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78 SIDELINES MAY 2011 FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE D R E S S A G E

Masters of the Art:

World Dressage Masters Palm Beach CDI5*

Photos by Alan Fabricant

Steffen Peters proved that Ravel had only gotten better since their WEG rides last fall, when they swept the World Dressage Masters Palm Beach from beginning to end. Held March 10th and 11th at the Jim Brandon Equestrian Center in Wellington, Florida, the Masters were presented by the International Polo Club Palm Beach and attracted riders from the United States, Europe and Canada. They began the competition with a new career high of 80.872% during the Grand Prix test, setting them up well for a win the next evening during the Freestyle. His score was the highest ever recorded at WDM Palm Beach, at 84.550%.

The Jim Brandon Equestrian Center was a new venue for the Masters, which had been held at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in previous years. When it was announced in December that that venue would not be hosting the Masters, the dressage community scrambled to arrange the event at a new facility. And thanks to the hard work of Wellington Classic Dressage and the support of IPC, the United States’ only CDI5* was not lost to politics. A sold-out crowd of 1,200 attended the Freestyle on Friday, March 11th, and both classes were aired live on USEFNetwork.com.

Steffen and Ravel wowed the crowd with a nearly fawless Freestyle. They received a standing ovation after their win

Steffen recently became the frst dressage rider to be sponsored by a helmet company, and has been religious about warming up in a helmet since last year

Germany’s Anja Ploenzke fnished 6th in the Grand Prix Test with Le Mont d’Or, above, but was pulled up by the ground jury during the Freestyle on Friday, when Mont d’Or showed a slight pink tinge around his bits.