June 26th, 2013–Competition was in full swing at CHIO Aachen Wednesday with dressage, driving and jumping competitions all taking place. The U.S. had representation in all three disciplines and did not disappoint as American combinations notched solid results.
Driving
Leading the U.S. effort on Wednesday was veteran driver Chester Weber, who dominated the start of CAIO-4 competition. For the second consecutive year, Weber (Ocala, Fla.) claimed victory in the Preis der Fa. Horsch in a world-class field. Driving his own Para and Senate along with Jane Clark’s Splash and Uniek, the nine-time USEF Four-in-Hand National Champion drove a lovely test to score 31.2 to earn victory by more than a three-point margin over reigning World Champion Boyd Exell.
Weber now leads the individual competition in Aachen as he looks to secure his second European victory in a month after topping the Four-in-Hand field at the Saumur CAI-A4.
Also representing the U.S. in the Preis der Fa. Horsch was Jimmy Fairclough (Newtown, N.J.), who drove a leased team from Koos de Ronde to a score of 63.24 for 25th place.
The Aachen CAIO-4 continues Thursday with the Prize of Martello Immobilienmanagement GmbH & Co. KG, where drivers will perform a second dressage test as the first phase of team competition.
Learn more about the Aachen CAIO-4 here.
Jumping
In CSIO5* competition the U.S. was represented on Wednesday by Laura Kraut and Beezie Madden. In the final jumping competition of the day the Prize of St?dteRegion Aachen, Kraut (Royal Palm Beach, Fla.) scorched to a third place finish with Le Bon’s Jubilee D’Ouilly. Earlier in the day, the Olympic Games veteran piloted Joan Kalman and the Freedom Group’s Woodstock O to a fifth place finish in the Prize of Handwerk. Kraut also contested the Warsteiner Prize with longtime partner Cherry Knoll Farm’s Cedric, producing an eight-fault round.
Madden (Cazenovia, N.Y.) completed her first class of the 2013 Aachen CSIO5*, the Warsteiner Prize, riding Abigail Wexner’s Cortes ‘C’ to a four-fault effort. She rounded out Wednesday in the Prize of St?dteRegion Aachen producing a four-fault trip with Wexner’s Vanilla.
Learn more about Aachen CSIO5* here.
Dressage
Three U.S. dressage riders began the CDI4* competition in Aachen today. Caroline Roffman and Her Highness O and Shelly Francis and Danilo contested the Prix St. Georges Test as part of the Small Tour competition, while Susan Dutta rode Currency DC in the Grand Prix Test for the Big Tour.
Roffman (Wellington, Fla.) was the first rider to enter the ring in the Deutsche Bank Stadium with her own Her Highness O. She and the 10-year-old Hanoverian mare executed a lovely, flowing test, scoring a 71.026% and earning a seventh place finish in the Preis der VUV class. Francis (Loxahatchee, Fla.) and Patricia Stempel’s nine-year-old Hanoverian gelding, Danilo, put forth a respectable effort to score 67.500% for 11th place. In the HAVENS Pferdefutter-Preis class, Dutta (Wellington, Fla.) and Tim Dutta Inc.’s 13-year-old Oldenburg gelding scored a 64.766% in the Grand Prix Test to finish in 19th place.
CDIO5* competition gets underway Thursday with the Lambertz FEI Nations Cup; learn more about the U.S. Team here.
Learn more about the Aachen CDIO5* and CDI4* here.
Follow the 2013 U.S. Teams here.
