Kristina Bröring-Sprehe and Desperados FRH. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.
Aachen, Germany – July 17, 2016 – Kristina Bröring-Sprehe and Desperados FRH demonstrated why they are the top-ranked combination in the world, posting a huge score in the Grand Prix Freestyle of Aachen to capture the win.
Bröring-Sprehe rode Desperados, a 15-year-old Hanoverian stallion (De Niro-Wie Musik, Wolkenstein II) to a personal best mark of 88.825 percent in the Freestyle. They executed their technically demanding choreography with ease and earned six marks of 10: one for their right canter half-pass; one for rhythm, energy and elasticity; and four for music and interpretation. One judge, Germany’s Peter Holler, even awarded her a 90.375 percent.
Usually, a mark in the high 80s would mean a large margin of victory, but with Bröring-Sprehe’s newly named German Olympic teammates Isabell Werth and Dorothee Schneider breathing down her neck, the win wasn’t quite as easy to come by. Werth posted a score of 86.95 percent for second place on Weihegold OLD, just edging out Schneider, who scored a 86.925 percent on Showtime FRH. Spain’s Severo Jesus Jurado Lopez finished fourth with a score of 83.35 percent on Lorenzo.
Steffen Peters, who led the U.S. team to the silver medal in the Aachen Nations Cup that also allowed them to capture the Nations Cup series title, capped his week at Aachen with a fifth place finish in the Freestyle on a score of 79.3 percent. Trouble with the one-tempis held them back from breaking the 80 percent mark, but their strong piaffe and piaffe/passage transitions were a highlight as always, and they also earned high marks for their choreography and music.
Also finishing well for the U.S. was Shelly Francis on Doktor, who scored a 75.425 percent to take 10th place. Their neatly executed tempi changes and rhythmic passage work were among the highlights of their performance. The United States’ Tuny Page and Woodstock also qualified for the Freestyle, but opted not to compete.
Steffen Peters and Legolas 92. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.
Results: Aachen CDIO5*
Grand Prix Freestyle
Rider/Country/Horse/Total Score
1. Kristina Bröring-Sprehe/GER/Desperados FRH/88.825
2. Isabell Werth/GER/Weihegold OLD/86.950
3. Dorothee Schneider/GER/Showtime FRH/86.925
4. Severo Jesus Jurado Lopez/ESP/Lorenzo/83.350
5. Steffen Peters/USA/Legolas 92/79.300
6. Marcela Krinke Susmelj/SUI/Smeyers Molberg/77.050
7. Michael Eilberg/GBR/Marakov/77.000
8. Judy Reynolds/IRL/Vancouver K/76.950
9. Tinne Vilhelmson Silfvén/SWE/Paridon Magi/76.300
10. Shelly Francis/USA/Doktor/75.425
11. Jorinde Verwimp/BEL/Tiamo/75.325
12. Agnete Kirk Thinggaard/DEN/Jojo AZ/73.850