By Kim Lundin and Adriana van Tilburg
Photography: Rolex/Ashley Neuhof and FEI/Lafrentz
Whether its rising stars or old faithfuls from the highest level of their respective disciplines, CHIO Aachen guarantees to gather together the best in the world from dressage and showjumping, eager to claim the coveted trophies and prize money on offer.
CHIO Aachen is a treat for those who follow dressage as you get to see the A-listers, but also those who want to be next in line. In this article we take a closer look at a few of the gems shining at this year’s edition of the biggest show in Europe.
Dressage: Rising stars all around
This year’s edition of the CHIO Aachen dressage circuit saw more class and pzazz for many years, bringing out many of the best teams ahead of the European Championships. Naturally the Germans brought all their best riders but also Denmark had their best four-legged champions on site.
However, there are quite a few horses that are new to the big stage and that’s where our attention will focus. As the reigning queen supreme TSF Dalera BB by the now late Easy Game still rules, and together with Jessica von Bredow-Werndl she stacked up three victories, despite a weak moment at the German championships in Balve one month prior. Easy Game passed away suddenly and unexpectedly at the young age of 20 just when interest for him as sire had started to pick-up again with the success of Dalera and his approved son Hèrmes.
Bright chestnut stars
With the bonus of longevity in a good dressage horse for the highest level, it’s possible for horses to peak later rather than too early, and it’s also not uncommon for horses to shine brighter with a new rider. In dressage, proper management and correct training trumps genetic heritage. You need the good and clear gaits, the work-ethic and the confirmation to support the dressage horse, but a Grand Prix horse is not born, it is made, and they do not get very far on pure talent alone. It is hence no wonder that you find the most promising horses with some of the best riders, they have the ability to polish the raw stone into a shining gem – and keep the horse happy.
Imhotep (2013/KWPN gelding Everdale x Vivaldi, bred by T. Huizing and owned by Carl Hester and Coral Ingham) was expertly presented by Charlotte Dujardin in Aachen, watched by the rider’s own tiny offspring, Isabella, in the stands. Together, Imhotep aka ‘Pete’ and Dujardin placed second in the overall scoring of dressage champion in Aachen where the percentage scores are counted for each combination in the Nations Cup.
Imhotep comes from the KWPN mareline, the Bottie stam, and is the second foal to his dam Della D’Ottie who’s graded highly in KWPN with prestatie, while granddam UNI D’Ottie is elite, preferent, and prestatie. His older half brother Hunte (Connaisseur) competes at small tour national level. In the dam line there are several competition horses. Imhotep has five younger half-siblings and next year an embryo by Glamourdale will most likely be for sale. This 10-year-old gelding will be, if he stays with Hester and Dujardin, part of the top sport for several years to come... To read the complete article you need to be a subscriber
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