Emma Hindle and Wie Weltmeyer produced a fantastic test in Berlin to take the Hotel Intercontinental Berlin Grand Prix class from a top class field on Saturday (15 November), before going on to be placed third in Sunday’s kur, behind Hubertus Schmidt and Heike Kemmer.
Hubertus Schmidt and Wansuela Suerte scored a convincing victory with a fluent and harmonious freestyle on Sunday to gain a score of just under 80%, beating compatriot Heike Kemmer and her seasoned Grand Prix mount Albano into second place.
Hubertus was delighted with the 10-year-old mare’s performance and said: “Wansuela Suerte looked around a little at the beginning of our test, but in this, her second season at Grand Prix level, she gives me a really good feeling and just gets better and better.”
Heike Kemmer felt Albano benefited from the big atmosphere, which helped lift his performance. “With a lot of spectators watching, even at the warm up arena, he shows himself off better,” she explained.
Third-placed Emma Hindle now jointly heads the European league standings with Heike on 37pts, which includes points previously won at Central European league shows.
After the freestyle, 28-year-old Emma, blamed herself for the small mistakes in the test, lavishing all her praise on her horse.
“Wie Weltmeyer was so difficult when I first got him in ’99, but now he gives me a superb feeling and really wants to work, ” she said. Emma is determined to claim a place in the World Cup final and intends to contend the Stockholm qualifier on 30 November next.
Ground jury chairman Volker Moritz had high praise for the standard – all 15 riders scored in excess of 69% – and for the improved conditions at CHI Berlin. He added: “We saw excellent sport and it was very good to see some new faces and new young horses on the World Cup scene.”
Grand prix kur to music results
1, Wansuela Suerte (Hubertus Schmidt) GER 79.0;
2, Albano (Heike Kemmer) GER 78.03;
3, Wie Weltmeyer (Emma Hindle) GBR 76.82;
4, Apache (Isabell Werth) GER 75.14;
5, Wahajama-Unicef (Ann Katrin Linsenhoff) GER 75.14.
Western European league standings following the end of the central European league and CDI-W Berlin
1=, Emma Hindle (GBR) and Heike Kemmer (GER) 37;
3, Patricia Callaghan (NED) 21;
4=, Hubertus Schmidt (GER) amd Nicole Ahlefeldt Laurvig-Lehn (DEN) 20;
6, Johann Zagers (BEL) 17;
7=, Isabella Willibald (AUT), Jeanette Haazen (NED), Sylvia Ilke (SUI), Victoria Max-Theurer (AUT) 15;
11=, Isabell Werth (GER), Michael Sogaard (DEN), Peter Gmoser (AUT) 13;
14=, Ann Katrin Linsenhoff (GER) and Carl Hester (GBR) 12.
