Belgian Grand Prix Rider Ona Dewaegenaere Died Unexpectedly

Dressage

Belgium

Belgian Grand Prix rider and former youth team member Ona Dewaegenaere died unexpectedly on Thursday 14 March 2024. She was 44 years old.

Belgian Youth Team Rider

Grown up in a horse loving family with grandfather Denis van Dingenen and mom, Grand Prix rider Denise van Dingenen, supporting her from the start, Ona was a long time Belgian youth team rider in her teenage years, beginning at FEI pony level.

The 1986 born Oldenburg gelding Apollo (by Akzent II x Tin Rocco x Vagabund) became her career starting dressage horse. He competed as a 6-year old with Ariane Pourtavaf in Germany before selling to the Van Dingenen family at the Oldenburg Auction in Vechta.

Ona Dewaegenaere and Apollo (left) on the Belgian team
at the 1998 European Young Riders Championships

Trained by Gudrun de Cleermaekern, Ona and Apollo were fourth at the 1997 Belgian Junior Riders Championships and competed on the Belgian team at the 1997 European Young Riders Championships in Moorsele. She was fourth in the preliminary test but her spooky Apollo had a scare in the team test which made her drop in the ranking and not reach the finals. The team won bronze nonetheless. The next year they won team bronze again at the 1998 European Young Riders Championships in Hickstead. In 1999 the Belgian young riders with Ona included dominated the CDI-YR Bremen "Euro Future Cup" and was selected on the team again for the European Young Riders Championships. The team came fifth.

As a young senior she competed the KWPN bred Mircodion (by Uniform x Darwin) at international small tour level from 2003 till 2006 and KWPN mare Warina Utopia (by OO Seven x Ferro) from 2008 till 2014. Nationally she also rode Belgian bred Floris van de Helle (by Fiderhit x Weltart) at that time before sending the horse to Patrick van der Meer.

Dabanos D'O4

Ona's most successful dressage horse was the Belgian warmblood gelding Dabanos d'O4 (by Abanos x Donnerschlag x Lurano), bred by Victor Vansant in Geel, Belgium.

The hot and sensitive yet very talented Dabanos made his international show debut at small tour level with Ona at the 2012 CDI Hagen. Two months later they moved to Grand Prix level at the CDI Compiègne and finished fourth at the 2012 Belgian Grand Prix Championships and sixth in 2013. They competed at CDI's in Rotterdam, Deauville, Leudelange, Drachten, Bremen, Roosendaal, Compiegne, Deauville, Kapellen, Roosendaal, Nieuw en St. Joosland, Hagen and Zandhoven over the years. She was long listed for Belgian team selection for the 2014 World Equestrian Games after placing sixth at the 2014 Belgian Grand Prix Championships. Their last show was the CDI Roosendaal in May 2015.

After that she passed on the horse to her trainer Jeannette Haazen, who was highly successful with him for two years at international GP level until 2018 when Ona suddenly decided to end the collaboration. Dabanos was brought home and ended up in 2020 with Belgian young GP rider Alexa Fairchild.

Ona's last international dressage horse was the home bred 2007 born KWPN gelding Calucci Utopia (by Voice out of Warina Utopia) which she premiered at the 2015 CDI Lier and then two years later rode one more CDI with in Roosendaal in June 2017.

Horse Loving

Denise van Dingenen, a Grand Prix rider in her
own right, with daughter Ona and grandchild Yari
at the 2012 CDI Leudelange

Ona had two children, Yari and Tobi, with ex-husband Geert van den Branden.

The 18-year old Yari van den Branden is a successful show jumping rider. He was member of the gold medal winning team at the 2021 European Children Show Jumping Championships in Vilamoura. Son Tobi is an football fan.

Ona died suddenly in Edegem (BEL) from suspected cardiac arrest on 14 March.

The funeral is on Saturday 30 March in her home town Schilde.