Rose Oatley and Alive and Kicking Win the CDI3* Grand Prix Special in Herning

Rose Oatley and Alive and Kicking were the fifth of 15 pairs to enter the arena for the Grand Prix Special of the CDI3* Tour. But unlike in the Grand Prix, nothing could throw them off today. Focused from the first halt to the last, they stuck to their plan and won the class with the only score above 70 percent—71.383, to be exact. All five judges placed them at the top of the field.

The two German and European champions from the U25 group impressed today not only with a confident piaffe-passage sequence, lightness, and beautifully executed transitions and changes in tempo, but also with a flawless canter sequence. The score would have been even higher had the Westphalian All At Once daughter not clamped her mouth shut at times, which initially disrupted the harmony. But they grew more confident from one movement to the next, and the final line was a real highlight.

For Rose Oatley, just 19 years old, this was not only her first international competition, but also her very first Grand Prix Special.

The rest of the top finishers

. Second place went to the Grand Prix winners, Denmark’s Ida Kristine Bjørn and her nine-year-old Danish Warmblood Sparaday by Toeveslettens Spartacus, who scored 69.128 percent. The field was tightly packed behind them. Third place also remained in the country thanks to Camilla Lunderskov riding Uno Day Sun, a 13-year-old Danish mare by Uno Don Diego. The pair received 68.596 percent.

Dorothee Schneider and her 11-year-old Governor daughter Karlijn V. were still in the running for second place until the first piaffe. But the transition to the piaffe from collected walk didn’t work until after several prompts. During the canter sequence, errors crept in during the double changes, where the mare preferred to continue with single changes halfway through. Those were, however, rock-solid, both on the diagonal and on the center line between the pirouettes. But they were unable to make up for the points lost due to the mistakes. With a score of 68.404 percent, she finished in fourth place.

Helen Langehanenberg and Straight Horse Ascenzione scored 67.064 percent and placed seventh. Cosima von Furcks and Nymphenburg’s Finest Ampere (65.830) placed eleventh.

Intermédiaire I with San to Alati and Bernadette Brune

Rose Oatley wasn’t the only German rider to lead a lap of honor in the arena in Herning today. At noon, it was the big moment for the two designated Nuremberg Burg Cup finalists, Bernadette Brune and San to Alati. The eight-year-old Hanoverian stallion competed in his first Intermédiaire I and won it on his first try. With a score of 69.853 percent, the pair prevailed over Lone Bang Zindorff riding the equally eight-year-old Danish stallion Moegelvangs Kashmir by Quaterhit (69.588) and Charlotte Jorst (USA) riding the Hanoverian Red Wings by Finnigan (69.206).

You can find all the results here.