“I used to rule the world” isn’t quite accurate. The Dutch dressage team still does rule the world, and will until the 2012 Olympics in London! But it’s a great song for the spirit of this show and the Dutch sense of fun. The police ride is amazing, especially when the rider takes off his jacket while jumping!
The eyes of the dressage world will be focused on Amsterdam in The Netherlands this weekend as the top Dutch and German (as well as Belgian, Swedish, British, Polish and probably other nations) riders finally go head to head in what is sure to be a dramatic Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage? qualifier and best-in-the-world show jumping–all in one arena at Jumping Amsterdam.
FEI TV is giving dressage and jumping fans around the world a front row seat and I’ll do my best to fill you in on anything that comes across my radar screen. They will be showing just the dressage, not the jumping. Because Amsterdam has one big ring, the dressage takes place during the day (early morning by US time standards) and the jumping re-fills the seats in the evenings.
Here are a couple of videos, just to get you in the mood. Cyberned has really caught the mood in the first one; Jumping Amsterdam will be yet another celebration of all the Dutch medals won at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.
This is an old highlights video, but it shows some of the fun parts of the horse show. Is that the best tug ‘o war you’ve ever seen? What fun! In the USA, they’d never let kids have that much fun! Someone might sue!
Here’s the tv promo from FEI TV. You’ll be able to see Adelinde Cornelissen ride Jerich Parzival in the musical freestyle against Germany’s Isabel Werth and many other World Cup candidates who are chasing Ulla Salzgeber’s lead. The Grand Prix is today (Friday).
Friday Afternoon Update: Dressage Direct is reporting that Adelinde and Parzival did indeed win the Grand Prix today. Sweden’s Patrik Kittel was second, and Germany’s Isabell Werth was third.
It looks like you will have to get up early on Saturday to see the dressage live; I think it starts either 6:25 a.m. or 7:25 a.m. east coast time in the USA (12:25 p.m. CET). That would be quite early on the west coast. A snowstorm is expected here, and for once, that’s ok. Let it snow. I want to watch dressage!
Of special interest (and sentiment) will be a beautiful pendant. Someone had the forethought to pluck hairs from the tails of all four of the great Dutch dressage team horses at WEG: Hunter Douglas Sunrise, Exquis Nadine, Jerich Parzival and Moorlands Totilas. The hairs were woven together in a beautiful pendant…which will find an owner this weekend, as a fundraiser at the show.
The last little video is about making the tail hair pendant from the WEG Gold Medal team horses. How much money do you think it will raise?
by Fran Jurga | ? 2011 The Jurga Report at Equisearch.comBe friends withFran Jurga on Facebook.com
