Win in Subli Competition Boxtel for Charissa Buurmeijer and Dirk-Jan van de Water

On Sunday, August 7, a competition of the Subli Competition for Young Dressage Horses was on the program in Boxtel. High scores were handed out by the judges present at the top of the standings. Among the five-year-olds, Dirk-Jan van de Water with Le Vixen was the outlier and clear winner. The class for four-year-old dressage horses was won by Charissa Buurmeijer with No Limit.

The four- and five-year-old horses were judged in Boxtel by judges Maarten van der Heijden and Jacques van der Harst, who put up high points in both classes. According to jury member Jacques van der Harst, especially in the four-year-olds, the jury paid particular attention to the way of riding. He explains: "With young horses we like to see that they are presented in a friendly manner. The way of riding was really decisive for us today. The horses must go through the track in harmony and with a neat correct bridle. He must be left to his own devices and given the opportunity to walk on his own two feet. This was certainly the case at the entire top of the standings and we were really impressed by this.

Example of harmonious riding among the four-year-olds

Winner Charissa Buurmeijer with No Limit was the epitome of harmonious riding. We enjoyed that. The horse was presented very friendly and you could see that he enjoyed his work. That resulted in high scores. The same goes for number two Robin Heiden with New Market and number three Aniek de Laat with Newton M."

Big differences among the five-year-olds

In the class for five-year-old dressage horses, there was no doubt about the winner. Due to several dropouts, the number of combinations in the class was unfortunately limited. Dirk-Jan van de Water stood head and shoulders above the competition and scored a magnificent 86.880 with his horse Le Vixen, no less than nine percent higher than number two Natascha Bernoski-De Cocq with Medoc. Judge Jacques van der Harst was very clear about this: "The difference was indeed very big. Dirk-Jan van de Water with his horse Le Vixen was clearly the outlier and a paragon of calm and confidence. From the moment he rode into the arena, we as judges were already saying to each other: 'that will be all right.' Le Vixen was ridden nicely uphill and away from the hand, giving the horse the chance to fully use his back. We also saw nice hind leg use and he was presented with sufficient length. The self-carriage of the horses was still insufficient with some other combinations but with Dirk-Jan van de Water that was certainly fine. In number two Natascha Bernoski-De Cocq with Medoc we would have liked to see a little more self-carriage as well, although this horse was presented very professionally."

Results Subli Competition Young Dressage Horses Aug. 7 Boxtel

Four-year-olds

1. Charissa Buurmeijer - No Limit, 87.200
2. Robin Heiden - New Market, 86.640
3. Aniek de Laat - Newton M, 85.640

Five-year-olds

1. Dirk-Jan van de Water - Le Vixen, 86.880
2. Natascha Bernoski -De Cocq - Medoc, 77.840