He already finished in front during the first qualification and proved unbeatable during the final: Life Time FRH with Germany's Charlott-Maria Schürmann. Livaldon, a son of Vivaldi, is his sire, and Life Time FRH is a look-alike of his grandsire. The best KWPN horse, finishing in third place today, was Glock's Massimo with Hans Peter Minderhoud in the saddle.

 

The reserve champion Vitalos FRH is also sired by Vivaldi, through Vitalis. As in previous years, this World Championship was a sporty contest between Germany and the Netherlands. Last year, Hans Peter Minderhoud became World Champion with the six-year-old My Toto (Glock’s Toto JR out of Erlanda ster, sport by Voice, bred by Aat and Lida Both). Back then, he finished last in the final with Glock's Massimo. In this edition, the chestnut stallion, bred by Marjan Cortenberghe and now fully matured, once again demonstrated his quality. Ulrike Nivelle, from the five-member international jury, provided commentary on the horses.

Super Satisfied
Regarding Glock’s Massimo, she said: “This horse showed great shoulder freedom in trot and easily extend and collected. In walk, he stretched effortlessly and displayed a clear difference between collected and extended walk. In canter, Massimo showed balance, rhythm, and remained uphill. A very elegant and expressive horse with undoubtedly a bright future ahead.” During the enthusiastic applause after the test, Massimo quickly spun around, and Hans Peter had his hands full staying on. “I know him, and I know that if he's scared of something, he can react very quickly, but never meanly. Usually, he looks once and then it’s over. On Friday, he felt easier to ride; today, he was a bit more tense. Still, after the test, I had a good feeling and was super satisfied! And, of course, with the result too!”

Beautiful and Elegant
In total, five KWPN horses competed in the final. Last year, Dinja van Liere finished fourth in the six-year-old class at this World Championship, and today, she repeated that placement. Ulrike Nivelle described the stallion as: “He is very beautiful and elegant. He trotted elastically, with good rhythm and balance. In walk, he showed extensive use of his body and good space and activity. He cantered uphill. Although he made a change in canter, it was well recovered. With his beautiful type and graceful way of moving, I predict a great future for him.” Following closely behind number four was Hexagon’s Mr. Magnum (Expression out of Grialita O, elite pref IBOP-dres PROK D-OC by Valdez, breeder A.D. Ter Haar from Rijssen) with Thamar Zweistra in the saddle. “In trot, this horse showed space and expression, with strong use of the hind leg and much flexion in the joints. In walk, he showed space and a correct rhythm with a lot of overtrack. In canter, he covered a lot of ground while staying nicely in frame and easily sat down,” was the jury’s commentary.

Costly Mistake
Where did this look-alike of his sire suddenly come from? Thamar explains: “Last year, I participated in the World Championship selections with Mr. Magnum. For the last selection, I was at the big competition in Aachen with another horse. The organization does not allow participants to bring their training horses as well. So, when I returned home from Aachen, I could only ride him once before going to the final World Championship selection. This was not an ideal preparation, and he was indeed much too fresh during that selection. We were not allowed to go to the World Championship, but a few weeks later, he finished second in the Pavo Cup. He is a wonderful horse, very honest, always loose and forward. He is always in a good mood; a real pleasure to ride. Recently, he came with me to the competition in Aachen, and there I competed with him in the Small Tour. It was his first time at a big competition, and he handled it very well. He has been feeling great all week; it’s just a shame that I rode the wrong direction once in this final test. I haven’t yet checked exactly what the penalty is for riding the wrong way, but this could have been a very costly mistake. Mr. Magnus will now get a vacation, and then we will continue working with him. Incidentally, I found the path to the World Championship a bit calmer this time, with more time in between, probably due to the Olympic Games in Paris, but that suited me well. Due to Leunis' accident, I have been busier, but he is slowly but surely recovering, and he was also present at this World Championship. By the way, we already have a number of foals by Mr. Magnus at home: they all resemble their father, with the same lovely and cheerful character!”

The Three Sons of Glock's Toto Jr.
In addition to Glock’s Massimo, Mac Toto USB, with Daniëlle Heijkoop in the saddle, also participated, also sired by Glock’s Toto Jr. He was bred by G. van de Laar from Vorstenbosch out of Turjazzila (keur pref prest sport-dres by Jazz). An appealing and modern dressage horse. In trot, he showed looseness, but also a lot of push. He walked in the correct rhythm and correctly extended. In canter, he remained nicely uphill. This combination finished ninth today. The black gelding is already competing in Intermediaire I. Majestic Taonga (Glock’s Toto Jr. out of Jamsession Taonga, elite pref IBOP-dres sport-dres PROK by Jazz, breeder Stal 104 BV from Wijdewormer) finished tenth. He was impressively presented by Austrian-born Lisa Wernitznig.

A Dream
How did she end up here? “I have been riding at Isabell Werth's stable for ten years. Isabell first saw Majestic Taonga at Andreas Helgstrand’s, and she found him to be a special horse. Her sponsor Madeleine Winter-Schulze first bought half of him, and later she became the full owner. I also think Majestic Taonga is wonderful; he has three good gaits, is charming and elegant to look at, and I really think he is a talent for the future. I have been riding him for almost two years now, and he handles very well. We had to do the selections for the World Championship in the Netherlands because he is a KWPN horse. It is a dream for me to be here at the World Championship; the atmosphere, all these great young horses and good riders, and that I can compete against them. It is really very special. Majestic has a super nice character, and he loves attention, carrots, and apples. He is certainly my favorite at the moment. He will now get a rest period, which he really deserves. After that, we will train him for the next level. It’s always risky to look too far ahead, but I think he will go very far in the sport, and I hope that will be with me!”

 

View the mediaguide
Watch the mediaguide including all participating Dutch horses and news about the World Championships in Ermelo. 

Foto Lafrentz: Glock's Massimo
GJ for KWPN