Reviewing Ermelo: An Epic Final Duel in Grade III at the 2025 European Para Dressage Championships

Text and Photos © Silke Rottermann - No reproduction allowed
(this article expresses Rottermann's' eye-witness account and opinion about the competition)  

Since the European championships 2019 in Rotterdam Grade III had been blessed with the most popular combination in young Dane Tobias Thorning Jörgensen and his enchanting grey mare Jolene Hill. Their outstanding partnership and success ensured that Grade III got a lot of attention, even outside the para equestrian scene.

The mare could not defend her 2021 Paralympic titles at the 2024 Paralympics due to travel sickness, so the best European pair there was he experienced Dutch Rixt van der Horst who took home two individual silver medals. With the highly talented stallion Fonq she came very close in the freestyle finals to Paralympic champion Rebecca Hart. It was expected that at the this year's European championships Jörgensen and van der Horst would have their private duel for the continental titles.

Quality on the Rise

Grade III saw a field of 12 starters from eight different nations in the Grand Prix A (individual competition) and Grand Prix B (counting for the team competition and together with Grand Prix A as freestyle qualification). Remarkably half of the attending nations, Belgium, The Netherlands, Denmark and Ireland, had two riders each in this field which was quite strong because one could name several riders  with medal chances.

On a very windy Wednesday 3 September 2025, the Grand Prix A  turned out to be at a high level with 8 of the 12 starters achieving results of over 70%. In the freestyle all riders went over the 70% barrier, the winner even topped the 80%.  This is just one indicator how much the level has risen during the past few years, something which was confirmed to me in Ermelo by an O-judge as well as a former individual medalist in this grade.

The average quality of horses in para dressage, I repeat myself, has gone through the roof during the past decade, a fact nice for the sport, but not so easy for those riders with talent, but lack of personal financial assets or support from their federations, state or patrons. However, in general the quality of riding definitely keeps up with that of the horses, certainly owed to the fact that many riders seek help from professional trainers who are now much more involved in para dressage than 10- 20 years ago.

At first look para newcomers might assume that the programs ridden in Grade II and Grade III look quite identical: Both are ridden in a 40x20 m area and completely in walk and trot. Both include extensions, a stretch and leg yielding as a sideway- movement. Contrarily to Grade II though Grade III requires tempi differences in between trot which is ridden as working and medium trot, a turn on on the haunches on both leads, a rein-back of 2-4 steps, and two medium trot extensions through the entire diagonal. The overall amount of trot sequences is higher in Grade III as well.

It is obvious that also in that Grade "throughness" is the key and that requires a relaxed horse which reacts to the rider’s aids promptly.
Not always easy in the days of Ermelo where in the first days a strong wind was blowing, rattling the flags around the competition grounds and 10-minute-arena and sometimes even making the coffee cups in the spectators tents turn over. Fortunately the big majority of horses handled these weather conditions admirably, focusing on their riders and the task they had.

The Ones Who Caught My Eye

The first ones who caught my eye when I entered the Ermelo show-grounds Monday evening to say hello to a para friend before the European championships officially kicked off with the vet check the next morning, was Rixt van der Horst and Fonq, a horse bought and sponsored for her by Egbert van Hes of the Eisma Media Group. They were literally smiling from several corners on big posters (Rixt was the ambassador of these Europeans) and even on the ladies’ loo you couldn’t escape their (paper) presence. I wondered if this championships would bring Rixt back to the place she had occupied at the 2014 and 2018 WEG and the 2015 European championships in Deauville: the number one spot.

Rixt has already had tremendous success over the past decade, most notably with the Dutch bred horses Uniek and Findsley before she got the licensed Westfalian stallion  Fonq  at the end of 2023. A stallion in one of the lower grades is something very rare, but Rixt and the chestnut with characteristic mane splendor seemed to be a real match right from the beginning.

In their first season together they were never out of the ribbons, often leading the bunch and took three silver medals at the Paralympic Games in a far from easy stadium, but almost more importantly: Even after such a short time together they looked really in sync.
In Ermelo, unbeaten in the 2025 season with wins at the CPEDIs in Doha, Mannheim and Hagen, Rixt van der Horst and the now 10-year-old offspring by Fürst Fohlenhof x Lissaro van der Helle held it together and lived up to the high exceptions. Not even the very windy first class could deter the stallion, whose walk and trot have so much quality. The soft steady contact and  exemplary frame in which Fonq went was remarkable. He displayed a self carriage many Grand Prix horses can only dream of. Of course the sheer quality of this horse is striking, but likewise the way he is presented. That is genuine advertising for para dressage and they had the pole position in all three classes.

