Cosmo and Sönke Rothenberger - photo credit: Gomes Media
CDI4 Grand Prix Donaueschingen
The quite small arena does make some of the horses a bit on the toes, and for one of Germany's absolute top combinations this event was for sure ment to be a bit of a test before going to Tryon next month. The couple has not been at start since they won the German Championship in Balve back in June, as they were surprisingly also not at the team for CHIO Aachen this year. From the sideline it looked like a kind of tactical move not showing the form for the audience and not least up against the competitors before WEG.
From the entering halt you could clearly see that it looked like a kind of handfull for Sönke. And it was also a conservative first diagonal with the extended trot, some big eyes for the short side before going into the first half pass to the right, where you felt that Sönke still had a lot to do to keep Cosmo focused about the job, and from the transition to half pass to the left Cosmo discovered something in direction H, spins around and overturns the fence and steps outside the arena with the hind legs. Sönke manage to get Cosmo back on track, but they never get the real connection with harmony and lightness for today´s test. Eventhough Sönke manage to show strong passage, piaffe and transitions, clear series and good pirouettes. The walk is somewhat tense and without suppleness and freedom, like the zig-zag canter becomes a struggle and with errors. 76,196%.
Isabell Werth and Weihegold OLD ones again shows their routine together and winning with impressive 82,652%. Today it looks like a bit as if Weihegold is not 100% responding to the half halt coming back from extended trot tours, as it looks like she becomes a bit in the hand of Werth instead of responding from first step.
Also Jessica von Bredow-Werndl having a challenge with her mare Zaire, as the surroundings seem to affect the concentration a bit sometimes during the test today. They finish as no 2 with 76,413%.
