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| Isabell Werth on the final centerline with Bella Rose |
But before that, we have the team competition starting fresh on Tuesday. The Dutch, Danish, Americans, and Brits will all be competitive, though the American position is not looking as strong without 80%+ scores from Salvino.
As far as I understand the confusing qualification and heat system being used this Olympics, the qualifiers for the individual final will be:
- Jessica von Bredow Werndl & Dalera
- Isabel Werth & Bella Rose
- Catherine Dufour & Bohemian
- Charlotte Dujardin & Gio
- Dorothee Schneider & Showtime
- Edward Gal & Total U.S.
- Charlotte Fry & Everdale
- Sabine Schut-Kery & Sanceo
- Therese Nilshagen & Dante Weltino
- Carine Cassøe Krüth & Heiline's Danciera
- Adrienne Lyle & Salvino
- Juliette Ramel & Buriel K.H.
- Hans Peter Minderhoud & Dream Boy
- Carl Hester & En Vogue
- Steffen Peters & Suppenkasper
- Nanna Skögberg Merrald & Zack
- Rodrigo Torres & Fogoso
- Beatrice Ferrer-Salat & Elegance
Group F
Isabel Werth's (GER - 82.500%) Bella Rose has so much range and lightness in her gaits, even if she is not the freest in the body and lacks some natural suspension. In the extended trots, the mares knees are almost to her nose, but her hind legs don't step into the tracks of the front. The trot half-passes were incredibly fluid with an easy change of bend. In passage, the mare was light, but could push subtly more into the bridle. The piaffe sprang way off the ground, but still doesn't really sit (despite receiving 10s). The extended walk was limited. Again in the second piaffe and passage tour, the hindlegs really need to come more under and push the contact into the bridle, even with the ease and rhyhtm of the picture. The twos were big, but not the most uphill of the day. The canter zig-zag was extremely accurately placed. In the ones, the horse is not quite straight. The canter pirouettes were tiny, but not the most sitting. The final line was easy and accurate, with more tens for the piaffe.
Charlotte Dujardin (GBR - 80.963%) and Gio are a delight to watch. The horse gives the impression of being so bright and eager. Gio was a little quick in the extended trots, but stepped correctly way underneath himself. The trot half-passes showed lots of lateral reach and freedom. Their reinback was perhaps the best of the competition. In passage, Gio is super active behind, but not always consistent in each step. In piaffe, he could carry just a bit more weight behind. The extended walk showed the nose beautifully out. Durjardin manages the rhythm of the transitions between the piaffe and passage extremely well, keeping the rhythm through the changes of balance. The extended canter was big-striding, but stayed a little short in the neck. The ones were lovely and straight and forward. Both pirouettes had lovely bend and a good canter, but could have been a bit more secure in their balance. The piaffe on the centerline crept forward to X, but the final passage was exquisite and their test ended with a real square halt.
Steffen Peters (USA - 76.196%) has the talent to get the most out of the incredible moving, but sometimes tricky Suppenkasper. The extended trots took huge steps, well matched in fron and behind. The trot half passes showsuper bend and sideways reach. The reinback was sticky. From the side, the piaffes have excellent sit, but the horse is slightly out of balance with the front legs coming in as well. The first passage could have been a bit more ground-covering. The extended walk was relaxed and clean. Both the ones and the twos could have been a bit more up in the bridle, but each change jumped well and softly forward. Like few riders, Peters really pushes for the maximum sideways travel in the canter zig-zag. The canter pirouettes were nice and uphill, though the second turned slightly quickly. The final piaffe stayed quicker and the final passage was beautifully matched in front and behind.
Brittany Frasier Beaulieu (CAN - 71.677%) All In are a combination with a lot of presence. The frame throughout the test was also consistent and correct. All In has a trot with tons of suspension, though in the half-passes the hindlegs trailed slightly. The piaffe was small with the horse not really sitting but instead leaning on his front legs. But the passage showed the quality spring that seems so natural from this horse. The two tempis were bit and took up the whole diagonal. The canter zig-zag looked slightly labored, but correct. The ones were uphill. The canter pirouettes could have had more sit, but Frasier-Beaulieu placed them very well. The final piaffe moved quite forward into almost no contact, but the passage was good.
