#TGIF: Your Friday Morning Dressage Live Updates from Pratoni

By on Sep 16, 2022 3:11 am -

Good evening/morning! I’m feeling (sort of) bright-eyed and (sort of) bushy-tailed and ready to kick off another day of dressage action from the 2022 FEI World Championships. Today we’ll see the remaining pairs from the 16 teams and the rest of the individual riders in front of the Ground Jury consisting of President and judge at C Christina Klingspor (SWE), judge at H Peter Gray (CAN), and judge at B Christian Steiner (AUT).

Just a few notables from the morning sessions today include:

Ariel Grald (USA) and Leamore Master Plan – 9:38 a.m. local / 3:38 a.m. EST – 32.5
Julia Krajewski (GER) and Amande de B’Neville – 10:10 a.m. local / 4:10 a.m. EST – 26.1
Holly Jacks (CAN) and Candy King – 10:41 a.m. local / 4:41 a.m. EST – 32.4
Tamie Smith (USA) and Mai Baum – 12:00 p.m. local / 6:00 a.m. EST – 24.1
Tom McEwen (GBR) and Toledo de Kerser – 12:16 p.m. local / 6:16 a.m. EST – 25.6

Then this afternoon, Abby Powell will pick up with updates from the remainder of the tests, which will include the team anchor rotation (Boyd Martin is anchor for the U.S., Mike Winter is anchor for Canada, Oliver Townend is anchor for Great Britain). You can view full times here and live scores here.

Riders will be using FEI 5* Test B — you can view the test to follow along here.

I’ll be updating you as each rider comes in, but I highly encourage you to pick up a pass to watch yourself on FEI.TV, which is a part of ClipMyHorse.TV. You can learn more and sign up here (there is a free trial for new members!).

Want more Pratoni news? Head over to our Ultimate Guide to FEI World Championships for Eventing, and be sure to sign up for the #Pratoni2022 Daily Digest email, which will be delivered straight to your inbox each day through Sunday, September 18.

FEI World Championships for Eventing: [Website] [Definite Entries] [FEI TV] [ EN’s Ultimate Guide ] [EN’s Form Guide] [Live Scoring] [Friday Dressage Times] [Daily Digest Email] [EN’s Coverage]

To use this live update thread, start from the bottom. I’ll be adding updates as they happen to the top!

7:02 a.m. EST: That’ll do it for me this morning. Abby Powell will be along in about an hour to bring you live updates from the conclusion of dressage and you will definitely want to be sure to tune in for the anchor rider rotation! Thanks for following along with me, and keep an eye out for the midday report coming your way soon. In the meantime, you can see individual scores here and team rankings here.

6:53 a.m. EST: A 30.6 and a strong debut for Alina Dibowski, who will slot into the top 25 for now! And that will take us up to our lunch break. Laura Collett’s lead remains unchallenged, but there are a few newcomers to the top 10. The team standings show Great Britain in gold, the U.S. in silver, and New Zealand in bronze position. All four-member teams have one more rider still to send, and remember one score from all but the Austrians and Brazilians will be dropped.

Current individual top 15.

Current team standings.

6:47 a.m. EST: Carlos Parro and Goliath score a 32.9, besting their average at this level for a Brazilian boost. Now our final rider of this group will be German individual, Alina Dibowski, making her debut aboard Barbados 26 (Moravia x Babilonia xx, by Jape xx). Fun fact: Alina’s father, Andreas Dibowski, last competed at these World Championships in Tryon, and now Alina steps up as the next generation.

6:37 a.m. EST: A 34.5 for Harold and the Austrians after a really nice effort from the inexperienced Mountbatton 2. Fun fact: Dr. Ambros is a dentist by day! We now just have two more to see before the lunch break. Next in will be Brazilian rider Carlos Parro with Goliath (Chello III VDL x Octa, by Belisar). The Brazilians are also a three-person team after the withdrawal of Ruy Fonseca yesterday.

6:36 a.m. EST: Hear what Tamie had to say:

#Pratoni2022 Interview – Tamie Smith after dressage

Tamie Smith and Mai Baum score a 24.0 for the Land Rover #USAEventing Team and move into 3rd place individually! #Pratoni2022

Posted by USA Eventing on Friday, September 16, 2022

6:32 a.m. EST: Next up for the three-person Austrian team are Dr. Harald Ambros and Mountbatton 2 (Mount Etna XX x Weimar, by Wolkenstein II).

