What a way to start day two of team dressage, with the amazing Isabell and her beautiful Bella Rose. It’s another world from yesterday to watch the likes of Isabell. Worth getting up at 5:30 am for, without a doubt. It’s only a month and a bit since Aachen, but it’s plain to see that Isabell has made a great deal of progress with the mare’s confidence and balance. I got my first goose bumps of the WEG (well other than being cold yesterday) watching her right pirouette and then again on the last centre line when Bella Rose gave her an astounding set of passage-piaffe-passage transitions at X. Isabell truly is a grand master. And of course she is enjoying a visit to the top of the leader board.
Bella Rose is still struggling in the extended trots, where the flamboyance in front gets away from the hind legs. In the second extended trot before the first passage, she had a fairly substantial break in rhythm (which I noted from the 6.9 that flashed on the score board was punished rather mildly by at least a couple of judges). So when Isabell did the same diagonal at the end after the canter, she rode the first half of the diagonal a bit conservatively, rebalanced at X and then put her foot on the floor for the second half of the diagonal, which is of course the part that happens right before the judge decides on the mark. Charlotte may be golden, but Isabell is still the queen.
One of the new rising stars of the moment rode early this morning too: Poland’s Beata Stremler. The talent was unmistakable in both horse and rider but the wheels fell off their bus in the piaffe after the walk, and there were a few lumps and bumps through the rest of the test. I don’t doubt we’ll be seeing more of Beata and her horse Rubicon D, but today was not their day to stun the world.
Edward came in to great cheers (Dutch fans are as ubiquitous in dressage as diarrhea in Mexico), and even though Voice is his ‘b’ mount, he’s a lot easier on the eyes than Undercover. The trot and canter work are both super duper, but the piaffe is where he loses to Undercover. If only they could take Undercover’s piaffe and put it into Voice – then I think you’d have a challenger for the best of them. Edward is another rider in the Isabell league – just so unbelievably skilled and intuitive.
I’ve heard rumours that Godfather of the judges Stephen Clarke has been a bit worried about his little flock of judges performing to world championship standards this week. I sure hope they have those individual scores ready for us before I have to go chase Trond around and make his life miserable. I also hope they have cases of Red Bull in those cute little beach hut themed booths, because these judges are working 25% longer days than the FEI rules allow. Of course I have already asked the FEI how they got around the 40 tests a day maximum in the rules. Here is what I was told by Mr. Trond, via the FEI media dept: “The record number of participants at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014 in Normandy is very positive, but it does also give some challenges, as the Grand Prix can only be run over two days. As a result the FEI has granted an exception to the referred rule, which can be done in special circumstances.”
How magnanimous of them. Granting an exception to their own rule at their own event. It’s a pretty little spin on what is essentially breaking one’s own rules. I don’t often harbour great sympathy for the judges, but I feel for them today, with their 51 tests to get through, and the pressure to make sure the medals fall around the right necks.
Besides the great sport that started off our early morning, the other good news is that the sun is shining. It’s blinding me at the moment as I attempt to post this blog, but I am not complaining!
