Thirty-Six Horses Remain after Second 2026 Dutch WCYH Team Selection Trial

Dressage

KWPN

Thirty-six horses remain in the running for Dutch team selection for the 2026 World Young Horse Championships after the second of three selection trials.

The second trial took place in Delft, The Netherlands, on 26 - 27 May 2026 and included the horses selected at the first trial as well as a number of "wild card" horses who couldn't make it to the first trial for various reasons.

The KWPN selection committee consists of Johan Hamminga, Alex van Silfhout, and Janine van Twist.

“We started late Tuesday evening with the seven-year-olds, so we weren't bothered by the heat,” Johan explained. “Delft is a beautiful location; the arena has an international feel. That is good practice for the horses for Verden. That arena is comparable to having many flags, lots of advertising, and other horses nearby. For some combinations, that proved to be quite a challenge. Of course, we take into account that we still have some time—after all, it is not August yet—but we do know that these horses need to get away from home a bit more before they stand a chance of securing a team spot.”

After riding the test according to the horse's age, all combinations received a short training session from Johan or Alex.

“This gives us a good idea of the trainability of the combinations," Johan stated. "This provides more information than just watching a test. Janine judges the tests, Alex and I take over the training, and then we discuss our findings together. There is still some work to be done on the technical aspects of the test; in Verden, you really have to perform a faultless test. We are left with a strong leading group in all age categories, but we find the five- and six-year-olds particularly striking this year. We really have to be strict in our selection there; the top ten is very good. So this time we have to leave horses at home that we would have loved to take to the World Championships in other years. The test for the seven-year-olds is really tough, but we have a number of very good horses there too. I am heading into the final selection with a good feeling.”

Of the four Friesians that were in the running after the first trial, only one remains and it will be a question whether KWPN will "sacrifice" a spot for a KFPS horse.

The horses invited to the third and final Dutch team selection trial on 22 June are:

5-year-olds:

Dante's Empire (by Dante Weltino) - Moisés Jover Azuar
Lord Charmeur (by Lord Europe) - Janina Tietze
Ready to Rumble (by Le Formidable) - Saskia Poel
Real Dream (by Dynamic Dream) - Charlotte Fry
Rendez-Vous (by Kjento) - Moisés Jover Azuar
Renzo (by Kjento) - Charlotte Fry
Rituals De La Fazenda (by Magnum De La Fazenda) - Thalia Rockx
Rockstar (by Le Formidable) - Saskia Poel
Rollercoaster LH (by Valverde) - Merita Hagre
Rose-Bel Taonga (by Kjento) - Franka Loos
Royal Esther Svn (by Toto Jr) - Danielle Heijkoop
Rufus Van 'T Houtsche (by Jameson) - Lotje Schoots

6-year-olds:

Fiji (by For Romance) - Kim Alting
Franzmann (by Fürstenball) - Beatrice Arturi
Mattie P Fan Dulve (by Pier 448) - Danielle Heijkoop
Paulo WM (by Kjento) - Marieke Cobben
Perfect Ritme (by Lord Europe) - Kim Noordijk
Pina Colada (by Governor) - Kirsten Brouwer
Pitch Perfect (by Le Formidable) - Vai Bruntin
Pjethro (by Kjento) - Charlotte Fry
Proud James (by Jameson) - Annabella Pidgle
Pythagoras World Cup (by All at Once) - Franka Loos
Roman Empire (by Romanov) - Bart Veeze
Tie Break (by Toto Jr) - Leonie Richter

7-year-olds:

Hexagon's Oprahmanda (by Diamond Hit) - Tessa Kole
Oberon (by Kensington) - Daria Sushchinskaya
Obredho (by Johnson) - Brecht D'Hoore
Obsession Taonga (by Vitalis) - Lara van Nek
Ocarl (by Toto Jr) - Thalia Rockx
Odi Murona (by Blue Hors Farrell) - Tessa Kole
Ohio (by Kaiman) - Kirsten Brouwer
Oliviera 3 (by Sezuan's Donnerhall) - Marina Welbers
Olympia W (by Ebony) - Vai Bruntink
Ortisei (by Toto Jr) with Julia Groenhart
O'Toto van de Wimphof (by Toto Jr) - Diederik van Silfhout
Ozstralis Cottinglee (by Sir Donnerhall) - Kirsten Brouwer