Six horses have qualified for the individual finals of the 2003 World Championships for Young Dressage Horses by placing in the top three in the 5- and 6-year old division.
Winning the 5-year old consolation class was Wellington, ridden by German Petra Epping. The Hanoverian bred Wellington (by Wie Weltmeyer x Aarking xx) scored 8.08 points and finished first in a field of 25 competitors. Petra Epping beat Dutch Hans Peter Minderhoud who saddled the licensed KWPN stallion Rhodium. The black stallion by Ferro x Ramiro put in a 7.92 ride. Danish Laerke Sund followed in third position aboard Mariett. The Danish warmblood mare (Come Back II x Aleksander) received 7.88 points from the judges. Thanks to their top three placing, Wellington, Rhodium and Mariett have qualified for the finals on Sunday.
In the five year old division, Dutch Marijke Folmer convincingly rode her KWPN stallion Paddox (by Ferro x Darwin) to victory. Folmer scored a decent 8.10 on her dark bay stallion and beat Australian Kerry Mack. Dr. Mack rode on her imported KWPN bred Mayfield Pzazz, a Jazz x Amulet get, bred by Mr. Naber from Vredenheim, The Netherlands. Mack and Pzazz received 7.52 points for their ride. In third position was German Kira Wulferding on the American owned Oldenburg stallion Rhodes Scholar (by Rohdiamant x Grafenburg. The lovely chestnut Rhodes Scholar showed gaits for a 7.44. Paddox, Mayfield Pzazz and Rhodes Scholar can try again tomorrow for a better score in the Finals.
Images copyrighted: Dirk Caremans