Dressage-News

LE MANS, France, Feb. 17, 2018–Anne Meulendijks and MDH Avanti, world No. 1 Under-25 combination , won the CDI3* Grand Prix Freestyle to post a double victory in the first Big Tour competition for the Netherlands pair.

Anne and the 13-year-old KWPN gelding were awarded 76.705 per cent as the unanimous choice by the five judges for the victory, after capturing the Grand Prix Thursday.

The 24-year-old rider and Avanti were competing for the first time since the European Under-25 Championships in Austria last September when they won both team and individual silver medals. The championship freestyle was canceled because of faulty equipment.

Anne first rode Avanti in international competition in young riders in 2013 and went on to win European Young Rider Championships team gold the same year, team silver and individual and freestyle gold at the 2015 Europeans then team silver at the inaugural European Under-25s in 2016.

Great Britain’s Michael Eilberg on Marakov was second on 73.583 per cent with Holland’s Thamar Zweistra on Hexagon’s Double Dutch third on 72.745 per cent.

Birgit Wientzek Pläge and Robinvale took the Grand Prix Special with a personal best score of 70.085 per cent in only the third Big Tour show for the Swiss rider and the 11-year-old Hanoverian gelding. The pair competed at medium tour last summer and moved up to Grand Prix in October and two months later performed their only other Grand Prix Special.

Great Britain’s Sarah Millis on Hofjuwel was second on 69.617 per cent Virginie Gauthier of France on Dickens in third on 68.574 per cent.

Results:

CDI3* Grand Prix Freestyle

Judges–E: Alban TISSOT-FRA H: Lionel DU TRANOY-FRA C: Carlos LOPES-POR M: Alla SOUBBOTINA-RUS B: Orsolya HILLIER-HUN

CDI3* Grand Prix Special
Judges–E: Maria STUKELJ-SLO H: Maria COLLIANDER-FIN C: Raphael SALEH-FRA M: Peter HOLLER-GER B: Jean-Michel ROUDIER-FRA