WELLINGTON,Fla.--Seven-time Olympian for Sweden Tinne Vilhelmson Silfvén on Hyatt won the CDI3* Grand Prix Special, scoring her second high score of the week with a 72.574% on Saturday, Feb. 8 at the Global Dressage Festival..
Tinne Vilhelmson Silfven on Hyatt (Photo by Susan Stickle)Her previous best in this test was 70.979%, set at AGDF in 2024.
The podium had three different nations, underscoring the international significance of the Festival winter circuit.
Second placed Erin Nichols on Elian Royale also had a personal best score of 71.702%.
Michael Klimke of Germany on Harmony’s Fado, the youngest horse in the class at 11 years old, was third.
His 67.553% was a new high score for the inexperienced horse who was contesting just his second big tour CDI.
“That’s a score I love to see," said Vilhelmson Silfvén. "Hyatt was more self-assured today, and she felt more comfortable in the ring. I had a good feeling, although I had two mistakes which were both my fault. That nags at me because I could have done even better, but she did everything I asked for, so I’m super happy with the horse and the result.”
Hyatt had a break from showing between Aachen in July 2024 and this year’s Festival, and Vilhelmson Silfvén used the time to fine tune her.
“WE'VE BEEN working on the details, on the basic riding like the balance, getting her stronger, better in the contact and more uphill,” she said. “I wanted Hyatt to mature and be strong enough to carry herself, because that’s something she can always do when she’s calm, but she needs to be able to do that when there’s a bit of tension. It feels like she’s already switched back on to showing again, so that’s great.”
Vilhelmson Silfvén is planning to contest two further AGDF shows with Hyatt this season, and she remains busy as a trainer, too.
“We all support each other, we had seven horses here at the show this week between the CDI and national and we all do it together, so it’s fun,” said Vilhelmson Silfvén. “You have to have a great team to do this sport and Lövsta has a super team including trainers, vets, owners and grooms. Everyone is proud to do this together.”
In the CDI2* FEI Intermediate A, Dutch rider Chantal van Lanen lost the ride on one horse but found another from the same breeder.
She won the Intermediate A with 67.5% on the 10-year-old King Ve, a newcomer to the CDI ring.
Katrin Dagge was second with a 66.088% on Topaz Diamant, and Mikala Münter was third on Camea with 64.529%.
“It’s a nice story because my former grand prix horse Arthur is now owned by my friend Jill Irving, and that’s what brought me to Wellington in the first place, and to King because they were both owned by Rene," said van Lanen, who is competing at the Festival for the first time. "I went to try King, and I was immediately in love. The canter is huge, and the character is an 11 out of 10.”
“King had really nice passage and pirouettes today,” she said. “I was most proud of the last center line because we want to go grand prix and all his energy was still there. He’s a competitor like me and he loves the arena. We didn’t even do the familiarization before the test; I just know that when I enter the arena, he will have his ears to the front and be ready to go.”
Van Lanen has two goals for her debut season: to qualify for the Future Challenge final in week 12, and to ride her new freestyle in the atmosphere of ‘Friday Night Stars’.
