DressageDaily: Seidel's Surprise Ride in Klassika Hardenberg Grand Prix

Friday July 26, 2002

Seidel's Surprise Ride in Klassika Hardenberg Grand Prix

American Guenter Seidel performed a quality ride in the Klassika Hardenberg Grand Prix and to by surprise an international field of competitors with a victorious score of 71.06%. Seidel rode his number one mount Nikolaus, a bay Westfalian gelding by Weinberg x Exponent. Owned by Dick and Jane Brown, Nikolaus was purchased from German Nadine Capellmann in March 2001.

Seidel and Nikolaus produced a winning Grand Prix duel at the show in Norten-Hardenberg, Germany, with the Spanish Rafael Soto Andrade. Seidel, however, won the fight and pushed Soto into a second place. The Spanish team rider rode his Andalusian stallion Invasor (Panadero VII x Valeroso VI) to a 70.92% score. Best scoring German rider was Isabell Werth aboard her good old Anthony FRH (Hanoverian, by Argument/T). Werth had to be content with a 69.96%, a score below her average. Rudolf Zeilinger settled for fourth place aboard his Westfalian gelding Rubens (by Rosenkavalier x Amor).

The Klassika Hardenberg is one of a series of prominent dressage competitions in Germany. With the castle of Hardenberg as backdrop, the competition is almost as romantically staged as the CDI Wiesbaden. Organised by Count Carl von Hardenberg, the CDI Norten-Hardenberg is considered to be a final rehearsal show before the World Equestrian Games in Spain. With only six more weeks to go, Germany, Spain, Holland and the United States have sent their top combinations to the competition as a final test before the WEG.

An audience of 2,000 viewers travelled to Norten-Hardenberg to see the Presentation Ceremony of the Nations and the Hardenberg Klassika Grand Prix.

Text by Astrid Appels

Klassika Hardenberg Grand Prix Results

1. Guenter Seidel - Nikolaus - USA - 345 354 354 377 347 - 71.06%
2. Rafael Soto - Invasor - ESP - 349 343 362 349 370 - 70.92%
3. Isabell Werth - Anthony FRH - GER - 345 351 357 341 355 - 69.96%
4. Rudolf Zeilinger - Rubens - GER - 340 338 338 347 348 - 68.44%
5. Klaus Husenbeth - Piccolino - 337 348 346 337 342 - 68.40%
6. Nathalie Zu Saeyn - Fantast S - DEN - 341 336 347 346 339 - 68.36%
7. Arjen Teeuwissen - Goliath T - NED - 332 348 338 326 339 - 67.32%
8. Karin Rehbein - Capuccino - GER - 340 344 337 319 333 - 66.92%
9. Matias Jansson - Morell - SWE - 328 332 326 328 339 - 66.12%
10. Juan Antonio Jimenez - Guizo - ESP - 321 311 319 327 342 - 64.80%