Zantana wins CDI3* Grand Prix in Exloo

Marieke van der Putten’s twelve-year-old Oldenburg mare Zantana RS2 won the Grand Prix of the Exloo CDI3* tour with a new personal best score of 75.891 percent. The Zonik daughter presented herself much more relaxed today than we have already seen from her and remained largely fault-free – although she also remained firmly in the topline.

Unlike Zantana, who competed in the team at last year’s European Championships in Crozet, her half-brother Mauro Turfhorst is still completely inexperienced on the big stage. The Zonik son, trained by Dinja van Liere, is nine years young. Today was his international baptism of fire. He began with two missed trot traversals, which is doubly expensive as they count twice. After that, however, the pair were in the flow and mainly received scores of between 7 and 8. The bottom line was 73.022 percent and second place in their first international Grand Prix.

Third place also went to an international debutant from the Netherlands, Thamar Zweistra, also only nine-year-old Mr. Magnum by Expression, who Patricia Wolters (NED) even saw in second place at H, but her colleague at E, Marietta Almasy (FRA), only in ninth place. 71.587 was the final result here.

Schneider and Karlijn eighth

The only pair from Germany were Dorothee Schneider and her KWPN mare Karlijn. The stately eleven-year-old Governor daughter was ridden in a snaffle. They got off to a great start, but then made some costly mistakes. In the first piaffe, Karlijn found no transition into the piaffe after a beautiful passage and faltered until she had found her rhythm. Then, however, she piaffeed rhythmically and actively. However, the marks for both the piaffe and the transition were gone. After a generously marching, strong walk, she started in collected walk. The second piaffe, including the transitions, went much better. There was another major slip-up in the single changes. A possible score of over 70 percent at her first international performance turned into 69.587 percent – but there was still plenty of room for improvement.

You can find all the results here.