Aachen: That Was Bad Luck!
After 75.20 percent and tenth place in the Grand Prix, Blind Date fell back after the EC Special of Aachen/GER to the 21st place with 69.41 percent.
Foto: Holcbecher
Everything was really super right up until the first piaffe and after a really expressive trot tour and very energetic extensions we were headed towards the 76 percent mark. But then we had to head directly into the line of the photographers and Blind Date was probably somewhat blinded for a moment by the atmosphere of the jumper stadium in Aachen and the 40,000 spectators and she ignored by aids for the piaffe. I just couldn't get her attention at the moment and so we "missed" the piaffe at G which the judges assessed as not performed, of course, and therefore zero points. Fortunately she caught herself quickly afterward and we were able to finish the test with the usual routine and without any mistakes and even showed a number of highlights in the canter tour. But in a field of such strong competitors like those we were up against at the EC, this is a catastrophe and with a final score of just 69.41 percent, 21st place is all you can expect.
Even if we missed out on the Freestyle Final with the best 15 (although just by 1.7 percentage point), I am not overly disappointed. Beate showed me that she is a championship horse, even if a little routine between us was missing in the end in such an environment. But we can work on that. You could see that many of the horses in this arena had difficulties. So I think that Beate made an absolutely convincing impression at her very first championships. To be able to ride among the top 10 in Europe was more than we expected - which means it was an enormous success after all. And we were especially pleased about the positive feedback we received from all over about Beate's form and development.
I would like to thank my team who gave me the greatest support while preparing and on site!! And, of course, I'd like to thank all our fans who carried us in and out of the dressage ring with their applause. We will be back - we promise!