Van Dulst Puts The Netherlands in the Lead at 2025 European Young Riders Championships

- Text © Eurodressage (this article expresses Eurodressage's' eye-witness account and opinion about the competition)  
-- Photos © Astrid Appels/Eurodressage - No reproduction allowed - NO SCREENSHOTS!

Dutch Anniek van Dulst has put The Netherlands in the lead of the Young Riders team competition at the 2025 European Young Riders and Under 25 Championships in Kronberg, Germany. 

Rise and Shine

The Championships kicked off on Wednesday 9 July with the morning session dedicated to the Young Riders. The first half of the field competed today, while the second half goes tomorrow after which the team podium will be known. 

Hosted at Ann-Kathrin Linsenhoff's Gestut Schafhof on the outskirts of Frankfurt, these European Championships could not have wished for a prettier stage and better weather. Overcast skies and mild summer temperatures of around 20° C created perfect conditions for the horses to compete in.

For medal contender Denmark the day started not as planned as Freja Oline Skovhus Lindblad's 10-year-old Egelund Yurrell (by Blue Hors Farrell x Temple Wind xx) did not pass the re-inspection, which means Denmark will have no scratch team with its team of three riders.

The Dutch Turn it Around

Two years ago the 2023 European Children and Junior Championships were hosted at Schafhof in Kronberg, but Team Holland had its worst results in years there. With new team leadership the Dutch youth riders  are turning things round in Kronberg as the Young Riders have taken the lead in the team ranking this morning.

As first rider to go for The Netherlands, team routinier Anniek van Dulst received the high score of the day from the panel of judges, which included Patricia Wolters, Elke Ebert, Maria Colliander, Marlena Gruca Rucinska, and Frederico Pinteus. Riding her third European Championships on a third different horse (2019 Children in San Giovanni with Isala's Arielle - 2023 Juniors in Kronberg with Kadanz), Anniek van Dulst piloted Iris van der Weegh's 8-year old KWPN bred My First Choice Dutopia (by Blue Hors First Choice x Sir Sinclair x Blanc Rivage xx) to a personal best score of 71.853%.

Her tall chestnut halted in two phases, then stood square. There was a lack of bending in the corners, the trot extensions had good overtrack, but one had a tiny bobble in the rhythm. The walk pirouettes were small, the collected walk good. The extended walk, on the other hand, barely had one hoof overtrack and needed to march more over the back. My First Choice showed good ability to collect in the canter half pirouettes, one flying change at C was early to the marker. The tempi changes were straight but the quality of the stride deteriorated on the diagonals. The extended canter was hurried and short. It was a fault-free and strongly ridden test, but overall it would be nice to see the horse with the poll as highest point and not a neck 'broken' at the third vertebra. Three judges had the pair first, two second. The marks ranged from 70.441% to 72.647%

Holland's lead position was aided by Micky Schelstraete who saddled the 9-year old Oldenburg mare Venicia OLD (by Vivaldi x Don Frederico), owned by Carol Hweijan Lee. She placed third provisionally with 70.618%. As last pair to go today, the pair halted square but crooked to the right. Venicia showed plenty of overtrack in the extensions, but hurried in them. The trot half passes had plenty of crossing but could be more balanced. Overall the mare had a very busy mouth and was not truly searching the contact.  The left walk pirouette was rather big, the collected walk was good, the extended had good relaxation and rhythm but the overtrack only reached its coveted overstep towards the end of the diagonal. Venicia is an active and spritely mare with tons of energy, but in canter she executes the flying changes rather croup high. There was a bobble in the fours, the threes were fault-free. The canter pirouettes were good.  Her individual marks went from 69.706% to 71.618%.

Germany Follows

The home nation Germany lies provisionally second with team new comer Celestine Kindler acing her game aboard the 16-year old Westfalian Quotenkonig (by Quaterback x Furst Piccolo). With a personal best of 70.765% Kindler placed second for now. Kindler's chestnut gelding produced a very clean test with solid work in all three gaits. For a Quaterback this boy surprisingly has a very good walk with an outstanding extended walk and a decent collected. There was a bit of loss of activity in the walk pirouette, but Kindler managed it well. Celestine rode a very forward trot tour in which the shoulder in left needed more collection and Quotenkonig could have been more steady in the poll with the right half pass lacking bending. The canter pirouettes were verygood, the tempi changes well executed although the gelding loses some straightness to the left. The individual marks went from 69.559% to 71.912%.

