PrintHe proves Ravel can compete and win against the best horses in the world.
Sometimes it’s hard to remember dressage is a sport, and the results aren’t predetermined. We’ve grown bored as Anky van Grunsven and Isabell Werth have dominated every international championship in recent memory.
But Steffen Peters has been hot on their trail for the past three years, and when he put in two magical performances aboard Ravel at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nev., the judges couldn’t help but place him first in the Rolex FEI World Cup Dressage Final, held April 15-18.
That historic win—Peters was the first U.S. dressage rider to win a World Cup Final on U.S. soil and only the second to win for the United States ever—will inspire dressage fans for years to come.
“It’s fair to say, and I probably speak for Ravel too, there’s truly magic soil in [the Thomas & Mack Center],” said Peters, who lives in San Diego, Calif.. “To share that moment in time with the most amazing dressage fans in the world is an incredible feeling. It hasn’t quite sunk in yet. In a few hours, when I see family and friends, it will.”
A Hint Of Things To Come
Peters’ unprecedented achievement started on Thursday when he rode second-to-last in the Grand Prix test. Although the Grand Prix doesn’t count toward the Final, it does determine the order of go.
Germany’s Werth, the individual silver medalist from the 2008 Olympic Games, had ridden an unspectacular test with Satchmo. A mistake in the canter zigzag and another in her first pirouette, where Satchmo broke to trot, were only the most obvious problems in a lackluster, conservative ride.
“I wanted the photographers to be a bit more quiet,” said Werth. “They were really disturbing Satchmo on the sides. The sound didn’t stop—tac, tac, tac, tac, tac! That’s the reason why I was really careful with the introduction to the first pirouette, because he was really scared to turn. He stopped because I was a bit too careful.”
The Netherlands’ van Grunsven, 41, had also left the door open with mistakes in the two-tempis aboard IPS Painted Black, a 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood stallion (Gribaldi—Litchy).
“I wasn’t secure about how he was going to be here. He’s not normally scared, but he gets a bit nervous inside himself,” she said. “That’s why I had the mistake in the two-tempis. But after that, he got his confidence back. When I came out I was really happy. I know we can do better, but for this moment I was very satisfied.”
But Peters, 44, had no mistakes with Ravel. Akiko Yamazaki’s 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding (Contango—Hautain) was at his very best—showing off huge, expressive half-passes and a piaffe with strong sitting power. Peters finished on 77.91 percent, his highest Grand Prix score ever, almost 4 points ahead of second-placed van Grunsven. He scored straight 9s for his position.
Werth, 39, had to settle for an unsatisfying third place. Peters appeared blown away by the high marks. He put his hand to his forehand in disbelief when Brian O’Connor announced the score.
“I had to keep looking at the score a few more times to make sure this really happened. I dreamed pretty big, but today was bigger than my dream,” he said. “It sends a nice message to Europe that we’re finally moving up in the world in America. I’m very delighted that Ravel was the one today to make that distinction.”
Little did he know that the best was yet to come.
