U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions 2013 - Grand Prix Freestyle

Well, to no one's surprise, Steffen Peters and Legolas were this year's Grand Prix Champions. After a Special that was not their strongest, they pulled off an excellent freestyle with plenty of harmony and expression. The second and third place riders, Guenter Seidel and Kathleen Raine, showed huge improvement on their powerful horses. Also: way to go California dressage for claiming the top three places!


Steffen Peters & Legolas: 79.450%

• Peters's entrance passage and piaffe were nicely controlled and steady, and of course showed Legolas's amazing springiness. Transitioning to canter, the two tempis were straight and looked quite relaxed and ground-covering. The first pirouette was small, but could have taken more weight behind. There was a hitch at the beginning of the ones but the changes themselves were clean, if short in the stride. Peters's classic transition from canter pirouette to piaffe to extended walk was absolutely seamless, showing a horse that was relaxed and absolutely on the aids. The trot work showed nice long strides but could have had a bit more elasticity. The final piaffe pirouettes were excellent for Legolas because they forced him to put some of his energy onto his hind legs in the piaffe, lifting his whole frame. 

Guenter Seidel & Wylea: 76.450%

• The piaffe and passage that Seidel showed at the beginning of his test was rhythmic as a metronome. Throughout the test, the piaffe traveled forward quite a bit, but by doing so, Wylea was able to maintain energy and a clear rhythm. Wylea had super shoulder freedom and lengthening of strides in her extended trot, as well as a nice open frame.  The trot half passes had very good crossing, but looked a little stuck. The beat and cadence of the canter pirouettes was super, with little change from Wylea's collected canter. The one-tempis were nicely uphill. Seidel had a minor counting error in the twos. The final centerline of piaffe and passage was absolutely regular and beautifully expressive. Overall, the mare looked more relaxed in her mouth and eye today. Axel Steiner remarked that it was the best he had seen the horse go, and I whole-heartedly agree.

Shelly Francis & Doktor: 72.225%

• Francis started off with a superb piaffe that had very good sit and rhythm, as well as a nice degree of suspension. She then began her canter work with some one-tempis, but missed a few changes. Doktor got bit tense in the first pirouette, though it was still small and uphill. He took plenty of strides as he turned, but his steps were a little hurried. The extended walk had nice over-track and showed Doktor at his most relaxed. In his trot half-passes, the gelding steped very well up and sideways. The passage was very energetic but could come just bit more under behind. The last line of piaffe and passage was the most engaged, making for a good finish.

Cesar Parra & Van the Man: 70.725%

• After running home from a late meeting, I arrived in time to catch the second half of Parra's ride (he was first in the order of go). Van the Man struggled to keep a clear canter in his pirouette left, getting close and then changing behind, as well as propping up in front. The pirouette right was quite uphill and decently small. The one tempis were ridden on circle but lost a great deal of quality. The final piaffe had clear diagonal steps but the rhythm became rather slow, while the passage had a good deal of power.

Kathleen Raine & Breanna: 70.225%

• Raine began on one tempi changes that were of good quality and to the music, but unfortunately not all of them went through. Her two tempi changes were superb, with nice big uphill strides that were relaxed in the body. In her canter pirouettes, Breanna wanted to swing her haunches out. The extended canter could have shown longer strides. The well-engaged passage hit the beat of Raine's music exactly. The piaffe showed no change of rhythm from the passage, though it could have come under more behind. There were a few bobbles in the passage when an eager Breanna got over engaged behind. The rhythm of the Michael Jackson music for the trot was usually just a hair too slow for Breanna's steps. The trot work traveled powerfully from behind, though there were some moments of hesitancy's or resistance in the transitions between movements. The trot half-pass left showed incredible crossing. 

James Koford & Rhett: 69.675%

• Koford entered and struck off into his canter half-passes immediately after his halt. After a single pirouette with quite nice sit, Koford transitioned down to trot. In his extensions, Rhett was a little downhill. The horse tripped at the beginning of the first passage, but the rest was a real highlight with super suspension and elevation of the horses limbs. The one tempi changes were enormous, springing way off the ground, though the horse became touch croup high.  Rhett showed a superb rhythm in the walk work. At the end of his test, Koford rode a double canter pirouette to piaffe, resulting in the best piaffe of the test.  Koford rode lots of transitions between trot and canter work with out there being harsh changes in the music, which made for an interesting program (interesting in a mostly good way!).

