The pressure was high and the longing great, Flore de Winne managed to live up to all expectations with Flynn FRH and just won gold at the Belgian Dressage Championships. It is her very first national title in the seniors and it seems the ideal preparation for the Olympics in Paris.

The combination has already had quite successful months and victory in the championship seemed a logical extension of that. With victory in the Grand Prix, Grand Prix Special and Freestyle, Flore de Winne was unbeatable this weekend. ‘Crazy!’, laughs Flore de Winner. ‘I never thought this, I’m standing there between two routinesmen who have been on that podium so many times before and now I come in between them as a little dummy. That’s really incredible though.’

‘He always got my back’
Her performance in the freestyle was rewarded with a score of 78.900%. ‘Surely the best thing about Flynn is his will, he really wants so much. I found him a bit tired today, it’s also been a long time since he’s competed three tests, usually it’s two. So I missed that sparkle today, maybe more for my feeling than for the sight. He keeps doing his job, that horse always got my back,’ sounds a proud rider. ‘He really likes doing the job.’ The sparkle was not missed by the audience though, after the test there was a loud cheer and lots of applause for the brand new champion.

Eyes on Paris
Asked how eager Flore was, she replied, ‘Eager, super eager! That’s really fantastic, that we were able to finish it. That was my worst nightmare anyway, that it would fail. It’s still an animal, of course, so you never know in the end. But he has never let me down before and he’s not letting me down now either.’ For now, Flynn FRH gets a rest and goes out to field. ‘After that we will either go to Rotterdam or to Aachen and then hopefully to Paris, which is the ultimate. We’re really looking forward to that.’

‘Super nice event’
About the organisation of the Belgian Championships, Flore de Winne is super enthusiastic: ‘It was great, we were lucky today with the weather. Everything was very well managed, a super nice event. For the horses everything was fine, top stables. Really well organised.’ We are only too happy to take these words from the new Belgian champion.

Top 3
Next to her on the podium was Larissa Pauluis, she scored 76.535% in her freestyle with First Step Valentin to secure silver. Bronze was for Charlotte Defalque and her Botticelli, after she scored 76.310% in the freestyle.

Results

Photo: Digishots

‘A dream come true, still a bit surreal. It has yet to sink in,’ said a very happy champion. After bronze and silver, it is now gold for Lauranne Lammens at the Belgian U25 Championships, her first national title with her dancing partner in crime: Hilcara van het Vijverbos.

The 17-year-old mare has a special spot in Lauranne Lammens’ her heart. She told us earlier that the mare has been in her life for 12 years, half of Lauranne’s life. ‘This is everything, really everything. The breeder was here who has followed us all the years from level 1, 2, 3, to national. I’m really very proud of her. We have bronze, silver and then this year gold. Hilcara is my faithful dance partner, sticking with me and being patient with me all these years. She deserves it, as so does the breeder and the whole team.’

‘I see myself as an underdog’
The top four were very close together, so the ladies were very much in competition. With a win on the first day and victory in the freestyle, the gold was for Lauranne Lammens. Her freestyle was rewarded with a score of 74.550%. ‘We had started really well this week and were able to keep that up. Every day I was like ‘okay, today it is going to be over, enjoy it while it lasts that you are first’. And then finish it, that’s fantastic.’ The modest rider gives all the credits to her horse. ‘I keep seeing myself as an underdog all these years. That I couldn’t keep up with the others. Also this year with so many strong combinations. The top five would have been good for me beforehand and with the top three I would already be very happy and then suddenly finding that we can come out on top, that’s a giga feeling. Hilcara has all the confidence I don’t have. She comes the ring and thinks, ‘Look at me, I’ll do a dance here’. That’s really the nicest feeling, that you feel she’s growing in the ring and thinks ‘yes, I’ll do that’.

At home in the saddle
The medal chances did make the race extra exciting for Lauranne Lammens. But she still managed to enjoy herself along the way. ‘Once that music starts, it works. I always try to ride my own test. On the rest I have no control, how others do it or what the judges think. When I’m in the saddle I do feel at ease. Then I am home again.’ The 17-year-old mare still looks super fit. ‘She still feels very fresh and youthful, as long as she can enjoy it and she feels like it we will continue. The day she shows now it’s enough, then I’m going to respect that too.’

Top 3
Silver went to Suraya Hendrikx and Dear Friend 2, their freestyle was rewarded with 74.255%. Bronze was for Amber van den Steen and Fame, they came fourth in the freestyle with 73.495%.