Denmark’s para star Tobias Thorning Jörgensen who has started his international career at the tender age of 15, has enjoyed tremendous success since then in which the enchanting mare Jolene Hill has played the key role. Double Paralympic champions at Tokyo 2021, double European champions twice (2019 and 2023) and double World champions one home turf in Herning 2022 have given them the aura of being invincible. More so, the bond between the very special Danish warmblood mare and his sympathetic rider caught the hearts of many throughout the years in which they demonstrated what beautiful riding and harmony is all about.

Prior to Ermelo Tobias only started Jolene Hill internationally at the CPEDI Hagen where he placed second in all three classes behind Rixt van der Horst, coming very close to her in the Grand Prix A. In Ermelo both could boost their performances once again compared to Hagen and Tobias was hot on the Dutch pairs’ heels in all three classes. Aboard his rather small 17-year-old mare he was so much in tune with her that it was a pleasure to watch them one last time. For the judges it mustn't have been an easy decision who would be crowned European champions as both pairs were really close together and both hold their own elegance and harmony.

Though I did not know then, I felt that this would probably been the last time I was able to enjoy this Danish pair at a show. Mind you, when Jolene Hill with her big ears and kind dark eyes came a last time towards my camera when she left the arena to thunderous applause, I was not ashamed for the tears running down my cheeks. Special partnerships always make me emotional and when they end after so many years, you feel gratitude you were able to enjoy their rides for so many years than regret that it is over now. Jolene Hill has been retired from sport. 

Though quite successful in the past years in this Grade, Dutch Tessa Baaijens-van de Vrie only saw a team nomination for the first time in 2025 which just shows how high the performance density in para dressage in the host nation of this year’s European championship. Placing either 2nd or 3rd in all classes entered at the two preparatory international events Tessa and her chestnut mare Happy Grace attended this year, Waregem (BEL) and Hagen (GER), the time seemed ripe for this combination to prove themselves on the championships stage. Her 12-year-old KWPN bred Happy Grace (by Royal Dance x Casanova) is a quality mover with smooth gaits. To the well deserved cheer of her home crowd Tessa took twice individual bronze and a team silver - what a team debut for her!

Italy’s experienced multiple Paralympian Francesca Salvadé came to Ermelo with an almost clean competition record this season. She started early with three second places behind Rixt van der Horst in Doha, followed by wins in all classes at the CPEDIs in Ornago, Stadl Paura and Ornago again. Though the fields were small there, the awarded percentages were promising. Salvadé’s only 8-year-old gelding Escari has matured very much since he debut at championships two years ago in Riesenbeck when he was only six. Always looking content and eager to work, this Westfalian son of the extremely successful sire Escolar put in reliable performances at Ermelo. With two fourth places in the Grand Prix A and B one somehow felt that it was his and his petite rider’s turn in the freestyle. After a fourth and fifth place in Paris, it was Francesca’s first championship medal and one certainly well deserved.

Danish Karla Dhym-Junge and her gorgeous mare Miss Daisy are an elegant pair to watch. Both showed consistency, placing 4th and 5th in the individual competitions and contributing to Denmark’s team bronze medal.

Ireland had two young ladies in this Grade, the 19-year-old Katie Reilly who was the benjamin in Riesenbeck two years earlier and the 24-year-old Jessica McKenna. Both showed new horses in Ermelo although Reilly’s 14-year-old British bred Hanoverian mare Keystone Dawn Chorus is a very familiar face in the para world.  The dark bay Dimaggio offspring enjoyed tremendous success with Britain’s Natasha Baker at the past two Paralympic Games before Katie took over the ride less than a year ago, which sparked quite some interest by the equestrian media on both islands. Katie rode the mare known as „Lottie“ so well that both made it into the freestyle finals on Sunday.

Grade III at the Europeans was an interesting Grade to watch as the level of riding was high and some exciting new combinations showed up who will be interesting to follow in future. We interviewed one of these  newcomers at the Europeans, so watch this space...

-- Text and Photos © Silke Rottermann for Eurodressage  - No Reproduction allowed

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