Steffen Peters & Legolas in California Show Post Highest Ever Score, Debuts Rosamunde

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Steffen Peters riding Legolas at the California Dressage Society San Diego Mid-Winter show. © 2014 Terri Miller
Steffen Peters riding Legolas at the California Dressage Society San Diego Mid-Winter show. © 2014 Terri Miller

DEL MAR, California, Feb. 8, 2014–Steffen Peters rode Legolas in their first competition in five months to post the highest score to date for the partnership in winning the Grand Prix at the California Dressage Society’s San Diego Mid-Winter show Saturday, and in the first outing for Rosamunde won the Prix St. Georges.

Steffen, based in San Diego, and Legolas scored 81.914 per cent in the Grand Prix from U.S. “S” judge Debbie Riehl-Rodriguez with Lientje Schueler, a German who works with Steffen, in second on 72.021 per cent and Shannon Peters on Weltino’s Magic in thrd on 69.787 per cent.

The performance of the 2013 U.S. Grand Prix championship pair was being closely watched as the leading prospective team horse heading to the World Equestrian Games in Normandy, France.

Along with Kathleen Raine and Christine Traurig, Steffen holds mini training camps of two weeks once every two months with Jo Hinnemann, a top German trainer and longtime coach for all three.

In the two years since Legolas, a Westfalen gelding now aged 12, began his international career with Steffen they have posted their highest Grand Prix in Europe of 75.298 per cent at Aachen, Germany and 76.574 per cent at Del Mar almost two years ago as their best in the U.S. The pair scored better than 80 per cent at a national show in California in their first performance in 2012.

Rosamunde in her debut competition with Steffen Peters at the California Dressage Sociiety San Diego Mid-Winter show. © 2014 Terri Miller
Rosamunde in her debut competition with Steffen Peters at the California Dressage Sociiety San Diego Mid-Winter show. © 2014 Terri Miller

Rosamunde 20, bought last September by Akiko Yamazaki for Steffen to train and compete as a successor for Legolas, made her debut Saturday to win the Prix St. Georges with a score of 75.789 per cent. Christine Traurig on Louisdor was second on 70.526 per cent and Steffen and Avignon placed third on 69.474 per cent.

“She was amazing,” Steffen said.

The mare, nicknamed “Rosie,” by Rock Forever out of a Fidermark mare had been trained and competed in young horse classes by the Finnish rider Henri Ruoste who is based in Krefeld.

Akiko was the owner of Ravel, who was competed by Steffen for the United States at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, became only the second American combination to win the World Cup and took two individual medals at the 2010 World Equestrian Games in Kentucky. She bought Legolas as a successor and then Rosamunde to be trained for the following generation of championship mounts.