Wellington, Fla. – Jan. 29, 2022 — Saturday competition at the 2022 Adequan Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) went out with a bang with the CDI4* Grand Prix Special. Five world-class horse-and-rider combinations took to the ring to showcase their mounts. However, it was Great Britain’s Susan Pape aboard 13-year-old KWPN stallion Harmony’s Eclectisch that took the blue once again, this time with a personal best Grand Prix Special score of 72.341%.
The Grand Prix Special places particular emphasis on collection and transitions, making it crucial that horses focus on their riders throughout the test. With substantial wind and a sharp temperature drop in Wellington on Saturday, some horses were challenged to keep their attention on their partner. Fortunately, Pape and Harmony’s Eclectisch were unfazed by the unseasonably cold weather and put in another solid test that impressed the judges. “It felt like home!” Pape remarked about the brisk weather. The pair’s lofty scores in the International ring are nothing new this season. Pape and Harmony’s Eclectisch scored a whopping 77.005% in the CDI4* Grand Prix Freestyle during Week 1 of the AGDF, and she hopes to continue frequenting the larger classes throughout the winter to continue gaining experience as a team.
Coming in second was Tinne Vilhelmson Silfvén of Sweden on Devanto. Despite a minor error, Silfvén scored an impressive 70.660% on Lovsta Stuteri’s 13-year-old Holsteiner gelding. Devanto and Silfvén are a relatively new pair, beginning their partnership in late 2020. Their 2022 season has already seen immense success, the pair taking home back-to-back wins in the CDI4* Grand Prix and the CDI4* Grand Prix Special in the first week of the season.
In third was Susan Dutta and her own 13-year-old Oldenburg gelding, Figeac DC, scoring a 68.787% to round out the top three. Dutta and Figeac DC have been partnered since 2017 after he was acquired from Christoph Koschel in Germany. For the last five years, they have continued to increase their consistency in the international arena, working their way up to the Grand Prix level from Prix St. Georges.
Just before the CDI4* Grand Prix Special took place, the CDI3* riders took to the ring for some close competition. Leading the class was Katie Duerrhammer with Quartett, a 14-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by Kylee Lourie, boasting a score of 71.510%. Duerrhammer and Quartett made their CDI debut in 2022, and have steadily increased their scores at the Grand Prix Level since.
Next on the leaderboard was Alice Tarjan and Donatella M, her own 11-year-old Oldenburg mare, scoring a 70.659% for second place. Tarjan and Donatella M made their CDI debut together this week after claiming several national championships together. Just last summer, the combination took the USEF Grand Prix Dressage National Reserve Championship at the U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions right behind her other mount, Candescent. Finishing close behind Tarjan was Pia Fortmüller and Frieda, an 11-year-old Hanoverian mare owned by Fortmüller and Lars Busch, with a 70.255%.
Competition at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival will resume Sunday with the CDIAM FEI Grand Prix at 10:00 a.m., immediately followed by CDI FEI Intermediate II, FEI Intermediate Freestyle, Summit Farm FEI Prix St Georges, and Lövsta Challenge FEI Intermediate II.
Results: CDI4* Grand Prix Special
Place / Rider / Country / Horse / Owner / Total Score
1. Susan Pape / GBR / Harmony’s Eclectisch / Harmony Amateur Sports Foundation and Susan Pape
2. Tinne Vilhelmson Silfvén / SWE / Devanto / Lovsta Stuteri AB / 69.087%
3. Susan Dutta / USA / Figeac DC / Susan Dutta and Tim Dutta / 66.282%
4. Kevin Kohmann / USA / Dinamico / Kevin Kohmann / 61.065%
5. Diane Creech / CAN / Chrevi’s Christo / Diane Creech and Louise Leatherdale / 67.217%
Results: CDI3* Grand Prix Special
Place / Rider / Country / Horse / Owner / Total Score
1. Katie Duerrhammer / USA / Quartett / Kylee Lourie / 71.510%
2. Alice Tarjan / USA / Donatella M / Alice Tarjan / 70.659%
3. Pia Fortmüller / CAN / Frieda / Pia Fortmüller / 70.255%
FROM THE WINNERS CIRCLE
Susan Pape – CDI4* Grand Prix Special winner
On the test:
“I thought it went really well. The ride gave me a very good feeling. He was very focused and in front of me. I had one little hiccup at the start of the twos, but we got through it!”
On the competition:
“This has been such an incredible weekend for me! Five starts and five wins: it’s quite amazing. Being in Wellington has been really really wonderful, and being able to ride with people in the grandstand, is really nice. Our next plan is to show in the 5*, so we’re very excited about that.”
On Harmony’s Eclectisch:
“I think he has really fluid half-passes and great canter work. He has a very expressive passage, his piaffe is the weakest point at the moment, but he’s still maturing! He’s built really uphill, like a stereotypical Dutch horse, so that helps him a lot.”
