WELLINGTON, Fla.--Great Britain's Susan Pape on Harmony’s V-Plus t won the Grand Prix Special CDI4* on Saturday, Jan. 27 at the Global Dressage Festival.
Susan Pape on Harmony's V-Plus (Photo by Susan Stickle)Pape was the unanimous choice of all five judges, scoring 71.979%.
Pablo Gómez Molina of Spain was second on PRE Ulises De Ymas , and Germany’s Michael Klimke was third on Domino 957 on 68.149%.
“It’s only V-Plus’s third Grand Prix Special,” said Pape, who is based in Europe but is a regular at the Festival. “In the beginning he wasn’t sure where he had to go, but he felt focused and stayed very with me. He’s pretty amazing already, but give him a couple more months to gain strength and he will be a really nice grand prix horse. He doesn’t even technically turn 10 until August, he was born really late.”
Pape has ridden V-Plus since he was bought by her sponsors Leslie and John Malone of Harmony Sporthorses for €1.2 million at the PSI Auction in December 2018.
“He picked up really well when he was about 7; before that he was just a huge horse with no strength and long legs,” she said. “Now his body is ready and he needs to gain some more strength. I still have to help him a lot at this level, but once he knows what’s coming we’ll have that extra little spark. Apart from the jog, where he’s an absolute idiot, whenever you’re on him, or grooming or tacking up, he’s a darling.”
PAPE USUALLY trains with her husband Ingo, but a visit from British rider/trainer Gareth Hughes, his first to Wellington, gave Pape an extra boost with both V-Plus and Harmony’s Eclectisch this week.
“Gareth came to our barn in Germany a couple of times, but then Covid kicked in,” she said. “Last year he had to focus on the Europeans, but then he came twice in the fall and I asked if he could find time to come to Wellington. Him being here has been very helpful. It’s been all about the basics and ensuring the right setup for every movement. It’s good to have someone else seeing different things and working on the tiny things that make so much difference to the test.”
Both horses will have a competition break until the end of February, when they will contest another CDI before heading back to Germany.
Pape also finished second in the Grand Prix Special CDI3* on Harmony’s Eclectisch on 69.617%.
Erin Nichols, just 20 years old, won over 12 starters on Elian Royale, their second ever senior CDI show together, and she posted a new personal best of 70.468%.
Jemma Heran of Austria on Saphira Royal 2 was third with 68.787%.
“I was amazed and so excited,” said Nichols of the score she earned. “I knew going down that centerline I put in the best effort that I possibly could, and there are still places where I can improve. It’s been a really awesome experience moving up, and I’ve had amazing support from USEF."
“It’s been very cool to learn the ropes of the grand prix level, and to get experience at this age is really special, l’m taking it all in,” said Nichols, who credited training from David Wightman and Charlotte Bredahl. “We’ve been working on the basics, a bunch of transitions, and on getting a strong, clean test and showing off Elian’s highlights.”
Over the past two years the pair have traveled to Germany, The Netherlands, California and Florida to compete.
“Elian had a lot of national experience before, but I’ve given him lots of CDI experience,” she said. “He’s really grown over this last summer, going to Aachen and traveling through Europe, and we feel confident as a team now. It’s very cool to be able to step into this level with that trust.”
Just as she did in AGDF Week 1, Alice Tarjan won the CDI2* Intermediate A, again on Jane, scoring 68.382%.
The mare, whom Tarjan has had since she was a 3-year-old, remains unbeaten in all 11 of her international starts.
