Freestyle CDIO Hickstead 2013 - Alizée & Mistral

Mistral du Coussoul & Alizée Froment
Grand Prix Freestyle CDIO Hickstead 2013.
70,2%

[@marta22gashtold]

Wow, what a great horse! Not over-trained, with brilliant impulsion and very talented!

[@BlueOtsuka]

She is the best and Mistral is a great horse. We don't talk about them enough !

[@Mimidisi]

Très très émouvant de beauté d'impulsion et de finesse, un rêve pour tout cavalier(e) épris de légèreté

[@alisonclark1061]

What a fantastic rider - love, love, love it - you're an inspiration x

[@JG-mt3rp]

She is fabulous, seat to die for

[@noemievigneron]

Brrravo!!!! magnifique, exeptionnel, émouvant sublime! bravissima ! congratulation! it's so impressive, so beautiful, so stunning ! exceptionnel

[@pietvanveghel]

Superbe ! The tail says everything ! To me perehaps even better, to see in the youtube video "sentir, ressentir"

[@smithywess1]

Excellent. Thank you for this. Invisible aids practised on a very light and calm horse with good impulsion. A lesson for others to emulate.

[@luablau]

Uau! So beautiful! Great musics, too, which are they? Would be wondeful to see this whole kür with neckrope instead of reins, if you can (which I believe you do) :D You two are amazing

[@tristanlematre2045]

Moi aussi c'est un cheval DE Kazan du Cousoul

[@placeboaddict1]

Wonderful!! Neither open mouth, nor blue tongue. Perfect unity of horse and rider - score 70,2% ? What´s wrong with dressage nowadays???

[@thecrazydolls]

Kinda simple, really. He doesn't appear to be quite established at that level, his changes aren't straight, his piaffe isn't a true piaffe (more working steps) the work isn't as accurate as it could be, the horse wavers on some of his lines and appears a little rushed at times and he loses his quarters in movements such as the half passes (indicating that at this point, he's lacking strength in his work). I don't know how long these two have been competing GP for but I would assume these things will come with time. Not that I am knocking the partnership between these two at all, I think it's gorgeous, I love the give and take, the constant and gentle play with the contact, the flopping curb rein, the lightness of her seat, the uphill tendency and open neck of the horse. I do think it was deserving of a far greater score than 70%, however. But frankly, I'd say the music could have been a tripping point, provided this was the music used in the actual test (it sounds like it has been dubbed over the sound on the video but I'm not sure). It's aggressive, very loud, mostly lacks a clear beat (aside from some of the piaffe/passage tour) much of it doesn't suit the particular gait the horse is in at the time, it's not well edited, there's no balance between power and lightness in the music itself. Although I do like the music, I don't in this context and if this was the track used for the Kur I'd say it would greatly benefit from an overhaul. You need to remember that this counts towards the score too (although not massively). Minus the music though, they're showing some beautiful work and he's a gorgeous horse...I much prefer this kind of work to the kind that has become the "norm" in the upper echelons of dressage these days, indeed in equestrian sport as a whole. It's incredibly sad.

[@Mimidisi]

thecrazydolls Yes, but no harm and lightness is the most important thing to me.