Friday morning's competition at the 2009 CDIO Aachen opened with the Grand Prix class in the CDI tour. The winning ride came from the last ride to go, the Danish princess Nathalie Zu Saeyn-Wittgenstein aboard the Danish warmblood Rigoletto (by Rubinstein x Rossi), bred by her mother Her Royal Highness Princess Benedicte of Denmark.

Following approval by the Dutch Equestrian Federation, Dutch FEI Pony chef d'Equipe Christa Laarakkers announced the pony team that will represent The Netherlands at the 2009 European Pony Championships in Moorsele, Belgium, on July 28 - August 2, 2009.

We just finished processing all our photos from Thursday's competition in Aachen. It's 1 AM now, we're turning in for a quick recharge of our batteries. A full, detailed report from the two Grand Prix classes in Aachen are coming up on Friday. As a teaser, we've published a few photos of Steffen Peters riding to victory.

What a beautiful day today in Aachen. Hot weather, great dressage and Steffen Peters who blew away EVERYONE with his stunning performance aboard Ravel in the CDIO Grand Prix. Peters was invincible and won the class with 77.830%. He left all competition far behind him. The Nations' Cup was won by the Dutch team, followed by Germany and Great Britain.
We are processing today's photos and will be coming up with a long and detailed article/photo report about the two Grand Prix classes on Friday.

It was hot at Aachen today, very hot. The first heat wave of the year has arrived in Western Europe and fortunately it will only last till Friday. The weather forecast has predicted cooler temperatures on Saturday with the thermometer dropping from 30°C to 25°C. I love the heat but hate being hot, so I decided to wear flip flops. I was probably the only one on the show grounds as I saw everyone wearing summer loafers instead but at least I felt comfortable the entire day.

The Danish Anne Troensegaard won the individual gold medal at the 2009 Nordic Baltic Championships for Grand Prix riders held at Hamina Bastioni in Finland. Troensegaard won the Grand Prix kur to music on Seduc with 70.650%. Team gold was won by the Swedish team which included Bengtsson, Bondergaard and Karlsson.

The fourth selection trial for Dutch horses in the running to qualify for the 2009 World Young Horse Championships in Verden took place in Ermelo, The Netherlands, on June 30, 2009. The Dutch WCYH long list has now been narrowed down to nine 5-year olds and nine 6-year olds. The final selection trial is on 13th July and the definite list with six horses per age division will be announced then.

The Ukrainian Svetlana Kiseliova has won the Centreal European League World Cup qualifier in Minsk/Ratomka in Belarus. Aboard the 12-year old Ukrainian bred stallion Parish (by Iris x Khazyain), Kiseliova scored 70.900% in the kur to claim a world cup victory. Svetlana Yevshchik placed second.

The German Junior and Young Riders Team that will compete at the 2009 European Junior/Young Riders Championships in Ermelo, The Netherlands, August 5-9, 2009, has been announced. Following two national selection trials in Germany, the Preis der Besten in May and the CDN Neubeeren in June, the German chef d'equipe Hans-Heinrich Meyer zu Strohen was able to select the team.

At the national dressage show in Neubeeren, Germany, junior rider Louisa Lüttgen and young rider Thea Felicitas Müller were unbeatable. Both riders won the two classes in their division held in Neubeeren. It was an important event as the show counted as final qualifier for the German Junior and Young Riders team.

Top professional riders like Carola Koppelmann and Gina Capellmann-Lüttkemeier, Olympic riders like British Emma Hindle, Marion Engelen, member of the Junior Dressage Prospect Group and former four-times team gold medal winning European Pony Champion, and top-class amateurs like Michael Klimke: the Medien Cup invites them all to compete at the third qualification of the season, at the Palace Grounds Tournament in Mönchengladbach (July 9 – 12) – and everyone will be there!