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| The top three of the Grand Prix (L to R): Jan Ebeling and Rafalca, Steffen Peters and Legolas, Tina Konyot and Calecto V |
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| Steffen Peters & Legolas |
There were no surprises when Steffen Peters and Legolas pulled off the first victory of the Festival of Champions big tour (75.160%). The contact with the bridle was much more consistent, though Legolas still bobs his head down towards his chest at times. The extended trots were nicely evenly matched in the striding in front and behind, but Legolas still needed more reach and suspension in them. The piaffe and passage is extremely light and springy, though some of that spring could push more forward than up in the passage. They were both quite regular. There was plenty of overtrack in the slightly slow extended walk. There were mistakes in the two tempis. In the canter half-passes, Legolas could step more under behind. The one tempis were clean, but get a bit flat footed instead of big round strides. The final line of piaffe and passage was effortless and light in front.
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| Jan Ebeling & Rafalca |
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| Jan Ebeling & Rafalca |
Second with a impressively well-ridden test was Jan Ebeling and Rafalca (73.320%). With finesse, Ebeling seemed to eke out every possible point—it was a delight to watch. Rafalca does not have a naturally big, elastic trot, but the half-passes had lovely swinging crossing. The piaffe-passage transitions were consistently very good. Ebeling had to work to maintain the elevation of the passage, and sometimes the power would be lost for a step. The piaffes were absolutely regular and in place and sitting. Another highlight was the fluid and uphill two tempis. Rafalca's balance in the canter zig-zag was excellent, though the canter got a bit flat. The pair's uphill canter pirouettes could have had a hair more jump to them. The engagement in the final passage was super.
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| Jan Ebeling & Rafalca with a very nice final centerline. |
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| Tina Konyot & Calecto V |
Tina Konyot and Calecto V narrowly pulled off third (72.620%). Though the basic trot tour was rather weak—the extended trots were limited and the half-passes had lots of crossing, but not enough power—the piaffe and passage were strong. Konyot kept Calecto's extremely bouncy and powerful passage nicely regular, though it would score even higher if he carried more of his weight behind in each step. The two tempis and extended canter were super. The zig-zag was uphill and powerful. Calecto lost some impulsion in the one tempis and became a little close behind in a few of them. The pirouettes were tiny and Konyot had Calecto sitting beautifully in them. The final piaffe-passage transitions were, unfortunately, not quite clean.
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| Adrienne Lyle & Wizard |
Incredibly, there was a three way tie for fourth between Adrienne Lyle, Caroline Roffman, and surprise of the show Laura Graves (72.540%). Lyle's Wizard is in good form these days with a much smoother test—he has always been powerful and eye-catching. In the first halt, Wizard stood a bit out behind with a leg resting. The extended trots had lots of shoulder freedom and expression in front, though Wizard could reach more underneath himself behind. Lyle got Wizard very nicely compressed and uphill in the trot half-passes and he reaches well sideways in each stride. The collected walk was slightly irregular. The passage was powerful, but with slightly more elevation in the left front than the right. The two tempis were wonderfully uphill, though one was close behind. There was an error in the twos. The final line of piaffe and passage was impressively expressive.
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| Caroline Roffman & Her Highness O |
As a newcomer to Grand Prix level, Her Highness O under Caroline Roffman still looks a bit over-
faced: though the movements are of quite good quality, they are executed with a lot of tension, including a frequently curled lip. The extended trots were very floaty, but needed more overtrack. In the half-passes, the trot got a bit quick, but Roffman rode them with excellent bend and crossing. While the passage had lots of elevation, the mare could engage her hind legs more underneath herself in it. She also occasionally becomes irregular, reaching forward with a front leg, rather than merely elevating her knees. The piaffes were sitting, springy, and regular. Roffman rode a bold and uphill extended canter. The one tempi changes could cover more ground. The first canter pirouette was uphill, the second less so, and both were active and small. The piaffe-passage transitions on the final centerline were very good.
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| Laura Graves & Verdades |
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| Caroline Roffman & Her Highness O |
Laura Graves and Verdades started their test had an excellent trot tour with high power extensions and lots of reach sideways in the half-passes. The first passage could have been a bit more elevated and collected, the second was better. The passage was very regular and the rhythm was uninterrupted into the powerful piaffe. The transition up to collected canter was super. The one tempis could have jumped a touch more uphill and forward. The canter rhythm of the pirouettes was excellent, though both the pirouettes and piaffe would have been even better with a bit more sit. The horse is a powerful and rangy mover, and Graves piloted him beautifully through the test with her soft and upright seat.
In seventh place was Lisa Wilcox and Denzello (72.220%). Wilcox rode a very polished Grand Prix, though the contact was a bit hard sometimes, causing Denzello's mouth to come open. The crossing in the trot half-passes was excellent, but became just barely irregular for a few steps. The extended trot was ground-covering with power from behind. Denzello sat superbly in the piaffes with plenty of expression. The very regular passage could travel a bit more forward. Denzello showed no two tempis (just a few random ones). The one tempis pushed off stiff hind legs. Their final centerline was very impressive.