6:30 a.m. EST: And that’s a great score for Kevin: a 25.7 puts this pair into sixth individually and puts Australia into fifth in the team standings. An adorable reaction from the kiss and cry:

6:28 a.m. EST: This is going to be a strong test for the Australians, who have really thrown down in this first phase so far this weekend! Kevin trends in the mid-20s as he comes into the canter stretch circle. For reference, this pair scored a 31.2 in Tokyo and average around a 30 at the 4*/5* level.

6:23 a.m. EST: We’ll now move to our next team rider for Australia, Tokyo Olympians Kevin McNab and Scuderia 1918 Don Quidam (Quidam de Revel x Ava van de Holtakkers, by Argentinus).

6:21 a.m. EST: Great Britain takes back the gold medal position with a 25.6 scored by Tom McEwen. This will put Tom right behind Tamie into equal fourth with Monica Spencer. Team GB now goes onto a score of 71.1 with the U.S. not far behind on a 77.5.

6:19 a.m. EST: Midway through their canter work, Tom and Toledo’s score comes down into the high 20s.

6:16 a.m. EST: Blast! Tom also has a break in the first medium trot and will also have to climb his way back to a better score.

6:15 a.m. EST: Tom needs to score a 24 or better to get onto the individual podium, and he has scored a 23 — a 23.4, to be exact, at Badminton earlier this year.

6:13 a.m. EST: A great test from Olympic veteran Toshiyuki Tanaka, who earns a 32.5 for the Japanese. Well the heavy hitters are basically going to keep coming through the rest of the day, and next up are Tokyo individual silver and team gold medalists Tom McEwen and Toledo de Kerser (Diamant de Semilly x Ariane du Prieure II, by Papillon Rouge). This is yet another we can anticipate sliding into the top 5 — or potentially higher.

6:12 a.m. EST:. Bam! What a halt from Toshiyuki and Swiper:

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

6:07 a.m. EST: With Tamie’s score added, the U.S. actually now goes into gold position (with one member yet to come for most teams) on a total score of 77.6! We now move to the next member of Team Japan, Toshiyuki Tanaka and Swiper JRA (Contenda x Amber Pacific, breeding unknown).

6:06 a.m. EST: Well Tamie will really be kicking herself about that bobble in the medium, and I wouldn’t call this the most flash test we’ve seen from this pair, but I’m also being picky and this is nonetheless going to be a competitive team score for the Americans. A 24.1 puts this pair highest of the Americans into third!

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

6:04 a.m. EST: So far, so clean through the first two changes. Score still coming down, though I don’t think we’re looking at a 20.

6:02 a.m. EST: After starting in the mid-30s due to that break in the medium, Tamie and Mai Baum are now down in the high 20s.

5:59 a.m. EST: And here we go! Now in the ring are the U.S.’ Tamie Smith and Mai Baum (Loredano 2- Ramira, by Rike). This pair obviously stands as one challenger to Laura’s sub-20. Rats — they’ve had a break in their first medium already, but I know Tamie can dial Mai Baum in to claw her way back.

5:58 a.m. EST: A 26.1 puts Jonelle and McClaren into the top 5!

5:54 a.m. EST: It can be really challenging to take an established horse from another rider, and Jonelle and McClaren have had a few growing pains as their relatively new partnership has progressed. They did score a 24.4 at Pau last year, so are a good threat to the top 10 today with a solid effort.

5:53 a.m. EST: And we are back with multi-Olympian and World Championships rider Jonelle Price, coming forward for New Zealand with former Mark Todd ride McClaren (Clarimo x Toni 1, by Landjunge).

5:35 a.m. EST: A 31.9 is a great debut for Aminda and Joystick, besting their 4* average of 33. We now move into the last judging break of the morning, and you’ll want to make sure you’re settled in for our next group which will include Jonelle Price, Tamie Smith, Toshiyuki Tanaka, Tom McEwen, and more!

5:31 a.m. EST: Aminda is getting Dancing Queen as her first song, love it.

5:28 a.m. EST: Next in for the Swedes are Aminda Ingulfson and Joystick (Jaguar Mail x For Joy SN, by Cardento 933), another pair making their major championship debut (and another horse by Jaguar Mail!)

5:26 a.m. EST: What a nice test from this experienced pair! They shave a few off their Tokyo score (33.5) and will be on a 30.1 and is currently inside the top 20.

5:20 a.m. EST: Now coming forward for the home team are Tokyo Olympic pair Susanna Bordone and Imperial van de Holtakkers (Quidam de Revel x Ava van de Holtakkers, by Argentinus). Fun fact about this 14-year-old Belgian gelding: Imperial van de Holtakkers previously competed at the 2018 World Equestrian Games in Tryon with former rider, Belgian Joris Vanspringel. Susanna is also coming back from a pelvis injury sustained at the Avenches Nations Cup leg in July, so she’s made a really impressive comeback to make it to these World Championships.