Results

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The battle in the Juniors was not a done deal and all chances for the title were still open. That made the opening class of the day extra exciting. The new Belgian Junior Champion is Xyliana de Rover, with her Hamlet dancing through her freestyle on her way to gold.

‘It’s very special and not expected,’ Xyliana de Rover responded afterwards about winning her very first national title. ‘I hadn’t come here thinking I was going to win, so this is a nice surprise.’ The 17-year-old rider has been a combination with Hamlet, an 11-year-old son of Quadroneur, for four years. ‘Hamlet is very special and very sweet. But there is definitely a spicy side to it that is not always very easy. I’m glad he did well here.’ She never expected to reach this level with him. ‘Because he was very difficult as a young horse.’

European Championship aspirations
Her freestyle was judged with 72.710%, which earned her second place in the results of the freestyle, and was enough to win the championship. ‘I had a very good freestyle, a few finishing faults but they will go out. I am very satisfied. I was also able to ride fine on the other days.’ It is the second year at the Juniors for Xyliana de Rover. ‘I hope for a European Championship place, that would be nice,’ she said. She was previously part of the European Championship team in the Children and Juniors. Last year, she did the same with Hamlet.

Top 3
The freestyle was won by Amber Hennes and KeukenGeens Allegro v/h Trichelhof. They were rewarded with a score of 73.555%. In the championship, that earned them the bronze medal. Silver went to Anna Peeters and Harlekin, they came fourth in the freestyle with a score of 71.815%.

Results

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The first Belgian title is a fact! 13-year-old Evelyne Dieltjens has just been crowned Belgian Children champion. ‘This is really nice!’, she enthused afterwards. After two wins, Dieltjens outclassed everyone and can call herself Belgian champion for a year.

‘I didn’t expect this beforehand. I have not been riding Lord Lucardi for so long, only since February. And I nicked him from my mother,’ laughs the brand-new champion. Not a bad swap considering the success. ‘Lord Lucardi has a very sweet character and is a very sweet horse,’ Evelyne Dieltjens praises her eight-year-old horse.

Fantastic score
Asked how she looks back on her test, the champion is critical: ‘I had made some small mistakes which I did regret, but fortunately I recovered and continued riding well.’ Her test was judged with the fantastic score of 75.625%, putting Evelyne almost 4 per cent ahead of number two, Charlott Blevi with Junior Hit. She scored 71.908%. Number three, Frauke Stas sent her Lieke S.A. to 68.130% and the bronze medal, in the class sponsored by Paardensport Vlaanderen.

On to the European Championships
This is Evelyne’s second year riding in the Children, last year she participated in the European Championships with her horse Bonaire van de Mottelhoeve. With the Belgian title, she has at least once again put herself in the spotlight with the national coach. ‘I am hoping for the European Championships this summer and for the rest we still have to see where else we will participate,’ she said.

Results

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It has been quite a successful week for Zoë Niessen at the Belgian Championships. She managed to qualify for the freestyle final of the Diamant Cup with three horses and just now she was honoured as the overall winner as well as occupying second and fourth place. ‘It’s really absolutely fantastic and didn’t expect this,’ she said.

Zoë Niessen entered the Diamant Cup with relatively inexperienced horses, but that did not stand in the way of her success. None of the three horses had been to a multi-day competition before. ‘The atmosphere is good, the arenas are super nice and it is nicely decorated. Really nicely done and super organised. The horses learn a lot here,’ Zoë Niessen praises the organisation.

Without expectations
Her winning horse is Fascinize (by For Romancier), or Fred. ‘I’ve been riding Fred for three months now, so not that long yet. We came here with no expectations because he has never run a big competition before or been away from home for several days. And then he just does a fantastic job every day. Especially also the second day, when there was water in the arena and he loved that exactly. He tried super hard.’ She came second in the final standings with Je Suis Special (by Charmeur). There was third place for Justin Verboomen with his horse Bollinger (by Bon Coeur).

First U25 year
The 21-year-old rider has already ridden three junior European Championships herself, twice in the ponies and once in the Young Riders. ‘This is my first U25 year, yesterday I came fourth, so that’s not such a bad start. That horse is also only nine years old and it’s the first multi-day competition for that horse too.’ She is competing in the Belgian U25 Championships with Kumbaya (by Governor).

Niessen not bored
In total, Zoë Niessen has five horses with her, and boredom is not one of them. ‘I naturally hope to get as far as possible with these horses and remain successful. And of course that they continue to enjoy the work, that is the most important thing. Lots of variety, jumping, going out for hacks a bit. And out to field, of course.

Results

Photo: Digishots