World Young Dressage Horse Championships Start Thursday

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Damon's Satellite, a five-year-old offspring of Damon Hill NRW and to be ridden by Helen Langehanenberg at the veterinary check for the World Young Horse Championships. © 2013 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com
Damon’s Satellite, a five-year-old offspring of Damon Hill NRW and to be ridden by Helen Langehanenberg at the veterinary check for the World Young Horse Championships. © 2013 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

VERDEN, Germany, Aug. 7–The World Young Horse Championships of the best five- and six-year-old horses from around the globe start Thursday, assuming greater importance than ever as more successful youngsters are moving into the top ranks of international competition at a time of declining breeding in the European powerhouses.

Graduates of the championships that are part of the International Dressage and Show Jumping Festival include Damon Hill NRW, double gold medal winner in Verden under Ingrid Klimke and Helen Langehanenberg, winner of the 2013 World Cup and team silver medalist at last summer’s Olympics with Helen, and Donnelly presented by German riding master Hubertus Schmidt.

Helen will be competing Damon’s Satellite by Damon Hill out of a Rubin Royal mare in the five-year-old championships that start Thursday. The six-year-olds begin Friday.

Vitalis, a KWPN stallion (Vivaldi x Tolivia/Donnerschwee), owned by Charlotte Jorst of Reno, Nevada and will be ridden in the six-year-old division is the sole representative of the United States.

In the senior CDI3*, Susan Dutta of Wellington, Florida and the German-based Jennifer Hoffman join Great Britain’s Michael Eilberg who won the world championships twice with Woodlander Farouche but this time is not participating in the young horse championships.

Olympian Patrick van der Meer, Diderik van Silfhout and Marlies van Baalen are competing for the Netherlands, Morgan Barbancon of Spain, Hayley Beresford and Jessica Greelish compete for Australia as well as Isabell Werth, Nadine Capellmann, Hubertus Schmidt and Christoph Koschel for Germany.

The International Equestrian Federation (FEI) has called for bids to host these championships when the current schedule at this venue ends in 2015. The FEI is proposing a five-year agreement to run through 2020.