CDI Saumur 2013 - Grand Prix Freestyle

Today I elected to stay in my nice warm bed instead of getting up to watch all the freestyles, but I have comments on the top eight combinations. The lovely commentator for TopIberian thoughtfully kept quiet during the freestyles themselves, making her remarks about the test between riders, and allowing viewers to really hear the music. The rides were nice, but often lacking that last bit of polish. Some people had some trouble making transitions that were really with their music and a few others had trouble keeping the quality of the movements while also keeping up with their music, but these were minor flaws that come with the extra difficulty of putting together and riding a kur.  


Catherine Henriquet & Paradieszauber: 70.350%

• There was an organizing hiccough at the start of Henriquet's test: they didn't have the right music for her! And they couldn't find the right music. This is really hard on Henriquet, who would have been all focused and warmed up to enter, and then spent several long minutes walking around and standing at the music booth before the crew found the right track.
• In the first halt Paradieszauber did not put all four feet fully on the ground. The pair had good rhythm in the extended trot but it could have been more ground covering. In the piaffe pirouette that followed, the piaffe became quite small. Henriquet kept the horse quite uphill in two tempis on a half circle, and then executed very straight, uphill ones on the centerline. The canter music was very dramatic and seemed a bit much for Paradieszauber's rather light-footed but small canter. The canter pirouette left had some strides that jumped together behind; the one to the right was smaller and with a better canter quality. The half-passes in both trot and canter were of good quality, with the horse soft in the body and reaching well laterally. In today's passage, however, Henriquet did not quite maintain enough energy and rhythm. The test had a quite high degree of difficulty with movements following quickly after one another including canter pirouettes to half-passes and ones immediately after twos. 

Tommie Visser & Vingino: 72.125%

• Visser began his program with very nice piaffe quarter-pirouettes in good rhythm and nice activity, with the horses croup lowered. The music for the extended trots had lots of percussion, and did not fit the horses rhythm which was quite slow and needed to come more forward from behind. Vingino showed good crossing in his half-passes but they needed to be a little quicker and less passage-y in the tempo. The flying changes in the twos had plenty of spring, but the horse jumped through better to the left that to the right. The extended walk became quite nicely relaxed through the back. For a number of the incidental flying changes the horse was ahead of Visser's aids. The canter pirouettes were in good uphill balance but were quite big. At the end again, Visser again executed very good regular active piaffes and an engaged, if somewhat tense, passage. 

Anne van Olst & Netto: 69.975%

• At the entrance, Netto' passage was quite slow and not sufficiently active behind. The second piaffe was much better in stepping up and being quick behind to match a little bit more the expressive front. In extended trot, Netto needs to lengthen more the frame and steps. The extended walk was quite short in the frame and did not have sufficient over-track. There was a mistake in the twos, and that canter pirouette that followed them was sitting but got far too slow in the canter rhythm. That second canter pirouette, on the other hand, kept a good canter though it was significantly bigger. The piaffe was more active behind today but still needs to stay more in place; the final piaffe had some double-steps. I except that with experience, this pair will produce steadier tests that show off Netto's quality. 

Carl Hester & Fine Time: 74.400%

• The first passage was very energetic and stepping under well. However, the transition to piaffe did not quite go through and the piaffe rhythm never quite got established. The second piaffe was more regular but was a little bit stuck in front. Fine Time almost broke into canter in their third extended trot, which was a shame because his other extensions had nice power from behind and good ground cover. The half passes were smooth and in correct bend, but the horse could reach out more with the shoulder sideways. The canter pirouette left followed two-tempi changes and was very nice in maintaining the canter, but could sit more. The canter half passes had better lateral reach that the trot half-passes. The canter pirouette right was more uphill. The passage half-passes for the final centerline were expressive and had good crossing. Hester rode precisely to the music, which was dramatic without overwhelming the horse. 

