The 6-year-old horses wrapped up the World Championships for Young Dressage Horses in Ermelo, where Quinn G (by Quaterhit) retained her world title, this time with British rider Fiona Bigwood in the saddle, riding on Denmark's quota. The best KWPN horse was the very light-footed and elegant Nice Touch W (by Dettori), who danced to bronze under Swiss rider Charlotta Rogerson (also on Switzerland's quota). “She finds everything fun and easy,” said the rider about the mare. Bart Veeze and Nero (by Ferguson) were once again the best combination on the Dutch quota, finishing this year with a beautiful 6th place.

Charlotta Rogerson purchased Nice Touch W (Dettori out of Zsa Zsa Touch W, elite sport-dressage PROK by Florencio, bred by H.A. van der Werff from Boskoop) as a three-year-old and trained her. This World Championship was only the mare's fourth competition. “She really is the best for me; I know she can do it, so I put a lot of pressure on myself. I truly believe this is a future Grand Prix horse. She learns so quickly.” The mare was also quick while warming up and playfully gave a buck, causing the rider to end up on the ground. “That’s really not out of naughtiness, just because she’s fresh—she was just a bit quicker than I was,” laughs the rider, who was able to get back on and continue without any issues. The judges praised the mare for her elasticity, natural balance, and potential. “The trot is spacious, uphill, and energetic, the walk covers a lot of ground but could be looser in the body. The canter is beautifully uphill, very energetic and active, always with a nice balance. This is a very powerful and energetic horse with a lot of potential.”

Nero in Sixth Place
Bart Veeze had a good weekend in Ermelo; after winning the world title with Red Viper (by Romanov) yesterday, today he rode Nero (Ferguson out of Git Odette W, star by Totilas, bred by Titan Wilaras from Riel) to sixth place. Last year, he finished tenth with the big bay in the five-year-old category, and this year, he moved up several places. “He is very reliable and performed a really nice test,” Bart said contentedly afterward. “We saw a well-ridden trot tour, although we would like to see more use of the hind legs in the extensions. In the walk, Nero shows a lot of quality; in the extended walk, he covers a lot of ground, and he managed to maintain the rhythm well in the collected walk. The overall picture is pleasing to watch,” said the judges.

Naqueen and Nalegro
This is Naqueen (Trafalgar out of Aqueeni, reg A by Samba Hit, bred by J.G.M. van de Meijden from Zuilichem), the winner of the small final, who also performed well in the final under Kim Noordijk. “In the trot, we saw a lot of energy, and the picture was nice to watch, although the hind leg could connect a bit more.” They finished twelfth with 78.80%. Nalegro (Painted Black out of Jalegrofleur, star, pref, PROK by Negro, breeders J.L. Hanse from Burgh-Haamstede and Van Olst Horses from Den Hout) was a bit tense today under Charlotte Fry but impressed with his strong hind leg use. “This is a horse with a lot of power and energy, but that sometimes got in his way, affecting control.” Nalegro finished 14th with 76.40%.

Overview Page World Championships for Young Dressage Horses

Text: BvH for KWPN
Photography: Sportfotos Lafrentz