Irish Rider Wins Grand Prix Kur (Freestyle to Music) - Milan Masters CDI*** Italy

DRESSAGE RESULT - MILAN MASTERS CDI*** ITALY - 15TH DECEMBER 2002

Irish international dressage rider Anna Merveldt-Steffens from Ballymore Eustace, County Kildare scored her second big win on the international dressage circuit in a fortnight when winning the Grand Prix Kur at the Milan Masters CDI*** in Italy today (Sunday 15th December 2002).

The Munich based Irish rider was competing on her trainer Jo Hinnemans 15 year old Westphalian gelding Fosbury 2. She scored an impressive 70.91% to win the €10,000 Grand Prix Kur (Freestyle to Music). Just two weeks ago Anna and Fosbury 2 won the Grand Prix Speciale at the Munich Indoors CDI*** in Germany.

International Dressage Competition

Grand Prix Kur (Freesyle to Music)


1.FOSBURY 2;Anna MERVELDT-STEFFENS 2; (IRL) 70.91% (€3,000)
2.RUBINSON;Stephanie PETERS; (NED) 68.74% (€2,000 )
3.HIGH FLYER; James CONNOR; (ITA) 68.35% (€1,500 )
4.RITTERSPORT; Hans STAUB; (SUI) 66.44% (€1,100 )
5.WARKANTOS; Fabien GODELLE; (FRA) 65.31% (€800)
6.GAROFANO; Patricia SARASIN; (SUI) 64.73% (€600)





Rider information:


ANNA MERVELDT-STEFFENS

Date of birth: 20/9/1962
Height: 168cm
Weight: 60kg
Horses: Fosbury 2.

Career performance:
1992 Olympics - Barcelona - 11th individually.
1993 - European Championships - Lipica - 9th individually.
1994 - World Equestrian Games - The Hague - 6th individually.

Placed 1st in the Grand Prix Special at the following international
shows:

Frauenfeld CDI - Germany
Munich CDI - Germany
Rotterdam CDIO - The Netherlands
Spangenberg CDI - Germany
Frankfurt CDI - Germany

Anna returned to the international circuit in May 2000 after taking a year out due to the arrival of her young son Philip.

She placed second in the Grand Prix Special at the Monza CDI*** in Italy on her first outing back and went on to win the Bavarian Championships in July 2000. She was awarded the Irish Field Dressage Rider of the year award for 2000 and again in 2001.

Her 2001 season was initially disrupted by the foot and mouth disease restrictions and this meant she had only one international outing prior to the European Dressage Championships in Verden, Germany in early August. Despite this she qualified for the individual final (top 15) and placed 14th individually with Darius 213. At the CDI in Stadl Paura, Austria she introduced a new horse in her string, Fosbury 2 owned by her trainer Johann Hinnemann, to international competition for the first time with outstanding results. This new partnership opened the show by placing 4th in the Grand Prix and automatically qualified for the Grand Prix Special on the final day of the show. Fosbury and Anna performed brilliantly to place 2nd in the Grand Prix Special an outstanding debut for a new horse at this level. She was a member of the Irish team at the
World Equestrian Games in Jerez (2002) and individually placed 33rd.


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