Minderhoud's Ziesto Makes Grand Prix Debut at 2017 CDN Ermelo

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2017 CDN Ermelo

Not only in Germany at the Ankum Riding Club or in Denmark at the CDN Esbjerg did brand new combinations make their national show debut or come back. Also in the Netherlands the show weekend of 20 - 22 January 2017 was action packed. At the CDN Nieuw en St. Joosland Madeleine Witte-Vrees made her come back with Wynton, while at the CDN Ermelo Hans Peter Minderhoud made his Grand Prix debut with Ziësto.

Eight combinations contested the Grand Prix at the 2017 CDN Ermelo on Sunday 22 January 2017 and the class was judged by Mariette Sanders-van Gansewinkel and H. van Hall.

Hans Peter and the Dutch warmblood stallion Ziësto (by Lancet x Clavecimbel) won the Grand Prix with 72.55%. Minderhoud's assistant trainer Marieke van der Putten also made her Grand Prix debut aboard the Austrian owned Federleicht (by Furst Piccolo). She was on her coach's heels with a 72.25% score.

"I was happy considering it was his first Grand Prix," Minderhoud told Eurodressage. "He didn't make any big mistakes, but is still very inexperienced in the test. He was well on my aids, because he can be quite stalliony. Overall I was happy because it's always a milestone when they have done their first Grand Prix. It took him a long time."

Sponsored by Austrian gun mogul Gaston Glock, Hans Peter Minderhoud is probably the only Grand Prix rider in the world with no less than nine confirmed and up and coming Grand Prix horses at his disposal. While team and championship horses Johnson and Flirt are his first choice as Dutch A-squad mounts, Hans Peter further has the confirmed GP horses Romanov, Lord of Loxley, and Tango to ride, as well as the rising Grand Prix horses Zanardi and Casper and small tour stallion Dream Boy.

The older boys, 17-year old Oldenburg stallion Romanov (by Rohdiamant x Grundstein II), the 18-year old Oldenburg stallion Lord of Loxley (by Lord Sinclair x Landadel) and the 17-year old Dutch stallion Tango (by Jazz x Contango) have not been out in a long time. Romanov did his last CDI in Drachten one year ago, Tango was last in the CDI ring almost three years and Lord of Loxley almost four years ago. Minderhoud's Grand Prix future seems to lie more with Ziësto, as well as with the 13-year old Zanardi (by Rubels), who made his GP debut in 2015 and who did his last CDI at Nieuw en St. Joosland in April 2016. The 10-year old Dutch gelding Casper (by Westpoint x Goodtimes) had a stunning international small tour career in 2015 and 2016 with five victories out of 7 international starts. His last CDI was a year ago in Drachten. The popular 9-year old KWPN licensed stallion Dream Boy (by Vivaldi x Ferro) is yet to make his international small tour debut after arriving in Minderhoud's barn a year ago.

More big name riders gathered at the 2017 CDN Ermelo. Adelinde Cornelissen campaigned two horses in the class. Aboard her home bred 13-year old Dutch warmblood Zephyr (by Jazz) she finished third with 70.30%. Her international Grand Prix hope, the 12-year old Dutch stallion Aqiedo (by Undigo), made his return to the show ring after a break and finished fourth with 66.85%. The black had his tongue over the bit for a while in the test, which affected the points. He last showed internationally at the CDIO Rotterdam in June 2016 after making his international debut at the CDIO Compiegne one month earlier.

Diana Boer and Hot Fever in 2015 Diana Boer and the 10-year old Hot Fever (by Hotline) were the winners of the Intermediaire II with a promising score of 72.37%. The pair is coached by Alex van Silfhout. Boer's husband Henri Koopmans discovered Hot Fever as a yearling and she trained him up the levels herself.

At the national show in Boxtel on Sunday 22 January 2017, a small group of just three riders contested the Grand Prix. Petra van Esch rode her former international small tour winner Fido Dido, an 11-year old Dutch bred Florencio x Climax, at Grand prix level and won the class with 68.3%. The pair did its last international show at the CDI Hagen in July 2015. In 2016, the duo relocated to Germany and competed at Grand Prix level there at local shows in South Germany. They have now come back to Holland.