Julia Mestern (GER) and Grand Prix IWEST. Photo by Thomas Ix.
The first day of Meßmer Trophy CIC3* dressage is on the books at Turniergesellschaft Luhmühlen, with Germany’s Julia Mestern stepping to the early lead.
She and Grand Prix IWEST, an 11-year-old Württemberg gelding (Grafenstolz x Genoveva, by Grafenstein) owned by Dr. Dorothe u.Gerhard Meyer and the rider, scored a 26.2. Twenty-eight of 55 CIC3* pairs have completed their tests, with the remainder of dressage to resume on Friday.
“This was by far our best test!,” Julia said. “I was smiling the whole way through, which is a sure sign things were going well for us today. There were only a couple of things we could have done better — coming down the first centerline and two of the flying changes were not a good as they could have been. The rest was brilliant! The atmosphere is electric in the stadium but my horse kept his cool and listened to me throughout.”
Julia moved the horse up to the three-star level in 2017 and they have had some competitive finishes at the level. Looking forward to cross country, she says, “The course has a number of technical questions which require concentration and precision. There is a lot to jump, however, this is a three-star competition and therefore should be challenging. I am really looking forward to Saturday!”
German national coach Hans Melzer said of the three-star track, “This year’s course is definitely more difficult than last year’s. There are many questions for horses and riders, however, they are clear and fairly build with easier passages in between. Well-prepared horses should be able to make the time.”
Josefa Sommer, also of Germany, is second with Hamilton 24 on a score of 26.8. “He has improved from test to test this year and today he really gave it his all,” Josefa said of “Hannes.” “The canter work still needs a little work but I really could not have asked for more. Even our changes were pretty good today, which I managed to improve after getting some useful tips from Ingrid Klimke.“
Italy’s Pietro Sandei and Rubis de Prere round out the top three, having scored a 27.9.
The sole American rider in the CIC3* is Woods Baughman, who piloted Maverick McNamara to a score of 35.4. They are positioned just outside the top 20 at the conclusion of the first day of dressage — read Jenni’s post-test interview with Woods here.
Much more to come. Go Eventing.
Luhmühlen Meßmer Trophy CIC3* Top 10 After Day 1 Dressage:
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