European Pony Silver Medalist Maddy Dijkshoorn Partners with Appstore for Junior Rider Career

Dressage

The Netherlands

Dutch pony team member and European Championship silver medal winner Maddy Dijkshoorn is partnering with the Westfalian gelding Appstore for her sport career as a junior rider.

Appstore is a 9-year old Wesfalian by Abercrombie out of Whitney (by Welser x Bolero).

Stable Van Baalen

Appstore is bred and was owned by the Luxembourg Thill family, long standing friends and clients of Coby and Marlies van Baalen.

The bright bay gelding arrived at Van Baalen in The Netherlands as a 4-year old and was produced to small tour level. Under Mara de Vries he competed in Z2 and Prix St. Georges classes. For Mara riding Appstore was quite familiar as she has also trained and competed his half brother Dornenstern (by Danone x Welser). De Vries and Appstore won silver at the 2021 Dutch Dressage Championships at Z2 level.

Maddy Dijkshoorn

Team and Kur silver at the 2022 European Pony Championships

The 15-year old Maddy Dijkshoorn is The Netherlands' number one FEI pony rider. She won the 2022 Dutch Pony Champion's title and claimed team and kur silver at the 2022 European Pony Championships aboard Boogie de l'Aube.

The sudden and tragic passing of Boogie in March after a colic attack was a major emotional setback for the talented young rider. With the unwavering support of her family and coach Marlies van Baalen, Dijkshoorn processed the loss and set her focus on her second pony Hojvejs Casmir while slowly preparing for her junior time with horse Querello, a 14-year old Oldenburg by Quaterback x Weltmeyer, which she competed at CDI's in Kronenberg, Exloo and Le Mans.

DVB Matchmaker

The Van Baalens are firm believers that pony riders should get a feel of riding horses in their last year on ponies in order for the transition to junior level not to be too abrupt. With Querello showing Maddy the ropes, Marlies pitched the idea of getting a second iron in the fire and matched her with Appstore.

The gelding was tried out two months ago and immediately put to the test by competing at the CDI Exloo at the start of May. Maddy and her new horse finished third in all three rounds, scoring 70.303% in the team test, 70.147% in the individual and 74.517% in the Kur to Music. These convincing results sealed the sale of Appstore to the Dijkshoorn family.

This new combination is one of many successful youth riders' combinations which Van Baalen paired. They brokered horses and ponies for Daphne van Peperstraten (Cupido, Hotmail), Shanna Baars (Farzana), Thea Bech (Dionisos), Sanne van der Pols (Excellentie, Cuvanck), and Sanne Vos & Valentina Pistner (Champ of Class) amongst many others prize and title winning combinations.

Gaining Mileage

With Appstore at the 2023 Dutch Championships

A week after signing the sales contract, Dijkshoorn piloted Appstore down the centerline at the 2023 Dutch Junior Riders Championships in Ermelo, where they were third in the consolation finals.

"They are already successful at junior level and Appstore has so much quality to make the transition to Young Riders. That's the goal," Marlies van Baalen explained. "We love finding the right horses for our students and then training them along the way from pony level to Grand Prix. It's our passion and our business."