Dressage Junior and young rider European Championships, Hickstead and highlights
While the Netherlands and Germany battle it out to become top of the pile, British riders put in performances that bode well for the future
IN the perpetual battle between Germany and the Netherlands, it was the latter that came out on top in Fontainebleau. The Dutch riders dominated, taking home team and individual gold medals in all age categories with the sole exception of the young rider team.
In the juniors, Daphne van Peperstraten and her own 11-yearold KWPN gelding Greenpoint’s Cupido (Johnson x Duko) won all three tests with plus-75% scores, culminating in an 80% freestyle and ending a German supremacy in the category that had lasted half a decade. Daphne dedicated the team gold to the Netherlands’ junior and young rider eventing coach, Jan van Beek, who suddenly passed away the weekend before the start of the Europeans.
“We started this championship with a lot of sadness after the death of Jan van Beek,” commented Daphne, “but it brought the team together and made us stronger. We did our best to honour him today.”
Germany did keep hold of their young rider title, with solid performances in the team test that secured second (Paulina Holzknecht on Wells Fargo), third (Semmieke Rothenberger on Geisha) and fourth (Lia Welschof on Don Windsor OLD) places.
But on an individual level, it was another Dutch pair, Esmee Donkers and the 11-year-old black mare Chaina (Sir Donnerhall x Rubioso N), who dominated all week, scoring over 77% twice and then breaking the 80% barrier in the music on Sunday.
PROMISING RESULT
GREAT BRITAIN made the decision to send a full team only for the young rider section, with two junior riders (and one child, see box, top right) competing as individuals. As chief selector David Trott had explained at the time of selection, the “primary aim [was] to send a squad of riders who are medal contenders and this year, it was felt there weren’t four [junior] riders with strong enough scores.”
The young rider team was young and inexperienced, with several combinations at their first Europeans and some young horses, such as Alexander Harrison’s ride, Diamond Hill, who is only seven; thus, the team’s
sixth-place finish, spearheaded by Charlotte Dicker and Sabatini (71%) and Anna Jesty and Aquiro (70%), is a promising result that bodes well for the future. Lewis Carrier and Diego V’s 65% was the discard score in the team test, but they improved dramatically during the week to post plus-70% scores in the remaining two tests, culminating in a top-10 placing in the freestyle.
“I was very disappointed with the first test — we were just getting Diego’s energy levels right after the travel. I could have had him in a better balance and a better way of going,” commented Lewis, who works for Ferdi and Michael Eilberg. “But then we sorted it out for the next test, which I was very pleased with — he tried very hard and it all went a lot better than the first one.”
Also qualifying for the freestyle were Anna Jesty and her “once-ina-lifetime” horse Aquiro (Aquino x Donnerschlag), at their first Europeans and completing their own fairytale as the combination has gone from unaffiliated elementary up to representing Britain.
“My team test was really good, scoring over 70%, which was amazing given that neither of us had ever done it [at championship level]. And sixth place for the team was also really good, as this is quite an inexperienced team, with a couple of young horses and others, like mine, who is older at 15, but had also never done anything like this,” said Anna.
“It was really hot for the individual test and I had a couple of minor mistakes, but because of the heat he lost his concentration a little. I was lucky to get through to the music, and he did a really good freestyle — he was tired as two days in the heat is a lot, but he kept trying. Again, I had one little mistake [in the changes], but in general I’m delighted,” said Anna, who trains with Anna Ross — who came to assist her for three days at the start of the Europeans — and also credited team trainer Paul Fielder for additional help for the whole team.
In the juniors, Jessica McConkey and her nine-yearold Danish mare Lady Gaga (Quaterback x Solos Landwind) finished 37th, while Maddy Whelan and Sandy Phillips’ 13-year-old Oldenburg stallion Diamond Design (by Diamond Hit, out of Sandy’s 2006 WEG team mare Lara) placed 51st, both losing a few percentage points compared to the team test; neither qualified for the freestyle.