Children's rider Hector Milochevitch, junior rider Capucine Noël, young rider Camille Boireau and Under 25 rider Hélène Le Gallais became the winners of the 2017 French Championships for Youth Riders held at the Pôle Européen du Cheval equestrian centre in Le Mans, France, on 26 - 29 October 2017.
The National Championships for the junior and young riders division included three rounds. The 15 best scoring pairs after two rounds were eligible to contest the third round - the Kur to Music. The average score after three rounds decided the final ranking. The Under 25 division featured two rounds.
In the children's division Hector Milochevitch grabbed the gold on the 8-year old Westfalian Felipino (by Florenciano x Ehrentusch) with a score average of 68.883%. Ella Lostria and the 9-year old SBS bred Crymlyn (by Alabastro S x Zortin) finished with silver on 68.602% while Carla-Marie Dufil and the 8-year old Dutch bred Eppo (by Zjengis Khan x Gribaldi) got bronze with 67.763%.
In the junior division Capucine Noël finished her success tour this year with the national title. After being the highest scoring French rider at the 2017 European JR Championships, Noël and her 11-year old Hanoverian bred Soleil Noir vom Rosenhof (by Stedinger x Weltmeyer) was a league of her own at the Nationals. She won all three rounds with scores of 70.486%, 70.605%, and 72,425% to average a 71.172% score for the gold medal. Noel is trained by Borja Carrascosa Martínez and Ashlea Day. Jules Caddusseau landed the silver aboard his 11-year old Belgian warmblood Gayento van het Bloemenhof (by Samba Hit II x Ritmeister). He was second twice with 68.054% and 66,500% and third in the Kur with 68.500% to average 67.685%. The bronze medal went to Mado Pinto on the 12-year old Lusitano Rafale du Coussoul (by Mistral du Coussoul x Miguelista CIP). This pair was third in the team test with 67.541%, but dropped to eighth place in the individual with 62,737%. They recovered in the freestyle and ranked second with 70.200%. Their average of 66.826% placed them on the third step of the podium.
Five combinations contested the French Young Riders Championships and Camille Boireau captured the highest step of the podium aboard the 11-year old Oldenburg bred Delon von Gunne (by Depardieu x Royal Dance). They won the team test with 68.447% and the individual with 67.842%. In the Kur the duo was second with 66.550%, but their average of 67.613% earned them the gold. Justine Ludot and the 12-year old Hanoverian Bellevue (by Belissimo M x Daidalos) scored the silver with 66,053% (3rd), 60,447% (3rd) and 66,825% (1st). She averaged 64.442%. Paul Lautier and the 14-year old Bavarian bred Rossini (by Rivero II x Charivari) landed on the bronze step of the podium with an average of 64.131%. The pair posted scores of 66,711%, 62.158%, and 63.525%.
"I'm so proud of my Delon, our work, our progress which enabled us to take home the French Championships with a nice average of 67.613%," said Boireau who is a university student.
Only three combinations competed in the Under 25 division this year and routinier and 2016 French U25 Champion Helene Le Gallais and her 16-year old Dutch warmblood Unique (by Olivi x Jetset D) renewed their title by twice topping the board for the gold. She scored 65.895% and 66.930% to average 66.412% for the champion's sash. Cédric Gallinard and the 15-year old Belgian SBS registered Scherzo ZC (by Ferro x Romandour II) earned silver with 65.868% and 65,163% to average 64.542%. Corentin Poettier and the 14-year old Lancelot (by Londonderry x Wanderbusch II) earned bronze with 65,868% and 62,698% to average 64.283%.
"Unique is doing really well and he was in great shape in this competition in Le Mans. I don't work him too much so he always wants to do his best," ," Le Gallais told Eurodressage. "It was our last U25 championship so I wanted to do well. He was a little stressed, me even more, but he always does everything to please me. He knows all the GP movements, he has progressed a lot on the piaffe which was complicated at the beginning. We continue to progress and we still have a margin for progress. For example the piaffe could have been better but the rest including the passage, pirouettes, flying changes, were very good."
Le Gallais competed at the 2016 European Under 25 Championships, but this year the French Federation decided not to send any riders to the 2017 edition in Lamprechtshausen. "France's non-participation in the European championships was a decision of the French Federation. It was a disappointment for all the French U25 riders," said Le Gallais, who recently took on a job as lawyer for the Deguette Advocats firm in Caen. "For 2018 my goal is to continue on the big tour in national and international events with Unique and progress further. At the same time, I'm looking for a young horse with good potential to take over. My dream is to find a second horse like him even if i perfectly know he is, unique !"
Photos © Les Garennes
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