France’s Morgan Barbançon wins CDIO4* Grand Prix Dressage
A surprising result in Thursday’s Grand Prix Dressage. In a historic first for the tournament, two French riders took the top spots on the podium. Morgan Barbançon came in first, and was her compatriot Pauline Basquin took second place. Home rider Emmelie Scholtens completed the podium with bronze in her first competition back from injury. The French team is leading the FEI Nations Cup after the Grand Prix.
Morgan Barbançon and her 11-year-old gelding Habana Libre A rode a solid test, producing a score of 72,696% percent. The French rider was thrilled with the result and very happy to win in Rotterdam. 'CHIO Rotterdam is my favourite show, I adore it. Every year when I select what competitions I want to start in, this one comes first on my list.' She was also very pleased with how her horse performed. 'He is such a great horse, the best horse I’ve ever ridden. He has a great mind, three very good gaits and he always wants to work. He keeps getting better.’ The ambiance of the Rotterdam Arena brings out the best in both rider and horse, she states. ,,I love this setting. You’re close to the crowd but there not so near where you feel claustrofobic or too closed in. The horses go well here. The vibe is good here.’'
The Cadre Noir de Saumur rider Pauline Basquin was also very pleased with her result. 'I’m really happy with my horse. We rode the Grand Prix here for the first time last year and he is continuing to grow so much, he is still improving a lot’, she says. 'It’s a great arena to ride in. It’s an honour to represent my country here and be on the podium. Today was just great.’
Great comeback for Emmelie Scholtens
Dutch rider Emmelie Scholtens came in third place with Indian Rock with a score of 72,478%. This was her first competition after having had surgery for a knee injury. 'I only started riding again three or four weeks ago. I thought, if I can do it at home I can maybe do it at a competition as well. It’s not perfect yet but it’s getting there’
She was happy to be able to compete in Rotterdam once again. ‘This is a hard injury to recover from, it takes a long time. But I can ride, it’s not bad for my knee,. I need a bit more strength but it’s coming along.’
Other nations coming up
Patrick van der Meer, tournament director dressage, was pleased with how Thursday’s competition played out. 'I’m happy with how we’ve set it up this year, the audience is great. The crowd is not too close but it’s good for the horses to experience a bigger ambience. This will help prepare them for when they compete in the big championships.'
The succes of the French riders in today’s competition was a pleasant surprise, he said. ‘Other nations are coming up in our sport, that’s great to see. This is a good thing for the sport and for our tournament as well.’ He is looking forward to Saturday, when the dressage part of CHIO Rotterdam continues with the Grand Prix Special and Grand Prix Freestyle. ‘Tickets for Saturday are sold out, it should be an exciting evening.'
