LA Mid-Winter Dressage CDI 2014 - Intermediare I

Steffen Peters & Aristo: 69.298%

• Well, if you are looking for a really nice small tour horse, this one is for sale. Peters had the horse nicely moving forward, but there were a few moments where he seemed a bit weak behind. In fact, when Peters went to urge Aristo forward and sideways in for the trot half-pass right, the horse found it easier to canter than to push into a more elevated trot. The voltes were very nicely uphill and balanced. The medium trot covered the ground well. The extended walk had a nice relaxed rhythm but not a ton of over track. The canter half passes really pushed sideways. There were a few mistakes in the three tempis. Peters's canter pirouettes were not very small, but the horse showed it could sit and turned in a clear canter. There was a mistake again in the last of the two tempis. The extended trot at the end really covered the diagonal but could have shown more reach in front.

Elizabeth Ball & Avanti: 68.991%

• Ball rode in a way that definitely attacked the test. The trot had a clear driving rhythm, though there were a few moments of tension. The canter half-passes were nicely uphill with big flying changes between them. Avanti lost his balance at the beginning of the canter pirouettes but Ball did a good job rebalancing him uphill. Unfortunately he swapped leads behind at the end of the pirouette right. Both lines of tempi changes jumped up nicely. 

Nick Wagman & Zenith: 68.904%

• Zenith is a very impressive powerful horse with fluid gaits. Wagman had some inconsistency in the angle of his  first shoulder-in. The half-passes had nice crossing but the one to the right got a little bit passage-like and tense. The balance in the voltes was very good, with Zenith maintaining a strong trot. The medium trot was a little flat and tight in the neck, and the horse collapsed into the bit in the walk transition. In the canter work, Zenith again showed some tendency to occasionally get a bit deep and tight, with Wagman having to bump the horse's head up. Both pirouettes were quite small with the horse really trying to sit, but Zenith got a little hurried to keep his balance. 

Mette Rosencrantz & Mosegaards Rico: 68.509%

• Mosegaards Rico is a compact and lightfooted type. The trot work in this test was nice but in the shoulder in and voltes it lacked some engagement. The horse stepped under better behind in the trot half passes. The canter half passes were nicely uphill and active. The threes were also plenty uphill with good jump. Rico became a bit unbalanced and above the bit in the second pirouette, but the first was quite small. The final halt was dead square and the transition in was very balanced.

Leslie Reid & Fine and Smart: 67.281%

• Reid's trot work had a very consistent rhythm and contact. To score higher it could have had a little more energy and been a bit more closed in the frame, though Fine and Smart's basic gaits had that floating pleasant appearance. The collected walk was very short and tense. The three tempis were clean and expressive but slightly croup-high. The canter pirouettes were controlled and well-balanced. There was a little hesitancy in the transition down from canter to trot. 

Mette Rosencrantz & De Noir 3: 66.447%

• De Noir is a more powerful horse then Rico, but a bit unsteady in his gaits. In the first medium trot he became quite wide behind, though the horse pushed forward better than many in the class. In the half-passes, the canter should have shown a little more jump, and the horse became a bit low in front in the changes. The three tempis were nicely balanced but could have pushed more from behind. In the canter pirouettes, De Noir got a bit stuck and over-collected and started leading with his haunches. The final extended trot could have had more suspension, but was evenly reaching with bigger strides both in front and behind. 

Steffen Peters & Appassionata: 65.965%

• Peters was showing Brandi Roenick's new post-young-riders acquisition. Appassionata is a very long legged mare with lots of action in the front leg and elastic gaits, and probably the most interesting horse of the class. The hot mare spooked at the end of the first medium trot. The lateral work in trot flowed in a good rhythm with good angles in the shoulder-in and half-pass. The mare lost her balance and had a few moments of big anxious resistance in the canter half-pass left. The threes were very nice especially the change to the right where the horse really stepped under. Peters's canter pirouettes were small, but turned hurriedly when the mare felt unbalanced. The transition down from canter to trot was a bit of a mess. Overall the test was extremely tactfully ridden, as one would expect. 

David Blake & Lord Chalk Hill: 65.789%

• Lord Chalk Hill started by offering a very abrupt halt. In the trot work, the horse moved very nicely and swung through the body, but one wanted to see him more uphill in the frame. The stallion dragged his feet in the reinback. The left flying changes in the canter half-passes were both late behind. The three tempis, by contrast, were lovely and uphill. Blake's first pirouette was quite big and off the bit; the second was a little smaller but rotated on rather fixed hindlegs. The twos showed lovely shoulder freedom. 

