First World Cup
Win for
Bachmann Andersen

22 October 2018

Daniel Bachmann Andersen of Denmark won the Grand Prix Freestyle in the first leg of the FEI Dressage World Cup™ season for the Western European League at Herning this weekend...

It was a first for the young Dane on double fronts: a personal best score of 83.575 percent and a first World Cup victory.

 

The home crowd in Denmark were already clapping to the music as Bachmann Anderson rode Blue Hors Zack down the center line to his final halt, and they stood applauding after he finished and realized with elation he had won the event.

 

Second place at Herning went to Helen Langehanenberg of Germany, who won the Grand Prix on Saturday.

 

The bronze podium position went to Tinne Vilhelmson Silfven of Sweden, who also pleased the crowd with a difficult programme set to music by The Beach Boys.

Thirteen riders from seven nations competed in Sunday’s Freestyle event at Herning...

The Danish event was the first of 10 to see which nine riders from the Western European League will advance to the FEI Dressage World Cup™ Finals in Gothenburg next April.

 

The World Cup has been a prestigious circuit since its establishment in 1985, and each autumn the competition ratchets up another level, as riders from four leagues vie for coveted places at the Finals.

 

Judges this weekend were looking for harmony between horse and rider, as well as suppleness and expression in the horses, and they weren’t disappointed.

 

At the interim break Anna Kasprzak of Denmark was in the lead at a score of 75.140, followed by Richard Davison of Great Britain on 74.315 and Rose Mathisen of Sweden on 73.800.

 

With six riders left to go in the second half of the event, the swelling crowd eagerly awaited what they knew would be a fantastic show of equitation and a super tight competition.

Bachmann Andersen, who knew he couldn’t afford a mistake, pulled out all the stops for the home audience...

Whilst he had a few tiny bobbles in his programme, his tempi perfectly timed to the music and his expressive riding throughout moved him into first, with scores as high as 90.2 for artistry.

 

In the end, after Bachmann Andersen, Langehanenberg, and Vilhelmson Silfven in the 1-2-3 slots, Kristy Oatley finished in fourth place, followed by Benjamin Werndl in fifth and Anna Kasprzak in sixth.

 

There’s lots more thrilling Dressage competition to come as the FEI Dressage World Cup™ season gets underway around the globe. Tune in to FEI TV to catch all the action and see who makes it to Gothenburg in April.

 

Text by Patricia Salem

Images by Ridehesten.com/Kristine Ulsø Olsen