Welschof and Rothenberger Win the Preis der Zukunt at the 2017 CDN Munster Indoor

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2017 Preis der Zukunft

New comer junior rider Lia Welschof and seasoned junior gone young rider Semmieke Rothenberger became the winners of the Preis der Zukunt (Prize of the Future), a national youth riders competition held annually at the Munster Indoor national show. Welschof and Rothenberger scored the highest in the individual test to take the title at the 2017 CDN Munster Indoor K+K Cup on Sunday 15 January 2017.

Lia Welschof from Hövelhof, Germany, became the unexpected winner in the junior division with a 73.070%. Never having competed internationally so far, Lia Welschof made her first big impression by finishing fourth at the 2016 German Junior Riders Championships last autumn, and now she's continuing that upwards trend in Munster. Aboard the 10-year old Hanoverian Linus K (by Locksley II x Prince Thatch xx) she placed first unanimously with the three judges.

Nadine Krause and the former World Young Horse Champion, 9-year old Dutch warmblood Dancer (by Vivaldi x Tango), were the runners-up with 71.930%, while German team rider Rebecca Horstmann and her 9-year old Oldenburg Friend of Mine (by For Compliment x Rubinstein) landed third place with 71.886%

"This I didn't expect. What an amazing feeling," said Welschof after her win. "Linus and I have worked hard this winter on the trot and we were able to show that today in the ring. The Preis der Zukunft is my season start and decisive for the rest of it." Lia has set the 2017 Preis der Besten, an important German team selection trial taking place in Warendorf in May, as her goal.

Semmieke Rothenberger on Dissertation The 17-year old Semmieke Rothenberger has been a member of the German junior riders' team for the past two years, and in November 2016 she has already got her feet wet at Young Riders' level at an Ankum Riding Club competition. Aboard her 2016 European Championship ride Dissertation, a 10-year old Hanoverian mare by Don Crusador x Gluckspilz, she won the individual test and the title with 76.140%. Rothenberger also brought along her second horse, the 15-year old Danish mare Geisha (by Gribaldi x Weltmeister) with whom she placed third in the warm-up round. She was allowed to ride one horse in the individual and opted for Dissertation.

The winner of the warm up round, routinier Anna Christina Abbelen and her 12-year old Rhinelander gelding Furst On Tour (by Furst Heinrich x Rubioso N) were second with 75.307%. Alexa Westendarp, who was a member of the German junior team at the 2016 Europeans, also moved up the levels and landed third place in the young riders Preis der Zukunft. With her 10-year old Hanoverian gelding Der Prinz (by Diamond Hit x Davignon) she scored 73.684%.

"My brother Sönke and sister Sanneke also started in a higher age division one year before their time, so I wanted to try that to," Semmieke Rothenberger explained after her win. "This morning I watched my brother ride Cosmo, what an inspiration. We've been practising on the tempi changes and canter pirouettes and had nothing to lose here. However as a junior you still have time to breathe between the movements, in the young riders tests everything goes incredibly fast. There is not a second to rest."