Charlotte Dujardin & Valegro: 89.054%
- Right into the arena, Valegro's passage was on with plenty of push from behind. The trot half-pass left showed powerful, supple crossing and even the passage half-passes had lots of crossing without a loss of suspension or rhythm. The piaffes were on the spot, with Valegro sitting beautifully in the third and allowing his knees to come up. The extended walk was beautifully relaxed into the bridle, even if it is not huge. The extended canter down the centerline showed lots of relaxation through the back, even with all its power. Dujardin had an error again in both lines of one tempis where the horse jumped together behind. The twos, though, came off beautifully. The final piaffe pirouette started a little slow, but then showed one of Valegro's best piaffes.
Kristina Bröring-Sprehe & Desperados: 88.804%- Bröring-Sprehe began with a light-footed passage half-pass to trot half-pass. The trot half-pass left was a little slow in the rhythm. The first piaffe was nice, but the horse came above the bit in the transition out of it. The second piaffe was closed at the base and bouncy, but started a little irregular. The canter pirouette right was super: small, with a top quality uphill canter. Bröring-Sprehe showed three more double pirouettes, all of really high quality. The first extended canter could have shown slightly longer strides. The final passage was really light and rhythmical and the last two piaffes very well finessed. The ride is so soft and friendly looking, even though the contact is not totally steady, so when her top moving horse is with her, she really rakes in the marks. Though the score was maybe a little high, it was definitely good enough for silver.
Beatriz Ferrer-Salat & Delgado: 82.714%
- Delgado's passage has super suspension and drive from behind. The piaffe is also springy, though it lacks a little sit. In the trot half-passes, there is lots of ground-cover, but Delgado could step more under behind. Ferrer-Salat took full advantage of the high quality passage in effortless-looking passage half-passes. The extended walk was a bit tense in the body. The tempi changes were very uphill but needed to be straighter and jump not just up, but more forward. The first canter pirouette was tiny and balanced, but needed a bit more bend; the second got a bit big. At the end, Ferrer-Salat rode a full piaffe pirouette that had a metronome rhythm. The music was powerful, really well suited for the horse's gaits.
Hans Peter Minderhoud & Johnson: 82.411%
- Minderhoud had a few little short steps behind in the early passage. Johnson lowers his croup well in piaffe, but should also bring his hind legs more under. The trot half-passes were expressive, but could have had a higher degree of difficulty. The later passage showed much better engagement and the extended trot was beautifully up and forward into the bridle. Johnson was quite tense in extended walk. Minderhoud's extended canter was bold and powerful and the canter pirouette after was really sitting with plenty of jump in the canter. The canter in the tempi changes jumped uphill beautifully, though they could cover a bit more ground. Minderhoud had to work hard to keep the last piaffe going, but the last passage was beautiful in front.
Carl Hester & Nip Tuck: 79.571%
- Nip Tuck's frame was lovely right from the start. The trot half-passes had nice crossing, but could have had a touch more power. The piaffe has good rhythm, but bounced up a bit behind. The transitions from piaffe to passage tended to have a bit of a hitch of them. The canter pirouettes were small and very well controlled in their rotation, though they could jump more uphill. The canter pirouettes were beautifully correct and uphill. The final passage half-passes were lovely and had lots of suspension. Everything in the test was ridden with harmonious precision.
Isabell Werth & Don Johnson: 82.446%
- Werth chose to ride to her Pomp and Circumstance freestyle, which though it isn't new, matches piaffe and passage so well. She started a little cautiously in the first extended trot, not pushing for the maximum reach and power, though it still showed nice engagement. The passage tours wary one were very good, with Don Johnson really stepping under with full suspension and not showing his tendency towards a double-beat behind. The trot half-passes reach beautifully sideways in front. Though the piaffes are not really sitting, they have a very clear rhythm. The extended canters into the pirouettes were really bold and supple. The tiny, active canter pirouette right was the only time that Don Johnson got a bit braced in the contact. The one tempis were nice through the body, but could have covered a bit more ground. The rhythm on the final centerline was unchanging from piaffe pirouette to passage half pass. A top test for this combination.
