Former European Junior Riders Champion Jill de Ridder has a new competitive Grand Prix horse to ride, the 9-year old Baden Wurttemberger gelding Dallas. Jill's grand parents acquired the gelding right before Christmas. Jill is aiming to compete on the Under 25 Grand Prix show circuit this 2017 show season.
"I am very happy to have the possibility to ride this beautiful horse," De Ridder told Eurodressage.
Dallas is bred by Nadine and Carsten Grill and previously owned by Thomas Casper, who bought the horse as a foal. He is by Don Diamond out of Day of Life (by Damon Hill x Wolkentanz II x Andiamo). The chestnut Dallas was licensed for breeding at the 2011 South German Stallion Licensing in Munich, but later on gelded to focus on sport.
Nicole Casper of Gestut Birkhof trained Dallas from novice level to Grand Prix. As a youngster the horse was first competed by Sabine Gruber in 2011 but in 2014 Casper took over. He qualified for the Bundeschampionate but never competed there. Casper competed Dallas exclusively at national shows, but in November the pair made its international debut at the CDI Stuttgart, where they were 9th in the Grand Prix (67.540%) and 10th in the Special (65.882%).
The 24-year old Jill de Ridder was member of the gold medal winning German team that competed at the the 2007 and 2010 European Junior Riders Championships. She also won individual gold at the 2007 European Junior Riders Championships on FBW Disco Boy. It took De Ridder three years to come back to the international scene in 2013 on her mom's Grand Prix schoolmaster Wellington. In 2014 she competed Simon and Whitney internationally. Her last CDI was the 2014 CDIO Aachen competing Whitney (by Wolkenstürner x Fortissimo) in the small tour.
On a national level De Ridder has been more active. In 2016 she competed Gestut Moosbend's horses Ravallo (by Rubens x Ehrentusch) and Sullivan (by Supreme x Rubens) and Gestut Greim's young horse Felice (by Furst Piccolo x Ehrentanz). With Dallas she will have a new iron in the fire.
"Since 2014 I trained more young horses. It is a different riding but I enjoyed it a lot," said De Ridder, who studied Economics and Management.
The new combination made its show debut at the CDN Ankum on Thursday 19 January 2017, where were 9th in the short Grand Prix with 66.124%.
"I was very happy with my test! Dallas was very motivated! In the two tempo changes he was a little bit excited and made one tempis! And in the one tempi changes he was very good but he liked it to much and he made more than 15. But in general I was very satisfied and we got very nice comments from juges and spectators."
Jill wants to compete on the German Under 25 circuit this year, but she shies away from formulating any concrete season goals. She does not want to phrase that grabbing a spot on the German team for the 2017 European Under 25 Championships is the aim.
"I dont want to plan to much," Jill admitted. "My dad always says, "never cry too early before you have any results'."
Photos © LL-foto - Barbara Schnell
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