Indoor Friesland Leeuwarden: McLaren and Dinja van Liere Win at International Grand Prix Debut; Helen Langehanenberg Places with Two Horses
McLaren Wins at Its International Grand Prix Debut in Leeuwarden
from Jan Tönjes 
Dinja van Liere and McLaren, pictured here in ‘s-Hertogenbosch in the spring of 2026, won the Grand Prix in Leeuwarden. Photo: sportfotos-lafrentz.de It was his first international three-star competition, and he won it on his first try. The Oldenburg horse McLaren by Morricone, ridden by Dinja van Liere, won the CDI3* Grand Prix at Indoor Friesland in Leeuwarden. Last year, the pair had placed third in the Prix St. Georges at the same venue.
Not everything went perfectly, but there were some highlights in this debut on the international stage. The gorgeous bay horse already received scores of 8 on some sections. The 12th-place finisher at the World Championships in Aachen isn’t quite able to execute the piaffes as well as she will as she gains more experience.
There was a hiccup today in the two-jump flying changes. The single flying changes went well. A score of 69.478 percent was enough for the win. Marsja Dijkman and Beaujolais took second place, ahead of Swedish Olympic rider Antonia Ramel. She had brought along the Oldenburg gelding Mac Milan H, who, interestingly, has the same pedigree as the winner’s sire, Morricone. Both are by the Trakehner Millennium out of a De Niro dam.
Helen Langehanenberg: Debut in Leeuwarden
Helen Langehanenberg also returned to indoor competition for the first time this weekend. She had headed west to Leeuwarden in the Netherlands. At the CDI Indoor Friesland, she was one of the few non-Dutch riders competing. She had brought Daniela, a daughter of Damsey, for the Grand Tour.
The mare competed in her first indoor Grand Prix of the winter season, which is just beginning, and scored 67.717 percent for a technically flawless round. Her rider was very pleased with the result, as she later shared on Instagram. Daniela was apparently very impressed by the atmosphere in the large arena. However, she said the mare “listened to her very well.”
Langehanenberg had also brought a horse to Leeuwarden for the short course: the eight-year-old Trakehner Rosenprinz WRT. The son of Helium competed in the Prix St. Georges, where he placed third with a score of 69.902 percent; had he scored just seven points higher, it would have been an international victory. In the freestyle at the Intermédiaire I level the next day, both finished a close fourth.
