The FEI Dressage European Championship for Children, Juniors and Ponies in Le Mans (FRA) was dominated by Germany, who took team gold in all three age categories. In addition, German athletes secured individual gold in both the Children and Junior divisions. The only exception to their clean sweep came in the Pony Freestyle, where Denmark’s Victoria Bang Zindorff danced her way to gold with a charismatic performance.
Children: German precision shines bright
Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands filled the podium in the Children’s Championship. While the Preliminary test served merely as an opening qualifier with no bearing on the medals, it did set the tone for what was to come. Dutch rider Bo Leijten and her chestnut mare Gentle van Wittenstein topped this initial test, with Lynn Sophie Soddemann (GER) on Fürst Schwarzenberg MT and Laura Kohoutek (GER) on Shakeela FRH close behind.
Germany stamped their authority on the Team Competition, winning gold with an astonishing margin of over 18 percentage points. Laura Kohoutek posted the top score, Lilly Kasselmann and Vodka Soda placed third, Marielen Theresa Osterhoff and Davina were fourth, and Lynn Sophie Soddemann’s sixth place served as the drop score.
Chef d’Equipe Cornelia Albrecht (GER) praised the squad’s consistency and harmony. “The Children girls delivered incredibly consistent performances and were very evenly matched. They have already shown at a young age that they are able to develop horses well,” she explained. “Their horses were presented in the classical German style, which we are very proud of. Laura has a very young mare, and she showed her with great harmony and lightness. Lilly is our youngest rider, and rode her big horse Vodka Soda with impressive routine and effective aids. Marielen’s elegant horse has good movement and she shows a lot of feeling. Lynn was part of the team last year and once again delivered a harmonious test.”
Belgium surprised with silver, though the result aligns with the growing momentum of Belgian Dressage at senior level. Elise van Os and Reliv van het Amaryllishof led the charge with a strong performance that landed them second individually in the team test. The Netherlands, defending champions from last year’s Children Championship, settled for bronze this time. Dutch team trainer Loes Corsel noted that nerves, inexperience and a bit of bad luck played a role in a less fluent showing this year.
The Individual Final saw 13-year-old Laura Kohoutek (GER) and her only seven-year-old mare Shakeela FRH claim gold with a huge score of 83.219%. Initially selected as a reserve, Kohoutek was called up last minute following a withdrawal.
“I’m so proud of how she managed these days,” she said of her mare. “She’s only seven, so I can hardly believe we actually won here.”
Laura Kohoutek
(GER)
Silver went to Bo Leijten (NED) and Gentle van Wittenstein V, who posted 80.920%. “I’m very happy,” said Leijten. “My main plan was just to enjoy the test, regardless of the result. But winning a European medal is a dream come true. I’m very proud of my horse, she gave a super feeling.”
Lilly Kasselmann (GER) took bronze with Vodka Soda after scoring 80.394%. “At first I was a little bit nervous, but that faded away when my horse felt so good in the warm-up and during the test,” she said. All three medallists in the Individual Competition broke the 80% barrier, showing just how good their riding was.
Ponies: Denmark breaks the German streak in the Freestyle
In one of the tightest team competitions of the Championship in Le Mans, Germany edged out the Netherlands for gold by just over two percentage points. All three top German combinations, Maya Wächter, Leni-Sophie Gosmann and Madlin Tillman, scored well above 73% and finished inside the top five. The Dutch squad delivered consistent performances as well, with Isabella Karajkovic, Fabiënne Raijmakers and sisters Esmae Niessen and Feline Niessen and placing from fifth to eighth. Denmark’s Victoria Bang Zindorff placed second in the team test, helping secure team bronze for her country.
In the Individual Test, it was Germany’s Maya Wächter who led from start to finish, scoring 74.784% with her pony Nasdaq FH. Participating in her first and final Pony Europeans, because she turns 16 years old this year, Wächter made the most of her opportunity.
“He gives me a lot of confidence and I can really ride him. He fights for you during the test,” she said of Nasdaq. “I’m so happy to have achieved this in my last year on ponies.”
Maya Wächter
(GER)
Silver went to teammate Leni-Sophie Gosmann and Diamantini EA WE on 73.162%, narrowly ahead of Denmark’s Victoria Bang Zindorff and Del Classico who posted 73.135% to earn bronze.
The Freestyle brought a reshuffling of the podium and a break in Germany’s gold-medal streak. Riding to fresh and fun Harry Styles-themed music, Victoria Bang Zindorff claimed Freestyle gold for Denmark with a score of 77.560%. The chestnut stallion Del Classico delivered fluent transitions and a very original floorplan with a high degree of difficulty.
Germany still featured strongly: Maya Wächter earned silver with 76.605% and Gosmann claimed her second bronze of the Championship with 76.475%. Just under one point separated the entire podium, underscoring the level of competition.
Juniors: golden sweep for Germany, Dutch athletes also shine
Germany was untouchable in the Junior division, taking gold in all three categories with a team that blended depth, experience and feel. Maria Teresa Pohl, Ava Osing, Julie Sofie Schmitz-Heinen and Viktoria von Braunmühl all delivered scores above 70% in the team test.
Chef d’Equipe Cornelia Albrecht praised their calmness and riding quality. “These results show that we had a very complete and strong team,” she said. “All the girls delivered exactly what we had hoped for. They rode with confidence and control.”
Pohl earned the highest mark in the team test, 73.394%, with the chestnut stallion Diaton FRH. “He has excellent paces,” noted Albrecht. “Ava Osing also rides a chestnut stallion, Vitalos FRH. They have only been a partnership for a short time, which makes her performance even more impressive. Julie showed lovely riding and Viktoria, the newcomer to the team, benefited from the experience of DSP First Class, who has been to several European Championships with another rider.”
The Netherlands earned team silver, a result that Dutch trainer Monique Peutz welcomed. “This is what we hoped for beforehand. All four riders performed at their peak in the team test.” Dominique van Dalsen delivered the highest Dutch score with Just Johnson, finishing third with 71.970%, closely followed by Sofie van Rooij and Juan Tango B. Jessica Nesselaar placed eighth, and Britt Kikkert-van der Linde came fifteenth. Great Britain took team bronze, with Isla Sully and Vagabond de Massa finishing sixth as their top pair.
The Individual and Freestyle Finals both went to Julie Sofie Schmitz-Heinen (GER), who took home three gold medals. With her horse Attractive, she scored 72.941% in the Individual Test and 77.530% in the Freestyle. It was her Junior Championship debut, having previously competed at the Pony European Championships.
“She really showed how to ride beautifully. Julie is a rider with incredible feeling, and she presented her horse in a soft and correct frame. We are thrilled that the judges appreciated her subtle and sympathetic riding style. This is the kind of riding we want to promote.”
Cornelia Albrecht
(GER)
The Netherlands celebrated two more medals via Dominique van Dalsen, who won Individual bronze with 72.471% and Freestyle silver with 77.325%. Peutz was full of praise for her Freestyle: “Dominique rode a performance that gave us goosebumps. Everything clicked. She showed overall a lovely picture and her music timing was spot on.”
Margins were once again narrow at the top. In the Individual Final, silver went to Maria Theresa Pohl (GER) and Diaton FRH, while bronze in the Freestyle was awarded to Viktoria von Braunmühl (GER) and DSP First Class.
FULL RESULTS
Image: FEI / Libby Law Photography
