By Judith Martens / KWPN
Photography: Hippo Foto/Dirk Caremans

The world’s top-ranked equestrians came together in Herning for the World Championships in dressage, jumping, para dressage and vaulting. Nine days to enjoy sport at the highest level with brand-new winners and long-awaited champions. Of all the medals that were up for grabs, 22 were won by horses born in the stables of KWPN breeders.

A total of 93 dressage horses, 103 showjumpers, and 83 para dressage horses contended for the medals in Herning, with 17% of the 279 entries being KWPN registered. Divided between the three disciplines, the list read as follows: 19 dressage, 10 jumping and 18 para dressage. By the end of the championships, 75 medals had been awarded to the best performers, 22 of which were claimed by horses born in the stables of KWPN breeders – a massive 29%, and by far the most medals of any studbook. The WC of Herning can therefore rightfully be described as a very successful event for KWPN-bred horses.

Nine dressage medals

Out of nineteen KWPN-bred dressage horses, nine qualified for the Grand Prix Special and six advanced to the Freestyle to Music. Remarkably, no fewer than three KWPN-approved stallions earned a spot in the latter and, in total, KWPN horses won nine medals: team gold for Blue Hors Zack (Rousseau - Orona ster pref prest IBOP-dr x Jazz, bred by B. Wilschut of Bosschenhoofd), team silver for the complete KWPN-team of Great Britain, double gold for Glamourdale (Lord Leatherdale - Thuja pref x Negro, bred by J.W. Rodenburg of Ouderkerk aan den IJssel), and double bronze for Hermès (Easy Game- Bukkie keur pref prest EPTM-dres x Flemmingh, bred by G. Gijsbers of Loosbroek).
That the Britons adore and are successful with KWPN horses has been long-established. Last year they also filled an entire team with KWPN horses, to secure Olympic team bronze. One year later, Great Britain took home World Championship silver with four different KWPN horses. In addition to Glamourdale, the team included: Imhotep (Everdale - Della d’Ottie stb-ext x Vivaldi, bred by T. Huizing of Donderen); Classic Briolinca (Trento B - Triolinca stb-ext prest x Royal Dance, bred by Gebr. Van der Steen of Den Dungen); and Bubblingh (Lingh - Matajo x Picandt, bred by Richard Davison GBR, who was also Bubblingh’s rider).

Bright future

The World Championship dressage was certainly filled with young super stars that gave us a glimpse of a very bright future. The 93 dressage horses included 32 aged from nine to 11 years. From this age group, 11 horses participated in the concluding Freestyle to Music, exclusively for the top 15 contestants, and all the individual medals went to these youngsters. Established names were surpassed by the 26-year-old Charlotte Fry and her 11-year-old KWPN-approved stallion Glamourdale who seized two individual gold medals. Denmark’s 30-year-old Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour aboard her 10-year-old Vitalis offspring Vamos Amigos twice won individual silver; while 32-year-old Dinja van Liere and her 10-year-old KWPN-approved stallion Hermès twice swooped into individual bronze.

Also worth mentioning are the performances of the two nine-year-old horses: Imhotep and Indian Rock (Apache - Crisjena keur pref IBOP-dres x Vivaldi, bred by J. de Bruijn of Schelluinen). Both horses entered the championship with a mere four and six Grand Prix tests of experience, respectively, but at this championship they demonstrated that they belonged on this belong on this world stage. And that naturally raises the expectations when looking towards the Olympic Games of Paris 2025... To read the complete article you need to be a subscriber

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