European Championships of Dressage, Jumping, Para Dressage Lists 220 Competitors from 33 Countries for Rotterdam

5 years ago StraightArrow Comments Off on European Championships of Dressage, Jumping, Para Dressage Lists 220 Competitors from 33 Countries for Rotterdam
The 2011 European Championships team medals podium–Great Britain gold (center); Germany silver (left) and Netherlands bronze (right). The 2019 Europeans are at the same venue in two weeks. © 2011 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands, Aug. 5, 2019–The European Championships of dressage, jumping and para dressage lists 220 competitors from 33 countries to start Aug. 19-25, making it the largest equestrian event ever in Rotterdam that annually hosts two Nations Cups.

For dressage, 70 participants from 24 countries signed up with 14 nations competing for the team title at the Europeans Aug. 19-25 that is held once very two years and this year is a qualifier for the 2020 Olympics.

Five European countries–Germany, Great Britain, Sweden, Netherlands and Spain–have already earned a ticket to Tokyo. Three Olympic slots are available here.

(Outside Europe, Australia, Brazil, Canada and the United States have also qualified.)

Germany is the defending dressage champion and and its team this year includes Isabell Werth on Bella Rose, Dorothee Schneider on Showtime, Jessica von Bredow-Verndl on Dalera BB and Sönke Rothenberger on Cosmo.

Great Britain’s squad includes two riders, Carl Hester and Charlotte Dujardin, that won gold here at the Europeans in 2011 on the horses, Uthopia and Valegro, that then went to the London Olympics the following year to win an historic gold. This year the two are taking Hawtins Delicato and Mount St. John Freestyle, respectively.

“This is an exciting list of very strong participants,” championship general director Fred Rozendaal said.

“Except for the Americans, who of course cannot compete at European Championships, almost the complete top of the world rankings jumping, dressage and para-dressage will be in Rotterdam two weeks from now. That’s going to be excellent sport!”