The preparation of the favorites
Jessica von Bredow-Werndl: "We give our best!"
How Olympic Champion Jessica von Bredow-Werndl, World Champion Charlotte "Lottie" Fry (GBR) and the shooting stars of the season, Nanna Skodborg Merrald (DEN) and Charlotte Dujardin (GBR), look forward to the coming days.
The FEI European Dressage and Para-Dressage Championships 2023 in Riesenbeck will be the first meeting of Olympic Champion TSF Dalera BB with Jessica von Bredow-Werndl for Germany and World Champion Glamourdale under Charlotte Fry for Great Britain. Ballerina meets powerhouse. The question of how this will turn out has been occupying the minds of not only outspoken dressage fans for weeks. Host Ludger Beerbaum rarely has time to watch the dressage competitions. But even the four-time Olympic show jumping champion is looking forward to this duel with excitement. But will it even be a duel? Two pairs have been energetically knocking at the world's top this week: Nanna Skodborg Merrald of Denmark with Blue Hors Zepter and three-time Olympic champion Charlotte Dujardin with Imhotep for Great Britain.
As much as they talk about it, the riders say in unison that their main focus is on themselves. Jessica von Bredow-Werndl has resolved to "just ride quite well." The word "quite" here in the sense of "very." "The only thing I can influence is Dalera and me. I don't consciously watch Glamourdale. I hope we're better at the end of the day, I'd be lying if I wasn't excited about that. But the only thing I'm focused on is us."
Charlotte "Lottie" Fry is in good spirits for the days ahead. Everything went according to plan in training, she said. Glamourdale made another big leap in development last year, she said. "He's a year older now, has gained strength and knows a little more what to expect. But we don't want to put too much pressure on him. We'll do what we can and take it as it comes. We are already world champions, I hope we can enjoy the European Championships!"
Charlotte Dujardin, three-time Olympic champion, former World and European champion and world record holder with Valegro, is more explicit. "I am not a rider who comes without thinking that a medal is definitely possible." Ten-year-old Imhotep would be her fourth individual medal horse in twelve years since her championship debut at the 2011 European Championships.
Nanna Skodborg Merrald definitely knows that she and her 14-year-old Oldenburg Blue Hors Zepter are well prepared. "I think we have had the best tournament preparation ever so far." What she hopes for the coming days has nothing to do with medals for now: "I expect and hope that I can call up the quality of Zepter from the Grand Prix Special in Aachen - all the energy, but still a loose canter. When I feel unsure, I prefer to ride carefully so that I can control every kick. But I hope to be able to call off a bit more expression as well. Then we will see how it goes. Of course we dream of medals. But first we have to perform, give our best and then we'll see where we end up."
Because first, everyone has to ride. The German national coach Monica Theodorescu puts it in a nutshell: "The biggest challenge is riding Grand Prix. To do that flawlessly and very well is just really hard."
Great Britain and Carl Hester ahead after Grand Prix part one
The four are the strongest pairs in their respective teams, and accordingly it is their turn to compete in the second part of the Grand Prix tomorrow, Thursday. After the first two riders per team, Germany leads the team ranking and Great Britain's Carl Hester leads the individual ranking. Here are the results in overview with quotes of the top five in the individual classification.
Grand Prix individual classification
1st Carl Hester (GBR), Fame 78.540%.
2nd Isabell Werth (GER), DSP Quantaz 77.174%
3rd Matthias Alexander Rath (GER), Thiago GS 74.845%
4th Gareth Hughes (GBR), Classic Briolinca 74.565%
5th Andreas Helgstrand (DEN), Jovian 74.419%
Team classification
1st Great Britain (including strike result 153.105 points)
2nd Germany (152.019)
3rd Denmark (148.556)
Quotes of the top five
Carl Hester (GBR)
"I absolutely love this horse. I look forward to riding him every day. I wanted to ride him at this show because I know he's one of the best horses we've ever had, and he delivered today."
Isabell Werth (GER)
"I was very happy with him. I think it was his best Grand Prix this year. He was very focused and I am very happy with his performance and how he cooperated today. We only had a few small mistakes. A short canter jump in the zigzag traversal, but the rest was really good. Very nice piaffes, passage and pirouettes. So I'm very happy." Matthias Alexander Rath (GER)
"I think you could see yesterday in the vetcheck that he has a lot of energy and power. Today we had to wait and see how he behaves in the arena. We must not forget that he is only ten years old and is still developing. He is just at the beginning of his career. And I'm super happy with how he feels here."
Gareth Hughes (GBR)
"There has been a lot of talk about that (expectations) beforehand, especially with our two Charlottes. They are so strong! But all four of them have to do their job, and if we all do that, I think we're certainly in the running for gold. The medals are always open. You never know."
Andreas Helgstrand (DEN)
"As always, you need a big license for this horse. He's very reined in. He is incredibly nice to ride and always fights for you. That's why you can compete here with a nine-year-old who is balanced and does his job. He is a smart horse. If you teach him something, it's easy for him."
