Dressage-News

ROTTERDAM, The Netherlands, Aug. 10–A record 16 nations have confirmed sending teams to compete at the European Championships that will see riders from an unprecedented 21 countries when they are held next week in Rotterdam.

The list of definite entries was released Wednesday by organizers of the event that will be using a new grand stand at show grounds that are among the best in the world and are close to a sellout.

Nations will be seeking to qualify for the remaining three team slots allocated to Europe as well as individuals for the Olympics in London in 2012. The Netherlands as well as Germany and the Olympic host nation of Great Britain are qualified for next year’s Games.

Definite entries for the European Dressage Championships Aug. 17-21 are:

AUSTRIA
GMOSER, Peter – Cointreau
MAX-THEURER, Victoria – Augustin OLD
PROCHASKA, Karina – Dow Jones 2
VOGLSANG, Renate – Fabriano 58

BELGIUM
DEVROE, Jeroen – Apollo van het Vijverhof
FASSAERT, Claudia – Donnerfee
JORISSEN, Philippe -LE BEAU
ZAGERS, Johan – Question de Liberte

DENMARK
HANSEN, Sune – Blue Hors Romanov
OLST, Anne van – Exquis Clearwater
SAYN-WITTGENSTEIN, Nathalie zu – Digby
SEIERSKILDE, Lisbeth – Jonstrupgaardens Raneur

SPAIN
CASTILLA RUIZ, Claudio – Jade de MV
DOMINGO COLL, Jordi – Prestige
FERRER-SALAT, Beatriz – Faberge
MUÑOZ DIAZ, Juan Manuel – Fuego de Cardenas

ESTONIA
BARAKE, Grete – O.Hot Chocolate

FINLAND
KANERVA, Emma – Sini Spirit
LINDH, Mikaela – Skovlunds Más Guapo
MALMSTÖRM, Alexandra – MD Waterford
STEGARS, Terhi – Axis TSF

FRANCE
DUPERDU, Sébastien – Passe Partout
HENRIQUET, Catherine – Paradieszauber
SERRE, Anne-Sophie – Le Guerrier
SERRE, Arnaud – Helio II

GREAT BRITAIN
BECHTOLSHEIMER, Laura – Mistral Hojris
DU JARDIN, Charlotte – Valegro
FAURIE, Emile – Elmegardens Marquis
HESTER, Carl – Uthopia

GERMANY
KOSCHEL, Christoph – Donnperignon
LANGEHANENBERG, Helen – Damon Hill NRW
RATH, Matthias Alexander – Totilas
WERTH, Isabell – El Santo NRW

HUNGARY
ACS, Robert – Weinzauber 2

IRELAND
MERVELDT, Anna – Coryolano
REYNOLDS, Judy – Remember 143

ITALY
BORDONE, Susanna – Dark Surprise
SOLDI, Ester – Harmonia
TRUPPA, Valentina – Eremo del Castegno

LUXEMBOURG
CHELIUS, Gaston – Flamenco R

NETHERLANDS
CORNELISSEN, Adelinde – Jerich Parzival
GAL, Edward – Sisther de Jeu
MARIJNISSEN, Sander – Moedwill
MINDERHOUD, Hans Peter – Exquis Nadine

NORWAY
HELLJESEN, Siril – Dorina
JEBSEN, Lillann – Pro – Set
KALSETH, Camilla – Carte d’Or
RASMUSSEN, Cathrine – Orlando III

POL
MILCZAREK, Katarzyna – Ekwador
RAPCEWICZ, Michal – Randon
STREMLER, Beata – Martini

PORTUGAL
CAETANO, Maria – Xiripiti
CARVALHO, Gonçalo – Rubi
PRINCIPE, Luis- World Performance Washington

RUSSIAN FEDERATION
DOROFEEVA, Tatiana – Khorovod
MAKAROVA, Tatyana – Fatinitza
VINNITSKAJA, Yulia – Vodevil

SWITZERLAND
EVERSFIELD-KOCH, Elisabeth – Rokoko N
GRAF, Markus – Ronaldo II
KRINKE SUSMELJ, Marcela – Corinth, Smeyers Molberg
STAUB, Hans – Warbeau

SWEDEN
DORSELIUS, Cecilia – Lennox
KITTEL, Patrik – Toy Story, Watermill Scandic H.B.C
MATHISEN, Rose – Bocelli 1044
VILHELMSON-SILFVEN, Tinne – Favourit

UKRAINE
PUZKO, Sergey – Kompliment

The European Championships are held every two years and this year will be the 25th edition.

All European nations are invited with 3-4 athletes as a team, or 1-2 individuals, with one horse each. All participating combinations must have reached the set minimum eligibility standard.

Current title holders are The Netherlands for team, Edward Gal and Moorlands Totilas individual Freestyle and Adelinde Cornelissen and Parzival individual Grand Prix Special. Edward and Totilas set a new Freestyle record score at the last championships in Windsor, England of 90.70 per cent, including 29 perfect scores of 10.

For 21 consecutive championships–1965 to 2005 (no team title awarded in 1963–Germany held the European title, but the last two championships were won by the Netherlands. At Windsor in 2009, the Dutch won five of six individual medals up for grabs, the sixth going to British rider Laura Bechtolsheimer.

The previous greatest number of teams to participate in European Dressage Championships was 14 at Hickstead, England, in 2003 and at Hagen, Germany, in 2005.

Germany’s Dr. Reiner Klimke won three individual titles–at Aachen in 1967 riding Dux and in 1973 riding Mehmed, and at Copenhagen in 1985 riding Ahlerich. With Gigolo, Germany’s Isabell Werth took the individual title in 1995 and 1997 and won the Grand Prix Special at Donaueschingen, Germany in 1991 and at Lipica, Slovenia in 1993. Anky van Grunsven has three wins to her name – in 1999 with Bonfire followed by the back to back wins with Salinero in 2005 and 2007.