First Ever Turkish Children Team to Compete at 2025 European Pony, Children, Junior Championships

Dressage

Turkey

First the first time ever a full team of Children riders representing Turkey will compete at the 2025 European Championships for Pony, Children and Junior Riders.

These Championships take place in Le Mans (FRA) 28 July - 3 August 2025.

Turkey will be fielding one individual pony rider and a team of three children riders to Le Mans.

Turkey in Youth Sport

Their first youth team ever was a pony team of three riders that showed at the Europeans in Bishop Burton in 2010, including Rotem Ibrahimzadeh (Flamenco Star), Dorina Drowniak (No Limit), and Karla Nahmiyas (Poldy). The next team of three followed in 2016, while in 2017 Turkey fielded their first full pony team with four riders. Since then Turkey has only been sending individuals.

All of those pony riders have disappeared from international sport (Yagmur Ozturk, Defne Canli, Siraz Bayburtluoglu, Dila Gevrekyan, Debi Haviyo, Dorina Drownia, Karla Nahmiyas) except for Rotem Ibrahimzadeh who is Turkey's sole international Grand Prix rider at the moment.

Lina Uzunhasan is probably the most successful Turkish youth rider so far, based in The Netherlands, and competing in junior/young riders divisions on Donna Ray between 2014 and 2018. She was fifth in the Kur to Music at the 2016 European Junior Championships. She declared for the U.S.A. when she became a senior rider.

Laila Nazil Lück on Neschy SD at the 2025 CDIO Lier

In 2023 Turkish children rider Lal Mira Gürgen wrote history by winning bronze at the European Children Championships in Kronberg aboard the KWPN gelding Lowland (by Bordeaux). At the time Lal trained in the Netherlands with Uzunhasan. Gurgen received the ride on Farlana but only showed in one CDI (Lier) in 2025 as a junior rider. She is not listed as selected for Le Mans.

Delegation for 2025

For the 2025 Europeans the following Turkish riders have been selected are:

Pony Riders

Laila Nazil Lück - Neschy SD, an 11-year old Westfalian riding pony by Nutrix x Chantre B

Children

Asya Yildiz - Helsinki, a 13-year old KWPN gelding by Bojengel x Jazz
Dafne Konyali - D'Archy L, a 9-year old Danish warmblood gelding by Dream Boy x Florestan
Yagmur Tunçbilek - Pebbles, a 10-year old Belgian warmblood mare by Bodyguard x Stedinger