5:17 a.m. EST: This horse just looks like a marathon athlete to me. I can’t wait to watch this pair tomorrow! They score a 26.8 and slide right into the top 10.

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

5:16 a.m. EST: Robin and Grandeur de Lully CH scored a 26 en route to victory here in May. Currently, they’re trending around 27.6 as they move into their canter work.

5:14 a.m. EST: Next up for the Swiss are Olympian Robin Godel with Grandeur de Lully CH (Greco de Lully CH x Miola, by Apartos), winners of the test event here at Pratoni earlier this year.

5:13 a.m. EST: Personally, I also loved Antonio’s brown tack. Now I’m curious: where do you stand on brown dressage tack?? I’m really asking the important questions here…

Brown tack for the win? GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

5:11 a.m. EST: Antonio and Duque HSM score a 31.9 to best their average and give Spain the best score they’ve had so far this week! Spain goes onto a total team score of 101.3.

5:08 a.m. EST: A beautiful halt and rein-back for Antonio and Duque.

5:07 a.m. EST: Hear from Australian rider Shenae Lowings, first to go today to smash out a 26.3:

5:02 a.m. EST: A lovely 31.6 for Lara and Hermione d’Arville, who makes her championship and 5* test debut today. Nicely done! Next in will be Spanish team rider Antonio Cejudo Caro making his championship debut aboard Duque HSM (River Dance x La Mona 2, by Limbus).

4:56 a.m. EST: Next to see are team members for Belgium, Lara de Liedekerke-Meier and Hermione d’Arville (Birkhof’s Royaldik x Kyra du Relais Pachis, by Kashmir van Schuttershof), another 9-year-old produced out of Arville’s well-established breeding program.

4:55 a.m. EST: A 27.4 and a smashing debut for this French pair, putting France into the team lead at this juncture!

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

4:49 a.m. EST: Gosh, I’m loving this mare’s splashy white legs!

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

4:45 a.m. EST: The movement of extended canter into a stretching circle is so tough, I imagine. The judges are looking for the horse to remain in self-carriage as the rider lets the reins lengthen, and not every horse reaches out for the bit in these scenarios, especially after a big extended canter. Anyway, Holly finishes with a huge smile and earns a 32.4 provisionally to go into the top 25. The Canadians are all on relatively strong scores that will give them a good opportunity to climb. Just one more rider for this team to go in Mike Winter and El Mundo. Next in will be French rider Gaspard Maksud and Zaragoza (Cevin Z x unrecorded dam), making their championship debut this week after a strong showing at Aachen earlier this year. This is another 9-year-old in the field.

4:43 a.m. EST: Not quite square behind in the halt and a bit resistant in the rein-back, but a beautiful first change for Holly and Candy King.

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

4:39 a.m. EST: Welcome back! We’re getting back underway in just a moment with Holly Jacks, who will look to put a competitive test on the board for the Canadians. This pair snuck under the 30-mark at Maryland last year, scoring a 29.9 on this test. Can they match or beat that today?

4:27 a.m. EST: Hear from Ariel Grald after her test with Leamore Master Plan:

In her Championship debut at #Pratoni2022, Ariel Grald Equestrian and Leamore Master Plan score a 32.5. Hear what she had to say after her test 👇 #USAEventing

Posted by USA Eventing on Friday, September 16, 2022

4:22 a.m. EST: Really tactful riding from Padraig and a nice looking test from Fallulah. They’ll take a score of 29.4 into the jumping phases — not quite a 5* test personal best, but an improvement from their Badminton mark of 31.7. We now move into the first judging break of the day and will return at 4:41 a.m. EST with Canadian team member Holly Jacks and Candy King (Grafenstolz x Eye Candy, by Moothyeb)!

4:19 a.m. EST: Fallulah looks a bit impressed in her early trot work but now seems to be putting her ears back to listen more intently in her 8-meter circles.

4:17 a.m. EST: Julia’s is the lowest score for the Germans so far, and they still have anchor rider Michael Jung with fischerChipmunk to come later today. We’ll now move on to the next team member for Ireland, Padraig McCarthy and Fallulah (Fidertanz 2 x Devona, by Di Versace). This should be a competitive test for the Irish.

4:15 a.m. EST: Ah, what a nice test from the reigning champions! They’re going to go into fourth for now on a 26.1 and Julia looks thrilled:

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

4:11 a.m. EST: Julia is really riding a forward test, trending around 25.0 at the moment.