Joao Miguel Torrao (POR - 70.186%) and Equador had an early bobble with a step of canter out of the halt. This stallion could track more up behind in the trot work, though he shows nice reach in front. In passage, the horse picks his hindlegs more up than under, but he does drop his croup in piaffe. At the beginning of the extended walk, the horse stuck his tongue way out to the right for several strides. The passage after the walk was better collected. The twos were nice and straight and up in front, but Miguel Torrao had an error in the count. The canter zig-zag was well managed, though it didn't push massively sideways. The one tempis and first canter pirouette were highlights, and it was interesting to see a Lusitano with strengths in the canter. The final passage was much more expressive than the earlier ones and the piaffe showed the most energy.
Florian Bacher (AUT - 69.813%) piloted Fidertraum very pleasantly through the Grand Prix. . Fidertraum's flashy front leg in trot is followed by a hind leg that is quiet, but steps well underneath himself. In passage, the horse could lift himself up a little more in front. Fidertraum could have been more open in the throatlatch in extended walk. The second piaffe was more sitting and rhythmic than the first. The two tempi changes were nice and uphill. In the extended canter, the horse could have opened up more through his body. There was a miscommunication before the ones and a mistake toward the end. In the final passage, the horse supported himself best with his hindlegs.
Maxime Collard (FRA - 69.813%) rode Cupido PB with lots of energy. Collard's hands looked friendly in the test, but the horse's mouth stayed quite open from early in the ride.Through the corners, the horse showed some lack of suppleness, with the hind end fishtailing out and creating a couple irregular steps. The piaffe was active, if not super rhythmic. The horse strode out well in extended walk. But in passage the horse really lifts his body and hind legs. The twos were clean and forward, but the pair missed a couple ones. The canter pirouettes were well controlled and the horse benefited from the strength of his active hindleg.
Yessin Rahmouni (MOR - 66.599%) rode the quality stallion All At Once with a few errors, but nice tempis and passage. The stallion was flashy in the first trot extension, but got a little hurried. That tension led to a break into a canter in the second half-pass. The collected trot sometimes got interrupted in the rhythm, but in the first passage the rhythm was excellent and the horse brought his hindlegs well underneath him. The extended walk needed a more open frame. The first two piaffes were a little hesitant, but came off well, The transition to canter was a little rough. The twos were big, but the horse got quite behind the bit. There were a few strides of resistance in the canter zig-zag. The canter pirouettes could have been more sitting and controlled. The passage on the final centerline was the real highlight of the test and showed the best frame.
Hiroyuki Kitahara's (JPN - 66.304%) Huracan 10 looked quite wide-eyed in the Olympic stadium, with perhaps some tension coming early into the quickness of the extended trots. Overall, the picture was very pleasant with Kitahara managing the tension well. The trot half-passes were uphill and a bit more fluid. In the transition to the first passage, the horse cantered. Huracan does not have the cleanest walk, but Kitahara rode it nice and forward. The second passage was solid, but in piaffe, the horse picks his legs up behind rather than under. The twos were straight and uphill, if slightly strong. In the canter pirouettes, the horse really sat, but didn't look completely secure in his balance. The final passage was active, but a little high in the neck.
Virginia Yarur's (CHI - 66.227%) Ronaldo is a flatter mover, but reaches under himself well. Yarur often holds he hands low and wide to try to encourage her high necked horse to lower his head, but he should ideally reach more into the contact. The extended trots were correct, with nice overtrack. The trot half-passes were not the most supple, but showed a fluid trot. In piaffe, Ronaldo closes at the base, but doesn't quite sit and spring off the ground. The extended walk showed good stretch and overstep. The ones were not ground-covering, but the horse stepped nicely under in each change. The horse changed behind before the second pirouette. The final passage was soft and sprang forward.
Group E
Dorothee Schneider's (GER - 78.820%) Showtime looks like he has gained power since the last Olympics though Schneider still has to really work to keep him in front of the vertical. She keeps the contact super soft and really rides off her seat. His trot has always been strong, but the extended trots had extra propulsion. The half-pass left had better bend than the one to the right. The reinback was hesitant, but the steps were clean. In piaffe, the horse withdraws from the contact and doesn't really sit, even though he brings his hindlegs under. The passage, though, is lofty and fluid. The twos were expressive and uphill. The canter zig-zag was well-controlled and well-placed. In the ones, the change to the right was more uphill than the one to the left, but the whole line was clean. Unfortunately the horse lost the bend and trotted a step in the first pirouette, but the second one was very good. On the final centerline, Showtime looked a little tired and his hindlegs could have come more underneath himself. But Schneider managed the rhythm well.
