Escape, New Junior Horse for Belgian Pony Team Rider

Dressage

Belgium

Escape, Clara Collard's quadruple European Junior Riders Championship Belgian team horse, has received a new rider. Belgian pony team member Helena Theeuwes has taken over the reins as her future junior horse.

Escape is a 15-year old KWPN gelding by Tuschinski out of Grace (by Kaiserstern xx x Apollo). He is bred by M. Bogers.

Quadruple Belgian Junior Team Horse

The bay gelding made his show debut under Belgian pony rider Clara Collard in February 2020 at the CDN Dentergem.

Coached by Carmen de Bondt, their international show debut was in the junior division at the 2020 CDI Grote-Brogel and they straight made it onto the Belgian team for the 2020 European Junior Riders Championships in Pilisjaszfalu, where they finished 37th in the individual test (66.294%).

The pair continued to be on the Belgian at three further, consecutive European Junior Riders Championships. In 2021 they were 12th in the Kur (73.785%), in 2022 they were 33rd in the individual test (67.588%) and in 2023 they placed 14th in the Kur (73.005%).

At the Belgian Junior Riders Championships they were fourth in 2020, competed in the pony division (4th) in 2021, got bronze in 2022, and gold in 2023.

This year the pair made the transition to Young Riders level but Collard developed health problems and had to put riding on the back-burner.

Helena Theeuwes

Theeuwes and Matteo at the 2024 European
Pony Championships

The Collard family has decided to pass on the ride on Escape to Belgian pony team rider Helena Theeuwes.

"Due to my studies, it became too difficult for me to manage riding two horses (at De Bondt's stable in Aarschot), doing well my studies (in Liège), doing sport and studying at home (Trois-Ponts) at the same time," Clara explained. "I’m the kind of person who’s very perfectionist and if I’m doing something, I want it to be (almost) perfect. This is the reason why I prefer focusing myself on my other horse Fond du Lac for the Young Riders and of course for the future."

Collard will continue her sport career with Fond du Lac, a 7-year old Oldenburg gelding by Blue Hors Farrell x United.

Theeuwes is trained by her mother, international small tour rider Anke Moordtgat as well as Carmen de Bondt. She made her international debut on her pony Caspar W and as of 2024 began showing ponies Mochyndaear Dragonfly in Amber (by Hexagons Double Dutch x Kenwoods Tomahawk) and Matteo (by Mr Right x Dornik B). With the latter she represented Belgium at the 2023 European Pony Championships in Opglabbeek, where she finished fifth individually.