FEI World Cup Final 2013 - Grand Prix

The day started out with the disappointing news that Kristina Sprehe's Desperados turned up lame in practice and had to be withdrawn. I don't think she would have been likely to win, but she would have placed highly, almost certainly within the top five, which is saying something, since this is a very strong world cup year.

Lots of riders had mistakes from tension today: the horses—even the ones used to the big indoor arenas—seemed a bit overwhelmed by the arena. horse2rider has posted on twitter that the riders (Patrik Kittel?) have filed a protest about changes to the arena since the schooling session. Also, today's scores were lower than usual, and not just because of tension mistakes. I thought the placement of rides was completely appropriate and that the lower scores actually are a better reflection of some of the minor limitations of the usually big-scoring, and even middle-scoring, rides. There was no turning a blind eye to tight backs, short necks, or insufficient activity behind that sometimes hide behind otherwise flashy performances. 

Helen Langehanenberg & Damon Hill: 79.863%

• This pair is the pinnacle of harmony. The trot work had an unfailing rhythm and Damon Hill's gaits are light and active. His expressive gaits don't come with the stiffness in the back that frequently plagues other combinations. The trot half-passes could have had slightly better bend, but of course, flow effortlessly sideways. The first piaffe stuttered slightly in rhythm and ducked a little behind the bit. The extended walk was near perfect, with relaxation, activity, and over-step. In the second passage and piaffe, Damon Hill was snorting, which caused him to pull downwards a little in the neck. The twos were ground-covering with excellent canter quality, but could come up just a little more in front. In the one-tempis, Damon Hill lost some of the forward inertia, and missed a couple changes. The pirouettes were tiny with good bend. The last piaffe still crept forward slightly, but was the best in the frame, and of course shows excellent elevation. A beautiful ride.

Jacqueline Brooks & D-Niro: 67.356%

• Brooks started out with the best half-passes I have seen from D-Niro, more uphill than usual and with good reach sideways. Unfortunately, little issues cost Brooks a higher score. The reinback was crooked and short. The extended walk was very small and did not show sufficient stretch, with D-Niro spooking at something in the corner. The second piaffe did not quite maintain a consistent rhythm, and D-Niro lost the quality of the passage coming out. D-Niro lost his balance in the second canter pirouette, and both the pirouettes and the canter zig-zag could have shown better bend. Overall, D-Niro looked lighter than usual, which made the little mistakes a shame.

Anna Kasprzak & Donnperignon: 74.894%

• A dynamic ride, but Donnperignon could be a little more open in the neck. The extended trot is big and even from front to back, but could use to lengthen more in the frame. Donnperignon shows elastic sideways reach in the trot half-passes. The piaffe is in place and active, but should show more sit, rather than just lifting the hind legs. The tempi changes spring off the ground, but lose some forward momentum towards the end. Kasprzak rode super collection in the pirouettes: good canter rhythm, really tiny, uphill and closed at the base.

Edward Gal & Undercover: 78.465%

• Today, Undercover was a little more tense in the frame and back than in his recent appearance at 's Hertogenbosch, but Gal finessed the arena-driven anxiety beautifully, just losing a little of the horse's expression and power at times. Gal was one of only a few riders who really established correct bend in the half-passes, but unfortunately the rhythm was a bit slow, taking away the flow of the movement. The first passage lacked some elevation, and the first piaffe, though not frantic as it can be, was a little too small. The extended walk was nice, but the collected walk was short and slow. The second piaffe showed more activity in addition to Undercover's nice frame and dropped croup. The two-tempis covered ground decently, but could still use to push off more from behind. The pirouettes were small, but didn't establish a sufficiently uphill collection.