Christine Traurig & Louisdor: 65.789%

• Louisdor is a quite heavy-boned horse but still quite hot. Traurig began on a very precise square halt. The trot work was very precise and well-ridden, especially the flowing half passes and excellently balanced voltes. The shoulder-ins could have used a little more power and been a little more open in the neck, but were still very good. The rein back was clear. The walk was quite lateral, despite not seeming excessively tense. The canter half-passes were tidy but could have had a bit more energy. The three tempis were a bit short in the strides and Louisdor missed the third one. The twos were clean. The canter rhythm in both pirouettes was very good, though the first one was a tiny bit big. The final extended trot had very nice power from behind. 

Amelia Child & Veto: 65.439%

• Child's ride was committed and energetic. The horse had gais that were pushing well from behind, though in the trot work his loose movement sometimes became irregular for a stride. The shoulder in left was very energetic and well-balanced. The collected walk was marching though a bit tense and short behind. The canter half-passes really sprang sideways though the changes were touch flat. Veto's tempis were quite ground covering with the good spring of his natural canter. The canter pirouettes were a bit hurried but relatively small and active. 

Susan Martin & Natasha: 65.132%

• Natasha is a mare with quite short forelegs and not much shoulder freedom but a nice compact body. The first shoulder in had a couple strong half halts which didn't quite make sense. The half-pass right could have been a little more uphill. The first two canter half-passes were a little restricted, but the third to the right strode more powerfully uphill. Martin really rode to get ground covering tempi changes. The two tempis were quite crooked, though. 

Lehua Custer & Winona: 64.737%

• Winona was a little unsteady in the bridle in the lateral work in trot, though the half-passes, voltes, and shoulder-in were relatively fluid. The mare's extended trots had nice power from behind, though they could have been a little more uphill. At the turn down the centerline to begin the canter half-passes, the horse became quite short and wide behind. The canter pirouettes jumped a bit together behind and should have been more elevated in front. Both lines of tempos had nice activity. 

Rebecca Rigdon & Versace: 64.737%

• The rhythm of Versace's trot was quite tight and hurried and the horse frequently came a bit behind the vertical. The second shoulder and was not quite straight. The second medium trot showed nice opening of the strides. The walk was slightly tense and irregular. Rigdon rode a lovely pirouette right, but unfortunately, it was off course. The tempi changes jumped forward well. The pirouette left became a bit hurried and turned more around the middle than the haunches, but the one to the right was (again) quite measured and uphill. That transition down from canter to trot was quite late. The final extended trot was daring and well executed. 

Wendy Christoff & Di Scansano: 63.596%

• Di Scansano had nice even movement in front and behind but seemed to lean a bit on the bridle. The half passes could have used more power sideways. The medium trot really pushed forward from behind, though to score higher it would be good to see more lift in front. The transition to canter from walk was executed in haunches-in. The canter half passes were in nice bend but seemed a bit behind the leg. The horse died out the first canter pirouette, and almost lost the canter in the second. The tempi changes were nice. The final extended trot showed the horse's potential for power from behind. 

Verena Martin & Ulliman: 63.421%

• After the first halt Ulliman got a bit dead to the leg and then became the deep and short in his high set neck. After the nice reinback the horse became a little lighter in the bridle. The canter half-passes were well balanced and strong, though the horse was still coming deep in the contact. The three tempis were successful, though executed with slightly exaggerated changes of bend. In the left pirouette, Ulliman started in good collection but lost energy at the end. The one to the right was quite good as it maintained the collection throughout. 

Lehua Custer & Dance With Me: 62.544%

• This mare has a very short quick-strided canter but a nice flowing trot. In the half-passes the mare was nicely open and up in the frame and step sideways energetically. The halt and reinback was anxious. Dance With Me bobbed her head in the collected walk which was otherwise nicely active. The canter depart looked like a surprise for the horse. The extended canter was a little frantic. The tempi changes were obedient but very small. The first pirouette was very unbalanced—it seemed too small for the horse at this stage. The final extended trot showed the horse with more push from behind and opening up very well in front. 

Erika Reinig & Fraktura: 61.491%

• This mare has a quite nice active hind leg that was not always matched in the front. The trot half-passes were a little tight in the body. The medium and extended trots needed more power from behind and more elevation. The horse became resistant to the bit in the first change of direction in the canter half passes.  There were a couple of errors in the three tempis, though the horse has a nice uphill tendency in her flying changes. The first canter pirouette was big and poorly placed; the second small and almost too collected for the horse at this point. The two tempis were clean and springy. 

