By Simona Diale/International Horse Press — It was a win for Great Britain’s Charlotte Fry and her wonderful stallion Glamourdale in the eleventh and last leg of the FEI Dressage World Cup™ 2022/2023 Western European League at the Dutch Masters -Indoor Brabant Show in Den Bosch, Netherlands.The reigning double-individual world champions quickly recomposed after a ‘mishap,’ as Fry later shared, during canter half-pass posting a winning score of 86.835 in the Freestyle Grand Prix.
Just before the break, seventh in the draw, Dutch Marlies van Baalen and Habibi DVB took the lead performing to a 79.360 percent. A few horses later, Germany’s Werndl reset the bar with Famoso scoring 82.760, but shortly afterwards, Dinja Van Liere and her 13-year-old stallion Hermes, double-bronze medallists at the 2022 World Championship in Herning, opened with a wonderfully performed passage/piaffe finishing on a mark of 83.375 temporarily taking the lead. “Hermes gets more excited when there is a lot of people, but I am still very happy about our progress together and where we are going. He can be very good in piaffe/passage which I think were my best ever today. I need to get him more quiet in the canter now,” said van Liere who collected two wins this season in Amsterdam and Mechelen.
Following the duo iwere Fry and Glamourdale: for their first extended canter, 10s appeared across the board followed by a 9.3 for two-tempi changes. Suddenly, the black stallion shook his head during the canter half-pass. Though regaining his posture quickly, the duo lost points with an 86.835 appearing on the score board at the completion of their test. “It was a shame because the beginning of the test today was the best,” shared Fry afterwards. “It was unexpected and I still need to understand what happened. In any case he came back quickly and I am happy with him. We still have to see what we will be doing with him next.”
With one horse-rider combination left to go, Isabell Werth and her Emilio entered the arena. Prior to entering the ring, the 15-year-old gelding ‘felt’ the crowd, in particular when Fry’s score was announced. “At that point he went on fire,” said Werth. “I was very happy with him in the first part, but then I lost him a little in the canter work which is a shame as I lost the possibility to compete with Lottie. But it was a great atmosphere here today and at the end this is whatt counts,” she said after closing with a third place 82.670. The German champion who counts five finals wins — the last captured in 2019 — will be heading to her 23rd FEI Dressage World Cup™ Final with DSP Qantazh.
The final Western European League rankings for the 35th FEI Dressage World Cup™ Final sees Werth on top with 74 points followed by compatriot Ingrid Klimke in second with 72 points. Dinja van Liere has moved into third place, followed by Nanna Skodborg Merrald of Denmark, Benjamin Werndl, Charlotte Fry, Patrik Kittel of Sweden, Thamar Zweistra, Helen Langehanenberg of Germany (a former World Cup winner), and Morgan Barbançon of France rounding out the top of the list. With only three athletes from any NF permitted to compete at the Final, decisions are still to be made as to who we will see compete in Nebraska.
