Four European Riders To Compete at 2015 Florida International Dressage Youth Festival

Shows

2015 CDI-W Wellington

Four National and European Champion youth riders from Belgium, Germany, and The Netherlands will be making the journey across the Atlantic to compete at two international shows in Wellington in March 2015. Dana van Lierop, Rosalie Bos, Antonia Arl and Vivien Niemann will be increasing the international presence and level of competition in the Young Rider and Junior divisions in Florida.

The foursome has been entered to show their horses in two events. They are scheduled to compete at the 2015 Palm Beach Derby on 4 - 8 March 2015 as a warm up event for the 2015 Florida International Dressage Youth Festival on 12 - 15 March 2015 the following week.

Bringing Europe to Florida

The foursome will be chaperonned by Jochen Arl, the owner of three of four horses travelling from Europe. He approached Wellington show organizer Mark Bellissimo and dressage show director Thomas Baur with the idea to bring talented young equestrians from Europe to Wellington for Festival.

"We talked to Mark and Thomas and they really helped us find a way to make this happen. It is a great experience, and it is very exciting for these young riders to have the opportunity to come to the United States and compete," said Arl.

Dana van Lierop on Equestricons Walkure "We want to promote the fact that it is a viable option for European Juniors and Young Riders to come west and compete here," Arl added. "I've been coming to Wellington for so long now and this show has built up incredibly. Four years ago the circuit was nothing like it is now, and it is important for European riders and their parents to know that it is a real possibility to come here and compete internationally."

This is the first time European youth riders of such notoriety are traveling to compete on American soil. They will be joining German junior Felicitas Hendricks who is already there for the entire season with her coach and uncle Christoph Koschel.

Van Lierop, Bos, Arl, Niemann on Cloud Nine

Dana van Lierop is the 2011 European Pony Champion and 2012 European Junior Riders Champion. She has made the transition to Young Riders level in 2015. Aboard her partner of three months, Equestricons Walküre (by Romanov x Donnerschwee), she has been submitted to the Dutch A-team and is a team contender for the 2015 European Young Riders Championships.

"I'm so excited to go," Van Lierop told Eurodressage. "It will be first time in the United States. It's a fantastic challenge and I'm going to try to get the most out of me and my horse on every single day. I hope to produce good performances. I'm very grateful to Mr Arl for giving me this cool opportunity. I can't wait."

Rosalie Bos and Equestricons Bolita win kur bronze at the 2014 European Junior Riders Championships The 2012 European Pony Championship and 2014 European Junior Riders Championship kur bronze medalist Rosalie Bos will be campaigning her steady ride Equestricons Bolita (by Uptown) at young riders' level in Florida. Bos is the reigning Dutch Junior Champion and a member of for Holland's Young Rider A-team.

"This is so cool and I'm so looking forward to it," Bos commented. "It came as a big suprise and seems a super experience, maybe even a once in a lifetime one! It is all so unreal to me that I'll be leaving for Florida in a week. After all the successes I achieved with Bolita, this is another highlight. I hope to give it my all in Wellington. It's challenging to arrange everything for the journey but I am thrilled about it. I'm so grateful to everyone who enabled this."

Vivien Niemann is a highly experienced German youth rider. Aboard Cipollini (by Continue) she won team and individual test gold at the 2011 European Junior Riders Championships, team and individual test silver and kur bronze at the 2012 European Junior Riders Championships and team gold at the 2013 European Young Riders Championships. She is now in her last year as Young Riders and will be taking her second horse, the 9-year old Don Vertino, to Florida.

Vivien Niemann on Don Vertino "This will be Don Vertino's second young rider season. I started him last year and I'm super excited to see how it is going this year, because he is an amazing horse! I'm super thankful to be able to compete in Florida. It's an amazing opportunity and I still can't believe that I'm getting the chance," said an ecstatic Niemann.

Antonia Arl is the 2014 Belgian Pony Champion and a one-time Belgian Pony Team member having competed at the 2013 European Pony Championships in Arezzo, Italy. Antonia has made the transition to Junior level classes aboard Equestricons Ziggy (by Riverman) in 2015. The 14-year old Arl has been winning national classes in Belgium and made her CDI debut in January with Equestricons Ziggy, who was a team gold medal winner at the 2012 European Junior Rider Championships under Antoinette te Riele.

"It's so unbelievable that I'm getting the chance to ride my own horse in Florida," said Antonia. "It will be our second international show and I'm very curious with the level of competition will be like in America. I'm looking forward to it. Getting everything in order forthe flight is very different from organizing the journey to a "normal" CDI, but I can't wait with go!"