World Cup glory for Ulla Salzgeber
Ulla Salzgeber and Rusty took their third successive World Cup title in front of more than 11,000 spectators in Goteburg, Sweden with a runaway score 82.19%.
The combination were well clear of the rest of the field, with USA’s team giving Germany a run for their money.
“I hope I can sustain Rusty’s form until the European Championships at Hickstead. If so, I am very confident we have a good chance to defend our individual title.”
The USA’s Debbie McDonald and Brentina, who were teamsilver medallists and fourth individually at the World Championships, were runners-up with an excellent performance to score 78.89%.
Third place went to Germany’s Heike Kemmer with Albano (76.94%) and fifth to her compatriot Isabell Werth onAntony (75.67%), while America’s Jerez team silver medallists Gnther Seidel and Nikolaus divided them to take the number four slot (75.72%).
Britain’s Richard Davison was delighted with his ride on the 12-year-old mare Ballaseyr Royale: “The final was of a very high standard and I’m very happy to have been able to qualify among the 12 best pairs and finish eighth in the kr. Of course, you always hope for a better placing and to improve, but Ballaseyr Royale felt a bit tired in the warm-up, ” said Richard.
“I had a good ride, but I believe there’s still more potential. It was a wonderful experience to ride in front of these spectators. I guess they really inspired the horses.”
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For the first time in a World Cup final, the individual marks given by each judge for every movement and the basic marks at the end of the test could be seen as they happened on a scoreboard visible from all sides of the arena.
This was tried for the first time in Stuttgart last November and again at ‘s-Hertogenbosch the previous week.
Intended to offer spectators more transparency, the scoreboard has lifted the lid the on a long-standing hidden part of the dressage world.But the jury is still out on whether the move is helpful for spectators.
| Read the full story in this week’s Horse & Hound (3 April), or click here to subscribe and enjoy Horse & Hound delivered to your door every week. |
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