A month ago, the Belgian Dressage Championships were in full competition. With wonderful champions in the seniors and youth, the very well attended event closed extremely satisfactorily. The new date for next year is known, write 15 to 19 May 2024 in your diary and make sure you are there.

Chairman Wim Verwimp looks back on the event with a very good feeling: “It was five days of beautiful sport. The venue in Lier has everything you need to organize an event at this level. The permanent stables are fantastic, of course, but also the whole entourage. Of course, we as an organization still have plenty of ideas and wishes. We will work on those for the next edition.”

The venue looked championship-worthy and that did not go unnoticed by the public either. “You notice that dressage sport is becoming more and more alive in Belgium. This is also evident from the ever-growing audience that comes to enjoy the sport. I am sure we will be able to welcome more people again next year during the BC. We as an organization are certainly looking forward to it!”, Wim Verwimp concludes.

For the latest news, visit www.belgiumdressageevents.be.

She was visibly emotional when she realized she was the new Belgian Junior Champion. Clara Collard performed very well this week with her Escape, in the final freestyle today they were also way ahead of the competition with a score of 76.785%. Just like the other days, Anna Peeters finished in the second place with Harlekin with 74.630% and she received the well-deserved silver medal. The third prize (72.845%) and the bronze medal went to Xyliana De Rover and Hamlet.

We spoke to Clara just before the prize-giving ceremony: “I can’t put into words how happy I am, what a great week this has been. It’s the first time I’ve set a personal best in all three tests and I’m so happy I managed to get a gold medal with Eclipse at my last Belgian Junior Championship.”

Very grateful for Eclipse
When she talks about her horse Eclipse, Clara immediately gets emotional again: “Eclipse is a really great horse, he does everything for me and I am so grateful to be able to do this with him. He is my first horse after the ponies and he makes all my dreams come true. I really hope that I can go to the European Championships with him this year and then I want to start Young Riders. I also have a six-year-old horse that we are training at the moment, and I am also looking forward to the future with him.”

Exceptional performance Jette de Jong
Jette de Jong had a very special Belgian Championship with two of her horses from her parents’ own breeding. She competed Heavenly Charming (by Charmeur) and Indini (by Chippendale) at the Young Riders class and she managed to finish as number one and two in both ranking and the final Freestyle. She chose Heavenly Charming as her final horse and with him she was honored as Belgian Champion Young Riders. Zoe Niessen and her black beauty Felitia received the silver medal and the bronze went to Louise Brauwers and Jerveaux de Baian.

Laura Luyten champion U25
Laura Luyten became Belgian Champion at the U25. She competed in this championship with three own bred horses, all out of the same mare. Lamborghini J2L (by Bravour B) was her trump card for the U25 and after winning the Freestyle with 74.310%, Laura received the gold medal. The silver medal in the U25 competition went to Lauranne Lammens with Hilcara Van het Vijverbos and bronze went to Suraya Hendrikx with Dear Friend 2.

For the riders
Our photographer Leanjo de Koster of Digishots is here to capture all the thrills and spills. You can check out and order the pictures via www.digishots.nl.

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Jette de Jong performed extremely well for the second day in a row, she won the first and second prize in the Young Riders class. In the individual test she won the first prize with Heavenly Charming (by Charmeur) with 73.853% and with Indini (v. Chippendale) she became second with 72.500%.

“Of course, it would be almost crazy if I said something else, but so far I’m really happy with how this championship is going. You hope in advance that it goes as well as possible and the horses were both in good shape, but you don’t expect to finish in 1st and 2nd place for two days in a row, that is very special.”

Own breeding products
Tomorrow Jette will ride the final with both horses and with one of the two she will of course compete for the Belgian Championship Young Riders. “Heavenly and Indini were both bred by my parents so I’ve known them since they were born, which means I know them inside out. Heavenly was trained by my mother, she competed him in the Small Tour when he was 7. With Indini I did most of the training myself, he is also a bit younger and still needs some time to develop. With Indini I therefore want to start Young Riders for the time being and with Heavenly I hope to be able to ride U25 by next year.” The top 3 of the Young Riders was completed by Louise Brauwers and Jerveaux de Banain, they scored 70.294%.

Liezel Everars unbeatable in the pony class
Liezel Everars scored a nice hat-trick, by winning all three tests of the pony class. In the final freestyle to music she scored no less than 78.875% with her beautiful appearance Fs Capelli De Niro and this was more than enough to be honoured as Belgian Champion. With a score of 76.125%, Anne Peeters took the second place again with Balotelli 2 and she received the silver medal for the Belgian Championship. The bronze medal in the championship went to Sophia Leo and Biebosschen Dolino EC.

