5 April 2004
 
- FEI World Cup Dressage: Anky Van Grunsven wins the Duesseldorf Final
- FEI Gandini World Jumping Riders Rankings
- FEI BCM World Dressage Riders Rankings
- More than 1 million km ridden in FEI Endurance competition in 2003
- In Memoriam: Alfons Lütke Westhues
 

FEI WORLD CUP DRESSAGE
ANKY VAN GRUNSVEN IS THE NEW WORLD CUP CHAMPION
 
Anky van Grunsven won the FEI World Cup Final for a record breaking sixth time in Duesseldorf last Sunday 4 April, with her new star Gestion Salinero. The Dutch rider was the unanimous victor with all five judges, and on 83.45 per cent, scored three per cent higher then her pupil Edward Gal who took runner up position on the Dutch stallion Gestion Lingh.
 
"I could not believe it could go so well", said van Grunsven, who admitted to feeling nervous at the start of her winning freestyle, which was the nine year-old Salinero's best performance yet.
 
For Edward Gal, this was a thrilling result at the Dutch rider's first ever FEI World Cup Final.
 
For third place, German rider Hubertus Schmidt produced a harmonious performance with the mare Wansuela Suerte to narrowly beat his compatriot Heike Kemmer and Bonaparte.
 
All the finalists scored over 70 per cent. Dr Volker Moritz, the judge at C, commented: "It was a fascinating competition, fantastic sport. Everyone went better than in the Grand Prix and the winners produced both power and harmony."
 
Results
FEI World Cup Dressage Final 2004
Presented by Yorn
1, Gestion Salinero (Anky Van Grunsven NED) 83.45
2, Gestion Lingh (Edward Gal NED) 80.62
3, Wansuela Suerte (Hubertus Schmidt GER) 78.87
4, Bonaparte (Heike Kemmer GER) 78.65
5, Wahajama UNICEF (Ann Kathrin Linsenhoff GER) 77.27
6, Nikolaus (Guenter Seidel USA) 76.97
7, Blom's Idocus (Marlies van Baalen NED) 76.90
8, Artax Condor (Elena Sidneva RUS) 75.80
9, Apache (Isabell Werth GER) 74.70
10, Just Mickey (Tinne Wilhelmson SWE) 72.47
11, Wie Weltmeyer (Emma Hindle GBR) 72.45
12, Guinness (Louise Nathhorst SWE) 71.97
 
Highlights of The FEI World Cup Dressage Final are scheduled to be broadcast
on Eurosport in a prime time slot - Wednesday 14 April at 21.00 C.E.T.
 
FEI GANDINI WORLD JUMPING RIDERS RANKINGS
Ludger Beerbaum firmly in the lead
 
The winner of the FEI World Cup of 's-Hertogenbosch (NED) at the end of March, Ludger Beerbaum (GER)  is at the top of the FEI Gandini World Jumping Riders Rankings with 2597 points. He scored 190 points during the month, at the Dutch qualifier of the FEI World Cup but also in Vejer and Paris.
 
Marcus Ehning (GER) took the runner up spot over the Swiss Markus Fuchs, who is back to competition since March. Ehning won 95 points in Paris, while Fuchs earned 70 points in 's-Hertogenbosch, where he finished 7th in the World Cup.
 
Rodrigo Pessoa (BRA) won the FEI World Cup of Paris early March and kept his 4th position.
 
The first Lady Rider of the rankings, Beezie Madden-Patton (USA) was loosing 173 points from last year, but recuperated them all and grabbed some more during her successful tour to the FEI World Cups of the USA West Coast League. Aboard her new 9 years old horse Silvio van de Zeept, she won the FEI World Cup of Tampa, finished second in the World Cup of Wellington and collected some more points in the Grand Prix and in the Nations Cup of Wellington, which was opening the 2004 season of the Samsung Nations Cup Series.
 
FEI BCM WORLD DRESSAGE RIDERS RANKINGS

Ulla Salzgeber still Number One, new World Cup Champion Anky van Grunsven goes up to 6th place. Ulla Salzgeber (GER) leads the FEI BCM World Dressage Riders Rankings with an unchanged score of 79.819. She is followed by Debbie McDonald (USA) and Lisa Wilcox (USA).
 
The new World Cup Champion, Anky Van Grunsven, collected her 10th score to count for the rankings at the World Cup qualifier of 's-Hertogenbosch and entered the Top Ten. She is now 6th with 76.071 points.
 
ENDURANCE
MORE THAN 1 MILLION KM RIDDEN AT FEI EVENTS IN 2003
 
The total distance of all FEI Endurance competitions which were organised in 2003 was 26,800 km. There were 251 competitions, with an average of 45 participants. The total distance covered by all horses in all FEI Endurance competitions of 2003 therefore amounts to 1,197,270 km.
 
If all the distances ridden by all competitors in all of the 2003 FEI Endurance rides, world wide, were laid end to end, it would cover the distance from the Earth to the Moon and back.and to the moon AGAIN!
 
IN MEMORIAM
 
Alfons Lütke Westhues (GER), team Olympic Champion in 1956, died on 8 March 2004, at the age of 73. His team mates at the Olympic Games of Stockholm in 1956 were Günter Winkler on Halla and the late Frits Thiedemann on Meteor. His brother August won two Olympic Eventing medals at the same Olympic Games. In 1958, with his Olympic mare Ala, Lütke Westhues was a member of the German Nations Cup Team at the three CSIOs of the North American Fall Circuit of Harris Burg, New York and Toronto.
 
Alfons Lütke Westhues was born on a farm in West Bevern. In 1953, he was invited together with his brother by Gustav Rau to join the Eventing stables in Warendorf, but he preferred Jumping and competed internationally until 1960, riding in 26 Nations Cups. In following decades, he became course designer and international judge.