Press release from Mediterranean Equestrian Tour
This week, action returned to Centro Ecuestre Oliva Nova in Spain as the competitions at the Mediterranean Equestrian Tour got underway with Spring MET IV 2023. The first week of competition concluded on Sunday with the CSI2* 1.45m Grand Prix presented by Dammann Reitplatz- u. Sportplatzbau GmbH and it was Switzerland’s Nadja Peter Steiner and the 11-year-old Chaplin Cece that took home the win.
Seven out of the 37 horse-and-rider-combinations at start cleared the first-round track set by Christian Wiegand (GER) and joined the deciding jump-off, where Peter Steiner and Chaplin Cece (Ugobak des Baleines x Galoubet A) were the quickest, taking the top honours in 36.37 ahead of Mathieu Guery (BEL) and Vellington de Carat Z (Vivaldi du Seigneur x Casall) in second in 36.76. Cedric Wolf (GER) and Capitano Z (Cornado Nrw x Lordanos) placed third in 36.85, while Izac Ketteridge (GBR) and Galerius (Diamant de Semilly x Sandro Boy) finished fourth in 37.23 and Cyril Cools (BEL) fifth in 37.33 aboard Cloe Gp Z (Corrdino x Takashi Van Berkenbroek).
“I think the course in the first round was really good,” Peter Steiner said after her win. “For me, the most challenging part was the time allowed. Luckily, I was not in the beginning of class, so I could watch a few good riders like Jerome Guery, and seeing that the time was tight I knew I had to take a bit of risk with my horse to manage it.”
“I have been riding Chaplin Cece for about eight months and, honestly, I did not think he could be this fast,” Peter Steiner said about her plan for the jump-off. “I saw the two riders before me, and I thought they were really, really quick. Going in, I was not sure we could be as fast as them, but we tried – and I could play a bit with turning shorter than the others in two places, because my horse is really scopey – I think that made the difference in the end. Chaplin Cece is owned by Claire Franzoni, I have worked with her for a bit over a year now, she is a good owner who believes in me and in her horses – I am happy to work with her. Of course, we will try to go as far as we can with this horse. This was only the second Grand Prix class that I jumped with him, so it is only the beginning. Every time we compete, he improves, so I think he has a bright future ahead.”
“I love Oliva, I love the organization here,” Peter Steiner said about the venue at Centro Ecuestre Oliva Nova. “In February we were not so lucky because the last week had to be cancelled due to the EHV-1 outbreak, but I am happy to see how well they managed it. It is not an easy situation for the organizers, and I am happy to come back to show my support and show everyone that it is safe to compete again. I have six horses with me, two five-year-olds that are doing one of their first shows, so they are really green. For me it is perfect to bring them with me here, they will learn and see a lot. I also have four other horses with me for the bigger competitions during the weekend.”
Spring MET IV continues next week with competitions up to CSI3* level and runs until April 23rd.