10 June 2022
Valkenswaard 2022: A Sunny Second Dressage Day
The first part of the competition in Valkenswaard is over. Thursday the pair drivers drove their dressage test and Friday it was the turn of the four-in-hand drivers. After the heavy rain on Wednesday, some rain fell again in the afternoon Thursday. Fortunately, the footing in the arena held up well, but it became a bit heavier, especially today. The four-in-hand drivers were able to drive their test under a warm sun.The highest score in dressage from the pair drivers was driven by Amely von Bucholz, who was the only one to stay under 50 penalty points. Four of the five judges placed her in the lead, she leads with a 47.98. Second and therefore the best Dutchman is Stan van Eijk. It was still raining when he started out, but it was dry when he entered the arena. According to him, the new dressage test demands more of the horses’ obedience and that suits his pair. “It went well, the adjustment of my pair is getting better and better and I now have a really experienced dressage pair. I don’t have to attack like before in the marathon.” But that doesn’t mean he’s going to take it easy tomorrow. “It’s all pretty close together, so I’ll have to drive at full speed.”
The Dutch pair drivers participated well in dressage. For example, Anna de Ronde and Ewoud Boom are tied in 4th place, followed by Sanny Hagen, Sandor van Vliet and Erik Evers.
Amely von Bucholz won the dressage
Photo: Amy Mundell
Four-in-Hands
The judging of the four-in-hands led to some discussion. Boyd Exell drove the winning test and leads with 40.45. Two of the five judges saw his test as the winner. Boyd’s right hind horse had many tension errors which disturbed the image. He showed quite a few irregularities. Boyd himself certainly didn’t think it was his best test. “My front horses were fine and the stretching went well, but I definitely had some mistakes. The preparation just wasn’t right. I’m busy with the organization of the competition and so I hadn’t warmed up well enough.”
A nice harmonious test with panache was ridden by Mareike Harm. Three judges gave her the highest score. She is now second with 41.25. IJsbrand Chardon follows in 3rd place with 44.58. His horses were nicely relaxed and he drove a strong test. Chardon was frustrated with his points. “I deserved more,” he says. “My horses performed very well and I drove a good test. That’s why I don’t understand that there is a judge who gave me no less than seventeen points less than Boyd. That is simply not possible.”
Mareike Harm is second after dressage
Photo: Krisztina Horváth
On to the Marathon
The differences in points after dressage are small for both pairs and four-in-hands. That bodes well for the thrill of the marathon. The eight nice obstacles are challenging and will undoubtedly cause shifts in the standings. The marathon starts tomorrow at 10am. The first participant is expected in the obstacles around 10.45 am
Handicap stakes bring surprises
In addition to the regular ranking, Valkenswaard also draws up a ranking for the ‘Handicap stakes’. Based on previous performance, all participants have been given a handicap score (like in golf). The points of the match are added up. Amely von Bucholz leads this competition in pairs, followed by Sanny Dijkhuis and Sandor van Vliet. In the four-in-hand, the score is more surprising: Tom Stokmans leads the handicap stakes. Wayne van Niekerk and Maxime Maricourt follow in places 2 and 3.
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