Happy Feet, the 2017 and 2018 European Children's Champion mount, has a new rider: 13-year old Dutch pony rider Jill Bogers.
Happy Feet is an 11-year old Dutch warmblood by Tuschinski out of Ereara (by Animo). He is owned by the Van Woudenberg couple.
Under the now 13-year old Sanne Buys, the bay gelding Happy Feet made his international show debut at Children's level at the 2017 CDI Diepenbeek in July 2017. The pair's next international was the 2017 European Children's Championships in Roosendaal where they won team and individual gold.
In 2018 the duo competed at the CDi's in Lier and Nieuw en St. Joosland before representing The Netherlands again at the 2018 European Children's Championships in Fontainebleau, France, where they won team and individual test gold. They also won the 2018 Dutch Children's Championships in Ermelo.
After the Europeans Buijs decided not make the transition to junior level in 2019 but instead take a break from riding completely for family reasons.
Happy Feet's owner Linda van Woudenberg decided that Happy Feet could be a perfect schoolmaster for a new rider then and Jill Bogers is the lucky girl to have received the ride on the gelding.
The 13-year old Bogers made her international show debut at CDI pony level this year with the 11-year old NRPS pony Zip (by Zodiak x E-Boy). They competed at CDI's in Sint-Truiden, Diepenbeek, and Exloo.
Photo © Astrid Appels
Related Links
Eurodressage Photo Database: Happy Feet
Team Holland and Sanne Buijs Win 2018 European Children Championships
Buijs, Van Peperstraten, Rockx, Nieuwenhuis, Gal Win 2018 Dutch Dressage Championships