Juliette Ramel's (SWE - 73.369%) and Buriël K.H. and in their second Olympics. Buriël is a horse with lots of swing in his trot, which I really enjoy. The trot half-passes had nice suspension without getting passage-y, but limited bend. The horse stepped way under himself in the second extended trot and carried that into passage. The piaffe was lofty, but not really sitting, with a bit of a bobble in the transition in. The rhythm of the extended walk was clean, but slightly hurried, and the tension showed in a trot step in collected walk. The second passage was super and Ramel rode a super transition into a piaffe with a more lowered croup and better rhythm. The twos were huge and uphill, but the extended canter was not so bold. In the zig-zag, like in the trot half-passes, the bend was better to the left. The ones were big but got a little deep in the frame, so there was an error in them. The pirouettes were active and sitting, but drifted off the centerline. The final passage was big, but the horse's mouth came quite open.
Marlies van Baalen (NED - 71.615%) sits very upright and uses her seat quite a lot to ask for the maximum expression from Go Legend. The trot extensions showed nice long strides. The first passage stayed quite open and van Baalen struggled to collect into piaffe, with her horse quitting for a second. The extended walk was not the scopiest, but showed good stretch. The second passage was more controlled and softer, producing a much better transition to piaffe. The two tempis took up the centerline, but needed to be a bit straighter. The extended canter was big-striding and uphill. The canter zig-zag was easy and well-balanced. There were a few missed changes in the middle of the ones. The first pirouette had a better canter than the second. The final passage took a bit to develop, but set up the best piaffe of the ride—the most in place and most sitting.
Morgan Barbançon (FRA - 70.543%) rides Sir Donnerhall II with
very quiet aids, and though she hasn't reached the heights she did with
Painted Black, I find her riding more pleasing now. In determination, it
looked like Barbançon slightly overrode the first extended tor
and the horse broke into canter. The trot half-passes has lovely lateral
reach. Barbançon rode a lovely transition from the second
extended trot to passage, pushing the hindlegs forward underneath the
horse. But in piaffe, she holds the horse in place and it doesn't get
the cleanest rhythm. The second piaffe was more obedient, but small. The
twos are so big that the horse struggles a bit with the balance and
relies on his rider's hand for help. The canter zig-zag was nicely
uphill. There was an tiny error behind in the ones. Both pirouettes were big, but
nicely controlled. The final passage was nicely elevated in front, but
the hindlegs trailed slightly.
Nicholas Wagner Ehlinger (LUX - 70.512%) rode the compact but expressive
Quater Back Junior in a clean test that showed the horse in a very
friendly way. The extended trots showed ground cover and shoulder
freedom, but the hind legs trailed slightly. The first piaffe was small,
but regular. The extended walk was big, but Wagner Ehlinger slightly
overrode it and the horse took a tiny step of trot. The passage after
the collected walk was light and easy, but like in extended walk, Quater
Back Junior could bring his hind legs more under himself. The extended
canter showed nice big strides. The ones looked easy and light and
uphill. The canter pirouettes could have been smaller, but Wagner
Ehlinger rode them with a super sitting canter. The final piaffe came
above the bit, but was otherwise the best.
Domien Michiels' (BEL - 70.202%) Intermezzo van het Meerda is a relatively flat mover, but Michiels does a nice job asking him to stride out and forward. The reinback was obedient. The horse steps way underneath himself in passage, but doesn't look totally secure carrying himself in the movement. The extended walk had very good stretch and overtrack. The transition into the second piaffe was good and the horse lowered his croup correctly for the movement, but then struggled to lift his weight back up into passage. The ones were clean, if not the most uphill in each change. Both pirouettes rotated a little quickly at the end as the horse couldn't maintain the self-carriage he offered. The last piaffe was small and the horse leapt a bit out, but the passage after was stronger.
Estelle Wettstein (SUI - 67.748%) has a mare with a real engine behind in West Side Story . The horse really reached well underneath herself in extended trot. The quality of the trot in the half-passes was excellent, though the horse didn't have the most lateral freedom. The passage bounced forward from behind, but tended to get slightly croup-high. Wettstein rode for the most out of the extended walk, but it took a moment to settle. The rider had to half-halt quite hard to try to bring the horse back for the second piaffe, which still traveled quite forward. There was an error in the middle of the ones. In the pirouettes, the horse came quite uphill, but in the first she turned a bit around her middle and the second got slightly big. The piaffe wasn't quite clear still at X, but the final passage was beautifully expressive.
