Germany Wins Team Gold at 2005 FEI European Dressage Championships

Team Germany, 2005 European Dressage champions. At the end of a second Grand Prix day filled with elegance and concentration, Germany, who reign supreme over Dressage since 1965, are for the 21st consecutive time crowned European team champions with a final score of 221.708%. The Netherlands, their closest challenger, follow only 0.541% behind (221.167%). The Spanish team’s colourful performance is rewarded with a bronze medal. Rarely has a championship been disputed this closely. Hardly ever have team spirit and fair play been this exemplary. Sport has never been better.

Victory was not to be earned easily. The battle had to be fought until the very end. The scores of Germany’s first two riders Klaus Husenbeth on Piccolino and Ann Kathrin Linsenhoff on Sterntaler-Unicef were 69.250% and 74.250% respectively. Hubertus Schmidt on Wansuela Suerte contributed a remarkable 74.625%, which were not yet enough to guarantee complete success. Heike Kemmer and Bonaparte were the last in the arena. They got off to a nice start when they lost rhythm in the first piaffe. The good canter work combined with remarkable flying changes made up for this initial bad luck. And even though Bonaparte was not too willing to go forward in his last passage, the couple completed their test with 72.833% securing final victory.

“We were under a lot of pressure,” Heike Kemmer commented. “But pressure makes us strong, it makes us work together. Our team spirit is at its best.”

The impressive Dutch squad take silver. Yesterday’s strong performances by Laurens van Lieren (70.833%) and Edward Gal (72.917%) had raised everyone’s expectations. Anky van Grunsven’s 77.417% performance, acknowledged by fellow team members and challengers alike, only made things better and future was becoming more and more orange. Unfortunately, the Netherlands’ last rider Sven Rothernberg was not in the best of forms. He rode a rather disappointing test (66.667%) making many mistakes. He did not ride sufficiently in front of the leg and did not show the horse uphill enough”\Ãw€ë . His performance did not therefore benefit his team.

Laurens van Lieren, who is making his debut on the national team, was very satisfied. “I’m so happy,” he said. “A medal is a medal and this one didn’t come easily. And it was such a pleasure to watch Anky.”

The Spanish team’s performances got only better and better. Ignacio Rambla and José Ignacio López Porras’ 69.500% and 64.917% well improved by Juan Antonio Juminez (71.792%). The mounts of all three riders are Lusitanos which gives the team a distinctly Hispanic flavour enhanced by flamenco clapping of the Spanish fans. Beatriz Ferrer-Salat and 18-year old Hanoverian Beauvalais were the last in the arena. Bad luck was with them from the beginning when a first mistake occurred in the first extended trot. At that moment Beatriz thought the medal had been lost for the team. However, the very accomplished pirouettes seemed to compensate for the piaffe, which should have been more from the ground and the walk which was not upbeat enough. She nevertheless scored the team’s best result (71.833%).

With a total of 213.125 %, Sweden are in 4th position. This result is equal to that of Spain but given that the third Spanish rider had a better result than the third Swedish rider – 69.500% as opposed to 68.625% - this team did not get to step on the podium. Yet, in a perfect gesture of the fair play that is so characteristic for this championship, they were the first to congratulate the Spanish medallists.

Individually, Anky van Grunsven is the undisputed leader (77.417%). Her liver chestnut Keltec Salinero, who tends to be rather tense at the beginning of tests, was unusually relaxed. Even though he was a bit too hot in the flying changes, his transitions from extension back into collection were simply copybook. It was a performance of the highest level but, more importantly, it offered the friendly image of a happy horse. When asked how she felt about her individual achievement, Anky replied: “I didn’t even ”\Ãw€ë think about that. Only the Nations Cup was on my mind today; I was counting like everybody else.”

Hubertus Schmidt (GER) and Jan Brink (SWE) on Bj!orsells Briar 899 are in 2nd and 3rd place with 74.625% and 74.292% respectively.

