Marlies van Baalen and Habibi DVB have been withdrawn from Dutch team contention for the 2025 European Championships in Crozet, France.
Van Baalen announced her horse is not fit to compete.
Marlies and the 13-year old Dutch warmblood gelding Habibi DVB (by Don Schufro x Johnson) represented The Netherlands at the 2023 European Championships in Riesenbeck, where they were 15th in the Kur to Music finals. In 2024 they were named second, non-travelling reserve for the Dutch Olympic team but withdrew from this position due to an injury.
After the Olympic summer, Van Baalen and Habibi returned to competition for the World Cup show circuit, competing in Stuttgart, Mechelen, Amsterdam and Den Bosch. This year they also showed in CDI's in Lier, Tolbert, Compiegne, Exloo and Rotterdam.
The pair were scheduled to compete in next week's Dutch Championships, the final Dutch team observation trial. They will not head to Ermelo and are out for team selection.
"Habibi sustained a bone bruise in his stall this week and it was simply bad luck," Van Baalen stated. "It requires a long recovery and of course his welfare comes first and we will give him all the time. This is why we will miss out on the Dutch Championships and potentially the European Championships. Of course this is a big setback, not just for me but for the entire team around us."
Marlies continued, "in the near future I will, therefore, in addition to the recovery of Habibi, focus on our rising horses. To speak in the words of Wiepke van de Lageweg; "with the hand on the plough and eyes ahead."
Photo © Astrid Appels
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