WELLINGTON, Fla.--Steffen Peters rode Suppenkasper in a fourth test and it was their fourth win of the season in the main arena at the Global Dressage Festival on Jan. 25
Stefen Peters on Suppenkasper (Photo by Susan Sickle)This time, Peters beat 15 starters in the FEI Grand Prix Special CDI3* with a score of 75.702 percent.
He received over 77 percent from two of the judges on the panel of five.
The new combination of Denmark’s Agnete Kirk Thinggaard on Blue Hors Zatchmo finished second on 74.851 percent, with Canada’s Brittany Fraser-Beaulieu third on All In with a score of 72.064 percent.
“Our warm-up system has been pretty good," said Peters. "We’ve been working him two hours before the test and then today I only did 15 minutes right before going into the ring.
“He stayed calm, and I came in in a nice rising trot. Again he did a very clean test and that’s what we want for the team: consistency. The passage felt better and clearly there was a huge improvement in the right pirouette, which didn’t work out so well in the grand prix; actually both pirouettes worked out beautifully today.”
The next task for the Olympic team bronze medallist is to accustom his latest superstar to the unique pressures and atmosphere posed by the Friday night freestyle classes under lights at AGDF.
“I TALKED to Debbie McDonald, and now it’s time to turn up the power just a tiny bit. So I wanted four solid tests in this arena to settle him down for the freestyle, because that’s a gigantic hurdle for him in this arena, and of course there is a lot to stake for the World Cup qualifier,” said Peters, referring to the freestyle scores needed to qualify for the World Cup Final in Las Vegas in April.
“Here in Wellington we are staying at Five Rings Farm, probably the finest equestrian facility I’ve ever seen in my entire life, and they have an amazing sound system, so now at home we’re going to practice the clapping, the music and the national anthem, because even that seems to get him going," said Peters. "He’s so ready to go, now it’s just a question of desensitising him a bit to the music and, with a little bit of good luck, we can do a hell of a freestyle in here.”
At only their second international show together, Canadian rider Beatrice Boucher and the 9-year-old Hanoverian gelding Louxor De Lys won the FEI Intermediate I CDI3*.
Boucher on Louxor De Lys was last to go in the class and posted 68.059 percent to push Korea’s Dongeson Kim and Bordolino 8, with 66.206 percent, into second.
