Since the FEIâs successful #TwoHearts campaign was launched in the countdown to the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the concept of horse and rider as a single athletic entity has captivated and inspired competitors and fans and, in the discipline of Dressage, that singularity of body and mind is particularly evident. So there is great anticipation ahead of the first leg of the FEI World Cup⢠Dressage Western European League 2016/2017, which gets underway at Odense Horse Show in Denmark this weekend.
Few have captured the #TwoHearts symbolism as perfectly as the multiple record-breaking partnership of Great Britainâs Charlotte Dujardin and her wonderful gelding Valegro, who have dominated the sport in recent years. Together, they have demonstrated that freedom of movement, lightness, self-carriage and the most pleasing harmony are all achievable through good training and sympathetic horsemanship, but having raised the bar to a whole new level after securing back-to-back Olympic titles in Rio they will retire at Londonâs Olympia Horse Show in December.
The question now is who is going to step into those dancing horse shoes? Each leg of the FEI World Cup⢠Dressage series sees riders compete in a preliminary Grand Prix before performing a Freestyle to music, and it is this crowd-pleasing competition that decides the qualifying points that lead riders to the Final.
Dutchwoman Anky van Grunsven played a major role in bringing the popularity of Freestyle to where it is today, with her nine FEI World Cup⢠Dressage titles over a 13-year period between 1995 and 2008 seeing her become the sportâs first real super-star. The Dutch record in this series is highly impressive, and when Hans Peter Minderhoud steered Glockâs Flirt to victory in Gothenburg (SWE) at the 2016 Final he moved the Dutch tally onto an impressive 13 titles.
FEI World Cup⢠Dressage 2016/2017, Western European League
Odense (DEN), 20 – 23 October
Lyon (FRA), 26 – 30 October
Stuttgart (GER), 16 – 20 November
Salzburg Arena Messezentrum (AUT), 8 – 11 December
London Olympia (GBR), 13 – 14 December
Amsterdam (NED), 26 – 29 January
Neumünster (GER), 16 – 19 February
G̦teborg (SWE), 22 Р26 February
‘s Hertogenbosch (NED), 9 – 12 March
Final Omaha (USA), 27 March – 2 April
Donât miss a hoofbeat! Watch it all LIVE on www.feitv.org. More info: www.fei.org.
Source: FEI (by Louise Parkes)