Rose Oatley, one of Germany's most experienced youth riders with the European Pony and Junior Champion's title to her name, rode her fourth consecutive Junior/young riders Euros on a third different horse (Veneno 2022, Sommernacht 2023 and 2024). She saddled Gert Saborowski's tall black 11-year old Hanoverian Don Domingo (by Dimaggio x Don Davidoff). The fairly new partnership showed at CDI's in Mannheim and Hagen and got nominated on the German team. The black is an intriguing horse with strengths and "work points". He is a very big mover but the connection between the rider, her hands, and the horse's mouth is still under construction. Rose rode the gelding with long reins and often her left hand wide and low. The horse was not really seeking the contact and that proved an issue in executing the movements as the horse got high and tight in the neck at times. They began with a conservative first trot extension but there was good rhythm and energy in the big trot work. The collected walk was peacocky and far too slow, the extended had huge overtrack with a better tempo, but the collection before the canter strike-off was very problematic in its rhyhtm. The canter half pirouettes were good, the flying change at C early to the marker, the fours went well, the last change of the threes was short behind, and the flying change after the very powerful extended canter was in two phases. Oatley scored 70.382% with 71.912% as high score, but Pinteus' low score of 67.647% seemed more on the mark. 

Solo Dane

With only one rider to go for Team Denmark on Wednesday, Michella Skovsager and the 11-year old Danish bred Blue Hors Elliott (by Erlando x Romanov) made their performance count. They placed fifth with 69.853%

This reporter found Skovsager's test the most enjoyable of the day. Skovsager must have felt the nerves when she took a right turn instead of a left and heard the bell to signal she had gone off course. The penalty points affected her final score. The pair rode beautiful, calm and correct trot extensions, good half passes, all in the right self carriage. There was a small hiccup in the left walk pirouette. The extended walk was lovely, maybe a fraction asymmetrical in the front leg. The horse got wide behind in the right canter pirouette and could have had more strides in them, but the tempi changes were textbook straight and uphill and the extended canter with flying change were outstanding. Michella's individual marks ranged from 68.735% to 70.941%.

British Correctness

Landing a provisionally sixth place was team new comer, Teghan Cantrell-Bennett, on the oldest horse of the show: the 20-year old Woodlander Donna Summer (by Woodlander Del Amitri x Consul).  On the European mainland nobody has ever seen Cantrell-Bennett, whose international career has been limited to British based CDI's since 2021 (Wellington, Keysoe, Hickstead, Addington). 

The bay mare Donna Summer is certainly not the most flamboyant mover and Teghan rides the mares with flat hands low on the wither, but the contact is steady and the horse is very obedient. The pair rode from marker to marker, something many Young Riders failed to do so today, especially in riding flying changes on the marker either at C. Most also do the change three strides too early after the extended canter left. There was a loss of rhythm in the trot on the left volte and the canter left pirouettes was quite on the forehand, but the right one was better.  The walk pirouettes were good, the extended walk had good rhythm but was limited in overtrack. The pair left the arena with a 69.529% although the judges were not in unison: 67.353% to 70.882%.

British team mate Mette Dahl, who spent the first three months of the year back-packing across the world, saddled her mom's 16-year old Belgian bred Hanoverian Fidelio van het Bloemenhof (by Fidertanz x Jazz) and scored 67.677% for a 10th place. The chestnut is a former Danish Grand Prix team horse with Mette's Danish dad, Anders Dahl, and one can clearly see the advanced level training on this horse. The trot work is elegant and in self carriage. The collected walk and walk pirouettes were good, the extended excellent. In canter there was a hiccups in the flying change at M.

A Mixed Bag

A mixed bag of flags followed in the ranking to complete the top 10.

Belgium's Liezel Everars and the 9-year old Westfalian mare Venere (by Vitalis x Jazz) settled for 7th place with 69.088%. The trot extensions were supple, the half passes covered much ground, the walk pirouettes were small. The mare appeared a bit tense in the mouth and could have stretched the neck more in the extended walk which had one to two hooves overstep. There was a bit of tension in a flying change at C and a mistake in the fours.  

Hungary's Hanna Hoffer and the 9-year old Oldenburg mare Romina HH (by Foundation x Rosario) placed 8th with 67.765%, while Austria's Katharina Zajic on the 14-year old Hanoverian Fidelio (by Floriscount x Lauries Crusador xx) slotted in 9th with a fraction less, 67.735%. 

-- Photos © Astrid Appels/Eurodressage - No reproduction allowed - NO SCREENSHOTS

Eurodressage took photos of all competitors in Aachen. If you are interested to buy photo prints or digital files for social media, email us.

Related Link
Eurodressage Coverage of the  2025 European Young Riders and Under 25 Championships