Ava Osing will not be able to compete in the European Junior Dressage Championships

The European Junior Dressage Championships will take place from July 13 to 19 in Olomouc, Czech Republic. As Eurodressage first reported and the FN has confirmed, Ava Osing will not be competing there as part of the German team as planned. The reason cited is the rider’s health.

After Kristy Oatley’s student won team gold at last year’s European Championships with Vitalos, but finished the championship with a disappointing 26th-place finish in the individual standings, her hopes for this season rested on another chestnut stallion: Destacado, Matthias Alexander Rath’s former national team horse.

Ava Osing and Destacado

Aside from their color, gender, and Hanoverian lineage, the two also have several other things in common: Both were once National Champions in the dressage arena, won silver medals at the World Championships for Young Dressage Horses (Vitalos three times), and shone in the final of the Nuremberg Burg Cup. As recently as last November, Matthias Alexander Rath made his international debut with the 13-year-old son of Desperados in Mexico.

In the spring, it was announced that Ava Osing had taken over the reins of the stallion. The pair won silver at the “Prize of the Best” for juniors, where they each placed third in both qualifying classes. Clara Kohoutek from Württemberg took turns in the top spots with her horses Belinda FRH and Dark Dancer. Kohoutek is slated to ride both horses for the European Championship team. At the second selection event, the Future Champions in Hagen, Osing again took third place—though only in the team competition. She did not compete in the individual classification or the freestyle. However, her spot on the European Championship team was already secured.

Second Change to the Team

Just a few days ago, it was announced that Eve Catherine Bartels and Villeneuve would not be competing in Olomouc. Greta Louise Wagner and Vanessa H stepped in to take their place. Birte Nießing is now set to take the place of Ava Osing and Destacado, riding Destino (by Destano), a grandson of Desperados. The pair placed fifth at the “Prize of the Best.”

The team currently consists of:

• Clara Kohoutek (Baden-Württemberg) with Dark Dancer (Reserve: Belinda FRH)


• Martha Raupach (Weser-Ems) with Francis Drake OLD


• Birte Nießing (Westphalia) with Destino


• Greta Louise Wagner (Rhineland-Palatinate) with Vanessa H