With a sensational ride, Martin Schaudt and the 9-year-old Weltall took victory in the Kampmann Cup German Dressage Master with a new top score for the Grand Prix Special of 80.92 percent. Their piaffe and passage was nearly unbeatable, as were the trot extensions; these movements received several scores of 10.
The 20th title, contested Nov. 18-21 in Stuttgart, Germany, has been won in the past by such prestigious riders as Margit Otto-Crepin, Nicole Uphoff, Isabell Werth and Ulla Salzgeber, but marked just the second victory by a male rider.
The day before the Grand Prix Special, the local heroes of the Stuttgart area had already set a new international record in the Grand Prix of 78.58 percent. Schaudt, a member of the 2004 Olympic gold-medal team, was very happy.
“I cannot even say that I would have dreamed of this victory, because I am myself surprised about it. It is already a great honor to have a horse to compete in this exclusive starting field. But I had always believed that I would have, with Weltall, the best horse, and I want to prove myself worthy of him by showing to the world how talented he is and to prove my own abilities as a rider and trainer,” said Schaudt.
Schaudt’s Olympic teammates Heike Kemmer and Bonaparte (76.48%) finished second in the Special with a top performance. They had also been runners-up the day before in the Grand Prix and showed very smooth and elastic performances. The 1988 Olympic team gold medalist Ann Kathrin Linsenhoff took third aboard a constantly maturing, 10-year-old Wahajama (76.04%), and Ellen Schulten-Baumer, who was nominated for the German Olympic cadre, was fourth aboard Lesotho (74.56%).
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Nina Stadlinger and Egalité¥ made a great impression, with an especially excellent piaffe-passage tour, expressive and straight flying changes a tempi and well-settled, rhythmical canter pirouettes left. Since this summer, the Austrian rider has been trained by Jean Bemelmans. She had the disadvantage of riding first in the Grand Prix Special. Otherwise her score for this expressive, nearly faultless ride could have been even higher than 70.68 percent, which was still worth eighth place.
The Spanish Olympic bronze medalists Beatriz Ferrer-Salat and her 17-year-old, bay gelding Beauvalais took a popular win in the Grand Prix freestyle. Ferrer-Salat’s performance had great highlights for a score of 79.35 percent, but second-placed Isabell Werth showed a thrilling and difficult test aboard Anthony FRH, and could have easily been named the victor. With a score of 78.10 percent, the combination became runners-up. The 18-year-old Anthony, who showed great vigor in spite of his age, gave his farewell to the Stuttgart audience with this splendid performance.
Schaudt claimed third place (77.12%), this time with Loesdau’s Loriot, ahead of Danish rider Lone J?nsen with her 9-year-old Grand Prix prospect Ludewig (76.82%), who showed a very well-done piaffe-passage tour.
The 10-year-old Donnerhall-Pik Bube daughter, Donatha S, showed a new face in the top international sport. For the chestnut mare, the Grand Prix freestyle was just the fourth Grand Prix test yet, but she showed great talent for piaffe and passage. Her 25-year-old rider, Ellen Schulten-Baumer, presented her in a very pleasing way, though there were some weak points due to the inexperience of the horse. A seventh place in the Grand Prix (70.08%) and an eighth place in the freestyle (73.15%) was an excellent debut for this young horse at the top level.
