Ruling 2016 European Pony Champion Lucie-Anouk Baumgürtel has set the record straight and taken the individual test gold medal at the 2017 European Pony Championships in Kaposvar, Hungary, on Saturday 29 July 2017. Denmark's Louise Christensen finished with silver, while German Jana Lang scored her first individual European medal, the bronze.
As title defenders Baumgürtel and her 12-year old Holsteiner bred Massimiliano (by Monsun N x Cap Cennedy) were expected to sweep the 2017 European Championships, but in the team championship test the pair 'only' placed third behind Lang and Christensen. However, in the individual the young pony rider fulfiled the expectations and her role as title favourite by scoring 77.366%.
The judges' panel, consisting of Adriaan Hamoen (NED), Susanne Baarup (DEN), Orsolya Hillier (HUN), Henning Lehrmann (GER) and Clive Halsall (GBR), were quite consistent with their scores, which ranged from 76.829% to 78.902%. Four judges had the pair first, only Hamoen saw Baumgürtel second.
Danish duo Louise Christensen and her 14-year old Dutch Welsh pony Vegelin's Goya (by Verona's Bo Gi x Leuns Velds Darling Boy) were last year's double bronze medal winners, but in Kaposvar they certainly launched themselves as potentials for gold. With a score of 76.195% the pair placed second and got silver. Her marks went from 75.244% up to 78.537%.
"Louise rode a great test with much routine and a good overview, which resulted in a well earned silver medal," said Danish team trainer Jette Nevermann.
The individual test bronze medal went to Jana Lang on the Krause family's 11-year old Oldenburg pony stallion Cyrill (by Champion de Luxe x Power Man). They posted 74.707% on the board with marks ranging from 73.902% to 75.244%.
Denmark's Sara Aagaard Hyrm and her long-time Danish team routinier Der Harlekin B, a 15-year old Rhinelander stallion by Golden Dancer x Dornik B), landed fourth place and just missed out on a podium place with 74.390%. Holland's Marten Luiten, who was expected to be the Dutch leading pony rider, took a 'slower' start in the team test, placing 11th with 71.179% but in the Individual test Luiten and his 9-year old Dutch bred mare Movie Star (by Hagelkruis Valentijn x Orchard d'Avranches) upped the ante and scored 73.268% to finish fifth.
Britain's best scoring pony pair was Anya Kolleth on the 2015 European Pony Champion SL Lucci (by Lukas x Bazar). They posted a score of 72.415% to land 9th place.
Germany's other medal candidate, Julia Barbian and Der Kleine König, who had finished fourth in the team test, had withdrawn from competing in the individual test. During the team medal ceremony and victory lap on Thursday, the chestnut gelding had stepped into the railing. He was not fit to compete in the individual test.
The eighteen best scoring pony riders of the individual test (three per nation) will move on to the Kur to Music finals on Sunday 30 July 2017.
Text by Astrid Appels
Photos © Lukasz Kowalski - check out a full photo gallery from the 2017 Euro Ponies.
Related Link
Eurodressage Coverage of the 2017 European Pony Championships