Sidsel Johansen & Schianto: 69.878%

• Johansen presents a test that is light and active, but Schianto is limited by pushing more than carrying behind. The trot half-pass right started in good bend, but Johansen lost the haunches a little by the end. The passage was slightly uneven, and the first piaffe needed to be more in place and to show more weight in the hindquarters. In the transition from collected walk to passage, Schianto stepped quite wide with his right hind. The canter zig-zag was very well ridden, with soft, clear changes of bend and good ground-cover crossing the centerline. The pirouettes were big, but Schianto showed his best collection in them, coming under behind and up in front. 

Marcela Krinke-Susmelj & Smeyers Molberg: 69.498%

• This was a solid and mistake-free test, in the best sense: no huge scores, but consistently of good quality. The trot half-passes started parallel and in good bend, but Molberg lost the quality of the trot in the beginning of the one to the right. The left half-pass had better suspension. The piaffe is in place and in rhythm and Krinke-Susmelj rides good transitions, but the movement needs more sit. The canter zig-zag was very good. Like the piaffe, the pirouettes need more collection. The final passage was springy, with Molberg articulating his joints well.

Marlies van Baalen & Miciano: 63.070%

• Miciano's trot extensions needed more suspension, and the horse spooked at the end of both of the first two. Van Baalen rode a very good reinback: straight with clear diagonal steps. She had a big resistance with a spin and a bit of a rear before first piaffe; when it happened, the piaffe was active and closed at the base, but more from tension than obedience. In the second piaffe, the frame in the body was good, but the movement needed more elevation. Miciano frequently comes a little behind the bit. Van Baalen was really using the reins off the neck to control Miciano's body position. The horse steps under himself well, but his gaits lack the suspension to put him among the top, even without the tension.

Jaimey Irwin & Lindor's Finest: 61.474%

• Irwin rode a pretty clean test, but does not quite have the correctness of teammate Brooks. The extended trot needs more drive from behind. The first piaffe was stuck in place behind, but the later ones were more active, with a decently lowered croup. Lindor's Finest started the second piaffe too early, Irwin gave a little kick, and the horse responded with a little buck. The passage is the horse's best movement, with good rhythm and suspension.

Valentina Truppa & Eremo del Castegno: 71.778%

• Eremo started powerfully, carrying and pushing across the arena in the extended trot, but was very tight in the back. The first passage was active and big, but had to be contained from running off, and the tight rein contact led to a small and resistant first piaffe. The collected walk had over-track, but a lot of tension in the body. Eremo started the twos ahead of Truppa's aids, and she missed one of the early ones. The one tempi-changes were big and uphill. The pirouettes were tiny, but lost a little of the jump and activity of the canter. The final piaffe was in Eremo's usual form: croup lowered, legs lifting, and exactly in place.

Tatiana Dorofeeva & Khorovod: 64.286%

• Dorofeeva established half-passes that were flowing decently, but they didn't start fluidily to the right. Khorovod pulled down in the frame in the reinback and in the trot leading up to it. The piaffe crept forward and needed to shift more weight into the hind legs. The extended walk was relaxed and swinging in the back. The springy changes were in good rhythm, but needed to be more uphill. The canter pirouettes were one of the best elements of Dorofeeva's test: nicely small and uphill.

Minna Telde & Santana: 72.097%

• Santana showed quality trot work: active with suspension. The half-passes were very well ridden. The first piaffe lost activity; the second piaffe was in place and in rhythm, but Santana took a double step behind in the upward transition to passage. The two-tempis were springy and uphill, but tense in the body. The canter zig-zags did not travel enough sideways and the canter got quite small. The pirouettes were nicely collected and a good size, but Santana broke into trot before the pirouette right. The passage has very good elevation, but would be even better if it reached forward and up a little more in front. 

Lillann Jebsen & Pro-Set: 68.146%

• I want to say that Jebsen had the only fully mistake-free test, but there was one thing: she went off course! Nevertheless, her ride was really accurate and consistent, maintaining a good frame and contact. It was one of the most pleasant rides to watch, even if the horse would need to be more cadenced and dynamic to score higher. The piaffe was small, but in place and without resistances. The passage has a good rhythm. The canter pirouettes could have used more jump and sit, but were small and turned at a correct speed. 

