CHIO Aachen 2013 - Grand Prix Special

Helen Langehanenberg & Damon Hill: 80.667%

• Damon Hill's extended trots were all nicely uphill as well as showing  powerful strides. Langehanenberg's stallion not only showed amazing elevation in his passage but stayed well up in the bridle. The trot half-passes were good but could have reached slightly more sideways. Damon Hill was resistant to step into the first piaffe, which the came rather deep in the frame. The horse still collapsed slightly in the transition from passage to piaffe, but the transitions out had lots of power. Compared to Damon Hill's enormous collected canter the strides in the one-tempis were a bit short. After an uphill canter pirouette left, Langehanenberg had to use very strong aids to make the horse straight on the centerline again. By the end of the test, Damon Hill's dead-straight, super-powered passage became a little deep in the neck. Though the score was high because of the basic quality of the exercises, the harmony between horse and rider was not at its absolute best in this test. 

Anna Kasprzak & Donnperignon: 77.354%

• The determined Kasprzak rode Donnperignon's extensions with more power than ever today, so that the horse showed tremendous long strides across the arena. The passage was very elevated, though it could step under slightly more behind. The trot half-passes did not have the best crossing. The first piaffe crept forward and got quite tight in the neck but was significantly more active than we normally see from this horse. The second was smaller. The canter half passes had nice bend and angle with lots of jump. Donnperignon's tempi changes were powerful but became short in the neck. The extended canter was enormous. Kasprzak rode pirouettes that were, as usual, top-quality.

Isabell Werth & Don Johnson: 76.437%

• With the numerous transitions in the trot work of the Grand Prix Special—all seamless—Werth really showed the strength of her riding. The extended trots were big, though not sufficiently stepping under behind. All the passage was regular and powerful. Don Johnson reached extravagantly forward and sideways in the trot half-passes, but did not show sufficient bend to the left. The piaffe, as usual, was regular but lacked elevation. Don Johnson bobbed his head quite a bit in the canter half-passes. The two-tempi changes were quite straight and nicely uphill. The one-tempis lost some forward momentum. Don Johnson's extended canter became rushed more than it showed lengthening of the strides. In the good-sized canter pirouettes, the horse dropped his back and shoulders. The last extension showed not only incredible power but also over-track. Werth's final line of piaffe and passage was the most elevated she produced in the test. 

Natalie zu Sayn-Wittgenstein & Digby: 76.437%

• All the extensions in the Grand Prix Special were a struggle for Digby's rather limited extended trot, though he has nice engagement in the collected trot. The half-passes didn't have much suspension, but made up for that in elegant crossing. Digby steps well underneath himself in his good passage. The extended walk had lots of over-track though Digby could stretch his neck more. While the piaffe crept forward slightly, it was evenly active from front to back, as well as nicely uphill and closed at the base. All three lines of tempi changes were light-footed. The canter pirouette left was so small as to become slightly stuck; the right one was very good. Sayn-Wittgenstein finished her test with a sparkling—and absolutely correct—piaffe and passage. 

Annabel Balkenhol & Dablino: 75.708%

• Dablino had lots of power in his trot work and elevated passage, but some tightness in his back limited the half-passes and resulted in a couple breaks into canter. The extended walk had quite a poor rhythm. Dablino lurched out of collected walk into his active piaffe. The canter in the half-passes was beautifully uphill and clearly three-beat. The tempis were clean and powerful, but slightly heavy in front. Both canter pirouettes showed super uphill collection.

Victoria Max-Theurer & Augustin: 74.458%

• Max-Theurer rode her trot work like she had a metronome in her head, with no changes between the extensions, the collected trot, and the swinging half-passes. The passage had lots of engagement behind, but the engagement in the extended trots was not sufficient. The collected walk broke into a shuffling trot a couple of times. In piaffe Augustin lowered his croup but never became very active. Augustin's very good collected canter became a little short and stiff in the tempi changes. Both pirouettes were nicely uphill, though the one to the right was significantly smaller than the one to the left. While the final piaffe was still a bit heavy in front it was the most energetic. 

Andreas Helgstrand & Akeem Foldager: 73.958%

• The pair began with an extended trot that was very elastic but only minimally lengthened in the frame, and it seemed like Helgstrand never asked for full power in the extension.  Akeem Foldager's enormous passage is effortless and just slightly uneven in the effort from each diagonal pair. In walk, the horse was quite tense.  The piaffe was closed at the base and showed lots of activity but Akeem Foldager carried too much weight on his forehand. The tempi changes are the pairs weakest movements, as the horse swings its haunches quite dramatically, especially in the twos. There was a missed change in the ones. Helgstrand kept a good canter in the pirouette left but it needed to be smaller and show more collection onto the hindquarters. The pirouette right was weaker, after a mistake in the one-tempis down the centerline. The final centerline showed Akeem Foldager taking more even strides in passage and performing a piaffe that was more on his haunches, with effortless transitions between the two. 

Steffen Peters & Legolas: 73.375%

• Legolas's extended trots are developing more lengthened strides, but they at times became just a touch rushed and unbalanced in the test. He had a very springy passage, especially behind, becoming a bit croup-high rather than carrying his weight. The extended walk had a very nice rhythm, though it could have used slightly longer strides. Peter rode a clear transition from walk into a bouncy piaffe. Legolas was crossing well but lost some jump in the canter half-passes. The tempi changes were clearly still a struggle, with the horse jumping from side to side to execute them. Both lines of ones had mistake. The extended canter was lovely with big reaching strides. The small pirouettes still need to come more uphill. The last trot extension showed great lengthening of the stride with out any loss of balance. 

