Stuttgart – The Prize of IMD, which was simultaneously, the qualifying competition for the World Cup freestyle – at the 28th STUTTGART GEREMAN MASTERS Horse Show on Friday morning ended in victory for the 30-year-old German Helen Langehanenberg und her Westphalia stallion Damon Hill NRW. The team silver medal winner at the Olympic Games in London was awarded 1.945 points (82.766 per cent) by the international jury for her performance which was her best ever on the 12-year-old “Damy”. The delighted winner said afterwards, “It was unbelievable just how easy he was dancing his way through the test today.”
Helen Langehanenberg finished one place ahead of her silver-medal-winning team mate Kristina Sprehe who also saddled her Olympic Games horse Desperados FRH (1.815.5/77.255), “He was in good shape, but a little too fresh so that it took me a while to get going.” Last year she also won the final of the so-called “Piaff-Förderpreis” sponsored by the Liselott and Klaus Rheinberger foundation in the Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle on her 11-year-old black Hanoverian stallion.
Dressed in the Carabinieri uniform, Valentina Truppa presented Eremo del Castegno and her ride on the 11-year-old gelding (1,771.0/75.362) landed here on the “podium”. “I’m so happy to come third behind two Olympic medal winners,” said the delighted Italian later.
Trond Asmyr, the FEI Dressage Director, praised the high standard and the quality of the horses and riders. Horse show director Gotthilf Riexinger added: “All three horses showed sensational pirouettes which is a sure sign the horses have enjoyed a solid basic training.”
The 15 top pairs in the class are qualified for the Reem Acra FEI World CupTM Dressage Grand Prix Freestyle on Saturday at 3.15 pm.
