A winning Young Riders debut for European Juniors vice-champion Lana-Pinou Baumgürtel at CDI Lier

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The Young Riders were in full battle on day two of CDI Lier. It was another day full of amazing rides and great performances. Like Germany’s Lana-Pinou Baumgürtel and her Zinq Emma FH. These European Juniors vice champions were making their international Young Riders debut and secured victory today.

“It was an amazing feeling today. It’s my first time here and I love this competition, everything is very nice. I’ve had Emma for three years now. She had first a foal and we are both new at this level. Tomorrow is our first freestyle at this level and I’m really looking forward to it. I just want to ride a good test, not too many mistakes I hope.” Yesterday Lana came second and today she took the win with a score of 70.392%.

Two in a row
Junior rider Lilly Marie Collin made it two in a row today. “My horse is just a dream. I definitely didn’t expect this because I’m new to the Juniors. I’m riding my new freestyle tomorrow, I’m very happy to be able to ride it and to show it to the judges, so I’m very excited.” Lilly Marie Collin and Famous K FRH scored 73.431% today. “He’s a stallion but super sweet and super calm and such a lovely horse to ride. He always wants to do everything perfectly.”

Clinic with dressage legend Kyra Kyrklund
Tomorrow is Freestyle day and there will be a very exciting clinic with the Olympic dressage legend Kyra Kyrklund. Join us at Azelhof Equestrian Center or watch via the free livestream.

Results

First ever international win for Swedish Wynja Eriksdotter Rubin

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It’s unbelievable, it’s my first international win so it’s very very special”, sounds a very happy rider afterwards. With her 15-year-old El Diablo (by Zenon), Sweden’s Wynja Eriksdotter Rubin scored 70.735%. This put her ahead of Lana-Pinou Baumgürtel with Zinq Emma FH (by Escolar) and her Swedish companion Amanda Lindholm with Tiramisu (by Tailormade Temptation).

“This horse is just amazing, we had a long journey. He was not ready for like even Junior classes, so it has taken a lot of time and patience. I’ve known all the time that he is really good but now we can show it also in the arena.”

Pinch me moments
“He’s 15 years old, I’ve had him for three years and it’s his third international competition ever. Last year we did our first competition, which was in May and it didn’t go well,” Wynja laughs. “Then I decided we needed to train and get better at training to get better at competitions. So I didn’t compete for a few months. And when I felt ready, I did two national competitions, and they were good. When we went to an international competition again, I was also blown away. Because we scored over 70 percent every day. It was a pinch me moment, just like now winning this class. I don’t know what to say, I’m so proud.”

Swedish friends on stage
Wynja was joined in the awards ceremony by her Swedish friend Amanda Lindholm. “That’s really cool, because Amanda and I trained with the same trainer when we started, when we rode ponies. We follow each other for many years. So it can’t be better.” About CDI Lier, Wynja also has nice words. “It’s so beautiful here. I love the arena and the amazing facilities. I don’t want to go home.”

The first day of CDI Lier is almost over, the youth put their best foot forward today. With wonderful results we look forward to tomorrow.

Results Children, sponsored by Ruitersport Lydia Dehertoghe

  1. Lilli von Helldorff & Tropensonne: (79.982%)
  2. Ava Osing & Darjeeling 14 (77.643%)
  3. Greta Louise Wagner & Fashion Rose (77.607%)

Results Pony’s, sponsored by Ruitersport Lydia Dehertoghe

  1. Sofia Rosenkilde & DSP Cosmo Royale (72.333%)
  2. Feodora von Roeder & Morgensterns Delicius (72.286%)
  3. Sissi van Gijssen & New Star 8 (71.286%)

Results Juniors, sponsored by ClipMyHorse.TV België

  1. Lilly Marie Collin & Famous K FRH (73.373%)
  2. Alix von Borries & Feingefuehl (72.121%)
  3. Anna Peeters & Harlekin (70.202%)

Results Young Riders, sponsored by Stal de Muze / Joris de Brabander

  1. Wynja Eriksdotter Rubin & El Diablo (70.735%)
  2. Lana-Pinou Baumgürtel & Zinq Emma FH (70.588%)
  3. Amanda Lindholm & Tiramisu (70.147%)

