2004 CDIO Aachen

Heavy Weights' Title Match Has Started in Aachen. Rusty Wins Round One

July 15, 2004

For the first time the two leading heavy weight Grand Prix dressage horses in the world, Germany's Rusty and Holland's Salinero, have come face to face in the show ring. It was a title match everybody has been looking forward to, a battle of classical dressage versus "modern" (?!) dressage.

Rusty versus Salinero has taken place before, for instance at the 2002 CDI in Dusseldorf, but they were no equals back then. Now, on the hand, Salinero has matured into a complete Grand Prix horse and, for the first time, these two dressage giants are dueling each other in the show ring, in the same league.

In round one, the CDIO Grand Prix class at the most prestigious dressage show of the year in Aachen, Ulla Salzgeber and Rusty were dominating. With a score of 75.833%, Salzgeber led the leader board, but the difference with her biggest rival Anky van Grunsven and Gestion Salinero was very close. The Dutch pair placed second with 75.417%.

Both top riders did not ride at full potential. While Salzgeber had a safe, conservative round, Van Grunsven had to deal with tension problems at the beginning and end of her test. "I'm happy with my test, but there are still some small things that could be better," Van Grunsven said. "I'm in second position now, but not for a moment did I think about my individual score. I think the hot weather in Athens will be much better for more horse than the cool breeze that is blowing here." Ulla Salzgeber confessed that she's preparing her Rusty for the hot Athens' weather by regularly putting him in the solarium.

Placing third in the Grand Prix was, surprisingly, the German combination Martin Schaudt on Weltall VA. The Hanoverian piaffe-passage star Weltall scored 74.375% and has tightened his grip on a spot in the German Olympic team.