Sherry Van't Riet & Sir Deauville: 59.386%

• Sir Deauville is a big, nicely built horse, but seemed quite behind the leg in this test leading to unsteadiness in contact. Van't Riet mostly kept her horse regular and balanced in the trot tour. The canter half-passes were quite above the bit resulting in one unbalanced and crooked change of direction. The three tempi changes were successful but a bit laboured. Both pirouettes were quite off the contact and against the inside leg. 

Georgiana Herrera & Rumiranova D: 57.675%

• Not the best start as Herrara had to give a big kick to get this horse going out of the halt. The trot work was a little inconsistent in the level of energy and rhythm shown. The mare also stopped and peed in the middle of the collected walk—poor Herrera was visibly embarrassed, but it explained the horse's hesitance at the beginning of the test. The canter tended to be a little croup high. There were a few mistakes early in the three tempis and the later ones were quite restricted in the strides. The two tempis were straight and had decent jump. The horse seemed to have nice basic gaits, but they were lost today behind tightness in the body. 

LA Mid-Winter Dressage CDI 2014 - Grand Prix Special

It's a shame that Kathleen Raine and Breanna did not make this show, though I am sure they will be out to a California CDI again soon to make it to the WEG qualifier at Gladstone. Wylea looks improved since last summer, but Legolas—even with Steffen Peters's very sympathetic and precise riding—seems to have reached his limits. For those early in the class, the new piaffe coefficient must have been trouble, since that was a significant weakness in a number of rides.


Steffen Peters & Legolas 92: 75.255%

• Peters started on a not quite square halt and unbalanced first corner, but the extended trot was decently energetic. The passage rhythm was superb, with few moments where the hind leg hitched up (which has been an issue in past tests). The horse broke into canter a for a strident the beginning of the third extended trot. The extended walk was relaxed but should have stepped more energetically into the bit. The transition from walk to piaffe was perfect and the piaffe was absolutely in place with even elevation in front and behind. The second piaffe got a bit flat in front and overactive behind in a few steps but was still very good. The rhythm of Legolas's canter is not the best, with the leading front leg coming down very quickly. Still, the canter half-passes jump sideways very nicely. There were no problems in the tempis but they should have shown more jump. The extended canter was quite good with Legolas finally showing a clear canter rhythm. The pirouette were tiny but bit heavy and flat-footed in front. The final centerline is really the highlight of any test for this combination and that showed today. 

Guenter Seidel & Coral Reef Wylea: 72.784%

• This mare had lots of shoulder freedom in the extended trot and opened her strides nicely but it would have been nice to see her come up a little more in front and show a bit more power from behind. Wylea is very active with her knees in the passage and has decent but not outstanding elevation. The extended walk showed big clear relaxed strides. The piaffe was plenty active but a touch too forward. The transitions between piaffe and passage were impeccable. The tempis were nicely ground-covering. The extended canter showed nice long strides but could have been more uphill. One of the one tempis down the centerline was close behind. Seidel rode pirouettes that were tiny and in an excellent canter rhythm, but a bit low in front. The fantastic final piaffe showed super elevation of the limbs and a very clear rhythm. 

Beatrice Marienau & Stefano 8: 67.275%

• The trot half passes were quite nice with good—almost too passage-like—suspension. The passage had very good spring and a lovely frame though there was the odd step where the horse couldn't quite maintain it. The extended trots were quite short behind. The extended walk got a bit deep in the neck. The transition from walk to piaffe was quite clean, though the piaffe drifted forward and sideways a bit. The second piaffe was better collected but also a little tense. Stefano jumped together behind in the transition from passage to canter. In the canter half-passes the horse slightly lost the clarity of his canter rhythm. The tempis were obedient. The canter pirouettes needed more sit. Marienau rode a very obedient and pleasant test.

Michelle Reilly & Umeeko: 64.373%

• This pair had very nice entrance with a square and prompt halt. Umeeko had good shoulder freedom and nice open strides in his extended trot. The passage was a little small but totally regular. The trot half passes needed a little more strength pushing sideways. The contact with the bit was lovely and soft. The transition to walk from massage got a touch stock but the extended walk showed lovely relaxation and a good open frame into the bit.  There were couple resistant canter strides in the first piaffe. The second piaffe was very small and crept forward bit but was rhythmical. The transition from passage to canter was late and unbalanced. The one tempis were dead straight and energetic. He first canter pirouette needed more energy while the second rotated a bit too quickly, but both were quite well-controlled by Reilly. The final centerline was not extraordinarily dynamic but was very correct, including the transitions. A nice combination.

