Blog: The Final Sprint of 2025 Begins in Verden

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

It's the beginning of August which means the final sprint has begun. I picked up Lily Forado at the airport on Monday and today we drove to Verden, Germany, for the first of two major championships this month: The World Championships for young dressage horses.

Verden was consider the "mother host venue" of the "WCYH", having run the show from 2002 till 2015. Then Ermelo took over and the Championship truly transformed, gave it a "Championship" feel with a bigger framework: a posher VIP tent, a bigger trade fair, nicer catering, more flowers and decoration round the arena, bleachers for the spectators. Not the typical "white tent" encirclement with a beer garden and pommes and bratwurst on the side. 

In 2021 the WCYH returned to Verden for one cycle and everyone mumbled and grumbled as it was a sad farewell to the pleasant and well-organized "Ermelo". The word "Ermelo" on its own had taken over from the word "Verden". You never referred to the World Championships; you just said "Ermelo" and everyone knew which show you meant exactly.  In 2021 Verden was plagued by nasty weather, something no show has control over. The Hanoverian society ran a tight ship, but it wasn't "pretty".

The show returned to Ermelo in 2022 through 2024 and it felt like coming home. For the structure driven people amongst us, this year's move back to Verden for another three-year cycle has left many sighing in discomfort. Brace yourself for the tents...

Aside from the atmospheric and aesthetic worries I have returning to Verden, I'm sure that the quality of horses is going to be fabulous and nice weather has been predicted. I feel rested and recharged to tackle this competition and cover it with the usual style and wit known from Eurodressage.

Unfolding

It was an okay start today at 8 AM. I had gone to bed at midnight and contemplated whether it would be a smart idea to begin the third book of my newest addiction: ACOTAR (A Court of Thorns and Roses): think Game of Thrones meets Lord of the Rings meets Fifty Shades of Grey.  Pulp at its best: page-turning action and scenes that make your cheeks blush. Why prefer the boredom of real life relationships when you can have ultimate imagined adventures and non-committal fun in your brain by reading such books. Eh...

I made the smart decision and did not begin the book as it would leave me craving for "literature" instead of work. While Lily is a hard-core sleeper, she is also the quickest person I know to rise and ready at the door, suited and booted. While I'm still tying my shoe laces, she's already out, chugging her suitcase and backpack into the trunk of my car.  We had a fairly good drive to Verden. It's 4h00 with no traffic, it took us 4h20 with a few jams. It wasn't too bad, but my butt got numb from sitting so long. 

We arrived in warm and sunny Verden at 13h15. I rolled out of the car like a cripple, unfolded myself into a person, stretched my legs and got the camera out, ready for action.

Exploring

We walked round the stables and searched for the indoor arena where the horse inspection for the 6-year olds was going to take place at 14h00. When arriving at a horse show, it's all meet and greets first; saying hi to riders, trainers, friends and acquaintances while getting settled in.

The horse inspection went rather smoothly, with the exception of a few ill-mannered stallions who should better have their balls cut for the dangerous behaviour they showed. The inspection was over within an hour and to my knowledge all horses passed. I wandered over to the warm-up ring, just two horses there, stopped by my favourite shop, No Concept, and said hi to its most fun and generous Dutch proprietors. 

There was a bit of a wait between the inspection and the main arena familiarisation at 17h00 and had to run inside for a short but heavy rain shower. I hadn't put my camera's rain cover on, as I was quite optimistic about the no-rain today. Retired international judge Angelika Frömming strolled into the building and we greeted. Frömming has been a legendary judge here in Verden until she sadly retired, a great loss for the sport as she was a guardian of classical dressage and critical voice so necessary nowadays. Frömming told me she saw the German team selection in Warendorf and was impressed by the quality of riding in the 5-year old division. She looked forward to seeing all the horses here in Verden.

I put on a thin jacket and strolled back to the main stadium where I photographed the two guinea pigs riding the 6-year old preliminary test so the judges could check the computers and scoring system. Then the actual competitors came in for their 20 minutes in the competition ring. Some just walked their horses, other really put the pressure on the cooker, steaming their horses like gyoza in a bamboo basket.

Astute

Another spicy rain shower swept over the show grounds which chased some of the riders away and also convinced me to call it a day. We went back to the hotel. Lily got invited to the ANCCE team dinner so it was a solo night for me.

I strolled into town and got showed the door in the first place I entered ("the kitchen is closing early today"), then headed to a second option, a local Italian called Portofino. The restaurant turned out to be a dressage hub: I was seated next to Ingo Pape's table, across from me was a Belgian table, and Fabian Scholz came in with a big party. I was surrounded by the in-crowd, except a table on my right..where two ladies seemed to be on their first date together. It was so cute to overhear their conversation for a few seconds, hearing whether she liked aubergines and onions.  I ordered a hamburger with truffle sauce and while I devoured it, did some updates on Instagram. The sometimes-introvert in me chose to not strike up a conversation and leave everyone in peace, including myself.

Lily always asks me the most astute questions. Yesterday she blasted me with this brain-torture: What are the five best tests you ever saw in your life. Such a tough assignment to yield a quick answer. While chewing my burger I thought about it and shared it on Instagram stories: When it comes to the WCYH I would say Woodlander Farouche and Lordswood Dancing Diamond. When it comes to atmosphere (and not technical riding), for sure Fuego's freestyle at the 2010 WEG and when it comes to riding mastery, one half halt that Carl Hester gave to Fame in Riesenbeck 2023. But for sure there are so more great moments in sport. 

Verden By Numbers

I decided on no dessert and walked back to the hotel to finish writing this blog.

I'm getting excited about covering the 2025 WCYH. I attended the first one in 1999 (in Arnheim) and only missed four year (2001, 2002, 2003 and 2015). I have been to all other WCYH, so not a bad tally at all. This year there are 45 five-year olds, 40 six-year olds and 41 seven-year olds with riders from 25 nations competing. The best represented sire here is Secret with 10 offspring, followed by Vitalis with 9 and Escamillo with 8. 

Bring it on.

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

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

Related Link
Eurodressage Coverage of the 2025 World Championships for Young Dressage Horses