Proud James Parades to 5-YO Title at 2025 World Young Horse 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!

Danish Mette Sejbjerg Jensen and the KWPN bred Proud James paraded to the title in the 5-year old division at the 2025 World Championships for young dressage horses in Verden, Germany, on Sunday afternoon 10 August 2025. 

Sparking Talk

The 5-year old finals, which are by many considered the most exciting class of the WCYH as young horses are not yet tainted by the high demands of collection, were the closing class of the 2025 edition hosted by the Hanoverian breeding society in Verden. 

Fifteen horses qualified for the finals and the oerall quality was high, but for a change, the 6 and 7-year old divisions sparked more interest and debate during the week than this division. 

The 5-year old Finals were judged by Patricia Wolter, Maria Colliander, Juan Carlos Campos, and Agnieszka Majewska, with Colliander providing the public commentary. 

Proud James Stands Out

There was no doubt that Proud James (by Jameson x Johnson) was the standout horse of the division. After winning the preliminary test earlier on Thursday, he easily moved to the top of the board in the Finals with a score of 90.600%.

Sejberg rode a beautiful halt at entry and the pair delivered fluent trot work. The walk before the turn on the haunches was mediocre in quality. The second medium trot was really nice, although truth be told, that was an extended trot, but not once did the judges make a point out of it.  The medium walk (which was an extended walk) was well regulated, but again the horse lost quality in his mark before the canter strike off. Proud James has an active, engaged canter with good balance. Although the frame was slightly better in the trot work, compared to the preliminary test, the neck still got short in the counter canter right and there were many voice aids to be heard from the rider. Also the left counter canter was a bit laboured. The horse ambled in the second simple change and hit the fence. The crowds sabotaged the final centerline as they began clapping before the halt at X which spooked the horse and took off like a bullet fired from a pistol. Sejbgjerg was able to make him come to a halt with a sliding stop before crashing into the judges' hut at C. 

Colliander joked, "well done to catch hime before C." If Proud James had jumped out of the arena, he would have been eliminated. Colliander said that this spook would not be considered in their judgement as it was a clear force majeur. The panel praised the horse for "listening to the rider" but remarked that there were "small tensions in the contact in the turn on the haunches." They lauded the stallion for being "very expressive, charming, handsome..just a very good horse."

They scored him 9.3 for trot, 8.3 for walk, 9.0 for canter, 9.2 for submission, and 9.5 for perspective.

“I’m overwhelmed," said Sejbjerg Jensen, who was already in tears when she heard her scores in the arena. "Proud James is stunning and has the perfect colour." She described his as a showman. "'

Bred by Yolien van Maasacker and owned by Helgstrand Dressage, Proud James was the KWPN performance test winner. Under Maxi Kira von Platen he won last year's national 4-year old challenge in Ermelo during the World Young Horse Championships. This 4-year old class was NOT a FEI / WFBSH World Championship but a promotional class in a top setting. After Maxi Kira left Helgstrand to start on her own, Sejbjerg Jensen got the ride. 

"‘I just wanted to breed a good dressage horse,’ said Van Maasacker "I saw the sire Jameson and thought that with his energy and charisma, he would be a good match for my mare. And I think Proud James has the best of both his dam and sire." Helgstrand reminisced, "I was eating dinner in Amsterdam when I received a video. I watched it under the table, practically between the main course and dessert, and immediately said, “I'm buying him."

Viva Diamond Gets Silver

There were a lot of "two's" in the 5-year old Finals. Three riders qualified two horses for it: Mette Sejbjerg Jensen (Proud James, Straight Horse Leonardo), Bart Veeze (Pina Colada M and Roman Empire), and Selina Solberg Vittinghus (Atterupgaards Bernachi and Daimi), and there were two horses with the rather unoriginal same name: Viva Diamond. 

The Oldenburg bred Viva Diamond (by Vitalis x Don Diamond) was ridden by Linda Weiss and the pair probably stood out with the best presentation from a technical point of view, even though Viva Diamond seemed a bit Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde. As rideable and beautiful as she was in the test, as tricky and unmanageable did she appear in the prize giving, refusing to stand still for a second.  In the test she looked on point, even though the halt at entry was not entirely immobile. She became a little wide behind in the first medium trot but overall trotted along in such a soft-paced manner. She looked smooth and balanced, performed a good turn on the haunches, and the second medium as an extended with three hooves overtrack.  The transition downward to walk was rolling.  The medium walk was marching. In canter the mare had very regular striding, at times a bit leaning on the shoulders, but the left counter canter was excellent.  One simple change did not have the best walk. Overall, presentation wise, this was a top test. 

