Half-time in the individual European Championship decisions
Half time! At the FEI European Dressage Championships for Young Riders and U25 riders at the Schafhof in Kronberg, the first rides for individual medals were on the programme today. 23 of the total of 45 U25 riders have already completed their individual tasks, with 26 of the 53 young riders having done so.
Moritz Treffinger as Overnight Leader
He was the second rider of the day to start this morning and put in a clear, expressive round: Moritz Treffinger with the 15-year-old black stallion Cadeau Noir. The pair scored particularly well in the canter tour. Their final score: 73.025 per cent. The pair took the lead early on and kept it until the end of the first half. The 22-year-old newly crowned European team champion is therefore the overnight leader of the U25 riders.
In second place was Moritz' team-mate Felicitas Hendricks with her long-time partner Drombusch. These two also gave a faultless performance that radiated a great deal of confidence and harmony: 72.590 per cent. The British rider Annabella Pidgley is in third place at the halfway stage. The 20-year-old was in the saddle on the 13-year-old Vamos Amigos, a horse that has already won World Championship team gold and two individual silver medals in 2022 under Denmark's Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour. Annabella made a mistake in the canter changes over two jumps and had to accept a penalty in the walk test. Her final score was 71.872 per cent.
All three of the current top riders know what individual medals feel like in the U25 camp. Annabella Pidgley won the silver medal in the individual competition last year, albeit in the saddle on Gio. Moritz Treffinger secured individual bronze with Cadeau Noir in 2024. And Felicitas Hendricks celebrated gold in 2023, also back then with her top partner Drombusch.
On Saturday morning, the second half of the U25 riders will compete in the individual test, and at around 12.00 noon it will be decided who will be this year's individual European U25 dressage champion. The individual ranking will also crystallise who will be allowed to ride for another set of European Championship medals in the freestyle on Sunday. The 18 best pairs will then compete again in the European Championship quadrangular at the Schafhof.
Very close top trio in the young riders
The intermediate ranking at the halfway point in the young riders' individual classification could hardly have been much tighter: 72.706 ahead of 72.618 ahead of 72.382 percentage points. Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands - that is the current order.
19-year-old Anna Teibel Raben was part of the Danish silver team at last year's European Junior Championships with Sparaday, this year the pair are competing in the Young Riders for the first time and have set the bar high. The pair performed the difficult programme of the individual test almost faultlessly, had two small moments of uncertainty in the half pirouettes and impressed with their expression and harmony. All this despite the fact that Sparaday is only eight years old.
Lucie-Anouk Baumgürtel and ZINQ Hugo FH are in silver place at the halfway stage. At the age of 21 and with many successes to her name, Lucie-Anouk is one of the most experienced riders in her class. She has already competed at the European Pony Championships four times. In 2021, she celebrated the full 'haul' in the juniors with three gold medals. From 2022 to 2024, she was already a member of the young riders' European Championship team. The exceptional young rider has already brought home a total of 18 gold medals, including the team gold yesterday in Kronberg, two silver medals and one bronze medal from European Championships. The pair didn't quite manage the backwards today, but otherwise they scored their points with enormous consistency and precision.
Almost amazingly, Tessa Kole from the Netherlands is currently in bronze. Amazing because her partner Hexagon's Nachtwacht is only seven years old. The Everdale son appeared surprisingly calm and confident in the task and impressed with three very good basic gaits, which he was also able to take into the lessons. Last year, Tessa Kole was runner-up in the European Team Championships with the Dutch team, back then in the saddle on Hexagon's King Robert, with whom she also secured the silver medal in the freestyle.
The second half of the young riders will also compete in the individual test on Saturday, so that the new European champions can be crowned on Saturday evening. And the best 18 U21 riders will also qualify for the final freestyle on Sunday.