Ermelo (KNHS) – On Thursday the 13th and Saturday the 15th of July the selection rounds for the Dutch delegation to the Longines FEI/WBFSH World Breeding Dressage Championships for Young Horses were completed. On the beautiful site of the Dutch National Dressage Championships in Ermelo, six tickets to the world championships could be earned per age category. In the finals of the KNHS-SportsFit qualification round for the World Breeding Dressage Championships for Young Horses Adelinde Cornelissen proved to be a formidable opponent. The KWPN-approved stallions won all the age categories: at the five-year-olds Cornelissen and the Gelder stallion Henkie obtained the highest score and at the six-year-olds she did it again with Governor-STR. Kirsten Brouwer and the stallion Ferdeaux achieved the best result of the seven-year-olds.

“Very happy. I am very excited,” says Kirsten Brouwer enthusiastically about her victory with Ferdeaux. “Last year he was also ready for the world championships, but we ran into some bad luck. Ferdeaux hurt himself in the stable and an injury prevented us from going to the world championships. So it is great that we obtained a ticket now and that we compete in the World Breeding Dressage Championships for Young Horses this year. Ferdeaux is a such a talented horse with three excellent gaits and lots of expression. We had some small mistakes that cost us some points, so there is still room for improvement.”

Last year, Brouwer won silver with the KWPN-stallion Five Star, she also won bronze twice with KWPN-stallion Eyecatcher and gold with Dancer. “It would be great if things go well with Ferdeaux too this year.”

The jury was full of praise about the approved son of Bordeaux: a horse with a lot of quality, especially in his trot with great rhythm and suspension.

Mara de Vries and Farzana showed a lovely harmonious test, according to the jury. What really stood out was their talent for collection and freedom in the shoulder. Adelinde Cornelissen presented the full brother of her top horse Parzival, Fleau de Baian, in a strong performance. A lovely frame, friendly presented and great suspension, was the verdict of the judges. In addition, President’s First Apple with Patrick van der Meer, Fantastique with Lynne Maas and KWPN-stallion For Girbaldi with Dinja van Liere acquired a ticket to the World Breeding Dressage Championships for Young Horses.

 

Governor-STR

The appealing and talented KWPN-approved stallion Governor-STR ridden by Adelinde Cornelissen, was bestowed with the highest score of the six-year-olds. Last year, the pair reached the fifth position in the final for 5-year-olds and were the best placed Dutch combination in that age category. “Governor is getting stronger now. He has such a powerful rear motor. He is getting better and better in his self-carriage. It is such a pleasant horse to work with. He always heads in the right direction, there is nothing I can come up with that he could not do. In my eyes, Governer possesses all the qualities.” It is with confidence that Cornelissen looks forward to the World Breeding Dressage Championships For Young Horses in Ermelo from August 3-6. “Governor is another year older now and has gained strength and experience.”

The two jury teams praised the qualities of Governor-STR, son of Totilas and the mare Orleans, in her turn the full sister of Parzival: “An elegant, light-footed horse with a lot of ability in the basis gaits.” The canter was rewarded with a 9.5. “Lots of ability to collect, with length in the strides, uphill and great self-carriage,” explained the jury.

Jeanine Nieuwenhuis qualified herself for the World Championships with two horses. In the final, the impressive mare Great Lady TC received a 9.5 for her trot, that displayed ample tact, balance and carriage. Genua TC is the second ace of Nieuwenhuis, the chestnut is a son of Charmeur and the mare Toulouse, that is a full sister of the dam of Governor. The chestnut mare Guadeloupe-Beau won the bronze medal last year in the category for 5-year-olds, and has once again qualified herself with Kim van der Velden. KWPN-stallion Gunner KS and Dana van Lierop and Gaudi Vita with Joyce Heuitink complete the 6-year-olds delegation.

 

Henkie

For two days, he Gelder stallion Henkie made the biggest impression out of the five-year-olds. “Henkie is incredible,” says rider Adelinde Cornelissen. “At first, he showed off that he is a true stallion at the warming up terrain amongst the mares, but to be fair we are mids breeding season. He was a little bit distracted, that is something he still needs to learn to deal with. Henkie is such a powerhouse. An incredible horse to ride. To me, Henkie is a dressage horse. The fact that he is a Gelder breed, is irrelevant to me.” The walk is spacious and relaxed, his trots displays ample power and Henkie shows a great movement technique in the canter, were the comments of the jury.

Emmelie Scholtens has won many medals at the World Breeding Dressage Championships for Young Horses. Next month, she may represent our country with Hero. A beautiful, tall-framed horse that canters with a lot of power and tact and shows lots of suppleness in the trot, said the jury.

The charmin, work willing mare Hannelinde GLN may prove herself once again with Ainhoa Prada Ortiz. Furthermore, the five-year-olds will include the following Dutch representatives: Haute Couture with Dinja van Liere, Tarpania’s Hollywood with Marije van Kersbergen and Habibi DVB and Mara de Vries.

More information about the Longines FEI/WBFSH World Breeding Dressage Championships for Young Horses, from 3-6 August at the National Equestrian Centre in Ermelo can be found via: www.ermeloyh.com

(Photos Hippofoto.be)