The South African team, winners of the 2013 Inter-Africa Cup Dressage Competition.
The 2013 Inter Africa Dressage Cup took place today at an overcast but humid Kyalami Equestrian Park. KEP was a hive of activity with every inch of available space taken up with horse boxes, trucks and spectator vehicles. All of the dressage horses coped very well with the showjumping taking place in the Peter Minnie arena right next door to the first test arena.
The competition comprised of two tests, with an average being taken of the two to give a final score. The standard at this year’s Inter Africa Cup was the highest that we have seen in the last few years, a wonderful record of Africa’s steady growth in the quality of our dressage.
Team South Africa took top honours by winning the competition.
The team comprised of: Chatan Hendriks on Air Holiday’s Picadilly
Siobhan Records on Rathmor Caprice
Nicola Mohr on Callaho Fabrizio
Andrea Harrison Buchmann on Principal’s Real Rob Roy
Second place went to the South African Young Riders Team:
Samantha Pawley on Pohlands Whistle down the Wind
Danielle Nortjè on Alzu Safari Boy
Alexia Hattingh on Midgard Trick or Treat
Danelli Prinsloo on El Encanto Gitana
Third place went to the Namibian Team:
Yana Katharina Hufnagl on Natural Mistic
Ingrid Kotze on Claratal Sherpa
Sumari Piepmeyer on Neapolitano Nanczi
Corinna Spath on Favory Celia
Fourth place went to the Botswana Team:
Bridget Tipping on Horsemasters Maestro
Debra Freeman on Monte Christo
Siobhan O’Neill on Hercules
Bridget O’Neill on Brandenburg Statesman
Danelli Prinsloo and El Encanto Gitana – an exciting partnership to watch!
Fifth place went to the Swaziland Team:
Nikki Pelser on Maestrale
Kate Reilly on Swazi Lizkhar’s Lagos
Nikita Jacobz on Seeis Soma
Sarah Nann on Kinvara’s Persian Prince
We were very excited to see some fabulous new combinations on show in Gauteng. The partnership of Danelli Prinsloo on El Encanto Gitana from the South African Young Riders Team was beautiful to watch despite a period of tension in the test due to a mistake. Gitana is a little, light, elegant horse with wonderful reach and elasticity in walk and trot, beautifully uphill and responsive to the rider’s aids. Unfortunately today the canter work was marred by tension; because of this a few costly mistakes occurred. They are a very exciting combination to watch for the future, we will be keeping a very interested eye on them, and wish them the best of luck for the future.
Nichola Mohr and Callaho Fabriccio from South Africa
Nichola Mohr on Callaho Fabriccio, also from the South African Team, made a very impressive entrance with a beautiful cadenced, uphill, elastic trot. The trot work is definitely this horse’s highlight at the moment, the show atmosphere created some tension in the walk and canter on the day, with the walk losing over-track and the canter needing more jump. This horse shows wonderful ability and with greater strength and improved balance his canter will dance as much as his trot does. This partnership is a fantastic advertisement for Callaho Stud, especially with their Annual Elite Auction coming up.
Kate Reilly and Swazi-Lizkhar Lagos from Swaziland
Swazi-Lizkhar’s Lagos ridden by Kate Reilly had an unfortunate flying change in the one canter loop and a lesser degree of the “polish” that we see from the professional dressage riders, which dropped this horse’s overall marks. He did however impress us with a natural ability to collect matched with a lovely work ethic. For moments in the test he was so balanced and on his riders aids that he almost offered passage when asked to engage in preparation for the next movement, lovely to see his desire to please his rider and a wonderful breeding stallion for Swazi-Lizkhar Stud.
Andrea Harrison and Principal’s Real Rob Roy from South Africa
Principal’s Real Rob Roy is always impressive due to his sheer size as he enters the competition arena. He is looking more uphill and elastic in his paces, his development as he learns to balance the size and power of his body is going to be an exciting journey to watch. Andrea Harrison Buchmann has a particular attachment to him as she produced his sire Real Dream, and sees a lot of him in his son. Principal Stud is very excited about their progress, a wonderful advertisement of the stud’s dressage breeding prowess.
DressageAfrica would like to congratulate each and every competitor, who rode today. Representing your country in this competition is prestigious and not without its pressure. There were so many promising moments for many of the horses and riders; we wish that we could do justice to each and every one.
The parade of the teams was suitably dignified with beautifully behaved and presented horses and riders.
DressageAfrica loved the whimsy of each South African team horse wearing a set of over reach boots of a colour from the South African flag, talk about “putting your best foot forward”, who says Dressage can’t have some fun?
We would also like to congratulate the riders who travel so far to compete at this show, without all the teams, this competition would cease to exist.
Article by DressageAfrica Team
Text © DressageAfrica – No reproduction allowed
Photo © DressageAfrica