Felicitas Hendricks Cries Tears of Joy over Individual Gold at the 2023 European Under 25 Championships

- Text © Eurodressage (this article expresses Eurodressage's' eye-witness account and opinion about the competition)

German Felicitas Hendricks could not be moved from the highest step of the podium in the individual medal race at the 2023 European Under 25 Championships in Pilisjaszfalu, Hungary on Saturday afternoon 15 July 2023. In fact the entire podium remained unchanged after the second group of riders went in the Short/U25 Grand Prix. The silver medal was for Dutch Marten Luiten, while German Helen Erbe got bronze. 

The individual medal competition at the Under 25 Euros in Pilisjaszfalu had all the ingredients of a good drama: Riders who confirmed, riders who underwhelmed, riders who exceeded all the expectations, an unfortunate elimination and all this peppered with some roller coaster judging from the panel consisting of Annette Fransén Iacobaéus, Henning Lehrmann, Elisabeth Max-Theurer, Clive Halsall, and Alban Tissot.

Thirty-six riders competed in the Under 25 Grand Prix class (the original Short Grand Prix test), but the majority of the medal favourites rode down the centerline on Friday, so the cards were much dealt yesterday. Eurodressage wrote a detailed report about Friday's class here.  Only two Saturday riders came close to a podium score and they were Thea Bech and Beatrice Arturi. 

Felicitas Hendricks Cries Tears of Joy

The 23-year old Felicitas Hendricks and her 12-year old Oldenburg gelding Drombusch (by Destano x Dimaggio) produced such a stable, consistent ride with lovely, regular piaffe-passage work yesterday, which earned her the top score of the day, a personal best of 74.256%. This mark turned out to be the winning one for individual gold.

Trained by her uncle Christoph Koschel, Felicitas is a German team debutant who spearheaded the country's campaign for team gold. She also topped the board in the short Grand Prix after Semmieke Rothenberger's unfortunate elimination after nicking her horse with the spur.

"I was already happy with the great ride on the first day, it's just nice that Drommel presented himself so well. It was a nail-biter today because you never know what might happen. I only watched a few rides because I didn't want to drive myself crazy. I supported our team mates and for the rest concentrated on Drommel," Felicitas commented. 

She is now looking forward to Sunday's freestyle final, in which she will try to collect her third gold. "We already showed that freestyle in Balve, but the music wasn't quite what I wanted it to be," she explained. "We worked on that again and made it a little livelier. I'm just looking forward to showing it here."

Marten Luiten Back on the Podium

Dutch Marten Luiten returned to the individual podium after becoming 2021 European Young Riders Champion. 2022 was a transition year for him in which he trained Willeke Bos' 13-year old KWPN mare Fynona (by Ampere x Gribaldi) to  Grand Prix level with regular help of Anky van Grunsven. He missed out on team selection for the 2022 Europeans due to fracturing his collar bone in a riding accident, but got back on the team in 2023 after riding in five CDI's, four of them in The Netherlands, and winning every single class except one.

Luiten and Fynona took a not so convincing start in the Intermediaire II but picked up a team bronze medal. In the Short Grand Prix on Friday he had his mare more on the aids and in front of him, showing great execution of the canter movements, and a good walk, but in passage Fynona trails the hindlegs and she is short in the neck. He got a lucky break that turned potential bronze into silver, as one judge was far more optimistic than his four colleagues. The 21-year old Marten scored a total of 73.461%, with a low score of 71.79% and a high score of 77.051% which considerably lifted the average to 73.461% for solid silver. 

Helen Erbe Gets Bronze

Germany's Helen Erbe was first to go on Friday and aboard the 16-year old Rhinelander gelding Carlos (by Carabas x Weltmeyer) she rode a very polished test that was pleasing to watch. A mistake in the one tempi changes kept the score from going higher.

She scored 71.385% with individual marks ranging from 68.462% (6th) to 73.333 (1st). Also through Saturday that score remained unrivalled and Erbe retained her third place ranking, good for bronze. 

“Our team impressed with good riding and I am particularly pleased that the two championship newcomers did so well," said German team trainer Sebastian Heinze. "Felicitas showed great rides here and Drombusch does it so easily, it's just fun. Helen and Carlos showed great form in the Short Grand Prix, had a small  error in the one tempi changes but they were the first pair to go and the judges were still a bit divided on the scoring. In the end everything worked out and it's nice that it turned into bronze for them."

Off the Podium

Last year's double bronze medal winner, Danish Thea Bech and her 15-year old KWPN gelding Dionisos (by Spielberg x Sir Sinclair) were "slower" out of the starting gate than usual in the Intermediaire II, placing 12th with 69.559% but still collecting team silver.  In the Short Grand Prix the pair was back on usual form and scores highpoints with their forté, the outstanding passage of Dionisos: active, under, off the ground, collected, and the poll as highest point.  At the start of the test he was still a bit tight in the neck, but the half passes were good, and the right pirouette was the best one. They lost some points in the walk part. With 70.974% they landed just off the podium in fourth place. 

Germany's Selina Söder completed the top five on 70.897%. Riding Olympic champion Jessica von Bredow-Werndl's former international grand prix horse, the 19-year old KWPN mare Zaire-E (by Son de Niro x Jazz), Söder delivered a very elegant ride with sweet piaffes and light-footed passage. A mistake in the one tempi changes affected the score. 

- Photos © Anett Somogyvari  

Related Links
Scores: 2023 European Young Rider / Under 25 Championships
Eurodressage Coverage of the 2023 European Young Riders/Under 25 Championships