Besides all the championship classes, the four-, five-, six- and seven-year-old dressage horses also came into the arena today, as well as the four-, five- and six-year-old ponies. Judge Danielle Joosten saw all the combinations in front of her in the arena and was very positive afterwards.

‘We saw a lot of really good young horses,’ enthuses Danielle Joosten, who had the privilege of judging together with Dominique Vanderhorst. ‘The quality was high. Some horses had some tension here and there because of the environment. It’s not a very easy arena either. But the riders all handled that very well.’

Good quality
The quality across the board was very good according to Danielle Joosten. ‘The four-year-olds really stood out.’ The win in this class was for Kevin Laevens and Urianto Van Den Dries (by Escamillo), they received a score of 83.400%. ‘But also the pony kids were very enthusiastic. They rode in the pouring rain with a big smile. It was a long day but it really was a beautiful day. Harmony really prevailed and that is always pleasant judging.’

Four-year-olds
Second place in the four-year-olds was for Justin Verboomen with Eragon (by Escamillo). They scored 82.000%. Third was Katrien Verreet with Foreign Affair (by Fürstenball)

Five-year-olds

1. Larissa Pauluis with Neros d’Hathor (by Kheops d’Hathor): 83.400%.
2. Laura Smet with Gatineau (by Guardian S): 79.800%.
3. Justin Verboomen with Fragolino (by Fürst Samarant): 78.200%.

Six-year-olds

1. Domien Michiels with Sunnyboy van de Kempenhoeve (by Don Deluxe): 83.600%.
2. Tom Franckx with Sandor Hit van ‘t Steenputtenhof (by Special Agent Amour): 81.000%.
3. Larissa Pauluis with Fanomen de Malleret (by Toto Junior): 80.600%.

Seven-year-olds

1. Patricia Mannaerts with Dalton (by Alwin 469): 76.682%
2. Pieter Foets with Romina v/h Kolisbos (by Glamourdale): 74.990%.
3. Elodie de Biolley with Maestro V.B. (by Daily Diamond): 73.054%.

All results

Photo’s: Digishots

After rain comes sunshine and a bright winner. In today’s big class, the Grand Prix, it was the very last combination to come away with the win. Flore de Winne sent her stallion Flynn FRH to victory in the Grand Prix class sponsored by Stephex.

‘I am quite satisfied with the ride, the two tempis went very well as did the passage and piaffe,’ Flore de Winne responded enthusiastically afterwards. The test was rewarded with a score of 72.370%, all judges placed De Winne in the lead.

‘That does really create a bond’
‘He has been with me for five years now. We started in the five-year-old tests, then the six-year-olds, seven-year-olds, the Small Tour and as an eight-year-old I already started him in the Grand Prix. It is my first Grand Prix horse for me and that does really create a bond,’ Flore praises her stallion. ‘We trust each other and we know each other. His ‘go’ is his biggest advantage of being a stallion.’

‘Happy to be here’
‘I am very lucky with the weather, I was able to ride in the sunshine. The accommodation here is beautiful, the stables are beautiful, which is very important to me. The arenas are beautiful and it’s a super nice environment. We are happy to be here.’ For De Winne, the BC is a preparation for the summer season with hopefully the Olympics as the crowning achievement. ‘Tomorrow in the Special I want to dare to do just a bit more, take a bit more risk than usual and see how that turns out.’

Top three Grand Prix
In second place was last year’s Belgian champion Larissa Pauluis with First-Step Valentin, they scored 71.370%, followed by Charlotte Defalque with Botticelli. Their test was rewarded with 70.304%.

Children
With a score of 78.286%, Charlott Blevi and Junior Hit overwhelmingly won the first test of the Belgian Children’s Championships. With just under three percent difference, Evelyne Dieltjes followed in second place. She sent her Lord Lucardi VD V to a score of 75.518%, also a top score. Third was Matthis de Baere with his Elle d’Edouard Joly (69.768%). A total of eight combinations took part.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ponies
As many as 23 pony combinations are competing for the title of Belgian champion. The first test was won by Helena Theeuwes and her Matteo 5. They scored 71.028%. In second place was Féline Verreet – de Booij and PAV Nikkei. Their performance was rewarded with 70.229%. Third was Alexine Herweyers, she rode her LeSch La Perla to a score of 68.914%.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Results
Photo: Digishots

It’s day two of the Belgian Dressage Championships and the entrance is for free today. So come over to Lier and support your favorite Belgian dressage riders.

On today’s program are the Small Tour, Big Tour, Ponies and Children. And the riders of the Diamant Cup and Briljant Cup are riding their second test.

Startlists and results
Free livestream

The Belgian championships in Lier from May 15 to May 19 are bound to offer beautiful and exciting sport. After all, the Belgian dressage sport is on the rise. While the top is getting wider, the quality of those top combinations is increasing. Flore De Winne and Larissa Pauluis recently proved it with their very successful participation in the World Cup final in Riyadh.

A large and strong field of competitors has entered the Belgian Big Tour championships. Larissa Pauluis won the title last year with Flambeau (by Ampère) and is now defending the title with her World Cup final horse First-Step Valentin (by Vitalis). Charlotte Defalque, winner of last year’s silver medal, is also competing with Botticelli, the Vivaldi son with whom she impressively won the Freestyle last year.

All eyes on De Winne
But many eyes will be on Flore De Winne with Flynn FRH (by Fahrenheit). Last year they finished fifth at the BCh, but after the great indoor season they went through, this duo is one of the favorites. In the World Cup Qualifier in Mechelen they achieved a podium place and in the World Cup Final they finished sixth amidst global competition.

Growth of Belgian dressage sports
In addition to the classes in the Big Tour, the Belgian titles in the ponies, Children, Juniors, Young Riders, U25 and Small Tour will of course be competed for. Eline Borrey De Coninck will defend her title in the Small Tour with Haressel (by Uphill). Laura Luyten won the U25 title last year with J2l Lamborghini (by Bravour B) and will compete in this class again this year. Jette de Jong is competing in the Young Riders with Heavenly Charming (by Charmeur), with whom she was the best in the Young Riders last year. The growth of the Belgian dressage sport is also evident from the increase in the number of participants in the Children. Last year three combinations competed and now eight combinations are competing for the Belgian title. Next to the championships classes there will be a competition for Iberian dressage horses as well. And of course the Briljant Cup, Diamant Cup and Platinum Cup.

Road works
The Belgian championships are organized by Belgian Dressage Events, an organization dedicated to promoting top dressage sports in Belgium. The event will take place at the magnificent venue of the Azelhof in Lier. Please notice the road works, you can read here more about it.

Startlists

 

Considering the fact that our equestrian society is passing through challenging times, as show organizers, we should be focused on finding the best solutions to make our sports better, as well as improving communication with the audience and media.

During CDI Lier, we had a chance to engage in dialogue with the media. In recent months, dressage has faced waves of criticism, and as we know, no field is perfect, and there are things we can definitely improve. On the other hand, social media and media, in general, sometimes show only one side of the story, which is not helpful in making our sports better. Therefore, the only way for us is to work together and to have respect for each other’s points of view.

Information and education are key, and our goal during CDI Lier was to establish dialogue between show organizers, veterinarians, coaches, riders and the media. This provided an opportunity to get answers to questions that are not often on the surface. We understand that this is only the beginning of the journey, but we truly hope that it was a good first step for the positive development of both our sports and unbiased media coverage. We should acknowledge the negatives but also highlight the positive aspects of our beautiful sports.