Thursday May 4th, the second selection moment for the WC Young Dressage Horses was organised in Ermelo. This time, at the main arena that will form the center of the national championships this weekend. Johan Hamminga: “We are very pleased with the young talent on both the horses’ and riders’ side!”

The selection committee that will determine this year’s delegation to the World Dressage Breeding Championships for Young Horses consists of Johan Hamminga, Floor Dröge and Veronique Roerink. Johan Hamminga recaps: “Yesterday, the riders were asked to present their horses in the Final Dressage Test, now in the main arena of the National Championships. Beautiful surroundings and immediately a good opportunity for the combinations to get a sense of the atmosphere of a big championship. This was a perfect learning experience for these young horses, and we were positively surprised how relaxed and easy they performed their test here.”

Generous selection

“We have made a generous selection as it is still a long road to the WC in September. With over four months to go, it is wise to not make a too strict selection. Anything can happen in such a period and horses can go through quite a hefty development in the positive sense. We do not know what the other countries will bring to the table, but this group definitely has the potential to compete among the top, talking in terms of talent of both riders and horses.”

Double young talent

It is worth mentioned how many young riders are participating in this selection. “We are very happy to see these young riders, we need new talent. New Dinjas and Adelindes are more than welcome, and they deserve a shot. That’s another reason to be generous in the selection, it provides more riders and horses the opportunity and let them grow into that level. That’s even more important in the 5- and 6-year-old categories than it is for the seven-year-olds, those are gone next year. The combinations in the first two classes may be a tad to green this year, but they might be very interesting for the next. The experience these combinations then gain this year may prove to be very valuable next season. In the end, it is also about supporting the youth, giving them a chance to get a taste of this level and this type of competitions. Young horses and young riders make double young talent”, enthuses Johan Hamminga.

Learning experience

The selection trajectory provides with plenty of learning moments, not only through the requested exercises and the locations where combinations can gain experience, but especially because of the feedback of the selection committee. During the first selection, riders also received some tips and yesterday it was time for the selection committee to observe how they handled those. “The riders had listened to our tips and clearly tried their best to show this in the test as much as possible. All participants rode a test yesterday and we judged it according to the FEI-rules. We have tried to note all the positives and the aspects that deserve some extra attention onto the protocol. The follow-up phase shall, among others, feature a technical training, a test-oriented training, and a training competition. These are probably scheduled on multiple days, the exact sequence and data will be announced,” concludes Johan Hamminga. 

An overview of the selected horses for each age category:

5-year-olds:

• Mister Maserati (v.Toto JR) ridden by Diederik van Silfhout
• My Precious (v.Ferguson) ridden by Kirsten Brouwer
• My 7th Sunday (v.In Style) ridden by Renate van Uytert- van Vliet
• Montrachet (v.Glock’s Toto JR.) ridden by Saskia van Es
• Mauro Turfhorst (v.Zonik) ridden by Dinja van Liere
• Mr Magnum BTH (v.Expression) ridden by Annemijn Boogaard
• Maxson (v.Johnson) ridden by Charlotte Fry
• Mission (v.Eye Catcher) ridden by Femke de Laat
• Hexagon’s Gorgeous Black Art (v.Glock’s Toto JR.) ridden by Beni Pachl
• Maddox Mart (v.Hennessy) ridden by Jessica Thomas
• Mercurius ACM (v.Dream Boy) ridden by Amber Hage

 

6-year-olds:

• Linskymorijke (v.Negro) ridden by Mariëlle Spierings
• First Lewis (v.Ferguson) ridden by Aitor Escamilla Bravo
• Labarron (v.For Romance) ridden by Dinja van Liere
• Lightning Star (v.Ferguson) ridden by Kirsten Brouwer
• Lennoxwaard (v.El Capone) ridden by Kirsten Brouwer
• Lord Platinum (v.Ferguson) ridden by Curro Benitez Sanchez
• Las Vegas (v.Ferdaux) ridden by Emmelie Scholtens
• Leonidas (v.Trafalgar) ridden by Dinja van Liere
• Luqiedo (v.Aqiedo) ridden by Adelinde Cornelissen
• Hexagon’s Luxuriouzz (v.Johnson) ridden by Beni Pachl
• Lennox U.S. (v.Grand Galaxy Win) ridden by Jill Bogers

 

7-year-olds:

• Kyando (v.Arlando K) ridden by Diana van de Bovenkamp
• Kind Pleasure (v.Governor) ridden by Femke de Laat
• Kenzo (v.Glamourdale) ridden by Diederik van Silfhout
• Killer (v.George Clooney) ridden by Marten Luiten
• Kyton (v.Ferguson) ridden by Bert Veeze
• Kunz (v.Ferguson) ridden by Najami Voogd
• Koko JR de la Fazenda (v.Glock’s Toto JR.) ridden by Thalia Rockx
• Keano RS2 (v.Governor) ridden by Marieke van der Putten
• Kuvasz RS2 (v.Glamourdale) ridden by Marieke van der Putten
• Kjento (v.Negro) ridden by Charlotte Fry

Schematic view selection process
Provisions for selection (in Dutch)

Source: KWPN
Photo Charlotte Fry & Maxson -  Timo Martis