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| Lisa Wilcox & Denzello |
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| Shelly Francis and Doktor on their final centerline. |
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| Shelly Francis & Doktor |
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| Kathleen Raine & Breanna |
Shelly Francis and Doktor pulled into eighth place (71.800%). Doktor is quite a small, compact horse and gets rather tense, but he is also quite a powerhouse. Francis rode him quite uphill, but requiring lots of little half-halts that weren't quite smooth and disrupted Doktor's rhythm at times. The extended walk needed to step more actively into the bridle. Doktor got so closed at the base in the second piaffe that it almost developed a backwards tendency. The passage was high-stepping, though Francis lost it a few strides before the transition to canter. They had a small error at the end of the two tempis. Overall, the canter work was good quality, though the collected canter in general could be a little rounder in its strides. The final piaffe and passage was top class, with Doktor regularly and willingly pushing off the ground.
Kathleen Raine had a very nice test with Breanna (71.460%). Raine rode the mare beautifully into the bridle. Breanna was consistently quiet in the mouth, and Raine kept her long neck sufficiently open at the throat-latch. The trot half-passes lost some of their push from behind. Breanna's regular passage had lots of engagement behind, though it could have had a bit more elevation in front. The extended walk did not reach quite enough under behind. In the zig-zag, the canter half-passes traveled well across the centerline. The first canter pirouette was a little fixed behind and Breanna broke from the canter for a stride in the second.
The highlight of Arlene Page and Alina's test (70.920%) was definitely the passage, regular with beautifully lifted knees. The crossing in the half-passes was superior, but it came at the expense of some of the trot's suspension. Alina takes lovely long strides in the extended trot. The transitions out of piaffe were weak. The ones were uphill with nice shoulder freedom. Alina's canter pirouettes were sitting, but lost some jump at the end. A similar issue plagued the last piaffe, which was sitting and diagonal, but a bit earthbound.
Katherine Bateson-Chandler and Wellnetta give a nice impression of quality, but their test had too many errors for the pair to score higher (69.820%). The trot half-passes were nicely swinging. The first passage needed a slightly more collected elevation. Wellnetta's piaffe was regular, but crept forward slightly. The mare tripped into the collected canter. The pair had an error at the end of her round two tempis. Bateson-Chandler kept Wellnetta consistently uphill in the canter zig-zag. The one tempis were big, but the mare swung her croup slightly. At times, the mare climbed a bit in the bridle, pushing out her under neck, though she never became truly braced or hard in the mouth.
Sharon McCusker's mount Wrigley is a lively mover, but needs to develop a little more power (68.940%). The extended trots had a lovely open frame and plenty of overtrack and reach in front. Wrigley was a little resistant in his movement sideways for the trot half-passes. The extended walk was active and long-strided. The
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| Sharon McCusker & Wrigley |
regular second piaffe drifted to the right and lost a little energy before the transition out, making the transition less clean. The tempis were very good, with Wrigley stepping way underneath himself. The zig-zag was laboured. The canter pirouettes were small, but not wholly balanced in turning.
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| Cesar Parra & Van the Man |
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| Charlotte Jorst & Nintendo |
Cesar Parra's Van the Man is a powerful horse, but Parra seemed not yet to have figured out how to focus his ability (68.360%). The horse got quite sticky in the trot half-passes. The extended walk was restricted in the back, limiting the overtrack. The piaffe had nice sit, regularity and spring. In the canter zig-zag, Van the Man became a bit short in the neck—creeping above the bit—and a bit low in the shoulder. The horse fell into cross-canter in the pirouette left. The final piaffe was super in place, but again the horse was coming slightly above the bit.
Charlotte Jorst had her hands full with a rather jazzed up Nintendo (67.780%), who had a tendency to get rather short and high in his neck and off the contact. The trot work was a little hurried. The extended trot was noticeably tense, lacking the required stretch. The piaffe and passage were regular with easy transitions between them, though Nintendo should come more under behind. A few passage strides before the canter lost a bit of elevation. There were a couple of errors behind in the one tempis.
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| Michael Barisone & Ellegria |
Michael Barisone was the only rider with two horses in the Grand Prix: Ellegria (67.540%) and HF Victor (66.700%). Barisone's riding was quite nice, but both horses are rather small, light chestnuts without the natural presence that makes for an international quality horse. Ellegria was quite hard in her mouth, which was frequently open. The trot half-passes got a bit quick, but had nice shoulder freedom. The extended walk had nice overtrack, but the mare got a bit deep in the bridle. The passage did not have the best elevation and got quite flat before the canter transition. The tempis were decently expressive. Ellegria stepped under well in the canter zig-zag, but should have been a bit more uphill. The final piaffe was correctly in place and quite light in front, though Barisone had to work quite hard to keep it going.
Like Ellegria, HF Victor could have been more consistently up and closed in his frame. HF Victor was a little resistant to the bend and sideways movement during the trot half-passes. The horse has a nice tendency to sit in the piaffe, though he could not consistently carry his weight. The transition up to canter was not quite clean. The extended canter was safe, the ones rather straight-legged. Barisone rode nicely round and uphill canter pirouettes.
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