Hat trick for Evelyne Dieltjens
Evelyne Dieltjens also managed to score a hat-trick during this week and she was honoured as Belgian Champion Children with her Bonaire van de Mottelhoeve. Evelyne: “I was a bit nervous to ride here because it is my first Belgian Championship, but it went very well and I am very happy with the tests I was able to ride. I also find it very special that Bonaire used to be my mom’s horse and that he is now back with us. He was sold to Italy, but he came back six months ago and then I started riding him.” Leontine Lemmens and her BWP gelding Erpedo Vd Performing Stables won the silver medal.

Juniors
In the Individual Test of the Juniors, the top three was exactly the same as the first day. Clara Collard won the class with Escape with 74.206% and is therefore in a good position for tomorrow’s final. Anna Peeters and Harlink took the second place with 73.059% and Xyliana de Rover and Hamlet finished in the third place with 70.765%.

You are invited
We still have a nice day full of beautiful dressage sport ahead of us and the weather forecast also looks good. As a spectator you are very welcome in Lier. From up to and including Sunday 29 May, the entrance fee is 10 euros per person. Via the website and the social media channels of Belgium Dressage Events, you find the timetable, starting lists, results, list of participants, the livestream and off course the latest news.

For the riders
Our photographer Leanjo de Koster of Digishots is here to capture all the thrills and spills. You can check out and order the pictures via www.digishots.nl.

Startlists/results
Pictures
Livestream

Photo: Digishots

Yesterday they became second during the first part of the U25 Belgian Championship, today they won their class! Laura Luyten and J2l Lamborghini scored 70.436% in the Grand Prix test, staying ahead of the competition.

“It went really well in the ring today so I’m very happy. I enjoyed my test as I’d hoped and I don’t think it could have gone much better. We bred Lamborghini ourselves and I have been riding him since he was 3 years old, he is a super nice horse, especially because he likes to compete and always wants to work really hard for you.”

All three BC trumps out of the same mother
Not only Lamborghini comes from the breeding program of her parents, but also the other two horses she competes during this BC. These horses are Lotus Elan J2L (by Ferdeaux) with whom she starts Level 4, and Small Tour horse J2L Impressive Star (by Charmeur). And what makes it extra special: these three horses all have the same mother! “The horses I brought to this championship all come from our San Remo mare Zafeda. She is our favorite broodmare, because she always gives nice, cooperative sport horses that are nice to ride and forward. To be able to ride here with three of her offspring is very special!”

Nice percentages for Juniors, Ponies and Children
In the Juniors, the victory in the first part of the championship went to the strong riding Clara Collard. With Espace she scored 73.424% and this combination ended the test well ahead of the competition. Second place was Anna Peeters with Harlekin (72.515%) and third prize was for Xyliana De Rover with Hamlet (69.455%).

In the Individual Pony Test it was again Liezel Everars who took the win. With her Fs Capelli De Niro she scored 75.297% and she again managed to stay well ahead of the number two, Anna Peeters with Balotelli (72.000%). Sophia Leo and Biebosschen Dolino EC won the third prize with 70.919%.

Evelyne Dieltjens also had a good score with her Bonaire van de Mottelhoeve. In the Children section this beautiful combination achieved 75.600%. Just like yesterday, the second prize was for Leontine Lemmens and Erpedo Vd Performing Stables with 65.975%.

Jette de Jong class of her own in the Young Riders
Today the Young Riders started their championship and Jette de Jong was a class of her own. She managed to win the test with Heavenly Charming with 72.294% and she came second with her Indini with 72.147%. The top three was completed by Zoë Niessen and Felitia, who scored 70,000%.

Eline Borrey De Coninck takes revenge
Yesterday they finished second, today Eline Borrey De Coninck and Haressel were placed first. With 72.118% they were the convincing winners of the Inter I class, the second part of the Belgian Championship for the Small Tour. Laura Luyten took her place on the second step of the podium, her test with J2L Impressive Star was rewarded with 70.294%. The third prize today went to yesterday’s winners, Sophie van Lent-Baetens and Nea’s Jacky O with 70.118%.