Pierre Subileau & Talitie: 70.450%

• After the first centerline, Subileau began with huge trot half-passes with lots of swing. Unfortunately, the passage half-passes became a little slow behind. The piaffe came up nicely in front but was a little stuck behind. The canter half passes were energetic and stepped well sideways and forward, but the horse sometimes became slightly unsteady in the contact. The canter pirouette left was very resistant. The tempi changes were uphill and well engaged. The final piaffe had the best activity behind. The music over all was a little bit much, but the choreography had good musical transitions to match the transitions in the gaits. 

Charlotte Dujardin & Uthopia: 81.600%

• In an example of how a freestyle can really be used to show off the strengths of a horse, Dujardin's test began with a power extended trot down the centerline. As in the Grand Prix, there was some unsteadiness in the transition to and rhythm of the piaffe. Uthopia's passage was really expressive in front and springing from behind. The second piaffe had slightly better rhythm, though there was a double step in the transition to piaffe and a few steps of the passage afterward were a little uneven behind. The extended walk stretched nicely but could have been looser through the back to get more over-track. The canter pirouette left was very small and really sitting but sometimes a bit big in the steps around. Dujardin rode a lovely light footed flat serpentine of two-tempi changes. The second canter pirouette kept very good canter. Before turning up the final centerline, Uthopia showed a lovely soft transition from huge extended trot to airy and effortless passage. 

Anders Dahl & Wie Atlantico de Ymas: 73.525%

• The first piaffe was very regular and even from front to back, though the second piaffe lost some of its rhythm. The half-pass right had a nice trot but the haunches were lagging slightly, the half-pass left was more parallel but lost some of the engagement of the trot. The extended walk did not show much over-track. The canter pirouette left was small and uphill. The one-tempi changes that followed were short and rather flat. The strides in the two-tempi changes were bigger. The transition from canter to piaffe on the final centerline stuck a little at first and the piaffe became a little frantic and Dahl tried to get Wie Atlantico active again. The tempo and energy of the music seemed decently appropriate for the horse and the transitions in it were good. 

Jessica Michel & Riwera: 74.025%

• Michel's test was starting with nice energy, but unfortunately Riwera broke into canter and at the end of the extended trot. The passage afterwards was uneven, and then the piaffe was very small. The pair was not quite in harmony in all the trot and piaffe-passage work. Her music is a version of the Totilas music in few parts! The canter pirouettes were small and uphill really carrying weight behind in lovely way—obedient and controlled. The canter music had a good rhythm for the horse but did not have much variation. The canter half-passes were really nicely balanced uphill and stepped energetically sideways. The final trot extension could have shown longer strides, but was uphill and powerful. 

CDI Saumur 2013 - Grand Prix for Kur

The test I most wanted to see—of course—was Charlotte Dujardin's ride on Uthopia, which was also the winning ride of the class. But that was also the only ride for which the live stream was very poor. I never saw more than a few seconds of the pair's test before the stream froze again. Luckily, TopIberian posted the ride several hours later, so I have now added my comments for their test. (And the live stream for the rest of the tests was very good quality!)


Charlotte Dujardin & Uthopia: 72.255%

• Dujardin rode Uthopia in a rather shorter frame than Hester, but still with a soft contact.  The entrance was pretty much perfect, taking an active collected canter softly and promptly into a square and engaged halt that then stepped smoothly into collected trot. In the extended trots, Uthopia steps correctly underneath himself, floating across the arena with power. The half-passes were fluid and regular with good bend. The passage was springy and elastic with a good frame through Uthopia's body, but the piaffe became slightly irregular (though it was also in a good frame) and the transitions were a little flat. The extended walk needed more over-track. In collected walk, Uthopia was stepping short in the right front. Again, the passage was good, but the piaffe showed signs of miscommunication. Uthopia's two-tempi changes jump light-footedly across the arena, flowing from one lead to the other without interrupting the rhythmicality of the canter. Unfortunately, the changes began to cause little problems after that. Uthopia added extra changes at the end of the extended canter and between the pirouettes and missed a few changes in the middle of the ones. Otherwise, the ones were lovely: straight, expressive, and fluid. The second pirouette got a bit open at the base, causing Uthopia to lose the quality of the canter for a couple strides. The passage on the final centerline was good, but there were a few double steps in the piaffe and in the transition from passage to piaffe. Overall, it was lovely riding with just the mistakes of unfamiliarity. 

