News

Langehanenberg makes it two-in-a-row at Neumuenster

Feb 18, 2013

In a double of doubles, Helen Langehanenberg and Damon Hill NRW today recorded a back-to-back victory in the Reem Acra FEI World Cup™ Dressage Western European League 2012/2013 series when heading the line-up on home turf at Neumuenster, Germany where the pair also reigned supreme last season.

Of the 15 riders from eight nations, Germany fielded four today and captured all of the top three places. Kristina Sprehe, one of the new wave of exciting younger riders emerging into the sport for Germany and a member of the London 2012 Olympic team silver medal side, slotted into second with Desperados FRH while the veteran and former FEI World Cup™ Dressage champion, Isabell Werth, finished third with Don Johnson FRH.

Danish riders claimed fourth and fifth places, and once again Sidsel Johansen and Schianto won the hearts of the spectators with another joyous and pleasing performance. And, for the second time this season, the crowd expressed their disappointment at the score awarded to the Danish duo. But judges Katrina Wuest (GER), Dr Evi Eisenhardt (GER), Ghislain Fouarge (NED), Leif Tornblad (DEN) and Marietta Almasy (FRA) were very much in agreement as Johansen's 72.660 left them in fifth place.

As today's Freestyle got underway, it was Finland's Terhi Stegars and the handsome Trakehner, Axis TSF, who were the first to score over 70 per cent when achieving 71.150, and then The Netherlands' Marlie von Baalen and BMC Miciano raised the bar with a score of 73.850. However it was the latter's Dutch counterpart, Patrick van der Meer, who held the clear lead before the judging break with a lovely performance from the 11-year-old Uzzo that included elegant piaffe and passage for a mark of 76.425 - a personal-best Freestyle score for this talented partnership.

Third to go of the final group however, Langehanenberg and Damon Hill were stunning from start to finish, the stallion's big, clean and rhythmic passage, his boldness in canter and his stillness in piaffe, their steadiness, fluency and togetherness and their overall air of absolute confidence saw them rewarded with artistic marks of 94.000 per cent by Wuest, 92.000 from both Eisenhardt and Fouarge, 91.000 per cent from Almasy and 86.000 from Tornblad. The crowd erupted with delight and appreciationas 87.800 went up on the scoreboard.

Now it was simply a matter of who could come closest, and multiple champion, 43-year-old Isabell Werth, steered Don johnson to a score of 83.000 before 23-year-old Anna Kasprzak launched into her floor plan that began with canterwork and earned her a mark of 81.075 with Donnperignon.

The remaining Danish partnership of Johansen and Schianto were second-last to go, and the 14-year-old horse, who always looks as if he is thoroughly enjoying himself in the ring, showed tremendous elevation in passage and piaffe, power and courage in extended canter and a general joyousness that has proven particularly infectious this season. Their mark of 80.050 didn't please the onlookers, but Johansen's ear-to-ear grin showed that she knew they had once again produced a crowd-pleasing effort.

Sprehe was last into the ring, and the 26-year-old rider could have been forgiven for a little uneasiness as the crowd's reaction to Johansen's score seemed to disturb the concentration of her horse at the very start. But the pure quality of his movement was sufficient to guarantee a strong result for Desperados who recovered to demonstrate strong piaffe and piaffe/pirouette on their way to clinching runner-up spot with 84.425 per cent.

1 Helen Langehanenberg Damon Hill NRW GER 87.80%
2 Kristina Sprehe Desperados GER 84.43%
3 Isabell Werth Don Johnson GER 83.00%
4 Anna Kasprzak Donnperignon DEN 81.08%
5 Sidsel Johansen Schianto DEN 80.05%
6 Patrick van der Meer Uzzo NED 76.43%
7 Marcela Krinke-Susmelj Smeyers Molberg SUI 73.88%
8 Kristian von Krusenstierna Biggles SWE 73.85%
8 Marlies Van Baalen BMC Miciano NED 73.85%
10 Anabel Balkenhol Rubins Royal GER 72.90%
11 Terhi Stegars Axis TSF FIN 71.15%
12 Emma Kanerva Heimliche Liebe FIN 71.00%
13 Sarah Millis HP Frontier GBR 70.00%
14 Pia Fortmüller Orion CAN 69.50%
15 Sofie Lexner Charming Boy 26 SWE 67.63%

Reem Acra FEI World Cup™ Dressage 2012/2013 - Standings after Round 7 at Neumuenster (GER):

1. Kristina Sprehe GER - 68
2. Valentina Truppa ITA - 67
3. Helen Langehanenberg GER - 66
4. Tinne Vilhelmson Silfven SWE - 63
5. Edward Gal NED - 55
6. Patrick Kittel SWE - 50
6. Marcela Krinke Susmelj SUI - 50
8. Minna Telde SWE) - 49
8. Isabell Werth GER - 49
10. Sidsel Johansen DEN - 46
11. Anna Kasprzak DEN - 43
12. Marlies van Baalen NED - 36
13. Imke Schellekens-Bartels NED - 36
14. Pia Fortmueller CAN - 31
15. Patrick van der Meer NED - 30
16. Anabel Balkenhol GER - 29
17. Kristian von Krusenstierna SWE - 27
18. Lyndal Oatley AUS - 23
18. Silvia Rizzo ITA - 23
20. Karin Kosak AUT - 22

Source FEI press release Louise Parkes