Kimberly McGrath & Winslow: 64.333%

• Winslow had a quite dull collected trot but came nicely uphill in his extended trot. The horse showed significantly more engagement with the right hind than the left in his passage, but overall the movement had decent rhythm and suspension. The second trot half-pass got quite stuck and needed more energy forward and sideways. The transition to piaffe was excellent: clear and prompt. The piaffe was clearly regular and nicely lowered in the croup and the transitions in and out were balanced. There were quite a few mistakes in the two tempis, seemingly because the horse got a bit behind the leg. There was also a mistake in the ones. The first pirouette was small but a bit stuck and off the contact, the second nicely active and uphill. The final extended trot had lots of power from behind and the final centerline was very well ridden. 

Lientje Schuller & Mike Tyson: 63.824%

• Mike Tyson showed nice engagement behind in his extended trot. The first trot half-pass started at a wobbly angle but it ended with strong fluid strides. The passage needed a little more consistent collected suspension, at times becoming a bit too trot-like. The extended walk needed a little more stretch in the neck. Schuller's piaffe was quite nice out of the walk with very good activity even though it took a minute to develop. The transition up into passage was not quite clean but the piaffe itself was really earning points for that double coefficient. The canter half passes lost some of their forward energy. There was plenty of jump in the two tempis, but some of it was more behind than in front, so the horse became a little croup-high. The first canter pirouette lost some of the energy and rhythm of canter, the second was better in this respect, but needed to be a bit more on the hind legs. Mike Tyson almost got stuck (from too much sitting) in the final passage but Schuller rode through it well.

Coutenay Fraser & Birkegardens Lukas: 61.059%

• This pretty gelding got a little deep and tight in the first extended trot. The half-passes flowed over nicely. That passage seemed to be developing towards good elevation and was pretty consistently a bit irregular in its engagement. In the extended walk the horse was swinging through his back with his nose nicely in front of the vertical. The first piaffe out of the walk didn't really happen. The second was slightly better but there was little jump between diagonal pairs. The change after the second canter half-pass was late behind. There were a couple mistakes in the two tempis. The ones were clean and straight. The horse changed behind at the end of the extended canter. The first pirouette was small but lost balance and turned a little too quickly while the second was a little bigger but kept a better canter rhythm. Unfortunately the now double coefficient on the piaffe limited the score of this test a great deal. 

April Atwell & Pavarottie: 60.804%

• In the collected trot work, Pavarottie is a little flat and deed in the neck for a Grand Prix. The half passes were rather quiet but had nice supple bend and good crossing. In the turn through the corners, Pavarottie lost some engagement in his passage, which overall could use a bit more elevation. Neither piaffe crossing the centerline found a settled rhythm unfortunately. There was a mistake in each line of tempis. The pirouettes were small and decently uphill. The final piaffe was quite nice in the rhythm and well in place. A steady test but needs a little more fire. 

Lindsey Stroh & Lancelot: 55.902%

• This was a strong horse who seemed a bit dead today. Lancelot started a little sticky out of the halt. The trot work had nice energy but this sometimes came at the expense of some unsteadiness in the bridle and irregularity in the gaits. The collected walk was very tense. Out of the walk Lancelot dropped the bit and did not really offer a first piaffe. The second one was much much better with a decent rhythm and in place. The two tempis were relaxed and nicely uphill and the ones were clean. The horse trotted into the first pirouette, so the pair showed only a half-pirouette. There was a mistake in the the nine ones. The pirouette right stayed decently uphill but needed more jump behind. The final piaffe was quite good, but the passage was losing energy. 

Rebecca Rigdon & Solei: 54.039%

• This mare is a dynamic mover but got a little tense in the back in the extended trots, making them a bit rushed. The passage had very good power and elevation. The passage before the walk lost some of its collection. In extended walk, Solei got a bit deep in the neck. The piaffe was going decently but then the mare showed a large resistance including rearing and going backwards. The second piaffe came off cleanly. The beautiful two tempis were almost immediately interrupted by another enormous resistance. There was a mistake in the one tempis and they seemed a bit tense in the strides. Rigdon was quite cautious in the pirouettes to avoid another resistance so the first was big and the second broke into a trot. There was a third resistance on the final centerline. This is quite a nice mare but clearly just very very sensitive. Rigdon handled it well.