Brian Hafner & Lombardo: 67.200%

• Lombardo showed some tension in a half-rear before entering the arena, and it appeared again in the first piaffe. The passage had good suspension. Hafner's half-passes had very nice crossing and lateral reach. The extended trots were ground covering with open strides and good over-track. The second piaffe showed no resistance, though it wasn't very active. The collected walk was very tense and the extended walk lacked over-track.  The horse reared again in the transition out of walk. The tempi changes were uphill and correct though not terribly dynamic. The collection in the canter pirouettes was very good with the horse keeping nicely active and uphill.  The resistances were quite a shame as the picture in the movements was really very good. 

Sharon McCusker & Wrigley: 63.050%

• Beginning with his piaffe and passage, McCusker's horse was expressive in the movements but lost all a lot of energy in his transition out of piaffe. This issue appeared not just on the first line, but throughout the test. The first canter pirouette got stuck and unbalanced. It was followed by uphill, lively one tempis. The twos were peppered with lots of ones. The extended walk had nice over track but the collected walk had a break and some tension. Wrigley's trot half-passes needed more crossing. The horse's quality in each movement is very good but there were two significant to the test: the music was not really expressive enough for a freestyle, and McCusker's aides were often more visible than one would ideally want. 

  

U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions 2013 - Grand Prix Special

For some reason, the evening Grand Prix Special seemed to be sprinkled with unsteadiness, with some of the strongest combinations uncharacteristically showing either mistakes or an air of cautiousness. I thought the most confident ride of the evening came from Shelly Francis on the compact Doktor. Kathleen Raine and Breanna even looked like they might have had the potential to win until the mare's enormous spook. In the end Peters won the class through his ability to judge when to be tactful and when to push, getting the most out of Legolas on a seemingly not-so-good day for the gelding (although Peters is quoted in the USEF press release as being quite happy with how the horse went).


Steffen Peters & Legolas: 74.771%

• Legolas took really nice long strides in his extended trots though he didn't have the power that some of the other horses did. The first passage showed lots of bounce behind, but the bounce led the passage to become croup-high, rather than producing lift and shoulder freedom. The half-passes had supple crossing. The transition from collected walk to piaffe was completely clean and relaxed, and the piaffe was in place with good diagonal rhythm and spring. The passage in and out of piaffe was the best that the combination showed. Peters went off course in the same way Dujardin and Cornelissen did at the European Championships. It was to his benefit, however, since the two tempi changes were much better in the second line, with much more ground-cover.  The ones were very stuck and the horse jumped particularly close behind in the change to the right. They were generously scored. Both pirouettes showed balanced turning and a clean canter, but needed to come up quite a bit more in front. Legolas was quite off the contact today, and not quite secure in the movements.

Guenter Seidel & Wylea: 71.917%

• Despite Seidel's very soft hands, Wylea looked quite busy in her mouth throughout in her test. Like Peters, Seidel could not really push his horse into the bit, and in Wylea's case, this led her to become a bit low in the frame at times. The trot half passes had nice bend and positioning but needed a bit more power sideways. The extended trots had powerfully reaching strides and lots of shoulder freedom, but didn't all quite settle into a rhythm. The passage was consistently springy and even. Wylea's extended walk was very nicely relaxed in the back. The first two piaffes were active, but pulled down slightly and crept forward. The transitions in and out of piaffe were all clean. The flying change at the end of that canter half-passes was quite short. Wylea stepped up and under very well in her two tempi changes—a highlight in the test—but the strides got a bit short behind in the fifteen ones. The nine one tempos between the pirouettes matched the quality of the twos, and Seidel rode the pirouette right uphill and in excellent balance. The last piaffe traveled forward a bit but was absolutely regular, with nice elevation. 

