Wellington, Fla. – March 15, 2019 – Competition for the CDIO3* Nations Cup concluded Friday evening with individual medals earned in the Intermediate I Freestyle and Grand Prix Freestyle. The Nations Cup this year proved to be a great ‘dress rehearsal’ for many of the combinations who are aiming to represent their countries at the Pan American Games this summer in Lima, Peru.
Canada’s Tina Irwin continued her domination in the small tour aboard her 12-year-old Oldenburg gelding, Laurencio. Irwin was kicked and injured her hand a few weeks ago, but she did not let that uncertainty hamper her performance this week. Irwin had been competing Laurencio at Grand Prix but dropped him down to the small tour for the Nations Cup, which proved successful as she swept all three classes throughout the week. In their freestyle Irwin rode away with the gold medal on a score of 74.46 percent, but American Jennifer Baumert was right on her heels in the silver medal position with a 74.3 percent on Betsy Juliano’s 14-year-old Hanoverian gelding, Handsome. Rounding out the podium with a bronze medal with a 73.635 percent was Baumert’s U.S. teammate, Ashley Holzer and her 9-year-old Hanoverian mare.
In the Grand Prix Freestyle, Shelly Francis brought the house down with her entertaining acapella freestyle and earned a personal best of 81.84 percent on Danilo, Patricia Stempel’s 15-year-old Hanoverian gelding. Representing the Dominican Republic, Yvonne Losos de Muniz jumped up a few placings to earn the silver medal with a 75.24 percent on Aquamarijn, her 14-year-old KWPN mare. Charlotte Jorst and Kastels Nintendo, her 16-year-old Dutch Warmblood stallion, stepped onto the bronze medal podium with a 75.2 percent.
Results: CDIO3* Intermediate I Freestyle
Rider / Country / Horse / Total Score
1. Tina Irwin / CAN / Laurencio / 74.46
2. Jennifer Baumert / USA / Handsome / 74.3
3. Ashley Holzer / USA / Valentine / 73.635
4. Belinda Trussell / CAN / Carlucci / 73.535
5. Lindsay Kellock / CAN / Floratina / 72.315
6. Christer Egerstrom / CRC / Bello Oriente / 71.595
7. Patricia Koschel / GER / Leuchtfeuer DE / 69.17
8. Monica Burssens / MEX / Elfentanz / 68.9
9. Marco Bernal / COL / Germany / 67.485
10. Kevin Kohmann / GER / Cascou W / 66.23
11. Carmen Franco / COL / Weltregentrin / 60.955
Results: CDIO3* Grand Prix Freestyle
Rider / Country / Horse / Total Score
1. Shelly Francis / USA / Danilo / 81.84
2. Yvonne Losos De Muniz / DOM / Aquamarijn / 75.24
3. Charlotte Jorst / USA / Kastels Nintendo / 75.2
4. Jill Irving / CAN / Arthur / 74.105
5. Michael Klimke / GER / Royal Dancer 33 / 72.295
6. Bernadette Pujals / MEX / Curioso XXV / 72.295
FROM THE WINNER’S CIRCLE
Shelly Francis – CDIO3* Grand Prix Freestyle gold medalist
On her ride:
“We’ve had personal bests the past three or four shows in a row, so I’m excited. Sometimes I just do the show and go home and go to bed because I’m not 20 anymore, but now I’m like ‘oh my god that was really cool!’ It was fun.Yesterday I had what I call a brain fart, but my horse felt really awesome yesterday and really eager to do everything. Today he was very excited, we ran all the way down centerline, but he still listens to me. He’s changed a lot, he used to get a little bit tight and slow down when he was nervous, but now he’s exuberant so I have to make an adjustment to how I’m riding him. I have to sit there and be more careful.”
On her final centerline:
“I think that at that point, he’s ready to make that piaffe and passage up the centerline at the end, but when the crowd starts clapping and cheering a little, he used to get really nervous about it but now I think he just starts doing a little more, and I just sit there and try to turn really careful in that pirouette because he’s already so active. It feels like he’s just on fire but it’s feather-like control. The crowd really picks him up a little, and even picks me up, I just think ‘yay they like it!’ It’s wicked cool. He likes his freestyle.”
On her future plans:
“I’m heading off to Europe next Saturday with two horses, Danilo and his 7-year-old brother who is going to be a wicked superstar. I’m going to continue showing because I’m not giving up yet. I’m going to continue on and hope for Tokyo or giving it a good shot. I’m going to show over there once a month, hopefully ending with Aachen, then come back and start the season here again.”
Charlotte Jorst – CDIO3* Grand Prix Freestyle bronze medalist
On her ride:
“This was a brand new freestyle for me and I’ve never ridden it even in training. It was super fun to be out there and try it with Nintendo. I love the lines, the ones up the centerline, the turn in the trot. I also executed, to my own surprise, the pirouette into the piaffe and that was fantastic for me. Once I get it really dialed in I think it’s going to be such a fun freestyle. I can’t wait to do it again.”
On her freestyle:
“I like music that is easily recognizable that you can kind of sing along with, and for me this was it. It has taken a long time to figure out which music to use, but I like it. I’m looking forward to perfecting it a little bit more because it is so brand new to me. Now I’m going to go back and really work it.”
On her future plans:
“I’m going to send two horses to Europe, and have to wait a little bit with Nintendo because he is a stallion and can only be there fifty-nine days. Then I’ll show up in Denmark and Stockholm because those are close to my home countries, and I’m hoping to do the Pan Am Games with Nintendo. I’ll continue to show Deep Impact and my young horses, then I’ll be back here next season as well.”
