Samantha Cesnik and 14-year-old mare Graftango, by Birkhof’s Grafenstolz, completed their CCI5*L dressage test in the first half of the draw on Thursday, scoring 38.6 for 14th place provisionally.
In the CCI4*S, fellow Australian Andrew Cooper and 12-year-old gelding Sharvalley Thunder, by Valhalla 3, hold equal-third position on 34.5.
Day two of the dressage gets underway on Friday, with two further Australian combinations in action. Isabel English and Cil Dara Dallas will complete their CCI5*test, while Shane Rose and Easy Turn will complete their CCI4*S test.
Shane Rose and Easy Turn, CCI4*S: 11.22am local time, 7.22pm AEST
Isabel English and Cil Dara Dallas, CCI5*L: 3.07pm local time, 11.07pm AEST
Longines CCI5*-L: British quartet in the lead
At the end of the first day of dressage, Selina Milnes and Cooley Snapchat came out on top of the Longines CCI5*-L starting field (31.5).
The British rider was very pleased with the performance of her eleven-year-old Irish gelding: “He was super, very relaxed and rideable. I don’t really know what else he could have given. All the changes were good. He always does do a nice test and today I felt like I could really go for it. I was obviously disappointed with the mark at C but as long as that stays consistently low it doesn’t matter. He’s still inexperienced at this level. He’s very easy and he has taken on every challenge he’s had so far. But the course is really intense. There are a lot of combinations and you really have to be on your game all the way round. It’s also quite twisty but he’s not strong and he likes to stay in a rhythm so I think it’ll suit him.”
Aaron Millar, currently in the runner up position of the Longines CCI5*-L, was also full of praise for his horse KEC Deakon (31.6): “I was massively pleased with him. He was really good, even though I slightly overworked him before going in. He had a year off last year so I felt it was better to have him a little underpowered going in. He doesn’t need much work beforehand, but I was very pleased with him. He’s a performer. He goes in and he wants to do a good job. Hopefully the cross-country will suit him, I’m really looking forward to it. There are a lot of acute angles that are going to keep us working and thinking. A lot of the combinations need accuracy, for example the angles in the arena.”
Ros Canter with MHS Seventeen (33.5) and Laura Collett with Hester (33.9) are currently lying in third and fourth place.
Arne Bergendahl (GER), currently 11th on the leaderboard was also pleased with his horse’s dressage test: “After making our five-star debut in Luhmühlen two years ago, it feels great to be back. It’s just fun to compete in this stadium and she seems to enjoy the atmosphere. Of course there’s always room for improvement, but I’m quite happy. In my opinion, the Cross-country course will be quite influential. There are a lot of angled fences, a lot of corners, so we need to focus and make sure to ride the ideal lines – then it should be fun.”
Chris Bartle agrees with the athlete’s assessment: “My first impression of the five-star is that it’s a beautiful course. The fences are beautifully made, inviting yet impressive. The track looks in very good condition. In terms of technical demands, it’s not the toughest five-star course but a very good introduction for horses and riders stepping up this level. I believe the time will be quite difficult to achieve because Mike Etherington-Smith has included quite a few phases where riders have to reduce speed in order to get the turn.”
CCI4*-S Meßmer Trophy: Nina Schultes (GER) in the lead (30.6)
The 31-year-old rider from Frankfurt was very pleased with the performance of her 18-year-old sport partner Grand Prix iWEST. “I’m very pleased with our dressage test. There were a few small mistakes that could have gone even better, but basically I’m really happy. It was a correct test, he was very focused despite the large stadium. Even the flying change to the right worked out today. It’s a good start to the competition.”
The rider is looking forward to the cross-country day: “The course is technically demanding. The first real task awaits in the stadium. The Meßmer water is not to be underestimated and the Irish Bank also requires a lot of concentration. Especially as it is a task that is quite unique. As my horse is very experienced, I’m really looking forward to the cross-country.”
Emma Brüssau and Dark Desire GS are currently lying in a promising second place (34.1) in the CCI4*-S Meßmer Trophy. Two years ago, the successful duo celebrated their five-star debut in Luhmühlen. “I was very happy with my horse today. I can now really rely on her not to let me down in the arena. It was a confident, experienced round. Of course there is still room for improvement, you could always ride more correctly and precisely – but the flying changes were good and I was very happy with her, so it’s a bit of a shame that this isn’t reflected in the marks. But there are still two more disciplines to come.”
Hans Melzer, the former German chef d’Equipe shares the rider’s assessment that the cross-country course is quite demanding. “The course is full of technical challenges and must be ridden with concentration. It’s a fantastic course and absolutely worthy of a German Championship.”
Source: Longines Luhmühlen Horse Trials press release
