Future Champions: Two gold medals for German show jumping teams
Hagen am Teutoburg Forest (fn-press). Two golds, two silvers – this is the record of young German show jumpers at the “Future Champions” Nations Cup tournament. At the Hof Kasselmann in Hagen, the juniors and children won their team competition, the ponies and the young riders each came second.
"This form test in Hagen shows that we have to be on the slip," said Peter Teeuwen, who looks after the juniors and young riders as the national youth trainer. His U18 team got off to a great start in the Nations Cups in show jumping after the German dressage teams had already won all the Nations Cups in the "Future Champions". Julius Bleser (Krefeld) with Arramis Fap, Fabio Thielen (Leipheim) with Stakaya, Naomi Himmelreich (Niederfallen) with Vino V'T Kosterhof Z and Mick Haunhorst (Hagen) with Clarimo's Girl made up the winning team with a seven-point lead over Sweden and the Czech Republic . Teeuwen summed it up: “The course for the U18 Nations Cup was very fair, but technically very demanding. The jumping was decided more between the jumps, the course required a lot of riding skill and technical ability.”
The Future Champions in Hagen are not only the only junior Nations Cup tournament in Germany, but also a sighting station for the European Championships in the respective age groups. That's why looking towards the European Championships also plays a major role for the national coach: "The couples in the Nations Cup presented themselves in good form and also pushed their way towards the European Championships with confident performances. However, the Grand Prix in the respective age groups will also play a role in further selection towards the European Championships.” The European Championships for Children, Juniors and Young Riders will be held from July 11th to 17th in Oliva, Spain.
In the Young Riders, the German pairs showed great rounds on the course, but France was unbeatable with two double zeros and only five points after two rounds. Henrike Ostermann (Löningen) and her Oldenburg Arpeggio son Air Force One were the first German pair to deliver two great clear rounds for the team. The reigning U21 European Champion, Matthis Westendarp from Wallenhorst, had saddled the Chacco-Blue offspring Chillert Blue. The two came from the first round with an obstacle error, used their experience even more in the second round and remained flawless. Johanna Beckmann (Lastrup) with Emelie van de Mirania Stam came with ten points from the two rounds. Last week, Emilia Löser (Niederneisen) and her top horse Noah de Kalvarie won the qualification of Germany's U25 Show Jumping Cup of the German Top Equestrian Foundation in Balve. In Hagen, the two took a total of two time errors and one obstacle error from the two rounds.
The German talents of the youngest age group, the children up to 14 years, also secured gold - and with impressive certainty: Lennard Tillmann (Grevenbroich) with Oreal des Etains Z, Antonia Häsler (Chemnitz) with Dynamite N and Ava Ferch (Stegen) with Quintessa Lox were all completely faultless so that final rider Tony Stormanns (Eschweiler) and his mare Dia Nova didn't have to break in at all. That meant the sovereign victory ahead of Sweden with five points and France with six points.
In the ponies, Leonie Assmann (Sigmarszell) with Hankifax H, Jonna Esser (Wipperfürth) with Catness, Eva Kunkel (Langenselbold) with Marry The Night and Hanna Bräuer with Miss Mc Fly D NRW secured the silver medal behind a strong team from Ireland, the to the top of the podium without any penalty points. Eva Kunkel and Marry The Night delivered the best result for the German team with their two zero-fault rounds.
