Marsja Dijkman No Longer the Underdog after Breakout Win at 2026 CDIO Lier

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2026 CDIO Lier

- Text © Eurodressage (this article expresses Eurodressage's' eye-witness account and opinion about the competition)
-- Photos © Astrid Appels/Eurodressage - No reproduction allowed - NO SCREENSHOTS!

Dutch Marsja Dijkman surprised judges and spectators at the 2026 CDIO Lier by winning the 3* Grand Prix as the breakout star of the day. With only five CDI's to her name before heading to Lier Dijkman turned heads with her lovely presentation aboard Beaujolais.

Winning Ride in a Snaffle

The 3* Grand Prix was held on the first hot summery day of the year in Belgium on Thursday 21 May 2026 and Dijkman and her 12-year old Oldenburg Beaujolais were the penultimate pair to go in a long class of 26 riders.

Judges Jeanette Wolfs (NED), Patricia Wolters (NED), Isobel Wessels (GBR), Susan Hoevenaars (AUS), and Hans Voser (SUI) rewarded her ride with a winning 70.261%. Three of them had the pair at 71% while Wessels and Voser's mark got stuck at the 68% range.

"It’s a brilliant starting place (to be the penultimate rider to go in), but it does get your nerves going when you see everyone riding so well," Marsja confessed. "Beau felt great in the warm-up, and if I keep reminding myself that we’re doing this for the experience, the nerves don’t get the better of me."

The pair rode the test in a snaffle which stood out with a soft, elastic contact. Dijkman rode a very clean, meticulate test with piaffes that were on the spot. Overall the horse could take a bit more weight behind in the piaffe and also step under more towards the point of gravity in the passage, but Dijkman engineered a very smooth rhythm. There was certainly more in the tank in the execution of a few movements: the rein back was a bit iffy and the horse could overtrack more in the extended walk. The canter work put solid 7s on the board, but the transition from canter down to trot needed refining.

Underdog No More

Dijkman left the arena with her fist in the air when she saw the 70% marker being cracked and which turned out to be the winning score.

“I really wasn’t expecting this at all,” said 40-year old Dijkman. “I always feel a bit like the underdog. I was very happy with the test. I’d made up my mind to really go for it; I sometimes tend to ride a bit cautiously. But I took on board the judges' tip from last week to ride with a bit more ‘arrogance’,” she admitted. “I wouldn’t have dared to dream of this.”

Beaujolais fan e Beijemastate

Beaujolais is by Bordeaux x Sandro Hit x Donnerhall x Plaisir d'Amour, bred by Bernhard Arkenberg. His dam Whitney A was a Brilliantring mare at the Oldenburg Elite Mare Show. The bay sold to Petra Hofma and Johan Kramer in The Netherlands and his name got lengthened to Beaujolais fan e Beijemastate.

Marsja de Vries-Dijkman received the ride on Beaujolais four years ago. She has been riding horses for Hofma and Kramer since 2012. Marsja produced Beau from ZZ-light level to Grand Prix.

"I took over Beaujolais from a girl who rode him in our barn. I had been riding a Friesian mare for Petra and in 2022 she asked me to take over Beau," Dijkman told Hoefslag in 2024. "Beaujolais is a horse with a long topline and the difficulty is to close and collect him without him getting shorted in front." Marsja has been training with Dutch 5* judge Monique Peutz.

Beaujolais is the second horse Marsja has competed internationally. Her CDI debut was in January 2016 in Drachten at small tour level on Friesian Hitse 425 (by Jasper 336 x Rijpke). It was her sole CDI on the Friesian. They debuted internationally at the CDI Leeuwarden in October 2023 at small tour level. They moved to Grand Prix level at the CDI Deauville in July 2025, where they recorded their first win in the 3* GP Kur to Music. From there they went to Hagen.

They began 2026 at the CDI Gothenburg where they scored 67.848% in the Grand Prix. In Lier their 70.261% was the first 70% they cracked in a technical test.