Results courtesy of www.DressageDirect.com

Rk	Name rider	Country	Total %	Maurel	Valentin	Truppa	Whitham	Withages
	Name horse			E	H	C	M	B
	sex-birthyear: sire x sire dam	Studbook
1	Anky van Grunsven	NED	77,42%	76,04%	77,50%	78,96%	77,50%	77,08%
	Keltec Salinero			2	1	1	1	1
	G-1994: Salieri x Lungau	HANN
2	Hubertus Schmidt	GER	74,63%	74,17%	74,58%	76,67%	74,38%	73,33%
	Wansuela Suerte			4	2	2	5	6
	M-1993: Warkant x Wachmann I	HANN
3	Jan Brink	SWE	74,29%	76,25%	71,46%	73,96%	75,63%	74,17%
	Björsells Briar 899			1	9	5	3	3
	S-1991: Magini 695 x Krocket 651	SWB
4	Ann-Kathrin Linsenhoff	GER	74,25%	75,42%	72,29%	74,38%	75,83%	73,33%
	Sterntaler-Unicef			3	5	3	2	6
	S-1995: Sion x Manstein	OLNDB
5	Edward Gal	NED	72,92%	70,21%	73,96%	74,38%	73,33%	72,71%
	Geldnet Lingh			14	3	3	7	9
	S-1993: Flemmingh x Columbus	KWPN
6	Heike Kemmer	GER	72,83%	71,67%	72,29%	73,33%	73,75%	73,13%
	Bonaparte			11	5	7	6	8
	G-1993: Bon Bonaparte x Consul	HANN
7	Carl Hester	GBR	72,79%	72,29%	70,42%	73,13%	72,29%	75,83%
	Escapado			7	14	8	9	2
	G-1993: Exlibris x Ikarus	OLDNB
8	Karen Tebar	FRA	72,29%	73,75%	69,58%	73,54%	70,83%	73,75%
	Falada M			5	16	6	15	4
	M-1991: Forest xx x Grande	HANN
9	Beatriz Ferrer-Salat	ESP	71,83%	73,54%	71,25%	72,50%	68,33%	73,54%
	Beauvalais			6	11	10	22	5
	G-1987: Bolero x Grande	HANN
10	Juan Antonio Jimenez	ESP	71,79%	72,08%	72,29%	71,88%	70,42%	72,29%
	Guizo			8	5	11	17	10
	S-1988: Zasebande x Tivoli	LUS
11	Silvia Iklé	SUI	71,58%	70,21%	68,33%	72,92%	75,00%	71,46%
	Salieri CH			14	22	9	4	12
	G-1994: Sinclair x Lysander	CH
12	Andreas Helgstrand	DEN	71,54%	72,08%	71,67%	71,25%	72,50%	70,21%
	Blue Hors Cavan			8	8	12	8	18
	G-1990: Cavalier x Damnatz	HANN
13	Laurens van Lieren	NED	70,83%	72,08%	71,46%	70,21%	70,00%	70,42%
	Hexagon's Ollright			8	9	14	18	16
	G-1996: Rubiquil x El Corona	KWPN
13	Lone Jörgensen	DEN	70,83%	70,21%	73,54%	69,38%	72,08%	68,96%
	Hardthof's Ludewig G			14	4	18	11	23
	G-1995: Landfriese I x Ibikus	OLDNB
15	Kyra Kyrklund	FIN	70,50%	70,42%	70,63%	69,79%	71,46%	70,21%
	Max			13	13	17	13	18
	G-1995: Master	SWB
16	Tinne Vilhelmson	SWE	70,21%	69,58%	69,39%	68,75%	72,29%	71,04%
	Just Mickey			21	17	22	9	13
	G-1991: Michelangelo x Ulster	KWPN
17	Fiona Bigwood	GBR	69,71%	70,00%	69,38%	68,96%	70,63%	69,58%
	Mr. G de Lully			17	17	20	16	22
	G-1993: Gauguin de Lully x Ambassadeur	SWB
17	Alexandra Korelova	RUS	69,71%	68,96%	66,04%	70,00%	71,67%	71,88%
	Balagur			24	29	15	12	11
	S-1990: Rasskat	ORLOV
19	Ignacio Rambla Algarin	ESP	69,50%	68,96%	71,04%	68,54%	68,13%	70,83%
	Distinguido 2			24	12	23	24	14
	S-1992: Evento	PRE
20	Victoria Max-Theurer	AUT	69,42%	70,83%	68,75%	70,42%	67,29%	69,79%
	Falcao			12	20	13	26	21
	G-1992: Feiner Stern x Figaro	OLDNB
21	Klaus Husenbeth	GER	69,25%	65,63%	70,42%	69,38%	70,00%	70,83%
	Piccolino 19			35	14	18	18	14
	G-1992: Prince Thatch xx x Ganymed I 338	HANN
22	Hubert Perring	FRA	68,96%	69,38%	68,13%	68,13%	71,46%	67,71%
