Steffen Peters said as international competition got underway at Desert Dressage II that he believed it would take three CDI World Cup victories to earn the points necessary for 2023 FEI World Cup Finals in Omaha. On Saturday afternoon at Desert Dressage IV, he and Suppenkasper earned their third victory of the season, all but punching a ticket on their way to FEI World Cup Finals.
Close Competition
“It’s a great feeling,” Peters said of capturing the third of three CDI World Cup Qualifying wins this season. “Especially since today was our best go. The points were still good enough to win. Anna Buffini did a heck of a job today. She had a clean test but I had a mistake in the one tempis, so it was very close but I’m grateful that I get another shot at the World Cup [Finals].”
Steffen Peters and Suppenkasper
Photo by Terri Miller
Heading Back to Omaha
Planning to head back to FEI World Cup Finals for what will be a sixth time, Peters looks forward to performing for his home crowd and the electric atmosphere he’s experienced already in Omaha.
“I’m very excited about the venue itself in Omaha,” he continued. “I competed there a few years back. It’s a fantastic venue with the hotel right across, a large warmup area where all the vendors are. It was a wonderful atmosphere and the arena itself is very special. It’s going to be electric, but it’s going to be very tight. But I’m looking forward to competing there again.”
Suppenkasper, the 15-year-old owned by Akiko Yamazaki and Four Winds Farm, just slid into the top 10 dressage horses in the world rankings. Taking home a top 10 finish at FEI World Cup Finals would be icing on the cake of an incredible season for Peters.
So far in Desert Dressage action, Peters and “Mopsie” are undefeated. They’ve emerged on top of every class they’ve competed in since CDI competition began in November. “I think this is a fantastic venue,” he credited to DIHP. “Everything is taken care of. The crew here working hard, along with Thomas Baur, is phenomenal. It’s a fantastic place to compete and we always like the fact that we can camp with our RV in the back so we’re close to the horses. We can do a quick night check and carrot in the evening before we go to sleep. It’s a fantastic venue. I think it would be a great place for the World Equestrian Games.”
Steffen Peters and Suppenkasper
Photo by Terri Miller
Future Goals for Steffen Peters
Peters is still solidifying his summer plans with Suppenkasper but the 2024 Olympic Games are top of mind. “It would be fun to stay at home for the summer, which I haven’t done for the past 15 years, and save Mopsie up for the Olympic Games next year. On the flipside we don’t want to lose our ranking in the world because it influences the starting order for the US team at the Olympics. We still have to make that decision for the summer,” he remarked. In the meantime, the pair has their eyes on one more CDI in March in Temecula.
