Ulla Salzgeber still World No.1
The FEI/BCM World Dressage Riders Rankings remained mainly unchanged at the end of last month, with Germany’s Ulla Salzgeber in the lead (80.158), ahead of American rider Debbie McDonald with 77.25. Fellow American, Lisa Wilcox, is a close third, with 76.824, demonstrating the country’s present strength in the sport.
The only change inside the top 10 is Spain’s Beatriz Ferrer-Salat moving ahead of Heike Kemmer to take fourth with an improved score of 76.793. Beatriz finished second in the grand prix and the kur in Amsterdam in late January.
Swedish rider Jan Brink is sixth, with German domination accounting for the remaining top 10 places.
Emma Hindle is Britain’s highest ranked rider in 14th on 73.252, while British-based Finnish rider Kyra Kyrklund has made amazing progress up the rankings, jumping from 96th to take the final spot in the top 20.
The other British riders inside the top 50 are Richard Davison (71.081), who has slipped down one place to 24th, while Carl Hester has moved up one place to 35th (69.594). Richard and Carl were both intending to compete in Amsterdam, which could have seen their rankings improved, but a fall of snow prevented them from travelling to the show.
Anky van Grunsven experienced no such problems on her way to Amsterdam and was in top form to win her second FEI World Cup qualifying competition of the season. With only nine results to count, Anky is currently only ranked 57th, but is expected to feature highly in next month’s rankings.
- To view the complete rankings, click here
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Carol is an experienced journalist and editor, who is also a passionate amateur rider and dedicated horse owner, having ridden since childhood. She has a particular interest in the emotional well-being and ethical training of horses, alongside veterinary matters, having garnered extensive first-hand experience of numerous equine health conditions through more than 30 years of horse ownership.