German team newcomer Lia Welschof is taking the junior rider division by storm and after collecting team gold and a first place in the team championship test, she added individual test gold to that tally at the 2017 European Junior Riders Championships in Roosendaal, The Netherlands on Saturday 12 August 2017. Dutch Daphne van Peperstraten got silver, while German Linda Erbe earned bronze.
With no less than 80 juniors entered to compete the class had to be split into two and scheduled over two days on Friday and Saturday 11 - 12 August. While for the Young Riders the die was cast on the second day, with the juniors the first day had been the most decisive one.
Lia Welschof has taken Germany by storm and surprised its selectors during the qualification season. Winning all junior classes at the CDIO-P Hagen in June, Welschof came out of nowhere. It took another special observation trial in Warendorf in July - said to be organized simply for a final consideration of one rider, who did not make the team - for Welschof to definitively be consider for the German Mannschaft. Trained by Oliver Oelrich, Welschof stunned all with her high quality riding and she became a well deserved winner of team and individual test gold.
The individual test was judged by Amsyr, Schwennesen, Maknami, Storr and Judet. The judges on the short side all unanimously placed Welschof and her 10-year old Hanoverian gelding Linus K (by Locksley II x Prince Thatch xx) in first place, while the judges on the long side had her second and fourth. The scores ranged from 78.816% to 73.026% which averaged 75.474% for gold.
Dutch Daphne van Peperstraten is Holland's strongest junior gun at the moment, having won every single observation competition she had entered in. She also won the internationals in Nieuw en St. Joosland and Roosendaal in the spring, but the one CDI she rode abroad, the CDIO-J Hagen, she was twice second yet won the freestyle. At the 2017 European JR Championships she finished third in the team spot and climbed one place in the individual test. Her 10-year old Dutch bred Cupido (by Johnson x Duko) executed a confident test with especially the canter tour as highlight. In the extended walk there was good relaxation but the contact with the bridle was lost with the reins too freely and in one trot half pass he lost the elasticity a bit. They scored 74.789% for silver.
Linda Erbe brought along one of the youngest horses in the field, the 7-year old German Sport Horse bred Fierro (by Furst Wettin x Eskadron) and scored bronze. While in the team test the young gelding needed quite some riding and support in from his pilot, the individual must have gone much smoother. They scored 73.184%. Erbe is coached by Heiner Schiergen, who is also the trainer behind the medal winning young riders Anna Christina Abbelen and Linda's elder sister Hannah Erbe.
The major sensation of the class came from Spanish Alba Abollo Fontela on the 7-year old Spanish sport horse Elvillar CS (by Espriwall x Gravanno). The pair is also brand new to the scene, beginning their international show career in Spain in the young horse classes in 2015 and 2016. They only did two internationals this 2017 show season, in Valencia and Segovia, but impressed the RFHE selectors by winning so easily made it on the team. In the individual test at the 2017 Europeans she produced a massive 72.763% and landed just off the podium in fourth place.
The top five was completed by German Rebecca Horstmann on the 9-year old Oldenburg bred Friend of Mine (by For Compliment x Rubinstein). The beautiful chestnut gelding was better in the bridle in the individual test and was not relying so much on his rider for support and guidance. The trot work and half passes were swinging with good ground cover. The scores were pushed down a bit because there was some tilting on the half voltes and a break in the extended trot. The canter work was flowing and uphill. They finished fifth on 72.711%.
Text and Photos by Astrid Appels - No reproduction allowed
Related Links
Scores 2017 European Children, Junior and Young Riders Championships
Eurodressage Coverage of the 2017 European Children, Junior & Young Riders Championships