4:08 a.m. EST: A lovely final change to really finish strong for Balázs, who has brought Clover 15 up the levels himself. A 33.3 is a great showing for this pair, and they’ll head into the jumping phases looking to finish on that mark. Well, now we’re in for a treat as our reigning Olympic champion enters next. For Germany, Julia Krajewski and Amande de B’Neville (Oscar des Fontaines – Perle be B’Néville, by Elan de la Cour). I’m not sure this pair will quite catch Laura’s sub-20, but they’re more than capable of hitting the low 20s so let’s settle in and watch.

4:06 a.m. EST: Some tension in the rein-back and now in the canter work is raising the pair’s score a little.

4:03 a.m. EST: This is a really nice test so far in this World Championship debut for Balázs. Trending sub-30 so far.

3:59 a.m. EST: Just a small bobble in the flying change work for Just Kidding but a solid test otherwise to score a 31.2 to go into 17th. This will be a bit higher than Amanda wanted to start off, but it’s no slouchy score at this juncture. Our next and final (for now) individual rider will be our sole Hungarian representative, Balázs Kaizinger and Clover 15 (Carrico x Lara, by LandCapitol), one of the youngest horses here this weekend at just nine.

3:57 a.m. EST: Now some music from Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, which I am very here for.

#sorrynotsorry

3:55 a.m. EST: Much like fellow Kiwi horse Artist, this is another little Thoroughbred who can dance! Amanda and Just Kidding are capable of scoring a mid-20s mark, and they’re currently buoyed by..Pirates of the Caribbean music? I think?

3:52 a.m. EST: A 36.2 is just a hair lower than this pair’s typical average and puts them into 35th for the moment. Our next to see will be Kiwi individual Amanda Pottinger and another Thoroughbred gelding, Just Kidding. I know I’ve mentioned this before, but I find it so cool that Just Kidding is sired by 2000 Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus. The stallion spent time in the Southern Hemisphere during his breeding days for Coolmore Stud.

3:50 a.m. EST: Fifty Fifty wouldn’t be the most keen for this phase, but she’s really eager to at least give it a shot — and boy, Patrick looks absolutely thrilled. Love these reactions:

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

3:46 a.m. EST: Next to see will be Swiss individual pair Patrick Rüegg and Fifty Fifty ((Fidertanz 2 x Meerfuerstin, by Friedensfuerst 1), riding in their first World Championships after repping the Swiss in European Championship competition previously.

3:44 a.m. EST: A 32.5 provisionally puts Ariel and “Simon” into 23rd for now. This shaves a few marks off the pair’s Badminton score of 35.4 (which Ariel went on to climb from, finishing eventually in 15th!). This is a personal best on the 5* test for the combination.

3:43 a.m. EST: K, I don’t think I’m trusting the on-screen score yet this morning, as Ariel’s score hasn’t budged from 30.0 throughout her test.

3:43 a.m. EST: Some lovelyyyyy canter work from Ariel. A bit late on their second change after a nearly flawless first one.

3:40 a.m. EST: I must say, I’m quite disappointed in the live stream graphics for this week. During the live stream for World Championships for Dressage/Show Jumping/Para Dressage/Vaulting in Herning, Denmark last month, each horse and rider were listed on screen with the grooms taking care of each horse. I’ve yet to see grooms listed on this live stream (same carrier), and would love to see this issue fixed for the jumping phases.

3:39 a.m. EST: This pair is capable of squeaking into the 20s, and they’re hovering on the edge right now at around a 30 as they head across the diagonal on their extended trot. Simon’s looking like he’s fighting fit (as expected!) but is managing the adrenaline well so far.

3:37 a.m. EST: Ok, the live score had to have been off as Shenae scores a 26.3 to go into fifth early on. We now move to our next U.S. rider, individual pair Ariel Grald and Leamore Master Plan (Master Imp – Ardragh Bash, by Cavalier Royale) making their championship debut. This pair historically hasn’t gotten quite as low of scores as they’d like to, but you can bet they’re a good pair to have eyes on to jump around clear.

3:35 a.m. EST: Whew, looks like Shenae was sitting on a bit of a powder keg and did an excellent job of riding through it. Bold Venture has a healthy spook as the audience cheers, but Shenae keeps her seat and luckily doesn’t have an early dismount!

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

3:33 a.m. EST: This is another rider who traveled from her base in Australia to be here this week. Bold Venture is Shenae’s primary horse, and one riding an ex-racehorse to boot! They’re trending around the 35.0 mark right now but are well capable of getting lower in the final marks.

3:30 a.m. EST: We are just about to get underway with day two with the next Australian rider, Shenae Lowings and Bold Venture (Devaraja x Royal Zam, by Zamoff), riding as individuals this week.