Steffen Peters and Suppenkasper Dance to Victory in the AGDF FEI Grand Prix Freestyle CDI5*

The USA’s Steffen Peters and Suppenkasper welcomed a victory in the FEI Grand Prix Freestyle CDI5*, presented by CaptiveOne Advisors, in the first “Friday Night Stars” competition of the season. Week seven of the 2021 Adequan® Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) concludes on Sunday, February 28, at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) in Wellington, FL. The circuit hosts 10 weeks of international and national dressage competition until April 4. Free live streaming and on-demand of select classes are available to view at globaldressagefestival.com.

Photo - Steffen Peters and Suppenkasper (©SusanStickle)

Peters and Suppenkasper, Akiko Yamazaki and Four Winds Farm’s 2008 KWPN gelding by Spielberg, danced under the lights at Equestrian Village to a score of 80.995%.

“There were lots of things that were great,” began Peters. “The piaffe felt really good, great half-passes, the pirouette felt good. To me, one of the highlights of ‘Mopsie’ now, that used to be so difficult, is the collected walk. I used to have to hide that a little bit in the corner, but now I’m doing it on the diagonal because I can really show the relaxation. That might look like a boring movement, but to me it’s huge. Of course, I risked a little bit much in that one extension, so he broke; one little fumble. The rest felt great.”

Click here to watch the winning ride, brought to you by Premier Equestrian. ©Richard’s Equine Video

Despite having no general attendance, the night still had its usual buzz of excitement, and Suppenkasper handled the atmosphere like a pro. Peters rode to a slightly different floor plan than normal, and despite some miscommunication, still pulled off the +80%.

“The floor plan was different this time,” he said. “I do the extended walk 20 meters and then another 20 meters collected walk across the diagonal. So, the half-passes are going the opposite way. I think that was slightly confusing to the judges. There was a little miscommunication before, but it was my fault. I should have been clearer about it.

“One thing you don’t want to do, you don’t want to confuse the judges. And I did,” he said with a smile.

The pair have finished competing at AGDF, and they will resume their training with the hope of making it onto the final USA Dressage shortlist. Peters concluded, “We decided to bubble wrap him from here and preserve him and head back to California next week.”

Second place in the FEI Grand Prix Freestyle CDI5*, presented by CaptiveOne Advisors went to Yvonne Losos De Muniz (DOM) on Aquamarijn, her own 2005 KWPN

mare by United, with 77.070%. Of her mount and their night’s performance, Losos De Muniz said, “Tonight [Aquamarjin] felt amazing. I always go full out; 100 percent for everything. If I get it, that’s great; if I don’t, it’s a disaster. I like riding like that, and I did it again tonight. I went full out on certain things that I paid for at the end, but that’s the part I like about it, seeing how much I can push it. I’m not very good at being conservative. Some of the things I pushed, I’ve never felt before, like the pirouettes. The passage [and] piaffe is also getting a lot better. I can push a little more. I tend to always have to push it to the edge, so I do it. If I don’t get it, I don’t.”

Guenter Seidel (USA) on Equirelle, Leatherdale Farms and Louise Leatherdale’s 2009 KWPN mare by Florett AS, closed out the top three with a 75.560%. The evening was the mare’s first time competing at night under the lights, and Seidel was impressed with how she stepped up to the plate.

“For the state we’re in in our partnership,” he explained, “I was pleased with her. Compared to [Yvonne] riding at 100 percent, I only ride at 50 percent. Hopefully that will change in the future, but I’m very pleased with her and I’m super happy with how she handled it all and how she presented herself. Nothing was perfect, but she stayed with me the whole time. It was overall a harmonious ride, and I think that’s what everyone is looking for.”

Judge at C Michael Osinski applauded the evening’s rides, noting the quality of the performances and of the entire event. “Certainly, we have to say that in light of the current environment, it’s exceptional to be here,” admitted Osinski. “It’s wonderful to see such high-quality riding. We just owe kudos to the organization, to all of the people that participate in this, and to the riders for being here. It’s very special.”

AGDF Director of Sport Thomas Baur concluded, “It’s really important to have a five star here in the U.S, as it’s the only one in the Western Hemisphere. I think the turnout for the five star and the quality is more or less 90 percent of the top riders here in the country. I’m happy about that, and we’ll continue to offer the five star in the future.”

Competition at AGDF 7 will continue tomorrow with a full schedule of classes, including the FEI Intermediaire A CDI3* and the FEI Intermediaire I CDI1*, before the FEI Grand Prix Special CDI5*, presented by Palm Beach Equine Clinic beginning at 1 p.m. For more information and to see a full list of results, visit www.globaldressagefestival.com.

Final Results FEI Grand Prix Freestyle CDI5*, presented by CaptiveOne Advisors:

Place, rider, nationality, horse, horse information: judge E%, judge H%, judge C%, judge M%, judge B%; final score

E, Agnieszka Majewska (POL); H, Peter Storr (GBR); C, Michael Osinski (USA); M, Christoph Umbach (LUX); B, Cesar Torrente (COL)

1. Steffen Peters (USA) on Suppenkasper, Akiko Yamazaki and Four Winds Farm’s 2008 KWPN gelding by Spielberg: 81.775, 81.350, 80.375, 79.575, 81.900; 80.995%

2. Yvonne Losos De Muniz (DOM) on Aquamarijn, her own 2005 KWPN mare by United: 76.275, 79.450, 76.075, 77.150, 76.400; 77.070%

3. Guenter Seidel (USA) on Equirelle, Leatherdale Farms and Louise Leatherdale’s 2009 KWPN mare by Florett AS: 75.450, 74.325, 76.600, 77.600, 73.825; 75.560%

4. Jan Ebeling (USA) on Indeed, Vantage Equest Group II, LLC’s 2008 Danish Warmblood mare by Hofrat: 72.700, 74.550, 73.750, 75.000, 73.675; 73.935%

5. Katherine Bateson Chandler (USA) on Alcazar, Jane Forbes Clark’s 2005 KWPN gelding by Contango: 75.975, 72.775, 72.550, 71.175, 69.925; 72.480%

6. Sahar Daniel Hirosh (ISR) on Whitman, Jane Suwalsky’s 2003 KWPN gelding by Rhodium: 69.875, 67.800, 70.175, 71.575, 68.425; 69.570%