Junior and Young Riders Win Dressage Team Titles at the Future Champions in Hagen

The Future Champions in Hagen are to young riders roughly what the CHIO Aachen is to the “big names”: the last chance to make a good impression on the team selectors in order to be nominated for the upcoming championships. For young riders, these are the annual European Championships in the various age groups. The Prize of the Best is the first selection event; the Future Champions is the second. That’s why it’s so important to perform well here. That’s exactly what the juniors and young riders did in the dressage saddle today.

Young riders

The rivalry between the young German and Danish dressage riders has a long history. In the end, the German team narrowly edged out the Danish visitors with a score of 141.912 percent to 141.411 percent. Third place went to the Netherlands with 135.265 percent.

The top pair on the German team—and in the competition overall—were last year’s three-time European Junior Champions, Julie Sofie Schmitz-Heinen and Attractive. With a score of 71.294 percent, the pair demonstrated that they have seamlessly mastered the transition from the U18 to the U21 category—and thus from M** to S level. Incidentally, Attractive was bred by Stephan Borgmann and found his way to the Schmitz-Heinen family through his farm auction.

Teammate Nele Klaus and Bonfire from Berlin-Brandenburg also scored over 70 percent; their 70.618 points earned them third place in the overall standings. Rounding out the team was Marie Sohler with Askehavens Beau Sancy, who finished with a score of 68.883 percent.

In the individual standings, Denmark’s Michella Skovsager, riding Zimillione PT2—trained by Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour—slotted in between the two German riders with a score of 70.823 percent.

Joining Michella and Zimillionen were Theresa Rosenkilde—who, however, was eliminated with Blue Hors Zwobber—and Sophia Boje Obel Jørgensen, riding Atterupgaards Delahaye (70.588).

The Netherlands was represented by Tessa van Hemet on Sir Brightling (62.823), Esmee Brokers on Rockstar (69.50), and Yasmin Westerink on Fashion In Black (65.765), the former NRW champion stallion from the Holkenbrink stud.

Juniors

The outcome was clear-cut in the junior division, where the German team not only won the Nations Cup but also swept the top three spots in the individual standings. Leading the way was Clara Kohoutek with Dark Dancer, who outpaced the competition with a score of 74.212 percent.

They were followed by Eve Catherine Bartels on Villeneuve (73.257 percent) and Ava Osing on Destacado (71.136 percent), the former team horse of Matthias Alexander Rath.

Accordingly, the lead was clear: 147.469 percent, followed once again by Denmark with 140.182 percent and the Netherlands with 136.485 percent.

The Danish team consisted of Victoria Bang Zindorff riding Pilegaardens Secret Dream (69.061), Sofia Rosenkilde riding Tiger G (70.364), and Laura Qvist riding Hafsjold Ranger (69.818).

Competing for the Netherlands were Sophie Evers on Edmar D (66.970), Sissi Gijsen on Lotus Elan (63.879), and Renke Boekhoud on Lord Lexington (69.515).

National Team Coach Faces New Challenges

For national team coach Hans-Heinrich Meyer zu Strohen, the Future Champions is much more than just another international tournament. “At the Kasselmann family’s facility, we are constantly inspired and, at the same time, get a chance to assess where we currently stand. This assessment is extremely important to us because it provides us with valuable insights for selecting the team for the European Championships.”

And here’s what those insights look like: “The pairs really performed very well today. At the same time, though, you can tell that the other nations are catching up. That’s a good thing and important, because it lets us know exactly what we still need to work on in the coming weeks.”

Specifically, the finer points. Meyer zu Strohen is convinced: “The fundamentals are sound; the horses and riders are on the right track. But at this level, it’s often the nuances that make the difference. The half-halts need to be even more precise, the lines more exact, and the movements even more expressive. In the end, it’s this precision that makes the difference, and that’s exactly what we’ll continue to work on leading up to the European Championships.”

More results from the I-Tour

The national team coach and his colleagues responsible for team selection are not only keeping an eye on the participants in the Nations Cup. Other potential European Championship candidates can prove themselves in the I-Tours.

Among the young riders today, Kenya Schwierking on Imani and Lana-Pinou Baumgürtel riding Escalla stood out. With only a few points separating them (70.765% to 70.676%), they took first and second place.

In the junior division, there was no getting past Denmark’s Isabella Struntze Torp, riding Vestervang’s Garson, who scored 71.636 percent. Second place (71.091) and third place (70.879) went to Hannah Schmitz on Moosbend’s Rockadera and Greta Louise Wagner on Vanessa H, respectively.

In the Children’s class, a German trio came out on top: Larissa Bröckchen on Little Fame with 77.090 percent (82.750 for seat, control, precision, and overall impression, 71.429 percent for the technical execution of the test), Cecilie Marie Hohl on Saluna W OLD with 75.768 percent (84.750/66.786), and Anna Schmieder in the saddle of Freispiel with 73.965 percent (77.150/70.179).

You can find all the results from the Future Champions here.