Results U25, sponsored by Stal Verwimp

  1. Luca Sophia Collin & Fuhur 6 (72.010%)
  2. Amber van den Steen & Fame (69.951%)
  3. Kimberly Pap & Just A Dream-STRH (69.461%)

All results

CDI Lier welcomes World Champions

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With less than two weeks to go, the field of participants for the seventh edition of CDI Lier is known. A veritable invasion of world champions will travel to Azelhof Equestrian Center in Lier. From Tuesday, February 27 to Sunday, March 3, not only will these top combinations be enjoying themselves, but Kyra Kyrklund will also treat the public to two interesting clinics.

With reigning world champion Charlotty Fry and former world and Olympic champion Charlotte Dujardin, among others, the field of participants leaves nothing to be desired. In addition, two-fold world champion of the World Championship for Young Horses, Jovian, is making his international Grand Prix debut under Patrik Kittel. This has been eagerly awaited since the announcement of the rider change.

Belgian youth champions at the start
The youth is again welcome at CDI Lier this year. There will be classes for the international Pony, Children, Juniors, Young Riders and U25 combinations. They get a great opportunity to ride in the international spotlight and prepare for the youth European Championships this summer. Almost all reigning Belgian youth champions will appear at the start.

Biggest Indoor dressage competition of the world
“I am very pleased with the large number of starts. Looking at the number of starts in the 3* and 4* Grand Prix, we can even call ourselves the biggest indoor dressage competition in the world. A total of 220 horses are coming and we even have a waiting list”, Chairman Wim Verwimp enthused. “CDI Lier is important for many riders leading up to the Paris Olympics this summer and it’s fantastic to see more and more bigger names coming to the start of CDI Lier. This is definitely going to make for great sport, both for the competitors and for the public who are of course very welcome.”

British Olympic team present
Jovian and Patrik Kittel, who appear at the start of the 3*-Grand Prix Tour, will have competition from Charlotte Fry and Nespresso, Charlotte Durjadin and Alive and Kicking and Richard Davidson and Interno, with whom almost the entire British Olympic team will travel to CDI Lier. Other big names competing include Germany’s Dorothee Schneider, Australia’s Kirsty Oatley, France’s Morgan Barbançon, the Dutch Hans Peter Minderhoud and Sweden’s Juliëtte Ramel and Therese Nilshagen, as well as reigning Belgian champion Larissa Pauluis. In total, participants from 20 countries will compete.

Dressage clinics with Kyra Kyrklund
On Thursday afternoon and Sunday afternoon, none other than Kyra Kyrklund will be coming to provide an interesting dressage clinic. This Olympic dressage legend will give some of her valuable insights to all dressage fans in Lier.

New date Belgian Dressage Championship is set

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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.

Eline Borrey De Coninck conquers the title of Belgian Small Tour Champion

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Eline Borrey De Coninck couldn’t believe her luck after her freestyle for the Belgian Small Tour Championship. With her sweet gelding Haressel (v. Uphill) she showed a nice test and the score of 74.865% was enough to assure her of the gold medal. Cyriel de Cocker also achieved a god score of 74.155% with his Jillz Urona and this ensured that he received the silver medal. The bronze went to Sophie van Lent-Baetens and Nea’s Jacky O.

The fact that Eline won the championship title had a special touch. Her partner Thomas Eyckmans is part of the organization of Belgium Dressage Events, the driving force behind this championship, and the honouring of Eline aroused many emotions. Eline was also very happy with her title: “It went very well this week. In the recent months we have been able to raise our level a lot. Since I started training at Wim Verwimp things are really going much better and our scores in our tests have gone up. You hope to be able to confirm that this week during a multi-day competition and that succeeded. It was only the third time that Haressel and I rode this freestyle, but he felt good and this horse really always does his best for me. I am very happy!”

Three titles in a row for Larissa Pauluis in Big Tour

She did it again! Larissa Pauluis is the Belgian Champion in the Big Tour. It’s the third title in a row for Pauluis: In 2021 she won the title with Flambeau, in 2022 she did the same with First-Step Valentin and this year she was simply the best again with Flambeau. After the prizegiving, team captain of the Belgium dressage team Jeroen van Lent made the announcement that Larissa will get a starting place in the 5* competition at CHIO Aken. This was the cherry on the cake for Larissa, who was very happy!