Kathleen Raine & Breanna: 70.771%

• Raine's half-passes showed nice power sideways though Breanna made the crossing look a bit difficult. The transition to the first passage was a bit unsteady, but the passage itself had lots of spring and the mare stepped under well. Breanna's walk showed nice big strides but her natural rhythm is not the clearest. Raine transitioned to piaffe very early. The piaffes had nice clear diagonal steps and good activity, but Brianna could have sat better and was bobbing her head slightly. Brianna gave a major spook early in the canter work, with some leaping and little rears. The canter at half-passes were very well balanced with good bend. The one tempi changes were uphill with lots of jump. Both pirouettes lost at degree of self carriage in the last stride. The final line was powerful and clean. 

Shelly Francis & Doktor: 69.979%

• Francis and Doktor make a great combination, and she rides a lot out of him in a very pleasant way. In the trot work, Doktor was rather restricted in his back and did not quite show the suppleness to really push forward in the extended trot or to reach sideways in the half passes. The passage had excellent rhythm and elevation. The transition from collected walk to piaffe was a little unsteady and the piaffe never quite settled. Doktor's natural frame in the piaffe is very good, with sitting and elevation, but tension prevents him from finding a steady rhythm. The canter half-passes were nicely uphill. Francis's one tempis were straight and springy though they could have covered more ground. The pirouettes were small and uphill but Doktor tended to jump together a little behind. The last extended trot showed nice power. The pair's final line showed their nice passage, but was slightly lacking in energy. 

Cesar Parra & Van the Man: 67.979%

• Today, Parra was having some trouble with Van the Man's steadiness, with the horse often coming behind the bit. The first extended trot showed nice elevation, and both carrying and pushing powerfully from behind.  The half-pass left was unsteady in the bridle and not totally willing sideways. Van the Man frequently got a bit short in the neck in passage, losing forward impulsion, though the elevation is good. The extended walk was not straight, so the horse lost some of his forward energy into the bit. The piaffes had nice lift in the forelegs and diagonal activity. The horse's haunches lagged significantly in the canter half passes. While the horse could step under more behind in the tempi changes, they are nicely uphill and cover ground well. Van the Man changed behind in the pirouette right. 

James Koford & Rhett: 66.667%

• I discovered last night that Rhett has the same sire as one of the horses I am riding at the moment, but the only things they have in common are that they are both bay and have a tendency to get croup-high in the canter—their ways of going are totally different! In the trot, Rhett struggled to bring his hind legs really underneath himself to carry his movement. In extended trot, he powers himself forward, but needs to show more lift in front. The half-past right had better swing sideways than the one to the left. The passage had nice supple suspension. The extended walk had lovely relaxation and over-track. The piaffes were a bit hesitant and crept forward quite a bit.  Rhett's huge two-tempi changes had lots of unfortunate mistakes. The ones were also enormous but could have come up quite a bit in front. The final line had lots of energy and smooth transitions in and out of piaffe.

Sharon Mccusker & Wrigley: 66.562%

• Wrigley is a nice moving horse, but seemed a bit difficult to ride to his full potential. McCusker had to give some quite strong half-halts to her horse, who had some tendency to pull down and get tight in the jaw. In the half passes, Wrigley seemed quite resistant in his movement sideways. The first extended trot out of passage started very early. The second trot half-pass showed better reach sideways. Wrigley had lots of spring and knee-action in his passage, but needed to take a little more of his weight behind to lift in front. The extended walk was relaxed and ground covering. There was some resistance to the bridle in the collected walk, leading to a bit of rear in the first piaffe. McCusker had to work very hard to get the activity in the passage and piaffe, though they were among the strongest elements of the test. The last piaffe was quite in place with  particularly good elevation and rhythm.

Brian Hafner & Lombardo: 66.167%

• Lombardo is a horse of high quality and as Hafner continues to polish the Grand Prix work, I can see this horse becoming quite impressive. Lombardo had really nice even reach in front and behind in his extended trots, and when they showed a little more pushing power from behind they were top class. The trot half-passes were a little flat. The horse stepped under well and showed nice knee action in passage. The extended walk was short and tense with no over-track. The first piaffe the impression of having a bit of backward tendency, and the horse reared in the second.  The tempis were clean and ground covering but rather flat. The extended canter was uphill and showed a lot of risk. Neither line of ones was quite straight. The canter rhythm in the pirouettes was super and they were very balanced, though they could come up more in front. The last piaffe was secure.