Half-time lead for Rose Oatley
After 35 of 70 participants in the individual ranking at the Junior European Championships in Kronberg, 16-year-old Rose Oatley (Lütjensee) is in the lead. With her eight-year-old Summer Night, she set a new personal best of 78.030 percentage points. “I’m still shaking,” said the four-time pony and team junior European champion from last year. “I am so happy with my mare, she did so well. We rode into the test with full concentration and can now just be proud.” As in the team ranking, her teammate Lana-Pinou Baumgurt delivered the second best lap today on the nine-year-old ZINQ Emma FH. “I hardly made any mistakes today, I'm super satisfied and had a great feeling,” said Lana-Pinou enthusiastically. “Emma did her absolute best and I am very proud of our group.” The result for the two: 74.088 percentage points.
The Austrian Florentina Jöbstl on Bodyguard moved to bronze today. This couple also achieved a new personal best of 73.971 percent. “Bodyguard is actually a real showman,” the 17-year-old describes her European Championship partner, whom she took over from brother Paul last year, and laughs: “He always gives a lot more at the tournament than at home, at home he is more in his ‘comfort zone’.”
On Saturday from 8.30 a.m. the second half of the juniors will compete in the individual competition at the Schafhof, and around 2 p.m. the top three will receive their European Championship medals.
Clear dominance
The dominance of the German children's team at the European Championships in Kronberg is very clear: in the preparatory test they took places one to four, and on day one of the team ranking they took the top places again. Two of the four riders per team were at the start today, the best result of the day was delivered by Therese Billig (Taucha/SAC) with 13-year-old Faro Shen. With 82.842 percentage points, she achieved a result that was better than any other before. Therese was followed by her teammate Marie Bernhard (Iggingen/BAW) on For Rock with 81.334 percent, also a personal best result. “Therese is the real chick of the team, she is the youngest, but even has the most experience,” national coach Hans-Heinrich Meyer explained to Strohen beforehand. “And Marie has a horse that concentrates very well in the arena, while she herself is sometimes a bit dreamy. I hope we can give her a little pep talk here.” The beeper worked.
So the team goes into halftime with a clear lead, and on Saturday from 3 p.m. the second half of the children's riders will start in the equimus dressage arena.
The team from Spain took second place on the evening of day one. The national trainer of the Spanish young riders, Jenny Eriksson, is full of praise: “I am very happy with both riders. Jeanette Vallve Martin showed a great test with 77.609 percent. And Jessica (Gonzalo Aguilera) almost amazed me. She has never ridden outside of Spain before and then she comes here and rides two such great tests.” Eriksson himself competed for Finland at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, lives in Germany and rode for Herbert Rehbein for a long time. She has been looking after young Spanish riders since 2017 and passes on her wealth of experience. The Spanish head of team Luz Bella Lendinez Martinez explains cautiously and hopefully: “We have a dream. Last year the Belgians won bronze, this year Belgium doesn't have a team in the Children..." For Lendinez Martinez, this European Championship is like a 'return home' - see below: 'From the sheep farm to the head of the team'.
But Sweden is hot on the heels of the southern Europeans. The gap between the Spaniards and the team from Sweden is currently only a slight one. Sweden's top rider Milla Blomqvist delivered a ride with Sandro that was rated 77.592 percent. 17 thousandths of a percent behind the best Spanish woman. “I am very happy with Milla. She was very nervous before and had only ridden this horse for four or five months. She felt a lot of pressure from the team, but I'm very happy because she really managed to calm the horse down when it was a bit tense," said the Swedish team boss Marianne Esseen-Söderberg.
The Italian team held onto bronze for a long time, but at the end of the day they had to settle for fourth place. “Matteo (Borghesi) rode a fantastic and concentrated test,” summed up the Italian head of team Laura Conz. “Monica was a bit nervous today but it's her first time at a European Championships so that's completely understandable. We have never won a medal with our young riders. Things are looking promising at the moment, but we’ll see what tomorrow brings.” A total of nine teams are competing in the Children’s competition.
From sheep farm to head of team
“I learned everything here!”
Luz Bella Lendinez Martinez – she worked as a carer on the sheep farm for four years, from 2010 to 2014. During this time she also took a course in 'International Equestrian Management' in Osnabrück. After 2014, the energetic young woman did an apprenticeship as a rider in Spain, helped organize the first European Junior Championships in 2016 in Oliva, was involved at the Lewitz Stud and completed a communications degree at the same time. Back in Spain, the Spanish association was happy to have found someone who would look after the youth. This has been Luz Bella's job since May 2022. Now she has traveled to Kronberg again, nine years after her time as a nurse at the Schafhof, this time as head of the team for the Spanish team.
“Back then, I learned everything here at the Schafhof – the knowledge about horses, the eye for detail, the fact that the horse’s well-being always comes first and, last but not least, German perfection. I'm now trying to pass all of this on to my youth. You can’t be successful without looking at every detail – that’s what I learned here.” As head of the team, Luz Bella is responsible for all young riders in Spain, a big challenge: “The most difficult thing is to teach the children and young people to believe in themselves. That they are proud of themselves. You shouldn't forget: the scenery here at the Schafhof is impressive, you shouldn't be afraid of it. I always tell them, think: 'Here I am, be proud and look forward to showing your horses.'"
Luz Bella arrived in Kronberg with two complete European Championship teams, but she admits: “It's difficult working with young talent in Spain, but we're trying. We don't have the quality of horses that exist in Central Europe. But we are especially hopeful with our children. They are still very young and still need experience, but we think they will become good junior and young riders later on.” Luz Bella likes to tell 'her children' about her time on the sheep farm. “I was so grateful every day that I worked here,” she smiles, her eyes twinkling happily. “It's just a dream. 'My children have never experienced anything like this and are very grateful that they can experience it.'
(KiK/pe&pa)