Charlotte Defaulque was the winner of the freestyle today with her Botticelli with 87.060% and she won the silver medal of the Belgian Championships. She also got a starting place for Aken, for the 4* competition. The third place in the Freestyle and the bronze medal was for Laurence Roos and her Fil Rouge.

Beautiful dressage week

With this day full of freestyle finals, we close a great week at Azelhof in Lier. The organization enjoyed the riders, the horses, the good atmosphere among the audience and of course the beautiful weather. Thank you!

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
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Livestream

Photo: Digishots

Emotional Clara Collard honoured as Belgian Junior Champion

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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.

Startlists/results
Pictures
Livestream

Photo: Digishots

Platina, Briljant and Diamant Cup provide beautiful podiums

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This week during the Belgian Championships in Lier three different cups were held: the Platina Cup (Inter I & II), Briljant Cup (Small Tour) and the Diamant Cup (level 4). Today the freestyle finals took place and this resulted in beautiful podiums.

In the Platina Cup it was Nick van de Laer who came out as the overall winner. He won the competition with his Jack Daniels N (v. Apache) and was allowed to enter the highest step of the podium. Nick after his victory: “Everything went better than expected during this competition. I’ve only been working with Jack Daniels at this level for a very short time and we debated for quite a long time whether or not we should enter him for the Platina cup. At the last minute we decided to do it anyway and it worked out well. Our freestyle was also made quite last minute and that test was therefore still a bit unfamiliar, but it felt good. I am very happy with this result and with the feeling that Jack Daniels gives me.” Isabel Cool and Herr Charmeur Coolhorses won the silver medal and Katrien Verreet and Oblix van de Kempenhoeve took the bronze.

Nothing but wins for Domien Michiels
Domien Michiels and his beautiful gray stallion Panthero van de Vogelzang (v. Belantis) were in good shape in this competition. In the Briljant Cup they convincingly won all three tests and Domien therefore received the gold medal today. Claudia Dorpmans and Bravo Benico won the silver and Eline Borrey De Coninck took the bronze with her Dollar.

Exciting Diamant Cup
In the Diamant Cup, the top 3 riders were able to put each other to the test until the very end. It was Saidja Brison who came out as the winner of the ranking: today she won the freestyle with her Ladykiller (v. Glamourdale) and she also took the gold medal. She was closely followed by Jorinde Verwimp and Rose Belle, who finished second in this competition. The bronze medal went to Yasmine Es-Salehy and VRDS Nea’s Donna Qizara.

Jette de Jong unbeatable in Young Riders Class

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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

Double top 3 ranking for Larissa Pauluis in BC Big Tour

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Larissa Pauluis had a very successful evening in Lier. During the second part of the Belgian Big Tour Championship she won with Flambeau (73.362%) and with her second trump First-Step Valentin she achieved a nice third place (71.192%) in the Grand Prix Special.

“I feel like yesterday was one of the best Grand Prix tests I’ve done with Flambeau so far. Today Flambeau was a bit sharper and that made it more difficult to get through the test without mistakes. It’s a shame about the (big) mistakes that crept in, but I’m still happy with him. The scores are going up and he is developing better and better, especially in the last few months he has made a lot of progress. I think I need another year with him and then I will have him 100% ready the way I want it to be, and then he will really be a top Grand Prix horse.”

Second asset
Pauluis has a very nice second trump card in the Heavy Tour with her First-Step Valentin. “Valentine’s test today was already a lot better than yesterday. He has shown his enormous qualities so far mainly at home in training, but the tests are also getting better. He also needs some time to develop and to get more focus, which is not always easy for him as a stallion. But I feel that he is also a promise for the future.”

Third place in the Grand Prix Special today went to Amandine Prevost and her Quaterdance, this combination achieved a score of 71.915%. Tomorrow the Big Tour riders have a rest day, on Sunday they determine the podium places of the overall Belgian Championship with the Freestyle to music.

Special Belgian Championship for Laura Luyten

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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