High scores for the young horses
After they were allowed to make a practice round in the track yesterday under the guidance of Gert Jan van Olst, today the Young Horses tests were ridden as a competition. Obligado (by Incognito) and Katrien Verreet came out on top with 79 points in the 4-year-old class, followed by Gatineau (by Guardian S) and Laura Smet with 76 points. The 5-year-olds scored well: with 83.6 points, Sacramento vd Bloemenhof (by Secret) and Suraya Hendrikx took the lead, followed by Netallic Coolhorses (by Franklin) and Isabel Cool with 82.6 points.

The 6-year-old class was won by Reliv Van ’t Amarylishof (by Ferdeaux) and Lore Vandenborne with no less than 86 points, followed by Rianta Van de Kempenhoeve (by Indian Rock) and Amber Heidbuchel with 80 points. Quinten Begijnhoeve (by Heros Begijnhoeve) and Tommie van Puijenbroek-Visser scored particularly well in the 7-year-olds, with 74.436%. Second place was Liviah Diar (by Johnson) with Katrien Verreet with 71.275%.

You are invited
We still have a few very nice days full of beautiful dressage sport ahead of us and the weather forecast also looks good. As a spectator you are very welcome in Lier. From up to and including Sunday 29 May, the entrance fee is 10 euros per person. Via the website and the social media channels of Belgium Dressage Events, you find the timetable, starting lists, results, list of participants, the livestream and off course the latest news.

For the riders
Our photographer Leanjo de Koster of Digishots is here to capture all the thrills and spills. You can check out and order the pictures via www.digishots.nl.

Startlists/results
Pictures
Livestream

Photo: Digishots

She came, she saw and she conquered! Liezel Everars confidently rode her Fs Capelli De Niro into the arena during the Team Test of the Belgian Championship for Ponies. All five judges highly appreciated the harmonious and consistent ride and on average, the combination achieved a top score of no less than 75.457%.

 “I am very happy with my test today and with how well Capelli did his best for me again. It’s really a very sweet pony and he always puts in his best effort, I think it’s very special that he keeps doing that every time. Capelli already gives me a lot of confidence during the warm-up, so that I can enter the arena with a good feeling.” In addition to the Belgian Championship for the Ponies, Liezel will also ride the first test this morning with her Junior horse Vigo Gold NA: “I am very excited to start my first Junior Championship with Vigo. I have already competed nationally with him a few times and we have won all those competitions so far, so I am curious how it will go here.” The second place went to Anna Peeters, she scored 70.200% with her Balotelli 2. Emilie Herweyers & LeSch La Perla won the third prize with 69.114%.

Small Tour top 3 riders evenly matched
In a field of no less than 36 competitors in the Small Tour, the top three was putting each other to the test. With 71,000%, Sophie van Lent-Baetens was placed on the top of the rankings with her classy mare Nea’s Jacky O. They won the Prix st. George test and that gives them a good starting point for the following parts of the Belgian Championship for the Small Tour. Eline Borrey De Coninck and her gelding Haressel won the second prize with 70.588% and the top three was completed by Laurence Roos and Kingston, with 70.059%.

Lammens in the lead in the U25
In the U25 group Lauranne Lammens was in the lead. She scored 69.647% together with her Hilcara Van het Vijverbos in the Inter II test. The second place was for Laura Luyten with J2l Lamborghini with 69.029% and the third place for Britt Baranyai and her Buffon, with 67.677%.

Select group of Children
The Children class consisted of a select group, with the numbers one and two very evenly matched. The win was for Evelyne Dieltjens with Bonaire van de Mottelhoeve, they scored 70.179%. They were closely followed by Leontine Lemmens with Erpedo Vd Performing Stables, with 70.125%.

Best for last in the Grand Prix
Larissa Pauluis and Flambeau (v. Ampere) were the very last combination to enter the arena today in Lier. They showed a well-finished and expressive Grand Prix test and convincingly won the class with 73.956%. The second place was for Laurence Roos with her BWP gelding Fil Rouge with 70.957% and Charlotte Defalque and Botticelli took the third prize with 70.696%.

You are welcome
We still have a few very nice days full of beautiful dressage sport ahead of us and the weather forecast also looks good. As a spectator you are very welcome in Lier. From up to and including Sunday 29 May, the entrance fee is 10 euros per person. Via the website and social media channels of Belgium Dressage Events you will find the program, start lists, results, lists of participants and of course all the latest news.

For the riders
Our photographer Leanjo de Koster of Digishots is here to capture all the thrills and spills. You can check out and order the pictures via www.digishots.nl.

Startlists/results
Pictures
Livestream

Photo: Digishots