Daniel Bachmann Andersen and Flash Gordon bring Grand Prix Freestyle to Denmark

Daniel Bachmann Andersen has been presenting the now twelve-year-old Oldenburg Flash Gordon at the show since the beginning of 2025. The Fiderbach son was trained by Mathis Goerens up to Grand Prix level and successfully presented at national level. He made his CDI debut with Daniel Bachmann Andersen in Aarhus in December and it quickly became clear that this was a pair with potential.

They demonstrated this again today in Hagen’s freestyle. The chestnut can do everything – piaffing and passing like a metronome, jumping pirouettes in the smallest of circles, but also lope and canter with impressive impulsion. Okay, the walk is not the most productive. But apart from that, Flash Gordon has everything a Grand Prix horse needs. What was missing, however, was an open neck. The gelding remained stable in the contact, but too close behind the vertical. If Bachmann Andersen manages to do this, he should be able to achieve significantly more in the future than the 79.615 percent he scored today. That was enough to win this time.

Excited Denoix

Katharina Hemmer and Denoix have amply demonstrated that they can do Grand Prix and Special, not least in tonight’s qualifier. However, today was only the fourth freestyle of their career together, and the last one was a good six months ago in Crozet at the European Championships. The atmosphere in the dressage arena in Hagen was electric today and Denoix was infected. (He wasn’t the only one. Moritz Treffinger’s usually reliable Cadeau Noir had spotted something at the entrance that scared him so much that he couldn’t concentrate on his job today).

Denoix began his freestyle to a medley by A-Ha with a great trot tour, but always remained a little tight in the neck. The tension became clear in walk. In strong walk, the 14-year-old Destano son was unable to walk in a relaxed manner, in collected walk he was visibly frightened at one point, but stayed with his rider, who repeatedly stroked him reassuringly.

In the canter tour, however, a few mistakes crept in due to the excitement, which were costly. In the end it was 77.710 percent and second place.

Klimke first class, Farrington Ferrari

Ingrid Klimke and her dainty Fürstenball daughter First Class had already had their turn in the first half of the competition and had delighted the audience in Hagen with a performance of real riding that received 76.950 percent. However, the riding champion was unable to accept her congratulations for third place as she was already busy entertaining the spectators in the main stadium during the show.

Semmieke Rothenberger and Farrington were therefore allowed to go into the round of honor as quasi third, although they had finished fourth with 76.5109 percent. The 16-year-old son of Jazz began with an incredibly tactful and stable piaffe-passage tour. There was no need to worry about his activity anyway. However, his suppleness was somewhat lacking.

Audience Award for Harmony to British newcomers

Sadie Smith from Great Britain and her wonderful Dante Weltino daughter Swanmore Dantina are guests in Hagen for the first time and were able to dance their way into the hearts of the spectators with their performance in the Grand Prix. They managed to do the same today with the fine connection the pair had throughout the test and the general expression of contentment the mare makes. However, they had a few costly mistakes and the eleven-year-old mare seemed to run out of energy in the piaffe towards the end. They finished fifth today with 76.380 percent.

Dantina was nevertheless allowed to wear a parade blanket during the lap of honor, as the two of them received the audience award for harmony and fairness.

The couple have a special history. We had already spoken to the 36-year-old Brit about this after the Grand Prix. More of that next week.