The freestyle is one of the most expressive elements of dressage, and there was no lack of emotion and pageantry during the finals of the 2007 Rolex FEI World Cup Dressage competition in Las Vegas. Germany’s Isabell Werth, aboard her 11-year-old Hanoverian gelding, Warum Nicht FRH, took the top prize before an appreciative crowd at the Thomas and Mack Center in what will be remembered as one of the great nights in the history of dressage competition in the U.S. American rider Steffen Peters and Floriano, the 17-year-old Westphalian gelding owned by Stephen and Laurelyn Browning, put in a third-place ride to end their World Cup bid among the 11 riders in the final. It was the highest-placed finish for an American rider in the World Cup since Debbie McDonald’s win aboard Brentina in 2003.
Werth, who was forced out of the competition two years ago (her horse was withdrawn due to medical conditions), came back this year and put down an emotional freestyle complete with great control, strength, impulsion and power to claim her prize on a score of 84.25. This was the rider’s second World Cup champion title to date. Riding to a medley of “Pomp and Circumstance” and “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Werth displayed excellent use of the arena highlighted by strong pirouettes. The pair also took the top spot in the grand prix earlier in the week. At the end of the ride, Werth was visibly thrilled as she pumped her fist in celebration of a truly stylized and memorable ride.
“I didn’t expect him [Warum Nicht FRH] to be so relaxed,” said Werth. “I could start from the first second and take my risks and do what we had to do to. It was really super today…it was such a great feeling…today, he was just brilliant.”
Second place was awarded to Dutch rider Imke Schellekens-Bartels and Sunrise, a 13-year-old Hanoverian mare, with a score of 77.95. Their freestyle was set to a wonderful composition written specifically for the rider. It was a presentation complete with well-executed piaffes, passages and half-passes.
“I was very happy, as well, with my ride,” said Schellekens-Bartels. “My preparation was not that easy today, as she [Sunrise] was already in season before the grand prix. So, I had a really difficult warming up, and the feeling at the end was that I’ve got to do everything or nothing. So, I gave everything, and I was very pleased with the ride compared to warming up. I didn’t have a lot of mistakes. It was not the best form we’ve ever had. She can do a lot better, but for today, I was really, really happy.”
But it was third-placed Peters, who put in a score of 77.80, who received perhaps the night’s warmest welcome to the arena. Performing to a medley of classic rock songs including Fleetwood Mac, John Lennon and Supertramp, the pair’s ride included good extended canters and a very nice piaffe-pirouette. Toward the end of their ride, just before the halt, there was a bit of a gaff, but it couldn’t take away a very nice showing before the packed crowd.
“I was really excited for a horse that is 17 years old and still wants to put so much effort into it. Certainly it has crossed my mind that there were many questions about the future of Floriano,” said Peters of his partner. “It [the freestyle] started out really good. I was extremely happy with the flying changes and the half-passes, and the passage half-pass to the right was quiet good. He was very relaxed in the walk, and those are his strong points. He was just a little bit tired in the end. Those are little things that we can iron out.”
Peters spoke candidly about the competition future of Floriano, who has climbed to the top echelons of the dressage world with the rider. He said that if the horse still acts like he wants to continue competing, then they will. But, he added that it was something that they will take month-by-month.
Venerable Finnish dressage rider Kyra Kyrkland and the Swedish Warmblood gelding Max came in at fourth in the freestyle on a score of 77.50. The 1991 World Cup champion seemed thrilled with the pair’s ride. A selection of songs from the Broadway show “Cabaret” served as their musical score.
Following Peters was the remaining the three Americans – Courtney King (sixth place), Catherine Haddad (seventh place) and Leslie Morse (tenth place).
King and her partner Idocus performed to a selection of Broadway show tunes. The stallion looked relaxed and happy during the execution of the well-designed choreography. The pair’s score came in at 73.20. Idocus is owned by Christine McCarthy.
Haddad, who lives in Germany, and the 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding (owned by the Janet S. Schneider Trust), finished their work with a score of 69.65. They performed to a selection of music from the film “Gladiator.” While there were some technical problems with the freestyle, including a rather off-center halt, the rider’s dramatic freestyle was a crowd-pleaser nonetheless.
The fourth American, Morse, aboard her Tip Top 962, scored a 65.85. Their freestyle was filled with tricky transitions and nicely done pirouettes. However, the performance was not helped by the fact that only the basic requirements were fulfilled, thereby reducing the performance’s level of difficulty. This was Morse’s fourth World Cup appearance.
With four Americans making the grand prix freestyle, it can easily be said that this was one of the most successful World Cups for the American dressage program. The Netherlands had three riders competing in the freestyle, while Germany, Finland, Sweden and Belarus had one rider each.
Hunter Challenge Rematch: USA vs. Europe
The sport of hunters wasn’t lost on the 2007 Rolex FEI World Cups in Las Vegas, and to prove that point, a fun rematch was in order. The World Champion Hunter Rider World Cup Team Hunter Challenge took place at the Thomas & Mack Arena and the crowd was treated to quite a show thanks to the efforts of the American Hunter Jumper Foundation. It came in the form of a challenge that pitted four top U.S. hunter riders against four European jumpers. It was a test of show hunters versus Olympic show jumpers in the hunter ring, and the results were a lot of fun to watch unfold.
The day’s rematch consisted of four Americans: Scott Stewart, John French, Peter Pletcher and Louise Serio. They battled four international riders: Germany’s Christian Ahlmann and Marcus Ehning, Britain’s Michael Whitaker and Brazil’s Rodrigo Pessoa.
Each of the riders participating are standouts and the international team are Olympic medal winners, and the American riders have each been named winner of the Monarch International Show Circuit Magazine WCHR Professional Hunter title.
Each of the riders took their turn at the ring for round one, and they returned for a second round on a different horse ridden by the opposing team in the previous round. Three of the four riders’ scores were used with the lowest score being used as a drop. It was mentioned that the horses in this year’s hunter challenge looked a bit greener that in past years.
At the end of round one, Team USA sat with 204.33 ahead of Team Europe’s 191.66. In round two, the Americans bested their first score, putting down a 258. Team Europe improved as well with 249.33, but when the tally was done, it was an overall victory for the U.S. riders. Their cumulative score of 462.33 trumped the 441 posted by the opposition.
American rider Louise Serio said, “I’d like to take a minute to thank the American Hunter Jumper Foundation and all the people who work on this class. It’s an honor to be in this class and with these riders who are superstars.”
Peter Pletcher added, “I have to say that I know what stage freight means…when you come into this arena with this many people. It’s an unbelievable feeling to walk into the arena, and this is a great class that I wish could do it more often.”
George Morris was on-hand and added his thoughts on the event. “First, I really respect those guys for sticking their necks out and participating in this. They are great sports and superstars and icons to us all,” he said. “It’s a great competition and fun and very good for our sport and this country.” Morris and several of the riders briefly mentioned the idea of the hunters becoming an international discipline.
The Animal Planet television network will televise a special 90-minute broadcast of the 2007 Rolex FEI World Cup Finals on Saturday, May 12, beginning at 9:00 p.m. (EDT). The telecast will include the Finals in both jumping and dressage.
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