Anna Kasprzak and Rock Star at Danish Championships 2017 - photo: H2R
Today with CDI2 win for Danish Anna Kasprzak with her 9 yr old Rock Star
Yesterday´s win for the Danish combination did not look as easy as today. Today with much more natural go and flow. And as Anna tells H2R it is often about the details, and for "Rocky" - Rock Stars stable name, Anna tells: "Rocky is super sensitive in his mouth, and from the training Thursday he just kept putting his tongue over the bits, because of small tensions being in the new huge competition invironment. So we decided just to try to tighten the bits just one single hole up to aviod the problems with the tongue. Today we released the bits again to normal position - still just one hole difference, and that just gave us the normal feeling again, and for both of us a much better test today. I´m very confident about Rocky, to me he is the horse with the whole package, and now we just have to gain more competition experience together", tells a proud Anna Kasprzak finishing her part of the huge event at Herning in super style.
H2R comments during the test:
Rock Star DEN - small tensions for entering halt, good medium trot, bit looking 1st half pass, 2nd good flow, good halt rein back, good 1st passage/piaffe/passage tour, small tensions hind, huge extended walk, slight forward 2nd piaffe good activity, big 2 times, small tension hind into collection before change after extended canter, bit unbalanced zig-zag canter, good 1 times, good pirouettes, lost rhythm/forward search into 2nd pirouette stops, good extended trot, good final bit tense piaffe. Good halt. 71%
Placed 3rd today Daniel Bachmann Andersen and his just 8 yr old Blue Hors Zepter. They did a much more secure test today, eventhough the Grand Prix test is of course much more demanding.
H2R comments during the test:
Blue Hors Zepter DEN - nice smooth start, good balance and rhythm for half passes, good passage, bit cautious 1st piaffe but keeps the rhythm and good transition. Bit tense extended walk, small issues with transition from walk to passage, 2nd piaffe bit forward lack more clear transitions. Transition to canter bit late, very solid canter tour good series, out of 1st canter pirouette Zepter kicks himself, Daniel stops an continues, 2nd pirouette bit careful, good extended trot, very nice final centerline. Super final halt. 68,220%
The big challenge
From watching the same combinations in the same arena yesterday and today - something has definitely changed.
Not just the first horse Skovlunds Garmin G was very mush affected by the small not invisible FEI WORLD CUP signs sitting inside the fence around the arena. Five out the 11 starters found it very difficult with the new signs and the riders managed with more of less success getting through their tests. A detail to be remembered for the organiser for next 2017.
The two horses from the Danes Michael Søgaard and Carina Cassøe Krüth were very tense in arena, but both experienced riders managed to stay focused and ended up placed as no 4 and 5 - showing their horses at their international Grand Prix debut.
See the results here.
