Just like last year, Valentina Truppa (21) was the winner of the World Cup™ Final for Young Riders. In the third and decisive test of the World Cup™
Final for Young Riders she secured the nicest farewell to her Young Riders-period she could imagine by winning her second World Cup™. Due to her advanced training for the piaffe, the reining European champion YR had experienced some difficulties with the halt in the first two tests in the Festhallen in Frankfurt. However the training day between the qualifier Prix St Georges Friday and the decisive Freestyle today she used by practising the halt only and she solved the problem. “It caused some confusion and misunderstanding with Chablis but today I was very happy with him! After the gold medal at the European Championships YR this year, this farewell to my Young Riders-time now is a wonderful end of a wonderful time of my ife”, Valentina expressed.
Runner up Lotje Schoots from the Netherlands won the first two tests ( the team test as a warming up and the Prix St Georges as qualifier) but in the third one The Freestyle Final she lost the World Cup™ victory to her Italian colleague. The chairman of the judges Katrina Wüst said: “The first three medallists were of a very good quality. They all three had very good tests. The average quality compared to that of last year has been improved a lot!
Lotje Schoots did three very convincing performances with her expressive mare. Unfortunately today one of the pirouettes went wrong and as the pirouette has the qualifier 2, it did take her win away.” Only Stephen Clarke still marked Lotje Schoots as the winner having her in the first position.
Lotje Schoots said at the press conference she will continue educating Reine B for Grand Prix and will concentrate with her horses Popeye and Toricello on Young Riders-challenges next year.
Lusitano influence at YR
For a lot Young Riders the huge and colourful Festhallen in Frankfurt in Christmas-atmosphere were a very impressive décor for a horseshow. After the first day with the team test as a warming up, Portuguese rider Francisco Boaventura Freire (19) did everything to relax his Lusitano stallion. The pure bred Lusitano stallion Peralta Pinha (given name at birth Peralta dos Pinhais) was bred by Coudelaria Alegria dos Pinhais in São Paulo, Brazil, property of the Brazilian Luis Ermírio de Moraes. Six years ago he was exported to Portugal. According to Francisco Boaventura Freire, he and Peralta enjoy tremendous friendship. Francisco comments: “Peralta is the only horse that actually ‘talks to me’as I always say, he is always willing to work and please. He is different! He is very willing to work and for me that is his strongest point next to his attitude and canter work like the pirouettes”.
The third prize and bronze medal was the best thing that has happened to Francisco in his young career, he emphasizes. “I will make up my mind now for the near future and probably will combine doing Grand Prix and Young Riders-tests as long as that goes together”.
Peralta is the second Lusitano stallion registered and accepted for breeding purposes in Germany. At the moment, 40 German bred mares have been sired by Peralta Pinha.
The family of Francisco Freire also produces half-bloods with German horses and the Lusitano stallion. Quite interesting!
Source: Dressage Direct.