100 EM candidates in Kronberg
Today is arrival day for the European Championships at the Schafhof in Kronberg.
From 9 to 13 July, the Schafhof will become the championship stage for the FEI Dressage European Championships for Young Riders and U25 riders.
Some of the European Championship candidates already moved into their boxes in Kronberg yesterday, Sunday, while all the others will arrive on Monday. For the stable manager on site, this means that exactly 100 horses have to be 'well organised' in the stable tents. The teams next to each other, stallions away from mares and preferably in corner boxes, double boxes have been ordered for special horses and various individual riders from different nations want to stand together so that they can share their tack box. With the tack boxes and the mandatory isolation and treatment boxes, which must be provided for all international championships, a total of 178 boxes are available at the Schafhof.
23 nations have announced their participation. The starting list for the young riders consists of eleven teams and twelve individual riders, while nine teams and ten individual riders will be competing in the U25 camp. All horses will be vet-checked on arrival, which is also an international requirement. The official programme starts at 9.00 am on Tuesday morning. The first point is the so-called 'Familiarisation' for the young riders. At set times and in groups of four riders, the European Championship candidates will be allowed to show their horses around the competition arena and train them there. The vet check for the horses of the U25 riders will also take place in the morning, in the afternoon the U25 riders will be allowed in the arena and the horses of the young riders will go to the vet check. In the evening, the first highlight is on the programme: the big welcome evening for all participants.
The German teams travelled directly from the training camp in Kronberg yesterday. "As always, we had great conditions in Warendorf and were able to train in peace," explained the national coach for the young riders, Hans-Heinrich Meyer zu Strohen. "Both teams are in good shape, the horses are in good form and feel comfortable." The pairs trained individually, rode their task or freestyle, recorded it on video and discussed it. In addition to all the targeted training, the community aspect is extremely important to Meyer zu Strohen. "I think it's incredibly good that they've found each other in the meantime - all the girls and Moritz," explains the national coach. "There's a good unity there and that's very important." The 'whole' girls - that means the team riders of the U25 and young riders, Moritz Treffinger is the cock of the walk.
A look at the EM history
In 2016, the U25 riders competed for the European Championship title for the first time, with their European Championship premiere taking place in Hagen a.T.W. at the time. Since then, the German team has won the gold medal eight times and silver once.
The history of the European Young Riders Championships is much longer. Initially, from 1973, there was only one European Championships for young riders up to the age of 21, from 1981 this age group was called Young Riders, and from 1993 there was also the U18 ‘Juniors’ age group. If you start the chronology in 1973, the German team has won team gold 41 times and team silver twelve times. In the silver years of the German team, the Dutch have earned the gold medal eleven times, and once, in 2023, the riders from Denmark came out on top.
A history that sums up the importance of dressage for young riders in impressive figures. In the coming days, these European Championship stories will continue to be written at the Schafhof in Kronberg.
The European Championships tip: Tickets are still available for all days from Friday at the box office on site, admission is free on Wednesday and Thursday.