Balve: Alina Schrader and Paola win U25 gold

Alina Schrader (Hamburg) hadn't really counted on a gold medal in the U25 championship. The joy of the 23-year-old, who shed a few tears, was all the greater when she saw her result in the Grand Prix. With her Oldenburg mare Paola, she led the field with 72.558 percent, ahead of Helen Erbe (Krefeld, 72.442 percent) with Carlos FRH and Paulina Holzknecht (Solingen) with entertainer Win T (71.791 percent). The medal decisions threw the classification of the previous day quite a mess.

"I still can't believe it," said Alina Schrader. When she greeted her, she hadn't even realized that the round with the 13-year-old mare was so good. The couple have known each other for many years. “I trained them myself with support. We started together in A and L dressage tests and worked our way up to the Grand Prix together,” says the dressage rider, who has been riding for U25 national coach Sebastian Heinze for a year. In the test, the harmony was clearly visible, even if the rider, who is now entering the U25 area, had a few small uncertainties.

"All three deserve to sit here, even if there were three or four mistakes too many, we saw good rides overall today," said Sebastian Heinze, summarizing the test and emphasizing that the U25 youngsters are completely have to be rebuilt. "We have experienced horses with new riders, experienced riders with inexperienced horses and some brand new couples."

Also experienced is Carlos FRH from the Rhineland, who gave Helen Erbe a score of 72.442 percent in the Grand Prix test after her commanding victory in the Intermediaire II. Helen Erbe and the dark bay gelding are getting in the right mood for the current season after she took over the "family horse", as Carlos is affectionately called by the Erbes, from her sister Hannah. "If I can do everything in the arena the way I intend to, I don't think there are any limits," said the Krefeld native. The tendency was also visible in the Grand Prix test. Schrader only narrowly relegated her to silver, but the medal was nevertheless safe for Erbe.

Paulina Holzknecht and entertainer Win T, on the other hand, haven't known each other that long. Before the first sighting for the Piaff-Förderpreis in Warendorf, the young dressage rider had taken over the KWPN gelding and initially did not qualify for Balve with him. "We then rode a few more tournaments together, including in France, and now I'm of course super happy that the national coaches let us start after all," said Holzknecht. In Compìegne (FRA) the couple won the Grand Prix with 70.128 percent and then also the freestyle. That secured their ticket to Balve. In the dressage stadium, they showed a solid round and finished the Grand Prix with 71.791 percent, earning them the bronze medal.

On Saturday, the last test of the weekend for the U25 riders. Then the medal decision in the Grand Prix freestyle will also be made as part of the Piaff sponsorship award. stay