Tomorrow the 2021 European Dressage Championships for Seniors and Under 25 riders kick off at Hof Kasselmann in Hagen, Germany.
On 24 August the Portuguese equestrian federation announced its teams for this final highlight event of the fully packed 2021 show calendar as the end of the corona lockdowns caused a major surge in the amount of competitions and championships that were held over the summer.
Portugal will field a completely new team in Hagen, not including any of its three Olympic riders, giving the opportunity to newer pairs to take centre stage:
- Carlos Pinto - Sultão Menezes
- Duarte Nogueira - Beirão
- Filipe Canelas Pinto - Fortuna
- Martim Meneres - Equador
The first reserve is João Moreira (Zonik Hit).
Carlos Pinto was the reserve at the Olympics. The non-travelling Olympic reserves, Vasco Mira Godinho and Garrett, are not fit to compete. With Maria Caetano pregnant and both Olympians Joao Torrao and Rodrigo Torres resting their horses after Tokyo, Portugal will have a new team with three riders who already have senior team experience.
The Under 25 team includes
- Francisco Vila Nova - Sir Saburo
- Maria Lascasas - Guhapo
- Mariana Assis Silva- Serano
- Mário Freire - Filosofo
The Portuguese chef d'equipe is António Frutuoso de Melo, the team veterinarian Bruno Miranda.
Photo © Astrid Appels
Related link
Eurodressage Coverage of the European Dressage Championships - U25/Seniors