her Highness O led slightly with her haunches, but the pirouettes were small and active. The canter pirouettes were the highlight of the test: tiny, uphill, with a sufficient number of strides. In the three tempis, two changes were together or late behind. Roffman’s test had elements of super quality, but tensions in her horse led to some costly mistakes.

Mauricio Sanchez & First Fisherman (COL): 63.500%

• What a laugh from the announcer for Sanchez’s test: “Could we open the gate, please? This isn’t a Prix Caprilli team competition.” Snarky! Sanchez actually rode a shoulder-in on three tracks (unlike most people on four!), but the horse’s weight needed to come more onto his haunches. The half-pass left could have been more parallel. First Fisherman wagged his head in the extended walk, I think because Sanchez was asking him to stretch down more. The canter pirouettes were small and very well prepared, but needed a little more jump. The tempi changes could also have used more lift off the ground, though the fours were better than the threes. Sanchez’s riding was soft and tactful.

Kevin Kohman & Zephyr (EUR): 67.132%

• Kohman maintained an absolutely consistent rhythm through all the trot work, but the horse could have been more expressive and uphill. The extended walk needed more over-track. The canter half-pass left had excellent crossing, but the flying change at X was a bit crooked and Zephyr’s haunches trailed a little the right half-pass. The pirouettes were small with a good canter rhythm. Kohman finished on a super final halt: straight and square, and not proceeded by any funny lateral adjustments. A test with no mistakes. 

Maya Markowski & Lumiere (CAN II): 66.789%

• The extended trot was very good, stepping under and reaching forward in front. Lumiere became very much on the forehand in the voltes. Markowski’s walk pirouettes were a little big, but maintained the walk nicely. In the flying change between the canter half-passes, Lumiere became quite crooked. Markowski could not quite keep the canter for the left canter half-pirouette; though the canter was better to the right, the pirouette was bigger. And then the live stream went off air! So much for my praise? Nope, it only lasted a minute. Markowski's ride was further demonstration that one can get a nice score through good riding, even when one's horse is not the biggest mover.

Kelly Layne & Von Primaire (AUS): 63.579%

• Whoops, another ride with that silly little mistake of drifting off the rail in the shoulder-in! Layne kept a good quality in the trot in half-passes, but they needed more bend. The canter pirouettes were small and kept good activity and rhythm, but unfortunately, Von Primaire changed right out of the half-pirouette right. Actually, Von Primaire was flying-change-happy today, throwing in some one-tempis in the threes! Layne has a lovely position, both upright and soft. 

Alida Coburn & Darius (VEN): 59.947%

• Coburn produced an obedient test, but it was definitely in need of more impulsion. The half-passes in both trot and canter needed to show more bend in the body. The flying changes after the pirouettes was nice, and the tempis ground-covering, though they needed more jump. 

Carlos Munoz & Klouseau (ESP): 65.342%

• Klouseau started out with a medium trot that was very even from front to back and had good reach, but was just a little rushed. Munoz produced very good crossing in the trot half-passes. The extended walk was diligent and stretched nicely, but could have shown more relaxation in the horse’s back. The canter pirouettes were small and uphill, though Klouseau lost his balance ever so slightly at the end. Munoz asked for his right flying change after the pirouettes at H instead of C, tried to repeat it and lost the canter. Whoops! The change was very nice too! The judges clearly didn’t know what to score, giving it from a 1 to a 4. Other than that absentminded moment, it was a very nice test. 

Carmen Franco & Vinho Dos Pinhais (COL): 63.132%

• The medium and extended trots were quite nice, with the horse showing good over-track and really reaching forward in front. In both voltes, the horse traveled slightly in haunches-in. The half-pirouette left in walk rotated on planted hind legs, but the one to the right was more active. The canter half-passes both showed excellent bend, though the haunches trailed in the one to the left. The pirouettes needed a little more preparation and collection, becoming quite big. The horse steps well underneath itself in the canter, making especially for very good flying changes. This is a fancy little Lusitano, and quite young, leaving time for future improvement.

Lars Petersen & Chicco Roslev (EUR): 70.447%

• Chicco Roslev reaches nicely in the medium and extended trot, but could use more elasticity. The horse should step under more in the voltes. The half-pirouettes at the walk kept the walk rhythm very well, and stepped around nicely, though were slightly unbalanced (perhaps we need some judging discussion here, though, since Petersen got 7s and 7.5s except for one judge, who saw a 5, probably because of the degree of imbalance). The canter pirouettes were very collected, but needed more bend. The first of the four-tempis was late behind, but the rest were big. Petersen keeps Chicco Roslev in a very correct and consistent uphill frame.

Lee Tubman & De La Rosa (CAN II): 67.632%

• While De La Rosa showed correct bend and crossing in the shoulder-ins and half-passes, she would score better if she took more weight behind. The collected walk was very relaxed and had good over-track. The extended walk was lovely, with De La Rosa reaching into the contact, stepping over her tracks and staying relaxed in the back. The mare got a bit heavy in the collection for the canter pirouettes and began to open her mouth quite a bit. A few of the changes in the test were late behind. Despite the mistakes, the tempis were very straight. 

Alejandro Gomez & Revenge (VEN): 67.000%

• Revenge showed good shoulder-in on three tracks in both directions. The left half-pass had sufficient crossing, but the one to the right needed a little more. The flying change between the canter half-passes was very straight. While the canter pirouettes were small, they could have come more up in front. Gomez had some mistakes in the four-tempi changes, the first change was behind the aids, and there was a issue with the count. The changes themselves jumped up nicely.

Juan Matute & Don Diego (ESP): 65.816%

• Don Diego has nice elevation in his trot, though he still has a funny tendency to drag his toes a little behind. The half-pass left showed resistance to the outside leg, with Don Diego first trailing the hind-leg and then cantering. The horse became uneven in collected walk, stepping short on the left. Matute rode a very good change of bend and direction in the canter half-passes, smooth and prompt. The canter pirouette left was in place, but got a bit deep in the neck; the one to the right was a little bit bigger, but in a good frame. The tempis came up well in front. The final half was very precisely executed and perfectly square.