By Agata Grosicka
Photography: Lucasz Kowalski
For the last couple of years we have been witnessing a growing interest in dressage from both a breeding and sport perspective in the region of Central Europe, once known mostly for good quality showjumping and eventing horses.
With the increasing availability of the world’s top dressage stallions used by local breeders, and better access to high-quality sport horses for dressage, the riders from Central Europe are becoming more frequent contestants in the European dressage arenas.
In fact, history was made last year when Poland won an historic first medal at the 2021 WBCYH in Verden, Germany, thanks to the partnership between Beata Stremler and the Hanoverian gelding For Magic Equesta (For Romance - Awiwax x A Jungle Prince x Argentinus), bred by Freidheim Kuhnen and owned by Sylwia Ruta who won individual bronze in the six-year-old age group.
To answer the need for both exposure and the evaluation of Central European young dressage talents the Central European Dressage Group organized the first edition of a Central European Dressage Young Horse Championship, hosted in Pilisjaszfalu, Hungary, mid May 2022. This pilot edition included championships in three age-group categories – five-, six-, and seven-year-old horses – which were open for all combinations representing the region who did not have to qualify.
With the five-year-olds presenting the strongest and largest team, it was the Polish contingent who claimed the whole medal podium, and victory going to Aleksandra Szulc and a black stallion Romeo von Fürstenball PZHK (Furstenball [Oldbg] x Bretton Woods [KWPN]), owned by the rider and bred in Poland by Mr. Piotr Wiese. Last year’s Polish champions in the four-year-old young horse age-group were awarded a 9.00 for trot, 8.20 walk, 8.30 canter, 7.90 submission, 8.50 for potential, making a total score of 83.800%.
Second place went to Karolina Markowska and the Oldenburg mare Le Petit Fleur (Indian Rock [KWPN] x Gribaldi [Trak]) scoring a total of 83.200%: Trot 8.20; walk 8.50; canter 8.00; submission 8.40; and potential 8.50.
Third place belonged to Hubert Jankowski competing with the Hanoverian gelding Flashback BM (For Romance x Rotspon) and scoring: Trot 7.80, walk 7.50, canter 7.70, submission 7.40, and 7.70 for potential – totalling 76.200%.
The six-year-old test finished with victory going to the Slovak combination of Peter Edmar and the KWPN stallion Lord Leicester (Desperado NOP x Jackson) scoring for trot 6.80, walk 7.80, canter 7.30, submission 6.50, and potential 7.20. Total score 71.200%.
The winner of the preliminary test representing Poland was Magdalena Jura and the Belgian Warmblood-bred stallion Quick Star van de Guldennagel (Special Agent Amour x Johnson) scoring: trot 8.30, walk 7.00, canter 8.00, submission 7.80, and potential 8.00. Total score 78.200%. Unfortunately, that pair had to withdraw from the competition on the final day due to health issues... To read the complete article you need to be a subscriber
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