Tinne Vilhelmson Silfvén & Don Auriello: 80.571%
- Vilhelmson Silfvén is such a sharp freestyle rider and her music really suits the horse. The piaffe and passage continued to be a weakness because they are quite slow behind, though the passage half-passes made for a really nice balanced picture from the front. The extended walk was excellent, moving forward from behind to stretch into the bridle. Vilhelmson Silfvén's line of pirouette, ones, pirouette was impeccable with uphill changes and tiny, balanced pirouettes, though they could have a bit more jump in behind. The twos had good lift in front. The final extended trot stepped under well and of course Don Auriello really reaches up and out in front. The frame as always was impeccably soft and uphill. This test definitely deserved its big score.
Diederik van Silfhout & Arlando: 78.696%
- Arlando showed right from the start his amazing expression in passage and piaffe. The piaffe creeps forward a bit. The trot half-passes could have stepped sideways with more suppleness. The walk work was rather tense behind and showed almost no overtrack. The canter pirouette left was really sitting, but a little rushed and big. Arlando was more willing in the canter half-pass left than the one to the right. Van Silfhout had an unscripted change in the second, very tense, extended canter. In some of the passage towards the end of the test, the horse was getting a bit frantic picking up the left hind, despite the impressive loftiness of the movement.
Jessica von Bredow-Werndl & Unee BB: 80.214%
- Von Bredow-Werndl started right out of the halt with an uphill canter pirouette and the second one was tiny—a real highlight of the test. She had a counting error in the two tempis and the ones were quite tense in the back, though they had nice shoulder freedom. The first piaffe, coming out of canter, had a good level of activity, but needed to come more under behind, especially in the last steps. The piano music von Bredow-Werndl chose to accompany the piaffe was really clever. The trot half-passes flow sideways nicely but lack a little bend. Unee stepped very well from behind in the trot extensions. The stallions struggles a little with the transitions from piaffe to passage, but von Bredow-Werndl finessed them well. Von Bredow-Werndl's program was a highly technical one with lost of transitions and movements that closely followed each other, all ridden precisely to well-chosen music.
Gonçalo Carvalho & Batuta: 72.761%
- Batuta's piaffe and passage today looked really good. The mare seemed much more comfortable in the arena than earlier in the week and so she lifted her legs way off the ground without looking like she was on hot coals. The piaffe sometimes crept forward a little, but was soft and springy. The extended walk moved nicely through the body and was correct in the rhythm, but got a bit deep in the bridle. Carvalho rode the canter work a bit cautiously, but it maintained Batuta's relaxation and so was a good riding choice. The first pirouette needed to be more uphill and the second lost the canter rhythm a bit. Carvalho rode an impeccable transition from canter to piaffe and good final line of passage.
Karen Tebar & Don Luis: 75.000%
- Tebar started a little slow in the trot half-passes which could have showed more fluid crossing. The passage and piaffe are a real highlight though. The passage shows really good engagement behind and the piaffe springs off the ground. Don Luis hesitated a bit before the first piaffe though. The horse tilts its head at times, but Tebar's contact is pleasantly soft throughout. The first canter pirouette started quite big and was not tat well placed on the centerline. The half-passses in trot and canter did not have a very high degree of difficulty, though this is understandable given the horse's lack of experience. Tebar oddly decided to show one tempis on the centerline, but the changes were clearly swinging through the body. A pleasant ride, but not totally clean today.
Morgan Barbançon Mestre & Painted Black: 73.875%
- Barbançon Mestre started on a nice soft piaffe and passage with easy transitions between the two. The horse could have been a little lighter in front, but stays well in the rhythm. There was an error in the twos but Barbançon Mestre rode them again very well. The extended walk was relaxed while remaining motivated. The one tempis jumped lightly forward and off the ground. The final passage showed quite good engagement. Barbançon Mestre's music choice was quite poignant, especially since this is the last time we will see Painted Black in international competition.
Patrick van der Meer & Uzzo: 74.321%
- Van der Meer entered the test with a nice forward feeling hand, producing a good extended trot with lots of shoulder freedom. Throughout, though, it would be nice to see more relaxation in the body. Uzzo gave some resistance to the bit in the first piaffe, ridden at C, resulting in a loss of rhythm. The first canter pirouette turned a bit haunches-first. The tempis were straight. Coming back from extended canter, Uzzo got a bit braced. The second set of pirouettes ridden on the long diagonal were very good: small and uphill and active. For the most part, the horse stayed more open in the neck than in the Grand Prix. Their final line of passage was airy without Uzzo getting too electric. The music for the test was pleasant, but didn't do much to underline the movements.
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