Anders Dahl & Wie Atlantico de Ymas: 68.212%

• Overall, the horse was a little tight in the body, which limited some of the quality of the movements, though the ride had no mistakes. Dahl met some resistance in the first piaffe, including a little rear, and generally did not quite hit a rhythm.  extended walk short. Haunches too lost in one tendencies which were a bit short. Canter pirouette small but could be more uphill. Second was more uphill but bigger. Good rhythm in passage clean transitions between Piaf and passage. 

Sarah Casanova & Ulan: 62.744%

• Ulan's haunches lagging in half-passes. The extended trots needed more power and energy. The passage had a good rhythm but the piaffe was a bit uneven. Casanova rode a prompt and quiet transition from collected walk to passage. Ulan tended to come too much on the forehand in piaffe. The ones were quite crooked and almost crossing in front. 

Anne van Olst & Netto: 65.170%

• It appeared that van Olst was riding very conservatively for Netto's first Grand Prix. The test did not start too cleanly, with Netto crossing his legs in the first halt and stepping crookedly into trot. Netto was expressive in front in extended trot, but could use more forward power from behind. Van Olst rode fluid half passes that were a bit slow in the rhythm. The horse's knees came up very high in piaffe and passage, but he did not yet seem to have the strength to maintain a clear rhythm and power behind while lifting up so much in front. Netto's extended walk was very short and tense. The second piaffe was creeping forward and could not quite keep a regular rhythm behind. In the twos there was one missed change and Netto did not jump into the contact and forward enough. The ones were very straight and regular though could probably still be bigger. The canter pirouettes took a high number of steps to turn, but the canter became quite small. Netto closes nicely at the base in the pirouette but could still carry more weight behind in the future. 

Ludovic Henry & Nirvana: 63.978%

• In extended trot, Nirvana should push more forward from behind. The half passes were swinging decently sideways, though Henry had some difficulty with the contact in the change of bend. Nirvana showed decent sit and energy in his piaffe, but it was creeping forward and a bit arrhythmic. The horse was trying to passage out of collected walk even before passing C. The two-tempi changes were springy but a little on the forehand. Henry's horse was falling sideways as opposed to stepping sideways in the zig-zag, and the loss of balance led to a couple changes that were a stride late. There was a mistake in one-tempis, which were short and not very straight. The pair's final passage had clean steps with nice energy. 

Wim Verwimp & Pari Lani: 65.744%

• Pari Lani showed a very regular and active piaffe outside the arena, which he mostly maintained for the test. Verwimp rode a super entrance centerline with an active canter and prompt square halt. The first extended trot was not quite through over the back, but was decently ground covering. There was some loss of rhythm in the second half-pass. The horse showed very good rhythm and activity in piaffe, which would be slightly improved by coming under more behind. The passage had nice engagement. The second piaffe lacked some energy compared to the first one but was still rhythmical. Pari Lani produced big expressive uphill two-tempi changes and maintained good balance in the zig-zag. The ones had lots of jump, but could be a bit straighter. Pari Lani fell out of canter for a stride in the first pirouette, and both pirouettes turned too quickly around. Verwimp's test had some very good elements, but was not completely consistent. 

Dane Rawlins & Sydney: 62.936%

• Sydney showed good rhythm and crossing in the half-passes. The extended trots were tight in the back, with lots of movement in the legs but not enough engagement. The passage was very uneven and the transitions between piaffe and passage were not very clean. The piaffes were in place and in rhythm, but a little too small. Rawlins rode an extended canter that was big and energetic. The one-tempi changes were too short behind. The final centerline showed the most even and energetic passage. 

