Isabelle Werth Dances To Victory In Dressage and Beat Mandli Flys High In Show Jumping
The Final Rounds in Dressage and Show Jumping showcased incredible talent for the final two days of the Rolex World Cup in Las Vegas. It was clear that the finest horses and riders were on stage in this city of entertainment. The crowds came and witnessed some of the best performances ever and our cameras and pens captured all the action.
Germany’s Isabelle Werth on Warum Nicht showed the elegance, power, agility and finesse that gave her a score (84.250) that was more than 6 points ahead of second place finisher Imke Schellekens-Bartels on Sunrise (77.950) and Steffen Peters’ Floriano (77.80). As journalists we appreciated the talent as well but also the warm reception they received from a sold out audience.
In the show jumping finals it was up for grabs after riders did the unexpected in an attempt to negotiate tough courses in an arena that was tightly packed with ominous looking fences. In the end Beat Mandli from Switzerland, who rode Ideo du Thot, was the one to raise up the silver trophy and be named World Cup Show Jumping Champion. Second place honors went to Germany’s Daniel Deusser aboard Air Jordan Z and third was a tie between Germany’s Markus Beerbaum on Leena and Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat astride Tresor V.
Behind-The-Scenes
While the spectators watched things happening centerstage we had a chance to view things from behind the scenes and there were some good things to be seen. One step forward took place with Mariette Whitages, president of the FEI Dressage Committee, who wanted to discuss with the press having a more transparent relationship with the judges. Mariette explained that the judges come to every Press Conference yet rarely are they asked questions. In response the media explained that we don’t really know what is appropriate to ask or if our questions will be well received.
The outcome was that Mariette encouraged the media to ask whatever questions they want to ask as the judges are ready and willing to answer these questions. It was a good discussion and the end result was that the media did start to ask questions of the judges in the press conferences that followed. That alone was a huge step forward.
It’s All About Entertainment
Another “behind the scenes” moment was a conversation with Shawn Davis who heads up the Production end of the World Cup. The way they showcase any event in Las Vegas is a lesson for all of us.
“They (Las Vegas) are in the entertainment business and we are here to entertain the people,” explained Shawn. “Our goal is to please the people that pay the bills (meaning the spectators).” Shawn is involved with running the National Finals Rodeo in Last Vegas and brings that experience with him. When he started with the World Cup he was hesitant but surprised and explained, “This was probably the easiest crowd yet I thought they would be the stuffiest.”
Shawn did reveal that he felt there was more that he could do with this show but it’s difficult to convince the horse community of this. “They know their audience but we know ours. You can have all the competition you want but if you don’t produce it in the timeframe and make it fun for the audience, you won’t sell it.”
It was obvious from the wonderful attendance and the cheers of appreciation that Shawn and his group had done a great job to produce an entertaining event.
The Ups and Downs
On that final day when Beat raised the silver trophy, there were a few disappointments, especially when the American riders dropped quite a few rails. Yet it was a German rider who had the toughest go. Meredith Beerbaum and Shutterfly were the winners of the Show Jumping World Cup in Vegas in 2005 and they had the potential of claiming that title again until they were three fences from the end of the course. It was there over a Liverpool that something went amiss. It’s not clear what happened but it appeared that Shutterfly may have thought they were turning left while in fact they needed to turn right. Within seconds Meredith was on the ground and all hopes of a second victory were lost. But when it was all over she proudly watched as her husband Markus tied for third.
Yet another interesting event was the second World Cup Team Hunter Challenge pitting Europeans Rodrigo Pessoa, Christian Ahlmann, Michael Whitaker and Marcus Ehning against hunter riders Louise Serio, Scott Stewart, Peter Pletcher and John French. The Europeans won in 2005 and this time the Americans were back for revenge.
With a little luck and a lot of fun, the victory went to the Americans. It was interesting to see these talented riders deal with horses that were not used to a huge welcoming audience and so the horses were just a little spooky and some of them tested the talents of the riders. Both French and Pessoa had refusals and Whitaker went off course. What made his off course stand out even more was that Michael had just won the Las Vegas Grand Prix that literally ended moments before the Hunter Challenge began.
Yet that’s what this World Cup competition was all about. A dash of fun, a taste of competition, a sprinkle of entertainment, and a test of the skills of both the horses and riders. The week culminated with everyone – win, lose or draw – agreeing that this World Cup was indeed another home run.
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