Four talented individual riders - pony rider Hannah Irons, junior Felicitas Hendricks, young rider Juan Matute Guimon and U25 rider Pablo Gomez Molina - collected accolades for their performances in the 2016 Florida International Youth Dressage Championships, held during the 2016 CDI Wellington (GDF10) on 18 - 20 March 2016, highlighting international dressage riders under the age of 25.
Hannah Irons, 16, of Queenstown, MD, rode Bohdjan to capture top honors in the Pony division, while Felicitas Hendricks, 15, of Hagen, Germany, and Faible AS won the FEI Junior division. Juan Matute Guimon., 18, of Madrid, Spain, and Dhannie were recognized for their top performances in the Young Rider division, while Pablo Gomez Molina, 21, of Valencia, Spain, and Tarpan earned the Under 25 championship.
Six different nations were represented in championships, while riders from around North America traveled to partake in one of the main CDI championships hosted for the next generation of dressage riders.
Hannah Irons and Bohdjan competed together for the first time at the Florida International Youth Dressage Championships this week and the experience is something that Irons feels was very beneficial for the duo.
“Bohdjan was graciously donated to Dressage4Kids by Bebe Davis and the Davis family, so he has a lot of experience in the FEI Pony division. I started competing him last summer, so he has taught me a lot already,” said Irons. “This was our first CDI together, and it was a fun experience getting to know riders from all over the world and competing at such a big facility. It was a whole new level for me, and it was a great experience. “I’m very thankful to everyone that has given me the opportunity to be here, Dressage4Kids, who own Bobo, and my parents and friends for all of their support."
Felicitas Hendricks and Faible AS have been very competitive in Wellington since last season, which was their first time ever competing in the United States. Hendricks, who rides with the Christoph Koschel, has formed a strong bond with Faible AS, consistently performing relaxed and fluid tests.
“I’ve been riding him for a little bit over a year now, and he can be very special. This is great experience for him here in this international ring,” said Hendricks. “He learns from show to show as do I. Every show is a new beginning for us, and he always gives his best. I try to do my best too for him.”
“Last year when we came, that was my first international show. This is my second year doing them, and I hope that we will be able to come back next year as well,” she continued.
Juan Matute Guimon competes in a number of divisions on a typical CDI week in Wellington, but has found a new sense of consistency in his rides and brings a positive energy to the ring with each test. Earning the Young Rider championship, Matute Jr. discussed his approach to the week.
“I’m very lucky to be able to ride many different kinds of horses that give you different feelings. Thank you to Yeguada Ymas, my sponsor, for allowing me to have these opportunities,” said Matute Jr. “I think our goal this week was to reach high scores, which are always the goal, but also to experience new feelings, like softer aids and a lighter contact, but it’s also about enjoying the championship. We’re all young and we’re supposed to have fun, which is our priority here.”
Matute Guimon competed with his gold medal-winning European Championship mount, Dhannie. The pair continues to earn big scores, and their partnership has only strengthened since last season.
“He’s a superstar. He’s a super talent. He’s very ambitious, which is where some of our mistakes came from this week, being a bit overly ambitious, which was mutual,” he laughed. “Little by little we’re making our steps to the higher levels together.”
Pablo Gomez Molina and Tarpan, owned by Yeguada Ymas, are a relatively new pair, as the Spanish Gomez only took over the ride on the stunning chestnut gelding earlier this season. Their performances in the Under 25 division at the Florida International Youth Dressage Championships served as their second CDI competition together and their first championship event in Wellington.
“Yeguada de Ymas gave me a really good horse to ride in the Under 25. We had some mistakes today, but I’m happy because he was good too,” said Gomez Molina. “We are very happy with our tests this week. We are just beginning together now.”
Gomez Molina is looking forward to forging a partnership with Tarpan Ymas and working with him more throughout this year to solidify their understanding and communication in the ring.
“I think right now, it’s about working every day outside of the shows, but also keeping showing and keep going. We’re going to continue learning,” he noted.
Text by Carly Weilminster, edited by Eurodressage
Photos © Sue Stickle
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