Since the 2024Paralympic Games in Paris, Grade IV has experienced some shake-up. The double Paralympic gold medalists and triple gold medalists of the European Championships in Riesenbeck, Demi Haerkens and Daula as well as 2021 double Paralympic champions Sanne Voets and Demantur have not competed at all in 2025, Anna-Lena Niehues’ three times medalist of Paris, Quimbaya, sold and American Kate Shoemaker of course not eligible for European championships, so the door seemed wide open for other rider and horse combinations to medal.
In Ermelo Grade IV consisted of 11 starters from ten nations (France had two riders), two less than at the Europeans in 2023. Unlike riders in Grade I-III, who have more severe impairments, those from Grade IV and Grade V are not allowed to let trainers warm up their horses.
According to their physical abilities riders in Grade IV are also asked to ride canter in their tests. Trot and canter are ridden in collected and medium tempo on both leads, walk in medium tempo. Horses and riders have to show medium canter on circles and collected trot in voltes, as well as simple changes of lead. The lateral movement of shoulder-in in trot is asked, as well as turns on the haunches, a rein-back of 4 steps and a serpentine, so these tests require a significant higher level of collection from the horses compared to Grade III.
Of the 11 starters in the Grand Prix A on Thursday and Grand Prix B on Saturday there were four championships newcomers: Britain’s Nicola Naylor, Belgian Charlotte Couckuyt, Ireland’s Angela Lyons and Lucia Krivosudska from Slovakia. Latvia’s Alise Muizniece had her European champs debut after she already participated in the 2022 World championships in Herning.
The two most experienced riders in the field were France’s Vladimir Vinchon, individual 4th in Paris, and Sweden’s Louise Etzner Jakobsson, freestyle silver medalist of Tokyo.
They Ones Who Caught My Eye
Etnzer on her way to become European champion2Louise Etzner Jakobsson was certainly one of the favorites if her sensitive KWPN gelding Goldstrike (by Dreamcatcher) would play his part. The black Goldie no doubt is one of the most talented horses of this grade of the past years and Etzner Jakobsson was already very successful and medalled on Goldstrike’s predecessor Zenard. At the Paralympics in Tokyo 2021 she won, back then, rather surprisingly, Paralympic silver in the freestyle in her first season with Goldstrike which proved his potential. He showed flashes of his genius again and again ever since and placed highly at the last Europeans and in Paris, but had missed the freestyle final at the Worlds 2022 in Herning. In Ermelo, the time had come to show that they had grown as a couple over the years and the horse had matured. In the individual competition on Thursday there was never a moment of doubt during their ride: Etzner Jakobsson risked something and her horse played along completely. Goldstrike finally lived up to his name and played out his full potential, demonstrating what a well trained and ridden horse he is.
Jelstrup and Zafia were first to go in the individual class and set the bar high for those to followHis much celebrated first gold medal (followed by freestyle silver) though was a tight win as Denmark’s Pia Wulff Jelstrup was hot on the heels of the Swedish couple. Competing in para dressage only since 2022, the mum of professional rider Natalie Wulff Brix, who is also her trainer, has made a kind of meteoric rise since her para debut. Just two years after her para premier she rode on the usually hotly contested Danish Paralympic team in Paris, though she narrowly missed out the freestyle finals there. Her 11-year-old DWB mare Zafia (by Blue Hors Zee Me Blue x Carentino) peaked in Ermelo in all three classes, taking home three medals to Denmark: the individual silver, team bronze and freestyle bronze.
Much to the sheer joy and surprise of the trainer-rider-duo of international Grand Prix rider Sarah Millis and her student Nicola Naylor, the latter took the individual bronze on the 13-year-old KWPN bred Humberto L. After having been reserve on several occasions, the blind Naylor finally made the team cut with the bay offspring by Cachet L and gave memorable demonstrations in the arena of Ermelo what is possible with rider’s tact and confidence.
Championships debut for Naylor after being reserve for the Worlds in 2022Watching Nicola train with Sarah on Tuesday afternoon you would have never thought that the rider lacks eyesight, if not for the vest she wore saying „Blind Rider“. The 64-year-old was so much in tune with her horse and rode with such confidence one could only take one’s hat off for that skill and feeling. Nicola who has also competed at Grand Prix level in the able-bodied division with her other horse Del Piero V (an unequalled and quite unbelievable feat) gets orientated in the arena by her caller (and groom) Julie Riches. She rode admirably forward from marker to marker with her horse that is an elegant mover with a striking forehand action in canter.
While these three riders took the first set of individual medals and unlike in any of the other four Grades at these Europeans, the freestyle final on Sunday had a surprise winner after an outstanding performance.
Alexia Pittier and her Hanoverian SultanAfter a 4th place on Thursday and 3rd in the Grand Prix B, which counted for the team result and freestyle qualification, French Alexia Pittier had the ride of her life on Sunday. Competing internationally for six years now, Alexia had her championships debut on the French team at the Paralympics in Paris and made it into the freestyle finals in front of an enthusiastic home crowd at first attempt. Riding the impressive Hanoverian Sultan, the 32-year-old had already indicated in the strong field of the CPEDI in Hagen in June that the freestyle is the pair’s forte. In Ermelo both took their chance with both hands and showed a harmonious and flowing freestyle with a creative floor-plan. Sultan (by Sarotti Mokka Sahne - Weltmeyer) is a big framed chestnut with very active hind-legs who at just 10 years of age, has now taken the first title and secured the first and only medal for France at this championships.
Alexia’s team-mate, the experienced Vladimir Vinchon, was twice 5th and then 7th in the freestyle with his very experienced Oldenburg bred Pegase Mayenne (by Fidertanz).
Muizniece and Baily in medium canter on the circle One not in the medals, but worth to mention is Alice Muizniece. The petite 20-year-old from Latvia had her 1st championships at Herning 2022 and since then made visible progress with her now 14-year-old likewise petite Brandenburger mare Baily (by Belissimo x Pikör). The female duo gave an elegant picture with the horse ridden from back to front. Both qualified for the freestyle final where they had their best result, placing 5th.
Grade IV at Ermelo was exciting in that regards that there was no clear favourite and several riders were in with the chance of medalling. The day form was decisive which made for interesting three classes.
