British dressage riders on top at Hickstead
Nicola McGivern and Active Walero win the CDIO grand prix special ahead of Emile Faurie and Laura Richardson
A competitive CDIO grand prix special saw British riderNicola McGivern gain her first international win with theGerman-bred Active Walero.
Nicola, sixth in the grand prix yesterday, pulled out thestops with the Wanderer gelding on whom she trains withNorbert van Laak in Germany.
“Yesterday there were mistakes, but today there was nopressure and it was so good that the crowd was sosupportive,” said Nicola.
Nicola took the lead from Emile Faurie who had set thestandard with Insterburg gaining 68.8%.
The teamcombination had to settle for second place ahead ofGerman rider Dieter Laugks. Dieter and his rideWeinrausch were second in the recent German men’schampionships.
British team members Laura Richardson and Milleniumalso broke the score of 68% and were placed fourth.
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In fifth place was the former German professional riders’champion Dolf Dietram Keller with the Donnerhallbreeding stallion De Niro making their first competitiveappearance in Britain.
Carl Hester registered his third win of the meeting so farclaiming the CDI grand prix freestyle with Donnersong -the combination were CDI freestyle winners here lastyear.
It was some consolation for Carl after adisappointing grand prixwith the inattentive Donnerhallstallion put them in 11th place.
Shearwater championships
The stallion Wild At Heart was judged this year’s fiveyear old Shearwater champion.
Lady Bamford’s blackhome-bred stallion by the Weltmeyer son Welt Hit II,produced a confident test under the skilful hands ofBritish team member Emile Faurie – the combinationwere eighth in the recent world breeding championships.
Eighteen-year-old Nancy Bowles and the upstandingDutch-bred gelding Pegasus MK, winners of last year’sEquilibra Challenge produced a fluent test to standrunners-up, while Henriette Andersen and Paula Potter’sDanish-bred Louis D’Or were third.
Results:
CDI grand prix freestyle(L Van Olpen, J Brown, SClarke, T Asmyr, K Kruger). -1, Donnersong (C Hester-GBR) 70.34; 2, Afrikka (F Bigwood-GBR) 69.9; 3,Napoleon (M Henschke-GER) 69.16; 4, Rascher Hopes(E Faurie-GBR) 69.16; 5, Little Big Man (F Rosenbauer-GER) 68.49; 6, Amanti (P Hutton-GBR) 68.11.
CDIO grand prix special (K Kruger, I Summanen, GWeber-Stephen, I Judet, Y Visser). -1, Active Walero (NMcGivern-GBR) 69.2; 2, Insterburg (E Faurie-GBR)68.88; 3, Weinrausch(D Laugks-GER) 68.28; 4,Millenium (L Richardson-GBR) 68.2; 5, De Niro (DDietram-Keller-GER) 67.44; 6, Giorgio S (N Barrett-GBR)66.68.
International Shearwater final five-year-olds (T Asmyr, ISummanen, M Assouline). -1, Wild At Heart (E Faurie)81.25; 2, Pegasus MK (N Bowles) 78.75; 3, Louis D’Or(H Andersen) 75.42.
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