For the four European youth riders who journeyed to Wellington, Florida, for two weeks of high profile competition, the jump across the Atlantic puddle was an adventure of a lifetime. Dana van Lierop (19), Rosalie Bos (18), Vivien Niemann (20) and Antonia Arl (14) were invited to compete at the 2015 Global Dressage Festival and not only did they sweep the majority of the trophies and top places, they also savoured the glamorous Wellington luxury lifestyle soaking up every minute of the experience.
Chaperoned and supported in this endeavour by German horse dealer Jochen Arl, the foursome were thrilled to be given this unique opportunity. They flew to Florida for the 2015 Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI-W and also contested the 2015 Florida International Dressage Youth Festival at the CDI-W Wellington the weeks afterwards.
Dana van Lierop swept all young riders' classes those two weeks of competition aboard the talented Equestricons Walkure (by Romanov), while Rosalie Bos and Equestricons Bolita (by Uptown) and Vivien Niemann on Don Vertino (by Don Frederico) steadily followed in her wake. Junior rider Antonia Arl and Equestricons Ziggy (by Riverman) raked in three first places, one second place and two thirds.
The American Dream
Besides snatching fancy Wellington ribbons and trophies, it was the experience that counted for these seasoned European youth riders who certainly have been round the block as recurrent team representatives for their country at European Pony, Junior and Young Riders Championships. Florida was something brand new for them though.
"The atmosphere was cozy there. The show was very well organized and so beautiful," said van Lierop, "especially the weather was quite different from Europe. Everyone was so enthusiastic that we were there." Bos agreed that the palm trees added an extra dimension. "The feeling was totally different there just because of the beautiful surroundings and the people," she said. Antonia Arl was impressed by the amount of media coverage at the event. "There were so many reporters there, which made it interesting because you don't have that in Europe. There was much interest for us Europeans coming Florida."
Niemann was thrilled by the entire entourage and the enthusiasm of the spectators and crowds. "The atmosphere was amazing! Entering the stadium was an experience I'll never forget," she said. "It was until now the biggest stadium I competed in. Everyone was so present there; no matter if you were in the warm up or in the stadium, the people were watching. They were all super friendly and always wishing me good luck and a great ride or clapping after each ride. It was super nice."
All four acknowledged that the level of competition was slightly lower than in Europe, but the North American riders made up for that with their enthusiasm and eagerness to improve and climb the ladder. "You saw they were all super motivated," said Dana. "The amount of junior riders is much smaller than in Europe though," Arl noted. Vivien added, "it was nice to be able to get a look of how it's done on a different continent."
The Social Network
While the concept of competing against riders from foreign nations was nothing new to these ladies, the Wellington lifestyle and social events there were in a different league. They were able to forge friendships and build their social network.
"They are so nice there and so open. They are all so enthusiastic," said Dana. Antonia reported that she "made many new friends and met so many new people. I stayed with my good friend Bebe Davis for two weeks and hung out a lot with Vivien."
Niemann was thrilled to make new contacts. "I was lucky to meet not only some European and Canadian riders but also some from South America. It was simply amazing," she uttered. "Three of them are good friends now because we have a lot in common. We are all alike: we have goals, are motivated, and are enjoying ourselves. We had a lot of fun on and off the showgrounds. They might have different points of view on some things, but I suppose that connected with the differences we have in our way of training."
The two weeks in Florida were not all work and business; there was room for fun and play.
"Of course we were busy with the horses, grooming and showing, but we also did some fun stuff," said Rosalie. "We went for a sight-seeing of all the stunning barns in and around Wellington. I couldn't believe my eyes. We also went to the beach. I met many new people and made friends."
Antonia added that they often went out for dinner where they got to know each other better. "We went to a new place almost every night," said Bos. Vivien remembered that they ventured out to the polo grounds and watched the Saturday Night Lights show jumping at the Winter Equestrian Festival. Dana liked going to the shopping mall and the beach.
A Highlight Experience
For each of them the Florida experience had a different highlight. Van Lierop cherishes her string of six victories. "All six tests went super and Walkure got better and better," said Dana. Her second freestyle, based on music from the Disney movie Frozen, was her favourite ride and the pair scored 77.9%. "Despite the mistakes I had such a fantastic feeling and I got super reactions to my music. I twice got a 10 for halt and several 9s."
Niemann was thrilled with how her horse coped with the job and she loved the social contact. "Don Vertino got better and better every day. Even though I could't get the feeling in the ring, which I had outside of it, I am super positive that we are on the right track and I'm looking forward to the next shows." Vivien confirmed that bonding with the other riders was a true joy. "We had such a great time together in our crazy group of Germans, Belgians, Spanish, Colombian, and Americans. It was simply amazing. We laughed the whole time."
"I find it hard to list one highlight," Rosalie admitted. "It were two dream weeks with super performances. I scored above 71% in all tests and I'm so proud of that. I'm proud that Bolita did her best and travelled so well."
"The entire two weeks were indescribable," said Antonia. "I loved the press conferences and I learnt much from this entire experience. It was interesting to go to the Palm Beach International Academy, which was the International School in Wellington. Probably my first place on the last day of our competition was the best moment. I got a super score of 74%."
Dana, Rosalie, Vivien and Antonia all expressed their thanks and gratitude to Jochen Arl who enabled them to go to Florida. "The team spirit in Team Equestricon played a major part for us to achieve these results," Bos concluded.
Related Links
Scores: 2015 CDI-W Palm Beach Dressage Derby
Scores: 2015 CDI-W Wellington
Hickok, Von Lierop, Matute, and McAuliffe Triumph in 2015 Florida International Dressage Youth Championships
Four European Riders To Compete at 2015 Florida International Dressage Youth Festival