Shingo Hayashi (JPN - 65.714%) rides Scolari 4 in a nice uphill and forward way, though the horse is not the most supple-looking. The extended trots could have a bit more engagement, but had lots of power. The extended walk had a nice rhythm, but limited stretch. In passage, the horse could carry with his hindlegs a bit more underneath him, but pushes himself well off the ground. The piaffe was small. The twos didn't have a clean start, but finished well. The balance in the changes of direction in the zig-zag could have been better. The ones were looking super until the end. The first pirouette was small, but a little stuck, whereas the second was bigger with a better canter. The final piaffe had the best rhythm, but the horse sadly tripped into the final halt. The mistakes in the tempis were a real shame, because if they had been clean, they could have been real highlights.
Martha del Valle Quirarte's (MEX - 64.876%) Beduino Lam looks like the smaller, broader Iberian horse that was more common 20 years ago, but has a nice modern reach in his trot. The horse braced against his rider's contact in the fluid extended trots. The first passage was limited, but the horse sat well into the piaffe. The extended walk needed to stride a little better into the bridle. The horse cantered a step out of the good second piaffe, struggling with the power needed to step up into passage and they stuggled with the transition to canter. In the two tempis, the change to the left had more scope, but the line as a whole was nice. The ones didn't cover much ground, but made a nice picture. The canter pirouettes were tiny and sitting, but needed to give a bit more of a forward-feeling impression. Del Valle Quirarte struggled a little to find the rhythm of the final passage, but once she did, the quality of the final line was by far the best.
Kelly Layne (AUS - 58.354%) has and incrdible mover with Samhitas, a
horse with a high degree of freedom in the back and shoulder. The first
extended trot was huge without getting rushed. The trot half-pass right
was scopey in the trot, but not supple in the bend; the one to the left
was better. In the first passage, the hind legs escaped out behind him,
so Layne couldn't collect for the piaffe and the horse reared and did
not really demonstrate the movement. Layne tried to be delicate with the
second piaffe, but the horse reared again and his resistance to step up
into the contact showed again in a hesitant transition up into canter.
The canter work was clean except for a change behind in the second
pirouette, but the horse got rather low and open in the frame, with
Layne hesitating to drive him into contact and face resistance. The
final passage to X was top class and the piaffe went off with only a
step of walk coming out.
Group D
Carina Cassøe Krüth (DEN - 76.677%) had a clean test that showed off the quality of her Heiline's Danciera. The trot extensions that started their test showed reach and power. The bend and quality of the trot in the half-passes was good. In the reinback and after, unfortunately, the mare got a little hard in the mouth and lowered her tongue. By the first piaffe, however, the connection recovered. The passage springs forward from behind. In piaffe, the frame is good, but mare travels a little too much forward. The twos were light and easy, if not super scopey. The canter in the zig-zag got slightly hurried. The canter pirouettes were a little large, but well-controlled and sitting with a quality canter rhythm. The long line of passage on the final centerline allowed Cassøe Krüth to show off the mare's expression.
Adrienne Lyle (USA - 74.876%) and Salvino divided the judges quite starkly. To me, the test did not seem that far from what she has shown previously, so perhaps the judges have reevaluated the pair somewhat. She started her test with a dead straight centerline. The first trot extension showed a lot of freedom in the shoulder, but looked a little uneven behind. The trot in the half-passes got a little pony-ish, but the bend was supple. In passage, Salvino is incredibly uphill, but he doesn't really push forward as much as snatch his legs up. The extended walk showed super stretch and relaxation and the collected walk was clear and relaxed as well. The rhythm of the second piaffe was excellent and Salvino really lifts his legs in it, like in passage, though he could lower his group slightly more. The twos were big and supple. The extended canter was held back and the zig-zag a little hesitant. The ones were clean, but should be straighter. Salvino really lowered his croup in the pirouettes, but the rotation of the first one could have been a bit more controlled. The final centerline showed incredible lift in front, but slight irregularity in the passage.
Christian Schumach (AUS - 70.900%) had a very good, even if not mistake free, ride on Te Quiero . The extended trots were flashy in front, but got slightly quick behind the saddle. Like many of the mid-scoring combinations, the expression of the collected trot is not fully maintained in the half-passes. But it translated to lots of action in the piaffe and passage, which was well supported by activity behind. Schumach rode the transitions between passage and piaffe well. One of the two tempis was a stride late. The ones were clean and expressive, but could have been even better if they had stayed a bit more uphill. The canter pirouettes were big, but had good activity in the canter. The final centerline deserved big scores (here, I missed the live scoring to see if Schumach got the kinds of marks a more famous rider would). The passage was huge and easy and the final piaffe showed good activity and the best sit.