Carl Hester & Fine Time: 69.872%

• Fine Time's extended trot was rhythmical but could have shown more engagement behind. The trot half-passes were parallel but a little small and could reach more sideways. Fine Time steps beautifully under with lots of spring in passage, but is a little quiet in the piaffe steps and moves quite forward. While the changes flowed nicely from one lead to the other, the horse needs to step up and under more in them. The zig-zag was balanced, with clean changes of bend. Hester rode quite big pirouettes but with good canter rhythm. The pair had a very soft test, but it was still quite conservative and in need of significantly more power from behind. 

Tommie Visser & Vingino: 66.127%

• Visser started with a square halt from an engaged canter. The extended trot needed to show more lengthening of the frame and steps. The half passes crossed nicely and moved well sideways, but were a little arrhythmical. Vingino stepped under much more with the left hind than the right in passage. The piaffe had good sit and was spring, but the steps were quick and tense. The tempi changes were properly ground-covering and uphill. Vingino's pirouettes  showed a properly lowered croup, a nice transfer of weight to the haunches, and a good canter rhythm, but were just a bit big and tense. Vingino is a beautifully built horse, but loses quality in the movements as a result of tension. 

Pierre Subileau & Talitie: 67.595%

• This Gribaldi mare reminded me in appearance of Sisther de Jeu even before I heard her lineage. The entrance showed a canter in need of more articulation of the joints. The extended trot had good lengthening of the frame and steps. The half-passes were beautiful with lots of crossing and big, flowing reach sideways. In passage, the mare's toes were dragging slightly behind, and in piaffe there was much more activity in front than there was engagement behind. The two-tempis had good jump, but were very crooked; the ones were straighter. The pirouettes showed a lot of sit, but the first was almost backward feeling while the second got a little too quick in the canter rhythm. The last piaffe had better energy from behind and was more even from back to front. 

Jessica Michel & Riwerea de Hus: 69.464%

• Michel rode the most powerful extended trot we saw in the class, but it still needed to step under more behind. She really cut the corner before her half-passes but they were quite good in bend and with nice reach and suspension. Both passage and piaffe were not totally consistent in rhythm, though the passage is nicely springy off the ground and the piaffe is quite active. The two tempi changes were short and tense, leading to a mistake. The canter zig-zag half-passes had good bend, but the changes of direction were not always smooth. The pirouettes had a good canter rhythm, carried weight on the haunches, and turned in the right speed, but the horse turned a little more around the middle rather than around her haunches. The final passage was even and springy. 

Sarah Millis & HP Frontier: 65.361%

• Millis has a lovely quiet seat and gets good energy from HP Frontier, but the the horse needs to step more under behind and reach a little more into the bit at times. The passage was rhythmical. The piaffe was more active behind, with the front feet rather planted.  The extended walk needed more stretch and over-track. The twos sprang well off the ground, but Millis had counting mistakes for the last two. The ones were big and ground-covering. 

Camilla Kalseth & Carte D'Or: 64.042%

• The horse stepped nicely into the bit in the first extended trot but there was nowhere near enough lengthening of the stride. The passage was rhythmical and active, the piaffe less so. The two-tempi changes were flowing but perhaps a bit quick in rhythm. The zig-zag was smooth but canter became a big hurried and small. The canter pirouettes were a good size. The passage on the final centerline was energetic and ground covering. 

Catherine Henriquet & Paradieszauber: 67.148%

• Henriquet had Paradieszauber nicely responsive to her aids. The half-passes were energetic but sometimes slightly arrhythmical and could use more swinging reach sideways. The passage and piaffe were in good, even rhythm, with clean transitions between them, though they could use just a little more lift off the ground. The second piaffe needed to be more in place. The two-tempis were uphill but could have been more ground-covering. Pardieszauber changed in front before the zig-zag. The one-tempis were straight and rhythmical. The pirouettes started by carrying good weight behind, but became a bit downhill by the end. Henriquet rode a nicely clean test.