Danielle Heijkoop & Siro: 73.062%

• Siro's rhythmical trot work lacked some degree of elasticity and was quite short in the neck, especially too much so for the extensions. The passage was big and regular, though the horse lifts his left fore more than the right. The extended walk showed nice long relaxed strides. Siro cantered into the first piaffe, which itself was quite good: rhythmical, active, uphill, and in place. The transitions between piaffe and passage are easy for this pair. In the canter exercises, including both the tempi changes and the half-passes, Siro lost a noticeable degree of engagement behind, though they were otherwise correct. Heijkoop rode canter pirouettes that were active but quite big. The second showed some loss of balance. The piaffe-passage tour on the final centerline was rhythmical from D to G. 

Fabienne Lütkemeier & D'Agostino: 72.896%

• D'Agostino's trot work has lots of power and elasticity, with big extensions and flowing half-passes. Unfortunately, there were a few strides of canter before the half-pass right. In his springy passage, D'Agostino was limited in his forward propulsion and showed slightly less engagement in the right hind. The collected walk became very stuck and straight legged. The piaffe was rhythmical but open at the base and short in the frame. Lütkemeier did not ever quite establish a clear three beat rhythm in her horse's collected canter. The flying changes were nicely uphill. Throughout the test, the contact with the bit was soft and consistent. 

Lone Bang Larson & Fitou L: 72.333%

• Fitou is a horse who moves with suppleness through the back, though he is a tad bit flat-footed. The trot extensions and half-passes could use slightly more elevation, but the passage has plenty. The extended walk was both relaxed and focused. In the piaffe, Fitou was regular and carried his weight nicely on his haunches. He became slightly downhill in the canter half passes. There was a mistake in the twos as the horse became behind the leg. In the one-tempi changes, the canter became small and dull. The canter pirouettes were uphill but slightly heavy. Bang Larsen had some difficulty establishing the final piaffe but the transition out was lovely, stepping into a powerful and relaxed passage. 

Tina Konyot & Calecto V: 71.125%

• This pair's first extension lacked power and was very irregular. In fact, much of the collected trot work and passage suffered from irregularity. Unfortunately, with all Calecto's extravagant movement, he rarely carried himself behind in trot or piaffe and passage. This was especially the case in his amazingly elevated passage which tended to come quite croup high. Calecto maintained a nice frame in the neck and Konyot's contact with the bit was very nice. In piaffe, though Calecto drops his croup and closes at the base, he still does not really take his weight behind. The canter half passes and tempi changes were solid, with an expressive and balanced canter throughout. The canter pirouettes were uphill, though Calecto tends to jump together a bit behind. The last extended trot still showed lots of irregularity, as did, to a lesser degree, the powerful final centerline.

Severo Jesus Jurado Lopez & Numberto: 70.688%

• Numberto is an uphill moving horse that just needs to become more secure in the Grand Prix. The extended trots had plenty of power but needed to develop a little more reach. Numberto became a bit hurried in the trot half passes, but they had good bend and plenty of crossing. The piaffe and passage showed lots of potential and were consistently uphill but were clearly in development: the horse did not have quite enough carrying power behind. The tempi changes were very impressive: uphill, ground-covering and jumping off the ground. The canter pirouettes also showed potential for amazing sit, for which the horse has yet to develop the strength. Jurado-Lopez and Numberto looked like an exciting and harmonious combination. 

Jan Ebeling & Rafalca: 70.417%

• Unfortunately for a test with lots of extended trot, Rafalca does not really show much power or over-track in her extensions. The half-pass right flowed sideways. In the passage tours, Rafalca had trouble producing enough suspension. The extended walk was slightly tense. The first piaffe had decent sit and activity and was quite regular. The transitions from piaffe to passage were clean even if slightly laboured. The canter half-pass left travelled sideways nicely, maintaining a quality collected canter. The obedient twos lost some energy towards the end. The one tempi changes did not jump much off the ground but traveled well across the diagonal. The canter pirouettes were okay, their weakness mostly being that they are not sufficiently uphill. The final extended trot down the longside was their best, finally showing over-track and good power from behind. The passage on the final centerline was still rather flat, but the piaffe was very good. Ebeling finished his test with his characteristic warm smile. 

Shelly Francis & Doktor: 69.042%

• Francis started her test off on a nice note with a good square halt, but throughout the test, tension, especially in the horse's back, caused a number of small issues. The half-pass left became rather tight in the body, limiting the horses ability to show crossing. Doktor had a big spook at C before starting his first passage. The passage itself had lots of elevation. Francis's half-pass right showed much more suppleness. The extended trots varied in quality but overall needed to show more over-track. The rhythm of the extended walk was very good. Doktor took a few anxious canter steps before beginning his first piaffe, and the piaffe itself showed tension. Nevertheless, Doktor has a lot of sit and power in piaffe. There were also problems before the second piaffe which never established the horses usual degree of sit and elevation. In the canter half-passes, Doktor became short-strided and tense. The twos were very nice, but a tight canter meant that a couple one-tempis were missed. The pirouettes were small and uphill but Docktor really looked like he wanted to spin rapidly around, rather then taking nice distinct steps. The final centerline showed a big passage and rhythmical piaffe.

Jeanna Högberg & Liza Minelli: 68.396%

• In the trot extensions, Liza Minelli takes nice big strides and shows a lot of power but is slightly tight in her frame. Högberg ended up with canter at the beginning of her half past left. The rhythm of the passage, which is quite elevated, is too quick. Both half-passes showed lots of crossing and nice bend, though the trot becomes slightly hurried. The piaffes are rather small and do not close at the base or take weight on the hindquarters, but they do keep a consistent rhythm. The canter half passes flowed sideways nicely, also with lots of crossing. The mare became slightly wide behind in the tempi changes and did not step under sufficiently. Minelli lost the canter in the pirouettes. They finished on a nice clean piaffe-passage tour and square halt.