Laurence Roos' (BEL - 70.699%) Fil Rouge has good power behind, though
he doesn't step way under himself. Roos rode the trot half-passes in
excellent bend and with lots of power sideways. The passage and piaffe
were springy, though not surprisingly given the horse's general outline,
he did not really bring his hindlegs underneath himself in piaffe.
Still, the rhythm was, outside of a tiny misstep, clear. The collected
walk was rather tense. The extended canter was incredible ground
covering, but Fild Rouge should technically open up his frame more. The
ones were very good and the pirouettes nicely controlled. The final
centerline was expressive, but could have shown a rounder frame.
Simone Pearce (AUS - 68.494%) had a few too many little bobbles with the impressive stallion Destano. The stallion strides way out in extended trot, but gets very slightly out behind. The trot half-passes could have been a tiny bit more fluid, but had supple bend and super sideways reach. In the transition between the open passage and the sitting piaffe, Pearce had to apply the breaks a bit. The extended walk was diligent and enormous. The transition from collected walk to passage was not quite clean. The twos were huge, but Pearce had an error in her count. But she rode for it in the extended canter to pick points back up. In the canter zig-zag, the horse fought the contact a little after the changes of bend. The pirouettes had incredible sit, but it made it tricky for Pearce to steer him out of them. The final passage got quite open in the frame and a little trot like, but it looked like it was the right choice to keep the stallion going.
Heike Holstein (IRL - 68.432%) was the lucky Irish rider to get an individual place with Sambuca after their team was withdrawn. The first extended trot powered across the arena from behind, but could have been a bit more uphill. The first passage was lofty and easy, but could have been a bit more collected. It improved after the piaffe and after the collected walk. The piaffes themselves had a clean two-beat, but should have sat more. In the twos, the change to the right had more freedom than the change to the left. The extended canter was bold and well-balanced back before the change. The pirouettes did not look easy for Sambuca, but Holstein tactfully kept the activity of the canter. The final line of piaffe and passage was the best. Holstein looked thrilled to have put forward a clean test that showed her horse well.
Severo Jurado Lopez (ESP - 68.370%) has a horse with lots of suspension in the trot in Fendi T, though the horse seems to still need to develop strength and security at the top level since this suspension gets lost somewhat in the trot extensions. Jurado Lopez ride quite strongly with his seat to get the expression passage and piaffe, which means he ends up with a strong horse to hold in the hand. The horse could still develop better self-carriage. Both line of tempis showed foward, fluid changes.The first canter pirouette had excellent activity and balance, but in the second, Fendi struggled to maintain the high level of collection he offered and swapped behind in the last step. The last passage was the lightest in the bridle, but the horse hesitated into the piaffe at X.
Lindsay Kellock (CAN - 65.404%) has an impressive mover in Sebastien, but some tension made for a number of minor errors. The extended trots looked
slightly unevenly engaged behind. Kellock had an break in the trot in
the first half-pass. The first piaffe was small but the passage lifted
way off the ground. The extended walk has nice natural overstep, though
the horse was not completely relaxed in the frame. The twos had a minor
error behind. The changes of bend in the canter zig-zag were balanced
and obedient—the movement was a real highlight in the test. The ones
were clean and uphill. On the final centerline, the passage was the
best, with the horse lifting himself off his hind legs.
Tatiana Kosterina's (ROC - 63.866%) Diavolessa has a lot of reach in her stride, but her rider could be a bit more independent with her seat and hand to allow more from the mare.Kosterina got lots of crossing in the trot half-passes, though the bend could have been more supple. The mare is springy in piaffe and passage, but loses a little roundness in the frame. The twos were good but in the ones the mare couldn't quite keep her rhythm and missed one. The last 20 meters of passage powered forward. Overall, the test was diligent, but not consistently correct in the frame.
Caroline Chew (SGP - Elim.) had a bit of a rough start on Tribiani, with a funny step in the trot extension leading to a break into canter. But she recovered well. Tribiani could have pushed forward a bit more honestly into the bridle in passage, but the piaffe was light-footed and rhythmic. After the two tempis, Chew was rung out for blood in the mouth. Chew's riding was not rough, so its quite possible the horse bit his lip when Chew tried to bring him back after his stumble.
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