Monday, June 10, 2002

Top Six USA Riders Named To WEG Short List Guenter Seidel And Nikolaus 7 Win Grand Prix Freestyle

Heeding the judges’ comments from yesterday’s Grand Prix, Seidel said he was more aggressive in the warm-up and certain parts of his ride. The kur lived up to his expectations for the most part, he said. “Obviously the end was a little ‘iffy’ with the piaffe pirouette — I kind of stayed in there for like a half an hour,” he joked. “But overall I was very pleased with the result.” He said his seventh place ride on Foltaire was also better. Owners Dick and Jane Brown were seen dancing along with the freestyle, and Seidel was aware of it. “Pretty soon no one will be watching me they’ll all be watching Dick and Jane!” he laughed.

Seidel’s freestyle with Nikolaus 7 is the one he rode in the U.S. Freestyle Championship and the World Cup Dressage U.S. League Final in California earlier this year. “The trot work was very nice throughout the whole test. Some of the passages were very good. His piaffe was a little better than yesterday,” said Seidel of his Spanish-flavored musical ride, which featured castanets that accentuated lengthy segments of passage and piaffe. “We had good canter extensions, but the highlights were in the trot work.” Fans watching from the VIP tent gave Seidel a standing ovation as he exited the arena. Seidel and Nikolaus 7 also finished as Reserve Champion in the USET Grand Prix Championship.