Some 20 years after the equestrian mecca of Aachen hosted the third iteration of the World Equestrian Games, the Federation International Equestre (FEI) global championships for dressage, driving, eventing, jumping, para dressage and vaulting have returned to the iconic German venue. For the Olympic and Paralympic sports, this marks the first opportunity to qualify for the LA28 Games – for them, there is more than just World Championship medals at stake over the coming fortnight.
Dressage was the first sport underway, with the Grand Prix test used to decide the team medals. The first half of a 91 combinations went down the centre line of the 40,000 capacity main arena at Allianz Park today, with the rest set to ride tomorrow. The seven-strong judging panel comprised Clive Halsall (GBR) at C, Michael Osinsky (USA) at K, Maribel Alonso de Quinzaños (MEX) at F, Kurt Christiensen (DEN) at E, Maria Colliander (FIN) at M, Alice Schwab (AUT) at H and Ulrike Nivelle (GER) at B.
For the British Equestrian dressage team, in partnership with Agria, it would be Fiona Bigwood (Haywards Heath, West Sussex) who would take the pathfinder role, in her first team appearance for 10 years, with her homebred Donna Bella. Barnsley’s Becky Moody was second to go, riding her own and Jo Cooper’s Jagerbomb.
Fiona Bigwood and Donna Bella
It’s been a decade since Fiona Bigwood last donned the British team tailcoat for a championship and that was at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. While 10 years may feel like a long wait, it was certainly worth it – her partner in the expansive Aachen arena today was Donna Bella, daughter of Atterupgaards Orthilla – the horse she rode in Rio as part of the silver medal team. Cantering down the centre line was a truly special moment to treasure, whatever the result.
Ten-year-old Donna Bella, by Don Juan de Hus, is relatively new to the Grand Prix stage, with just five international starts, but her superb attitude has impressed so far and Fiona clearly adores her, having produced her every step of the way. Today’s test would be beyond what she’s ever experienced before, so the chestnut mare could be forgiven for a slightly spooky start, which included a slight deviation off the line in her first extended trot towards a moving television camera.
They were soon in their flow, though, with the mare’s rich chestnut coat gleaming in the morning sun, thanks to groom Sally Williams’ expert touch. The trot half-passes right and left really flowed well and the next trot extension was more relaxed, with good ground cover. The first passage and piaffe tour was pleasing and showed the talent to come once the mare gets more established. The extended walk was relaxed and could have shown more over-track, but the overall picture was a happy one and Fiona rewarded her mare with a quick pat. The transition to canter was super, followed by a line of even two-time tempi changes which garnered an average score of 7.1 from the judges. In the extended canter, Fiona rightly played it safe to keep the flow of the test. The zig-zag down the centre line was very well managed, with a few green moments, but it was clear.
They then headed across the diagonal for the one-time flying changes, which looked easy – clearly, they felt easy, too, because a gasp came from the spectators when Fiona added two extras on top of the required 14! The canter pirouettes on the centre line were well ridden and again showed promise for what’s to come as Donna Bella’s strength improves. The final extended trot was the best one of the three, then a super halt brought their championship debut together on a high. Fiona was clearly elated with her young partner, who had really tried her heart out and matured with every step in the imposing Aachen main arena, thanks to the reassurance of her experienced rider.
Three of the seven judges had the pair on +70% scores, but the overall percentage came to 69.438% – slightly below what they’ve been trending on recent outings, but a secure score on the board for the team and plenty learned about one another.
A beaming Fiona said afterwards; “I am absolutely delighted. She’s only 10, she hasn’t done a huge amount of Grands Prix, so to come to one of the biggest venues in the world and do that, I’m delighted.
“She was a little bit spooky at the cameras – we had them in familiarisation, but they weren’t moving. But she’s unbelievable, that mare – she literally locks on, is really trying for me and I just can’t ask any more from her at the moment. I’m so pleased with her.”
Fiona explained her tempi additions; “I had the 14, I thought I’d get her to stop. It’s my fault, total rider error, and then she did two more! The whole year, she’s hardly made any mistakes, so to just to go around that and try like she did is lovely.”
Riding the daughter of her former campaigner clearly meant a lot to Fiona; “She [Atterupgaards Orthilla] was also 10 years old and I rode her at the Europeans here in 2015, where we won the team silver medal, so it’s really nice to bring her daughter here and do the same thing in their first years of Grand Prix. They’re both very similar to ride – they both go and try their hardest, and so it’s lovely,” she reflected.
To sum up her performance, a delighted Fiona exclaimed; “I love that mare – the right brain and talent, a heart of gold, never does anything wrong, just tries her heart out. Almost tries too hard for you!”
Becky Moody and Jagerbomb
Britian’s second combination into the imposing Aachen main arena was Becky Moody with her own and Jo Cooper’s homebred Jagerbomb. Becky and ‘Bomb’ have matured into championship regulars and this year’s victory at the FEI World Cup Finals in Texas was a clear sign that they can not only mix with the world’s elite, but come out on top. With an Olympic appearance in Paris and a first Europeans call-up last year in Crozet, this was the duo’s World Championship debut.
