McMary and Port-au-Prince win Subli Competition Varsseveld

October 8, 2025

At the fifth qualifier of the Subli Competition for Young Dressage Horses Friday in Varsseveld, nine horses scored above 80%. The four-year-old McMary (by McLaren), presented by Phoebe Peters, was the clear winner. The exciting battle in the five-year-olds was decided in favor of Port-au-Prince (by Desperado) with Emmelie Scholtens.

In the four-year-olds, McMary under Phoebe Peters ran to the top score of 88.12. Mara Visser rode Rodin St-J (by Dynamic Dream) to second place with 81.80. Roebel (by Romanov), presented by Kim Noordijk, came third with 80.80.

Up hard

The class of as many as 33 four-year-olds was judged by Marlon van Wissen and Ineke Jansen. "We really enjoyed the horses and how they were presented by the riders," says Marlon van Wissen. "McMary is a very complete horse that scored very well in all gaits. She was also presented very nicely by Phoebe and then the scores go up fast. Rodin is also a very nice and complete horse, but he scored just a little lower for the trial-oriented parts."

Natural talent

Van Wissen is pleased with the group of four-year-olds she received in the ring in Varsseveld. "Overall we were very satisfied and we saw a lot of up-and-coming talent. You see a lot of potential in them, even in horses that may not have scored very high now. They are only four years old and at the beginning of their training. It is important to start the young horses neatly and carefully and not to ask too much of such a young horse. And this involves not only the physical but also the mental aspect of the young horses. It is nice to see that there is a lot of talent and that the riders are going for friendly propositions so that the natural talent of the horse comes to the surface," continued Van Wissen, who also values harmony and does not want to see horses being pushed into expressive movements with excessive help. "Not only the legs but also the topline must function well. The toppers scored high on all parts but the other riders also succeeded nicely."

Five-year-olds

In the five-year-olds, Emmelie Scholtens rode Desperado son Port-au-Prince, who won the final for four-year-olds at Jumping Amsterdam earlier this year, to the top score of 89.68. Close behind was Bart Veeze and Roman Empire (by Romanov) with 88.92. The top three was completed by Tessa Kole and Hexagon's Perfect Jr. (by Toto Jr.) with 86.84.

At Emmelie on edge of seat

This age group was judged by Cindy Heijligers and Annelies Terra. As with the four-year-olds, this judging duo also saw a quality group. "We enjoyed ourselves and saw a lot of quality. With Emmelie we sat on the edge of our seats," Cindy Heijligers enthused. "A lot of harmony and future perspective, and Port-au-Prince is a very complete horse with a lot of power and balance." The judges are also enthusiastic about number two. "Bart rode an incredibly strong test and with Roman Empire something really comes in. He was also presented very correctly by Bart."

Lots of quality

"Overall we saw a lot of quality and for us the number one and two were the most complete. But also Tessa showed a light and harmonious image with Perfect Jr. Overall there was very fine riding."

Results Subli Competition, Varsseveld October 3, 2025

Results four-year-old dressage horses

1 Phoebe Peters, McMary (v. McLaren) 88.12
2 Mara Visser, Rodin St-J (by Dynamic Dream) 81.80
3 Kim Noordijk, Roebel (by Romanov) 80.80

Results of five-year-old dressage horses

1 Emmelie Scholtens, Port-au-Prince (by Desperado) 89.68
2 Bart Veeze, Roman Empire (by Romanov) 88.92
3 Tessa Kole, Hexagon's Perfect Jr. (by Toto Jr.) 86.84

The next and also last selection competition of the Subli Competition for Young Dressage Horses will take place on Saturday, November 8 in Berkel Enschot. So this is the last chance to raise your points to be selected for the semi-finals. Look for the complete agenda and the intermediate rankings of the Subli Competition on the Subli Competition page.

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