Everyone on the Wellington International showgrounds wants to know Richard Vogel’s (GER) secret to winning so consistently. His answer on Saturday was, “My secret is Cydello!” after the $215,000 MARS Equestrian CSI4* Grand Prix during Week 4 of the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF). Highlighted by 12 weeks of consecutive FEI competition, WEF continues through March 30 at Wellington International in Wellington, FL.
Saturday’s win came just two weeks after a win with the same horse in a CSI3* grand prix on the same grass derby field. “He’s such a cool horse, so intelligent and such a fighter,” said Vogel after accepting the Village of Wellington Cup for the win. “He naturally doesn’t have the most scope in the world but he does it with his mindset and his will to do his best. That’s what we rely on. He loves this grass field; that’s why we chose these two weeks and luckily it worked out well.”
Against some of the top international pairs in the world, Vogel was one of six to jump clear over Anderson Lima’s (BRA) track. The win didn’t come easy, especially after Irish Olympian Shane Sweetnam went just prior and laid it down with James Kann Cruz, owned by Gizmo Partners.
Having been paired with Cydello for about a year and a half, Vogel now knows the 11-year-old Hanoverian gelding (Cascadello x Forsyth FRH) and they have a great trust in one another. He knew he could attack the course with a competitive plan and the horse’s natural speed would give them a strong chance.
“I have to give Cydello a lot of credit for fence number two,” remarked the German Olympian about the way the jump-off played out. “I saw Shane and he got there well on nine strides. I tried to [push for nine] for the first seven strides but then realized we weren’t quite getting there. Cydello knew that also, so luckily he’s very smart and clever so we adjusted to add an extra stride. I had one more stride in the last line but I think since he’s so naturally fast we were overall a little bit quicker.”
Their final time of 43.22 seconds edged them a half a second ahead of Sweetnam, who ended up second. In third was the only other double-clear effort, Niamh McEvoy (IRL) and Jargon DN, owned by GBBS International. McEvoy also accepted the Martha Jolicoeur, Douglas Elliman Leading Lady Rider Award for WEF 4.
Now that Cydello is more settled in Vogel’s program, the preparation for grand prix day is simpler.
“Back in the days when we first started, I rode him more before the classes, especially before an important class like the grand prix,” Vogel explained. “Now we changed it up and he’s pretty relaxed on the lunge line so he gets his steps in but in a relaxing way. He’s a very consistent horse so he makes my job quite easy.”
Cydello may be all business when it’s time to compete, but around the farm nothing goes unnoticed by the gelding.
“As soon as you take him out of the stall—it doesn't matter if you take him for a handwalk or for a ride—he’s always high energy and pays attention to everything,” Vogel explained. “At home, he can be a little spooky, but once he gets in the ring he really focuses on his job and the jumps. He’s actually very brave. He’s a perfect mix.”
Looking ahead, Vogel may step the horse up to CSI5* action if he feels things are still going well. The horse will have two weeks off before stepping back into the show ring.
“We’ll see if we step him up into a five-star week and jump a WEF [Challenge Cup] but we don’t have a set plan yet,” Vogel shared. “He’s a horse you shouldn’t plan miles ahead with because he’s very sensitive. He does it with his character so you always have to respect that and go with the feeling. At the moment he feels great so we try to keep that up.”
Cydello’s groom, Anna Halász, once again won the Double H Farm Grooms Award for Cydello’s victory. “She has a very good relationship with him,” Vogel said. “They are a new relationship but they are getting along well. I think for horses like Cydello who are very sensitive, it’s very important to have a secure surrounding. They need to feel like they’re in a family environment and know their people. Anna is a brilliant groom and does a perfect job.”
To see full results from the $215,000 MARS Equestrian CSI4* Grand Prix, click HERE.
In the $10,000 Griffis Residential CSI2* 1.40m, it was Brianne Beerbaum (GER) who took the top position with Hero Flicka, owned by Ashford Farm. Adrienne Sternlicht (USA) took second place with Linsy-Minka, owned by VS Stables, and Rupert Carl Winkelmann (GER) took third with Tangelina, owned by Eickendorf Horses GMBH & Co. KG.
Stella Propp Scores Champion and Reserve in Kiton 3’6” Amateur-Owner Hunter 18-35
It was another stellar week for Stella Propp of New York, NY, as she rode to championship and reserve championship honors aboard her two mounts, Grand Remo and Lifestyle, respectively. Both horses, owned by Aquitaine Equine, picked up top ribbons in the Kiton Amateur-Owner Hunter 18-35 division to take the top two spots cumulatively during WEF 4, presented by MARS Equestrian.
“They are exceptional,” Propp, 22, said of her two rides in this division. “All my horses are incredible. I am so lucky to have a family that supports me and allows me the opportunities I have and also a team that takes such beautiful care of these animals. It all comes down to the horses themselves. They are the best partners I could ask for and I know whenever I go into the ring they will be there for me and try their best. Having this success early on in the season feels amazing.”
Propp topped the charts, claiming first in the under saddle with Grand Remo, as well as taking the top title in two of the over fences, scoring as high as an 88. She followed in good form with Lifestyle, taking home a 1-2-3 finish across the over fences and the under saddle.
So far both horses have performed exceptionally in the division, already claiming multiple championships and reserve championships, and it’s only WEF 4. The horses are similar in the way that they try their best for their rider, but different in their day-to-day mannerisms, which is something Propp as a rider always has to keep in mind.
“Lifestyle is a mare, so she has those marish tendencies sometimes,” she explained. “She was a jumper about two years ago, so we switched her to the hunter ring and it has been amazing. She’s not the most cuddly in the stall. Remo is the complete opposite. His expression is always the same, his ears are always forward, and he always wants a cuddle. A major similarity is that they’re both super spoiled. We give them all the treats in the world because they deserve it. They both try their hearts out.”
Currently a student at Brown University, Propp doesn’t get to spend as many of her days in the saddle, so her trainers, Brianne Goutal-Marteau and Haley Zimmerman, step up to keep her horses ready for amateur-owner action when she returns.
“I’ve been consistent in the way I’ve been riding them and it’s turned out really well,” she spoke of her own strategy. “My trainers like to do a class in the Performance [Hunters] the week before I show, and they've been working on helping train and develop them. I’ve only seen improvements. They set them up so nicely for me and they're ready to go.”
Propp shows across various divisions in the amateur hunters and jumpers, all while juggling a busy academic schedule as well, but she credits her results in the ring to her flatwork done at home.
“Throughout the winter season it’s hard because I commute back and forth every other weekend from school, but when I am home and we lesson, we work mostly on flatwork,” she explained. “I’ll barely jump them at home because it’s important to set them up on the flat so that all of the aids are being used correctly and they’re physically fit to jump their best in the ring.”
Goutal-Marteau knows exactly what to say to Propp before a big show day, which is precisely what she chose Saturday before the results poured in.
“Before I go in the ring every time she says, ‘Have fun, do your best, and you know you can do it, so just live up to that.’” Propp said of Goutal-Marteau’s wise words. “I definitely get stressed under pressure so I think that’s the best advice she could give me as a student to calm my nerves. I know I can do it and my horses can do it but it’s about my mindset for the day.”
See full results from Week 4 of the Winter Equestrian Festival HERE.