	Diabolo Saint Maurice			23	23	27	13	26
	G-1991: Plein Espoir IV x Orange de Norvil	SF
23	Emma Hindle	GBR	68,79%	69,79%	68,54%	68,54%	68,33%	68,75%
	Wie Weltmeyer			20	21	23	22	24
	S-1990: Weltmeyer x Dynamo	HANN
24	Louise Nathhorst	SWE	68,63%	70,00%	67,92%	68,96%	69,17%	67,08%
	Guinness 888			17	25	20	20	31
	S-1990: Dolomit x Elizar	DWB
25	Christian Pläge	SUI	68,38%	69,58%	65,83%	70,00%	66,46%	70,00%
	Regent			21	31	15	30	20
	G-1992: Resident x Calimero	DWB
26	Elena Kalinina	RUS	68,00%	68,75%	66,88%	67,92%	68,13%	68,33%
	Royal Black Label			27	28	28	24	25
	G-1995: Randazzo II x Weston	THU
27	Fie Skarsö	DEN	67,88%	67,50%	68,13%	68,33%	68,54%	66,88%
	Münchhausen TSF			30	23	25	21	33
	S-1995: Hohenstein x Königstein	TRAKH
28	Wayne Channon	GBR	67,71%	68,75%	69,17%	67,71%	65,63%	67,29%
	Lorenzo CH			27	19	29	32	29
	S-1993: Ferro x Wolfgang	KWPN
29	Caroline Kottas-Heldenberg	AUT	67,21%	68,96%	64,58%	68,33%	66,88%	67,29%
	Exupery			24	34	25	28	29
	S-1993: Exlibris x Grundstein II	OLDNB
30	Dominique D'Esmé	FRA	66,83%	70,00%	65,00%	65,83%	65,63%	67,71%
	Roi de Coeur			17	33	35	32	26
	G-1994: Schwadroneur x Donauwind	DWB
31	Nathalie zu Sayn-Wittgenstein	DEN	66,79%	65,83%	67,92%	66,67%	66,88%	66,67%
	Rigoletto 2			34	25	31	28	34
	G-1994: Rubinstein x Rossi xx	DWB
32	Miguel Duarte	POR	66,67%	67,71%	64,58%	65,42%	65,21%	70,42%
	Oxalis da Meia Lua			29	34	39	36	16
	M-1995: Xaquiro x Marialva	LUS
32	Sven Rothenberger	NED	66,67%	66,04%	67,50%	66,67%	65,63%	67,50%
	Barclay II			32	27	31	32	28
	G-1992: Brentano II x Lungau	HANN
34	Marie-Line Wettstein	SUI	65,71%	64,79%	63,96 %	67,71%	65,00%	67,08%
	Le Primeur 2			37	38	29	38	31
	G-1993: Lauries Crusador xx x Golfstrom	HANN
35	Carlos Pinto	POR	65,54%	63,33%	66,04%	65,83%	66,25%	66,25%
	Novatel JCL Puy du Fou			43	29	35	31	36
	S-1994: Forcado x Triunfo	LUS
36	José Ignacio López Porras	ESP	64,92%	66,04%	63,75%	63,33%	64,79%	66,67%
	Nevado Santa Clara			32	39	43	40	34
	S-1994: Cabaco	PRE
37	Mieke Lunskens	BEL	64,33%	67,29%	61,04%	64,38%	63,13%	65,83%
	Jade			31	50	41	44	37
	G-1991: Ressort x Linxo xx	TRAKH
37	Jeroen Devroe	BEL	64,33%	64,79%	62,71%	65,83%	63,33%	65,00%
	Paganini			37	45	35	43	39
	G-1994: Pavarotti van de Helle x Sheyenne de Baugy	RHEIN
39	Katarzyna Milczarek Jasinka	POL	64,08%	62,92%	65,83%	64,79%	65,42%	61,46%
	Lecantos			44	31	40	35	51
	G-1996: Levantos I x Night and Day	OLDNB
40	Renate Vogelsang	AUT	63,92%	64,58%	64,38%	64,17%	62,50%	63,96%
	Davidoff 70			40	37	42	45	40
	G-1991: Dobrock x Azur	OLDNB
41	Claudia Montanari	ITA	63,79%	61,67%	61,46%	66,67%	65,21%	63,96%
	Don Vittorio			50	48	31	36	40
	G-1991: Donnerhall x Pik Senior	HANN
42	Heike Holstein	IRL	63,79%	64,58%	62,92%	65,83%	62,08%	63,54%
	Welt Adel			40	42	35	48	44
	G-1992: Wandervogel x Argentan	HANN
43	Nina Stadlinger	AUT	63,58%	61,88%	62,08%	66,04%	64,58%	63,33%
	Egalité			47	47	34	41	45
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