Several European Young Riders saw their long endeavoured dream of participating at the 2002 European Young Riders Championships being shattered into a thousand pieces due to a malcommunication
between the FEI headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, and several national equestrian federations.
The F.E.I set up a new rule for junior and young riders which says that riders are obliged to compete at at least one international dressage competition and produce a score higher than 60% in the period of August 2001 and 3rd July 2002. This new FEI rule was communicated to the national equestrian federations throughout Europe early April 2002 but was never brought to the attention of its members, i.e. the riders/competitors.
For Holland, this "kafkaesque" blunder has resulted in the rejection of Danielle van Aalderen's participation at the European Championships aboard the Dutch stallion Inspekteur. Van Aalderen leased the dark bay gelding from trainer Coby van Baalen for a substantial amount of money for the 2002 dressage show season. The combination was extremely successful in The Netherlands but never competed abroad. The new rule implies for Van Aalderen that she can now only participate at the E.C. with her own recently injured horse Festivo, with whom she produced lower scores than with Inspekteur.
The incognito new FEI rule has more dramatic consequences for junior and young riders from Austria and Belgium. In Belgium, the KBRSF (Royal Belgian Equestrian Federation) nor chef d'equipe Leo Joosten brought the new rule to the attention of their young riders. Victims of this communication breakdown were Julie de Deken, Tom Franckx and Delphine Meiresonne. The latter also leased a highly talented mount from trainer Coby van Baalen in order to secure a position in the Belgian Young Riders team and to secure her participation at the European Championships. Aboard former gold medal winner Habibi (KWPN, by Ulft), 1998 European Pony Champion Meiresonne easily rode the necessary qualification scores for the Belgian team, but was never aware of the fact that she had to compete at one CDI show. Her participation at the CDI-JYR in Bilzen, Belgium, July 5 - 7 2002, no longer counts as international qualification show in regard to the uncommunicated FEI rule.
At the CDI Aachen, trainers became aware of this rule and its dramatic consequences and arranged for a special meeting with the FEI Dressage committee members. Johan Hinnemann and Coby van Baalen were spokesmen at this meeting but Mariette Withages, president of the FEI dressage commission, showed no mercy and was not willing to suspend the rule until 2003.
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