Realist

When asked what her dreams for the future are, she replied, “I could say the Olympics, but I’m also realistic; above all, I want to achieve the highest possible level with this horse. He hasn’t reached the peak of his ability yet, and I hope he never does. Beau is a truly wonderful horse who loves to work and he’s absolutely lovely."

Dijkman is a professional dressage rider with her own barn, Stud Farm Beijermastate, in Arum (NED). Beau shares the paddock with 25 other horses. She trains the Friesians for Jelmer Chardon.

Belgian Top Three, Game of Chess for Team Spot

Two Belgian riders joined Dijkman in the top three at this important team observation event with the selections for the 2026 World Championships in mind. While Verboomen and Pauluis are certain of their team spots, and Wim Verwimp strongly consolidating the number three spot, the battle for spot three is still wide open with several candidates knocking at the door.

In the 4* tour Charlotte Defalque rode Valentin to a 69.848% Grand Prix score. Amandine Prevost waited a long time to come out with her 16-year old DSP stallion Quaterdance (by Quaterback x Expose) this year. Lier was her first CDI of 2026. Trained by retired Belgian judge Mariette Withages, Prevost rode a 70.152% score for second place in the 3* Grand Prix. The stallion has a good piaffe and showed wonderful, big one tempi changes but in the Grand Prix he was unstable in the contact and mouth and nodding at the poll.

Dutch born Belgian Tommie Visser rode his husband Rob van Puijenbroek's home bred 11-year old KWPN mare Karma Begijnhoeve (by Desperado x Negro) to a third place with 69.326%. The tall and athletic black mare has a lovely piaffe)passage and straight one tempi changes but could be a bit more elastic and swinging in the back, particularly in the trot extensions.

The other best ranked Belgian in the 3* Grand Prix was Jeroen Devroe on the 12-year old KWPN gelding Jackpot (by Everdale x Jazz) with a 67.978% score.

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Eurodressage took photos of almost all competitors in Lier. If you are interested in photos for social media use or print, send us an email and you can BUY our photos. No reproduction allowed - NO SCREENSHOTS!

Tommie Visser on Karma Begijnhoeve

Former judge and FEI Dressage committee chair Mariette Withages

Jeroen Devroe's Jackpot

Mexican Carolina Cordoba Wolf and 17-year old Finnish warmblood mare Isabella (by Gribaldi x Don Schufro). Lovely pair with nice piaffes and one tempi changes

Austrian Lisa Wernitznig on Isabell Werth's Superb (by Surprise x Donautanz). In passage the horse was often counter bent and there was a mistake in the ones. The extended walk was excellent

No horse show without dogs

Australian judge Susan Hoevenaars

Finnish Jessica Jokiranta on the 16-year old Danish gelding Dusty (by UNO Don Diablo x Loudini)

Look what came flying over

Finnish Mikaela Soratie on Furst Michigan (by Furstenball x Michellino)

Belgian Jan van Geet at his second CDI in his career with Kardieno (by Dante Weltino x Parcival)

Christian "Jany" Schuarte on Go On (by Ampere x Flemmingh)

Canadian Chris von Martels on Londoncrown (by Londontime x San Amour) training in The Netherlands with Nicole Werner.

Marieke van der Putten on Torveslettens Titanium (by Totilas x Stedinger)

Dutch based Hubert Jankowski on Guerlain (by Hotline x Painted Black)

Jacco Doornwaard on It's Easy (by Everdale x Havel x Dillenburg x Komeet). This horse looks and moves like a Dutch harness horse. He stood out with lots of crossing in the half passes and good sit in the pirouettes

Long time no see: Cees Visser, former owner of Totilas in the horse's glory days under Edward Gal

Irish James Connor on Chiara Olper's super talented Matondo (by Millennium x Rubin Royal)

Polish Dagmara Rueben on the 13-year old Rhinelander mare Zonetic (by Zonik x Benetton Dream). Yet another Zonik offspring at international GP level

Luxembourg's Joelle Kinnen-Beier. She rode at the 2006 WEG before becoming an FEI steward.