PrintBut Anky van Grunsven prevails in the individual showdown.
A small chink appeared in the armor of the impenetrable German dressage team last fall at the European Championships. With a win there, the Dutch garnered new hope for the 2008 Olympic Games—they had proved that their old rivals were, in fact, beatable.
But they were only beatable with the Dutch at the top of their game in Hong Kong, China, Aug. 13-19, and those perfect Dutch performances didn’t quite materialize.
The Dutch started the Games with the undesirable first draw, and as soon as their first rider—Hans Peter Minderhoud—produced a lower score than expected, the challenge to Germany’s 10 Olympic team victories looked unlikely.
With Isabell Werth as their anchor, riding beside Heike Kemmer and Nadine Capellmann, the Germans won their seventh consecutive title over 10 other teams.
The Germans welcomed the stiff competition. “It’s very exciting for our sport, although it’s not as exciting for us,” said Werth. “We had a lot of pressure. When we lost the medal at the European Championships, that was a sign that maybe it was the right time to wake up.”
Kemmer and Bonaparte started the effort for the Germans with piaffes that were right on the spot and a relaxed walk, earning a 72.25 percent. “They sent me first because I have strong nerves,” she said. “I know that feeling now; I am used to it. We are here to go for it.
“A little pressure isn’t so bad for us,” she added. “We try to get better and better. It feels good to have a partner to fight with.”
Capellmann and Elvis VA started the second day of competition for the Germans with a 70.08 percent and a few mistakes. “I’m not pleased with the piaffe. I [asked for] too much; maybe a little less would have been better, but I’m here at the Olympics and want to do my best,” she said.
She was pleased with her canter tour. “But the trot and piaffe I have to work on. In the first extended trot, he was looking at something. That’s normally an 8 or 9 for him. And in the extended walk he was distracted by something.”
Werth secured the win with the top score in the Grand Prix of 76.41 percent, with gorgeous half-passes and extensions from Satchmo.
“A lot of people didn’t believe in the German team after we lost the European Championships, so we’re really proud,” said Werth. “From the beginning we had a positive attitude that we could do it. Satchmo was in great shape, and I was hoping he could show the same [form] inside [the arena as in warm-up].”
Although Satchmo kicked out once in his piaffe, the pair had no other major mistakes.
“That can happen, but the rest was really good,” she said. “I’m really happy and excited that we got the gold medal. We are all really close, and that is the key to our success. Heike was a good competitor from the beginning, and we had a positive attitude that we could get it.”
“The Germans believe in the classical way of doing dressage,” added Chef d’Equipe Martin Richenhagen. “We had good team spirit, good horses and good trainers.”
The Dutch Pull Off Silver
The Dutch assault on Germany’s domination got off to a shaky start when Minderhoud scored 69.62
A small chink appeared in the armor of the impenetrable German dressage team last fall at the European Championships. With a win there, the Dutch garnered new hope for the 2008 Olympic Games—they had proved that their old rivals were, in fact, beatable.
But they were only beatable with the Dutch at the top of their game in Hong Kong, China, Aug. 13-19, and those perfect Dutch performances didn’t quite materialize.
The Dutch started the Games with the undesirable first draw, and as soon as their first rider—Hans Peter Minderhoud—produced a lower score than expected, the challenge to Germany’s 10 Olympic team victories looked unlikely.With Isabell Werth as their anchor, riding beside Heike Kemmer and Nadine Capellmann, the Germans won their seventh consecutive title over 10 other teams.
The Germans welcomed the stiff competition. “It’s very exciting for our sport, although it’s not as exciting for us,” said Werth. “We had a lot of pressure. When we lost the medal at the European Championships, that was a sign that maybe it was the right time to wake up.”
Kemmer and Bonaparte started the effort for the Germans with piaffes that were right on the spot and a relaxed walk, earning a 72.25 percent. “They sent me first because I have strong nerves,” she said. “I know that feeling now; I am used to it. We are here to go for it.
“A little pressure isn’t so bad for us,” she added. “We try to get better and better. It feels good to have a partner to fight with.”
Capellmann and Elvis VA started the second day of competition for the Germans with a 70.08 percent and a few mistakes. “I’m not pleased with the piaffe. I [asked for] too much; maybe a little less would have been better, but I’m here at the Olympics and want to do my best,” she said.
She was pleased with her canter tour. “But the trot and piaffe I have to work on. In the first extended trot, he was looking at something. That’s normally an 8 or 9 for him. And in the extended walk he was distracted by something.”
Werth secured the win with the top score in the Grand Prix of 76.41 percent, with gorgeous half-passes and extensions from Satchmo.
“A lot of people didn’t believe in the German team after we lost the European Championships, so we’re really proud,” said Werth. “From the beginning we had a positive attitude that we could do it. Satchmo was in great shape, and I was hoping he could show the same [form] inside [the arena as in warm-up].”
Although Satchmo kicked out once in his piaffe, the pair had no other major mistakes.
“That can happen, but the rest was really good,” she said. “I’m really happy and excited that we got the gold medal. We are all really close, and that is the key to our success. Heike was a good competitor from the beginning, and we had a positive attitude that we could get it.”
| Down To Three Riders In an effort to accommodate more nations, the number of dressage riders per team was reduced from four to three this year. The change meant an unprecedented number of nations—22—competed, but there were mixed reactions about whether having a drop score added or detracted from the team competition. “I’ve been fighting for it, and I’m really happy with it,” said Mariette Withages, technical delegate and chairman of the Fédération Equestre Internationale Dressage Committee. “As we get more horses, if we want to stay global, we have no choice.” “It’s good,” said Belgian coach Johan Zagers. “It can allow more opportunities and more countries to participate in the Games.” Emma Hindle of Great Britain also liked the idea of three riders. “It’s more interesting with three horses because if one horse has a problem or mistake, then everything is wide open.” Anky van Grunsven of the Netherlands said she doesn’t like the new format with three riders. “You see a couple of teams like the U.S., where if there is one bad ride, the team is gone,” she said. “I hope it’s the last time we have a team of three; it’s more exciting with four.” “Obviously it worked better for us to have four riders; that’s my preference for sure,” said U.S. team member Steffen Peters. Andreas Helgstrand of Denmark said he could see both sides of the issue. “For us, we have not so many good riders, so it’s a good idea, but then for countries like Portugal, they have no team [when one rider has to withdraw], so I see both sides,” he said. Withages said the International Olympic Committee is still debating whether to award two individual gold medals, one each for the Grand Prix Special and the Grand Prix freestyle, as is the case at the World Equestrian Games. |
“The Germans believe in the classical way of doing dressage,” added Chef d’Equipe Martin Richenhagen. “We had good team spirit, good horses and good trainers.”
The Dutch Pull Off Silver
The Dutch assault on Germany’s domination got off to a shaky start when Minderhoud scored 69.62
