Starting the outside season
For the first time, Tatiana Kosterina attended the Maimarkttournament in Mannheim with Diavolessa, an international 4-star dressage tournament. In strong international competition, the pair rode to 14th place in the Grand Prix with 69.3 percent and 8th place in the Grand Prix Special with 69.4 percent. Tatiana was well pleased with Dia. ' On Friday, the mare was still very impressed with the stadium and the flying flags. Even though, she made every lesson flawlessly. On Saturday she had good nerves and presented a flawless performance. "
On Friday very early the weather was fine. In the next hours it changed.
The Maymarket-Area offers very good conditions for hosting high-level dressage tournaments. Short distances, attractive stadiums and the extensive and affordable all-round supply promote a pleasant competitive atmosphere. The Grand Prix was scheduled early on Friday at 8 a.m. With 29 participants, the competition lasted all morning. Dia and Tatiana started sixth. Dia was well impressed by the stadium environment. Entering through a tunnel, fluttering flags on three sides and a large screen claimed attention. The dressage quadrangle was pleasantly far from the stands and restrained designed. Dia was to notice the excitement. She built herself up a bit, concentrated on the rider and ultimately allowed herself to be guided by the test. At the second piaffe, Tatiana reported, she must have seen something exciting in the stands or at the judge's cottage. She made institutions to turn to the exit and leave. So Tatiana managed to convince the horse to continue. In fact, at this very point, the horse of another rider turned to the exit. Tatiana was well pleased with Diavolessa's performance, while the judges once again ruling inconsistently: Three judges were slightly above 70 percent, one at 66. That put the pair in 14th place. In this range of performance, the field of participants was very dense. 11 pairs reached a percentage with a 69 and 70 in front of the comma. For Tatiana, the worry began whether they had qualified for the Grand Prix Special at all, because only ten starters came into this following test, six to the Grand Prix Freestyle. As it turned out, though, 16th place was enough, so it became no close-running thing.
Even the horse is laughing about the positioning.
The Grand Prix Special was held on the small tournament course. For Dia to get to know the place, Tatiana had saddled Dia for some step rounds at 7am on Saturday, before the first exam took place there. That paid off. Dia designed the competition relaxed, maybe even a little too relaxed. Concentrated and error-free, the lessons of the most difficult class were presented. An eighth place jumped out in the process and thus confirmed the rating from the previous day.
Verdict: The start to the outdoor season has been well done, especially because the horse has shown itself to be satisfied. Dia had a good appetite all days and took all the hustle and bustle cool.