She scored 8.8 for trot, 9.3 for walk, 8.5 for canter, and 9.0 for submission and perspective. With 89.200% in total she slotted in second. 

The judges praised the bay for her "lightfooted trot in good self carriage" but added there could be "more bend on the voltes, especially to the left." In canter they wanted to see "a little more jump in the counter canter right" They added that "there is clear potential."

Bred at Anne Alberding, scouted as a foal by Nadine Heidrich and sold as a 3-year old to Judith Köppel, Viva Diamond is not as easy as she seems, Weiss confessed on Thursday. "She's in her own world and you need to make her feel comfortable there. Then she is amazing and easy to ride," said Linda. 

At the press conference Linda added, "she was even a little better today than in the qualifiers. She had a little more of that “go” of a final today."

Bronze for Straight Horse Leonardo

The 36-year old Mette Sejbjerg Jensen is riding her fourth WCYH on seven different horses but this is the first time she's been on the podium and she made it a double straight away.  Aboard Straight Horse Leonardo (by Lord Europe x De Niro) she picked up bronze with a total score of 87.400%

The handsome black stallion impresses mostly with his front: gorgeous face, neck, plenty of knee action in front. The hindquarters are active, but not as carrying and powerful. He's an expressive mover, but skated through the corners and on the bent lines. The medium walk could have had more overstep. The canter had nicely uphill striding, but in the counter canter right he got crooked, and he lost quality in walk in the simple change. The second simple change was tense.  There was a good final stretch in the trot with given rein and a nice square halt at the end. 

He got 8.8 for trot, 7.8 (!) for walk,  9.1 for canter, and 9.0 for submission and perspective. 

The judges  called him a "handsome horse, gorgeous, lightfooted and well presented" with an "elastic trot, clear in rhythm but there could be a bit more engagement in the medium trot."

"I am incredibly grateful to be able to ride two such high-quality horses," said Sejbjerg at the press conference. "We prepared very carefully for this World Championships – and both the quality of the horses and the preparation really make it almost easy to ride to a medal. But I enjoyed both horses so much here."

Leonardo is bred and owned by Eva Götzsche and Mogens Pedersen of Straight Horse but both were not present at the prize giving ceremony. Andreas Helgstrand stood next to the horse representing the owners.  The black became a premium licensed stallion at the 2023 Danish Warmblood stallion licensing and was a runner-up in the performance test. 

Top Five

The fourth placed pair of the preliminary test, Danish Betina Jaeger and the Danish warmblood gelding Faustino G (by Farrell x Sezuan), landed fourth place again with 84.800%. Bred and owned by Helene Geervliet of Stutteri G, the tall bay with his long legs was last to go in the class. The young gelding looked a bit green and relied heavily on the experienced hands of his professional rider. He trotted  willingly through the movements, but the hindlegs were out at times and leant on the bit, crossing the jaws at times, instead of carrying himself. This was proven in the trot with given reins, in which he curled himself instead of truly stretching the neck.  In the medium trots he achieved plenty of overtrack, but often hurried on the voltes and bent lines. On the diagonal in the medium walk he achieved overstep but was flexed to the right.  In canter the gelding could have a bit more "roundness" in his strides. They finished the test with a very nice final halt. 

Faustino scored 8.4 for trot, 8.3 for walk, 8.5 for canter, 8.7 (?) for submission, and 8.5 for perspective. 

Beatrice Hoffrogge presented the feminine, elegant Oldenburg mare Because of You (by Benicio x Dimaggio) in a lovely way and landed fifth place with 84.000%. This sweet mare has a floaty trot but was fidgety in the mouth throughout and sometimes tilted. The mare worked for her rider and showed a wonderful left counter canter, but overall this horse could be more uphill oriented in its gaits.

Bred by Jan Callender and owned by Lara Steimle Lochmann, Because of You got 8.6 for trot, 8.7 for walk, 8.4 for canter,  7.9 for submission, and 8.4 for perspective.

To Note

The fifteen horses in the 5-year old finals all had their qualities and weaknesses, but our favourite in the class, aside from the winner, finished last: Atterupgaards Daimi.  The chestnut mare by Springbank II x Bon Bravour) was presented with such lightness and elegance. The trot was outstanding and had a clear, relaxed walk but in canter she told her rider "ciao, ciao" and literally took off. Work in progress, but this is the one to watch.

Patricia Wolters (NED), chief judge for the 5-year old finals, summed up the class. "The most important things for us when judging are good natural gaits, natural balance, a good attitude and a harmonious presentation. We saw a few horses that were a little tired, mostly those that qualified via the small final and had one more test to go, but all in all we had a very high-quality field of starters among the five-year-olds."

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

Eurodressage took 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