Patrik Kittel & Scandic: 69.559%

• Scandic's trot extension seemed small, and when he spooked at the end it was clear that the extension was weak for being backed off. The horse continued spooking at the end of the trot half-pass to the left. The first passage was quite small, and Scandic has a rhythm mistake in the first piaffe. The collected walk was very tense. The second passage was more active, and the second piaffe was in rhythm and in place. Scandic spooked again before the extended canter. the zig-zag in canter was of very good quality, with a big canter and lots of sideways travel. Kittel gave quite quiet aids for the one-tempi changes, but they were small and tight in the body. Scandic finally settled by the final centerline, and executed very good piaffe and passage and really clean transitions between them.

Inna Logutenkova & Stallone: 66.702%

• Logutenkova's trainer Sjef looked not-so-pleased, but Logutenkova seemed happy enough with her ride. The piaffe and passage are diligent, but carry too much weight in the front legs and come a little behind the bit. Stallone struggled with the collection in the pirouettes. The final passage was big, but unfortunately Stallone cantered out of the piaffe. Logutenkova produced a more expressive ride than, for example, Jebsen but she didn't quite have the Norwegian's steadiness in the frame and transitions between movements. 

Adelinde Cornelissen & Parzival: 75.410%

• From the moment Parzival entered the arena, he looked tense and began crossing his jaw. Cornelissen rode with her usual intensity, and I was convinced that despite the scary arena, she would have a clean test. Parzival's mouth came way open in the extended trots. The half-passes have amazing reach, but were just a little slow in the rhythm. The first piaffe was excellent, with Parzival stepping up and under behind, as opposed to up and out, as he sometimes does. The extended walk needed more stretch. The transition to passage was good, but almost out of nowhere—it must have been a spook—Parzival gave a huge resistance, spinning and backing up. The scores for at least the piaffe transition and the piaffe itself, if not also the passage, were quite low, bringing Adelinde's score temporarily below 70%. Cornelissen's recovery was impressive, and the rest of the test showed only minor tension. The two-tempis were big and flowing and ground-covering as usual. The canter pirouettes were small, though the canter was a little small and stilted. Except for the resistance and the strong contact, many of the movements were really high quality. 

Isabell Werth & Don Johnson: 75.015%

• Don Johnson is a tough-looking ride, but Werth produced what I think might have been her best test with him. Though he still gave some resistance to the contact with little shakes of his head, overall, the connection was much softer and more consistnet. The first extended trot was tight in the back, but stepped under well behind. Unfortunately, Don Johnson spooked and broke into canter at the end. The trot half-passes were big: always a highlight in Werth's tests. Don Johnson's feet dragged in the rein back. The passage was a little uneven, and the piaffe has a funny rhythm. There were solid, definite transitions between piaffe and passage. The two tempis were uphill. Werth rode a huge extended canter with a soft, clear transition at the end of the diagonal. The ones were a little short and tight. The pair showed a good canter rhythm in small uphill canter pirouettes. The beginning of the passage on the final centerline was slightly uneven.

Tinne Vilhelmson-Silfven & Don Auriello: 77.432%

•  Vilhelmson-Silfven's test began with an impressive extended trot with more power than Don Auriello usually shows and huge lift in front. There was good crossing in the half-passes, but they were a little stuck. The halt before the reinback was square, but early. Don Auriello's passage needs more power and activity behind, even though it is appealing in front. The extended walk was tense and needed more stretch. The second piaffe was more active and in a very good frame through body. The one-tempi changes reached forward in front but needed a little more spring and quickness. The canter pirouettes were tiny and with very good collection. The final piaffe almost had a backward feeling but Don Auriello sat behind and lifted up in front, and the final passage was the most engaged. Vilhelmson-Silfven maintains a lovely soft contact through the bridle and a consistent frame through the back and neck through the whole test.