Germany’s Ingrid Klimke had to use all her horsemanship skill in her grand prix test at the European Dressage Championships at Crozet, after an early spook unsettled her ride, Vayron NRW.
Ingrid rode a remarkably tactful test on this massive Westfalian stallion, a new ride this season, but ultimately couldn’t produce what they are undoubtedly capable of, scoring a below-par 69.35%.
Vayron, who won Olympic team silver in Paris with Daniel Bachmann Andersen, took issue with a tyre mark in the sand near the C marker, which put him on edge from the very first halt. Clearly rattled, he then tripped in the first extended trot – usually his party piece – and thereafter Ingrid rode him conservatively in the extensions.
“A lion at C!”: Ingrid Klimke at the European Dressage Championships
“I can honestly say it’s the worst grand prix we’ve done,” Ingrid said. “Vayron was so good in training and going through the test, and he felt so well — I just didn’t expect there would be a lion at C!
“It was a tiny mark from a tractor, which he suddenly saw when he came round the corner and said, ‘There’s a lion!’ So through the whole test, he was spooky and holding his breath, not showing what he is capable of. He can do it all, but if you are training like a world champion, no one can see it. You have to bring it into the ring.”
The horse has so much power and a ground-covering stride but despite Ingrid’s sympathetic touch, tension crept into any of the movements near C, which pegged their score below 70%. But there were still flashes of brilliance.
“I also had some good points, he did wonderful half passes and zigzag, he was really swinging,” Ingrid said. “He’s so tall that I was happy I had enough room for my changes. And while the piaffe used to be difficult for him, now he understands the rhythm, so there were many things that I thought ‘wow’, but then the pirouettes were awful!
“I hoped I’d got him back after the spook, but I could feel in the pirouettes, I was saying, ‘just listen to me, please?’ He’s 700kg, so pirouettes are naturally difficult for him to put the weight on the hind leg, so I encourage him to take smaller steps.”
Regardless of their result from the grand prix at the European Dressage Championships, there is undoubtedly much more to come as the partnership of Ingrid Klimke and Vayron grows.
“Daniel has done an amazing job with him, now I need to work on it,” said Ingrid, who typically rides him without stirrups at home to give him more support and security. “I’ve only had him since October, and he has to get used to me and my bodyweight, and build self-confidence. He’s a big horse with a small heart, so I am always trying to encourage him that he is the lion!”
“I’m disappointed, but I’m looking forward to the future.”
Insofar as it affects the team placings, Ingrid’s was the likely discard score, so Germany remains among the favourites in the battle for gold.
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