Daria Paliciuc's Everton Injured at 2021 European Young Riders Championships

Dressage

Romania

For Romanian young rider Daria Maria Paliciuc the 2021 European Championships for Children, Juniors and Young Riders in Oliva Nova, Spain, took a turn for the worse when her horse got severely injured in an accident.

On Saturday 10 July 2021, Paliciuc's 12-year old KWPN gelding Everton (by Wynton x El Corona x Clavecimbel) slipped on the concrete while being walked and fell hard on his back.

The horse was transported to an equine clinic in Valencia. He was diagnosed with damaged withers but the prognosis for a full recovery is good.

"When the swelling goes down and the withers stop being inflamed it will be fine," Daria explained to Eurodressage. "The best part is that the spine is not affected and he will recover in a few months. We are lucky that he will recover totally."

The 21-year old Paliciuc is in her last year as a young rider. The pair was 53rd in the team championships at the Euros with 63.353% and could not compete in the individual test because of the accident.

Daria and Everton at the horse inspection in Oliva Nova

Paliciuc is one of Romania's leading, up and coming dressage riders, having represented her country at the 2014 Balkan Games in the Children division on Zaina (by Furioso LXVII-15J x El-Sbaa XI-25), at the 2016 Balkan Games at junior level on Duncan Mc Cloud (by Don Bedo x Worldchamp) and she competed in show jumping that year with Rozsa (by Caos x Coridon). In 2017 she rode Z.O.Z (by Tolando x Ressort) at junior level at the Balkan Games and in 2018 she won triple gold at the Balkan Games in Plovdid.

Paliciuc has been competing Everton internationally since 2020, finishing 48th in the individual test at the 2020 European Young riders Championships in Budapest. In 2021 she competed him at CDi's in Tsaratsovao (BUL) and Pilisjaszfalu (HUN) before heading to Oliva Nova.