Clear skies and a slight breeze gave perfect conditions for a spot of early evening dressage, but this was no ordinary test in between the white boards – a World Championship medal and Olympic qualification were at stake. Becky and Bomb warmed up well under the guidance of coach and teammate Carl Hester in the quiet back arenas, before the call was made for them to make the short journey towards the main area, as the bustling crowds craned to get a view. A short spin around the final warm up arena and a quick last-minute check from groom Kim Masson, then they were off up the chute and into the electric atmosphere.
The judge at C, Clive Hallsall rung the bell and they headed down the centre line. Bomb took it all in, ears pricked and feeling all the eyes that were on him. Becky was prepared for him to be unsettled in the halt, which he was, but she expertly sent him forward into the first extended trot. They set sail in breathtaking style but, as the corner approached, Bomb lost balance and broke into canter as Becky moved to support him. A re-balance around the short side prepared him for the trot half-pass tour, which was regular on both reins and showed good reach.
With the Dante Weltino OLD gelding settling into the task at hand, the halt into the rein-back was achieved and the backward steps were fairly even. The first passage-piaffe tour showed true style – some of the best work that the horse has produced in a test – with the transitions being real highlights.
The canter tour started brightly, with a clean line of two-time flying changes which looked secure across the diagonal. In the extended canter, Becky had the confidence to open up Bomb for some breathtaking strides, before gathering him back for the change. The canter zig-zag was well presented and ridden. The first left canter pirouette on the centre line was in good rhythm and the change at ‘X’ was tidy. As she completed the right canter pirouette, the duo just overshot the centre line for a momentary loss of balance, but Becky was quick to recover. Keen to garner every last mark, she rode her last extension in great style and the final piaffe-passage on the centre line was top-drawer. A final halt was nailed, before Becky gave her equine partner a relieved pat.
As she exited the arena, the disappointment showed in Becky – it wasn’t the test she wanted to deliver for her teammates and for the nation. However, the reception from the crowd was totally in praise of a rider who had kept her composure, ridden with sympathy and tact, and produced a final score of 73.820% – quite a comeback from the start which trended around 45%. It was also a score that shot her to the top of the leaderboard, with only a handful more combinations still to go.
Although clearly disappointed, Becky spoke to the media with reflective positivity. “We didn’t get off to the best start in the world. He was just a little too excited and distracted when we went in there, so we didn’t have a very good first halt and we had a break in our first extension because I didn’t quite have the balance where I needed it. But we pulled it back and we still got some really good bits, and he came back to me really well. You can’t focus on the mistakes – you have to think about where you can try and pull it back.
“It was certainly not the mark that I wanted to put on the board for the team, but I think it’s just such an unusual arena and I really didn’t know what I was going to get from him. It’s unusual because it’s incredible and it’s huge, but it’s all quite far away. So, I did just feel his focus went too far away from me, whereas when everything is closer, I feel he stays a little bit closer.
“I just have to learn from it and hopefully come back better for the next one. My focus was really on just doing the rest of the work without taking unnecessary risk, but trying to get the better marks that I could. It’s the wonderful sport that we do that is a little bit like this, but we focus on the good bits and go away and make sure the bad bits don’t happen again.
“I know that Carl and Lottie will absolutely come out fighting tomorrow, so we will see what they can do,” she concluded.
Day one standings
The penultimate pair into the ring was German team regular Frederic Wandres riding Bluetooth OLD – this duo has vast experience which they showed with in good style. A consistent performance resulted in a final percentage of 75.963% to take the lead for the home side. American rider Kasey Perry-Glass couldn’t better it, so day one finished with Germany in pole position.
Becky held onto second, while in third place is the flag of Australia courtesy of Simone Pearce riding Will Marq to a score of 72.391%. It’s then a close contest, with Sweden fourth with 72.376%, followed by Denmark on 72.174% and Portugal completing the top six on 71.398%
Wednesday’s team medal decider
The second and final day of Grand Prix competition promises to be a battle of the giants – a treat for dressage fans because it’s rare to have so many world-class combinations from 33 nations on one stage. There’s a trio of medals up for grabs and the small prize of an Olympic spot at LA28 for the top-six placed teams, excluding the USA as host nation.
The third rider for Britian will be none other than Carl Hester. Aachen marks 36 years since he first rode in a World Championship team and this time around is extra special because the owner of equine partner Fame is teammate and good friend Fiona Bigwood. The all-important duo ride at 12:00 (11:00 BST). The responsibility of anchor role goes to defending individual and freestyle World Champions Lottie Fry and Glamourdale, owned by the Van Olst Horse and the rider. Lottie and ‘Glammy’ are no strangers to pressure, so there’s no better pairing to ride for a medal. They are fifth-last to go at 17:10 (16:10 BST) and, with the final riders for Belgium, Germany and the USA to follow, it’s going to be a firework finale for the podium positions.
Vaulting underway as Urssie Levett chooses Shannondale Jedi
Britain’s sole vaulting representative Urssie Levett arrived on the Aachen venue yesterday and most probably had one of the shortest journeys. In 2023 she located herself to Aachen to be based with coach Pauline Riedl, the two-time world champion. She arrived with two horses; Soel’rings Million Voices, owned by Pauline and Shannondale Jedi, owned by mum Jenny, who’s acting as Chef d’Equipe this week. Both horses were presented at the Horse Inspection this afternoon, but Urssie has decided to compete with ‘Jedi’, named by twin brother Joshua, a dedicated Star Wars fan.
Wednesday is a further acclimatisation day for the duo before they compete on Thursday with the compulsory test.
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