-- text by Eurodressage, quotes © FEI
It became a Belgian one-two at the Western European League World Cup qualifier in Neumunster on 14 - 15 February 2026 as Larissa Pauluis and Justin Verboomen ruled the roost in both the Grand Prix and Kur to Music.
The Western European League is reaching its end with only two more qualifiers to go in Gothenburg and 's Hertogenbosch before the finals in Fort Worth, TX, U.S.A. at the start of April.
Personal Bests in the Grand Prix
In the Grand Prix judges Marietta Almas, Francis Verbeek - Van Rooy, Elke Ebert, Katrina Wüst, and Magnus Ringmark rewarded Verboomen and the 11-year old Oldenburg Djembe de Hus (by Damon Hill x Argentinus) a new personal best of 76.826% for the win. The pair rode only in its third ever Grand Prix together and has put Verboomen in a strong position of having a top scoring second iron in the fire alongside his European champion Zonik Plus. However, the horse's future is highly uncertain as the owner, French millionaire Xavier Marie, allocated the ride to Verboomen in order to have the horse sold. Despite several try-outs, no new rider/owner has scooped up the horse, which leaves Verboomen in a more comfortable position to plan the next few months.
The Grand Prix scores were high in Neumunster, as were the individual differences. Sixth-place finisher Ingrid Klimke saw her marks range from 68.370 (Verbeek) to 75.000 (Almasy), while seventh place-getter Annabella Pidgley rode Gio to a 68.043% (Ebert) and a 74.239% (Verbeek). Theodora Livanos got 64.674% (Wust) but also a 69.239% (Verbeek). Kendlbacher had a spread of 64.565 (Verbeek) and 68.804 (Almasy). They were clearly seeing different tests.
Pauluis Takes Two
In the Kur to Music on Sunday 15 February, Pauluis collected her second World Cup victory of the season. After winning Mechelen at the end of December, she now topped the board in Neumunster with a personal best scoring freestyle of 84.015%. Her horse Flambeau is owned by Larissa's parents Marie Christine and Jean Pauluis in partnership with Caroline and Emmanuelle Lepage.
"I think Flambeau likes this show a lot. He is very relaxed in this arena. Today he was really with me, and showed some very expressive piaffe and passage. We really connected in the right way," said Larissa.
With five World Cup starts and two victories, Pauluis is now top of the Western European League standings.
“I really enjoyed our ride today, it was a pleasure to ride. And when I can enjoy the ride, it usually means the picture is also beautiful,” Pauluis said. “Because of the long journey, I’m not yet sure whether we will go to the Final. Our main focus this year is with the Belgian team, as we want to qualify directly for the Olympic Games in Los Angeles 2028 at the World Championship 2026 in Aachen – that is our main goal.”
Uncertain Future
In the Kur to Music Justin Verboomen landed second place with 81.985%
“Even before I entered the arena today, I knew that the walk would be the tricky part,” Verboomen explained. “The atmosphere and enthusiasm of the crowd here are fantastic, but he did react to it. I tried to keep him with me in the walk, but that only worked too late.”
When asked about his future plans with the light-footed chestnut, Verboomen remained cautious: “We’ll see how things go. As many people already know, Djembe is for sale, so I don’t really dare to make plans.”
Back in Third
“Yesterday in the Grand Prix, Kennedy already felt good, but unfortunately we had a big mistake on our last line,” said Moreira. “Today I wanted to deliver a clean and nice test. I have a lot of trust in Kennedy, he is really a wonderful horse.”
It was Moreira’s first appearance in Neumünster, despite living relatively nearby. “We only started looking at our plans for this year after Mechelen, and this fitted well,” he said. “Maybe we’ll also ride the qualifier in ’s-Hertogenbosch (NED). Today I was very happy with him. Kennedy is still relatively young and stayed very much with me, and the frame was better than yesterday. He felt absolutely fresh and confident.”
Related Links
Scores: 2026 CDI-W Neumunster
Eurodressage Coverage of the 2025-2026 World Cup show circuit