BISHOP BURTON TO VERDEN

By International Dressage Rider

CHRISTA LAARAKKERS

Last month, I wrote about all our shows, and we had just been in Aachen. The week after Aachen I was at home - that seems like a rarity these days.

On the 25th of July, I took the ferry from Rotterdam to Hull for the European Pony Championships, taking place at Bishop Burton this year. When the weather is good it is always fun on the ferry. The food is ok and you have a good cabin to sleep in for the night. It gives you a bit of a feeling like you are on a holiday. Several ponies were transported with this ferry too, although others preferred to go with the short ferry from Dover to Calais and then take a long drive of 650 kilometre to the north.

Because I am the trainer of Dana van Lierop, I went to England. In past years I was also the coach of the Dutch Pony Riders’ Team, but I am not anymore. They were looking for one coach to do the all the group (ponies, juniors and young riders), therefore Tineke Bartels, the mother of one of our best dressage riders in the Netherlands, Imke Schellekens-Bartels, got this position, as she was already coaching the juniors and the young riders, so she is now doing the ponies as well.

Christa Laarakkers

We arrived at 8 o’clock in the harbour of Hull and it was only 20 kilometres to Bishop Burton. It was beautifully located and everything was well organized. However Dana’s pony was a little bit sick. His temperature was good, but he was not eating well and had almost no energy. It is really a pity when something like that happens at a European Championship.

The first test - the team test - was still okay; she had two big faults but earned 72,8%. Together with the results of the other best riders, this was good enough to win the GOLD medal. They beat Germany who had taken Gold for the last 21 years!!

Verden Team - with Christa & Sjaak Laarakkers

During the individual test, Lord Champion had no energy left any more. He had almost 69% but it wasn’t good enough for one of the individual medals. Dana can still ride another year on ponies because she only just turned 15. Hopefully everything will be okay next year.

After England I was only at home for one day, then I had to leave for the World Championship in Verden, Germany. Vai Bruntink was riding the mare Annebeth (Oscar x Corleone) and I was riding Aston Martin NL (Uphill x Cabochon). I also brought Divoza Horseworld Ovation with me for the big tour. After his performance in Aachen I wanted revenge…ha ha!

Christa & Aston Martin NL

Sjak, my husband, trained the horses while I was in England, and I had a few days for the fine tuning. He did a great job at home because already after one day, it felt as if I had trained them all those days.

It started at Thursday the 5th of August and there were about 43 entries for the 5 year old horses, and they were split up in 5 groups of 8 or 9 horses. The winner of every group qualified for the final on the Saturday. I was in group 4 and stood at the top of my group till the last starter, Vai came into the ring. She beat me with 0.08 more. Of course she is fully welcome to it - her trot had the highest score of the day with 9.3!!

Vai could now go to the final with Annebeth straight away. I had a second chance in the semi final. When I reached one of the first three places I could go to the final too. However the next day I was 5th and my game was over. Still, I was very satisfied. Aston did really a good job and I did nothing wrong either. This horse is already 1.82 metre and I need to become a little bit stronger. We will give him enough time for this, as I am convinced that he will become my next Grand Prix horse! Annebeth was a little too excited in the final, and had one small fault in the counter canter, so she was 14th and we were content with the performance and placing.

Vai Bruntink & Annebeth

The world champion was Astrix, a KWPN bred horse by the stallion Obelisk. The rider was the Dutch Emmelie Scholtens. She is almost used to it because last year she won as well with one of our training horses, the approved stallion Westpoint.

Astrix had two tests without faults and has three really good gaits. He is a stallion but he doesn’t know this at all, as his character is great! That’s what you need to become World Champion with the young horses. It is not always natural that you will see those horses a few years later in the Grand Prix. That depends on their talent for piaffe, passage and pirouettes. But the other ingredients are there when you become the best of the world.

I had Divoza Horseworld Ovation with me for the big tour and he was great again. My new more aggressive way of riding did work out, as he was focussed on me and saw or heard nothing else. We were third in the Grand Prix and fourth at the Grand Prix Special. Ula Salzgeber won both tests for Germany.

This week we have the final of the PAVO Cup. It is always a little strange to go to the World Championships first, and then one week later the Dutch Championship. However we have no choice because you need to go to the final in the Netherlands to get an invitation for the selections of the World Championship the next year.

Christa & Divoza Horseworld Ovation

Vai is riding Bonbini, the half sister to the approved stallion Carlton Hill, and Bougatti Veyron, the full brother to Aston Martin NL. In the five year olds, she is riding Aendolyn, a young Krack C mare out of a Donnerhall mare. And, of course, Annebeth, who last year was the best mare at the PAVO Cup. I am riding Aston Martin NL.

The week after the PAVO we are going to Poland with Divoza Horseworld Ovation in the big tour and Don Fuego in the small tour. It is one of the World Cup Series, in Wroclaw, and you can win points when you are placed. When you have enough points you can go to the Finals in March next year 2011, and you can also get invitations for the other selections. All the selections are always at big shows like Lyon, Stockholm, London, Mechelen etc, and of course those shows are fun to ride at!

I will tell you how it went next time in September. Maybe I can write my blog on the plane to Kentucky. I always prefer to travel by boat or car, but in this case that is not an option. I am really afraid to fly and I need something to take my mind off it! :O)

FOR CHRISTA'S WEBSITE GO TO - DRESSUURSTAL LAARAKKERS