-- Text by Agata Grosicka, edited by Eurodressage - Photos © Lukasz Kowalski an association of CDI organizers from Austria celebrated its fifth anniversary with a special gala evening at the 2022 CDI-W Zakrzow in Poland on 27 October 2022 The Central European Dressage Working Group tries to support show organizers in their international and national dressage projects by assisting in the development of dressage sport in those five countries as well as by taking a unified position in matters relating to governance and rule changes for dressage CED also cooperates with and stays in good relationship with European Equestrian Federation (EEF) The members of the Group coordinate the dates of CDI competitions in their region and make sure that judges and other officials from these countries are part of the events Daniel Karpinski presenting the 5 Arenas Dressage CupOne of the initiatives created by CEDWG is the "5 Arenas Cup" and the winners of the second edition were announced at the CDI Zakrzów The 5 Arenas Cup is show circuit of five international competitions hosted by the five CED member countries The Cup is open to competitors of any nationality competing in small and big tour This year the tests counting for the Cup were held at the CDI's in Mariakalnok (HUN) The victory was determined by the sum of the two best results from the Grand Prix / Short Grand Prix (big tour) and Intermediate I (small tour) competitions The prizes for the winners were funded by Albert Riele a sponsor of the Polish Equestrian Federation The big tour 5 Arenas Cup for 2022 went to:  The small tour 5 Arenas Cup for 2022 went to:  Ilja Vietor speaking about the Donau Bohemia TrophyAnother interesting initiative the Central European Dressage Working Group brought to life in 2022 is the Donau Bohemia Trophy - a series of competitions for national dressage riders with ambitions to compete on an international level in the central European region In 2022 the Donau Bohemia Trophy consisted of qualification rounds in the five organizing countries: Weikersdorf (AUT) The circuit was open to riders from all CED countries Ilja Vietor from CEDWG commented on Donau Bohemian Trophy series and also summarized 5 years of the CED involvement: “With the Donau Bohemian Trophy we want to support the riders who do not ride CDI but want to do something more than to compete at local shows," said Vietor "We decided that it had to be something extra which would be attractive for the riders so we started the cooperation with Thun 1794 Now the major challenge is to spread the information Each organizer has a website and the schedule is already available in February For the next edition we want to change the information and put it on national federation websites." The CED's biggest achievement in 5 years is the firm contact and communication line that is now being kept by the participating countries Andrzej Salacki"We have meetings in person on digital platforms which are very efficient because if there was a problem And there was always somebody to help us push it to the next level including FEI or EEF which is very important because we are not all as well connected," Vietor explained "We have a huge support from Thomas Baur who knows the rules and knows who is responsible for what Elisabeth Max-Theurer knows how to push things forward We have also noticed that communication between smaller countries within the region such as Slovakia Hungary and so on got better because we realized that we had common goals which we wouldn’t be able to achieve alone." "The first response from FEI to this Championship was negative but when they realized that this was not one country but a group of countries that made a difference," Vietor explained now we also have Baltic and Balkan countries joining us For them it’s an advantage because they can have a look at what we’re doing and try that for themselves For us it’s good since we’re growing stronger." Christiane Schuarte speaking for Boznia & HerzighovinaThe Central European Dressage Working Group has become a growing force in Central Europe as it has struck alliances with Balkan countries and are helping them to grow the sport "We’ll go to Romania and Greece to help organize dressage competitions – they have great venues," said Vietor has the venue where the 2004 Olympics were hosted it’s good to have such organization as ours It’s improving the situation in the region in small steps in several countries people don’t need only local good riders but they need foreign riders who know how to raise the level which without exchange of information would not be possible.” Arie Yom-Tov travelled to Zakrzów to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the CED “The most important thing for our region is to become one of the leading ones in dressage," said the ambitious Yom Tov For many years traditional dressage countries didn’t really pay attention to our region and neither did the FEI We are talking almost about 18 countries who felt they did not get enough support or respect Arie Yom TovA clear example of the massive growth and involvement of Central Europe in international dressage sport is Poland and Hungary having hosted no less than nine (!!) European Youth Riders Championships over the past four years Strzegom (POL) staged three European Pony Championships (2019 and Pilisjaszfalu (HUN) was home to all five youth categories from ponies to Under 25 at the 2020 European Youth Championships Pilisjaszfalu welcomed the Children and Under 25 Championships to Hungary Yom Tov has taken a leading role in boosting dressage in Central Europe under the banner of the CEDWG "For next year we are bidding for an additional two European Championships "This shows to other countries in Europe that this part can do things in a professional and respectable way The ultimate aim is to grow the interest in dressage in these countries By stepping in and organizing European Championships in corona times we have proved that we can do it We can manage and have qualities which are sometimes even better than other facilities in Western Europe We got and still are getting a lot of compliments from all participants who were really satisfied and would like to come back." The pilot project of the Central European Championships for Young Horses is part of CEDWG's grander picture of building the sport from the ground up Salacki presenting awards to key figures of the CEDWG including Lenka Sekaninova of the CDI Brno"This year we started with Young Horses in the region because in order to improve we have to start from the basics," said Arie "I have 10 young horses which are mostly trained in Netherlands That’s the weak point and I think it’s time for FEI to put more attention and to find the right way to support the smaller countries in this Central European region to have a better quality of trainers The FEI needs to invest in making top class world trainers come here more often than once every six months They need to train local trainers who in a couple of years will gain the capability to train and improve both horses and riders." By educating trainers and riders more in the area Central Europe has massive potential for growth "The success of the region will be the success of dressage globally because we are talking about countries with 100 million inhabitants which have become well-developed in the last couple of decades," he said "We’re not behind anymore By improving this region trainers will get more jobs the riders will buy more horses from breeders which will create much more interest for everybody For more information on Central European Dressage Working Group visit www.cedwg.eu Text by Agata Grosicka, edited by Eurodressage - Photos © Lukasz Kowalski Stalls for Rent at Durondeau Dressage in Peer, Belgium Exceptionally Well Located Equestrian Facility in Wellington, Florida Well-built Equestrian Estate With Multiple Business Opportunities in Sweden Stable Units for Rent at Lotje Schoots' Equestrian Center in Houten (NED) For Rent: Several Apartments and Stable Wing at High-End Equestrian Facility Stable Wing Available at Reiterhof Wensing on Dutch/German border Real Estate: Well-Appointed Country House with Extensive Equestrian Facility in the U.K. Rémi Blot 2020–Benjamin Werndl on Daily Mirror led a German sweep of the World Cup Grand Prix Freestyle Saturday in his campaign for a start in the final of the annual championship next April Benjamin and the 16-year-old Westfalen gelding scored 82.475% in the rider’s first show since breaking his collarbone in an accident at the German championships two months ago Frederic Wandres on Duke of Britain placed second on 80.575% also to earn his first points in the coronavirus-shortened Western European series for which riders here can take points to their home league only the second Big Tour musical performance for the pair The highest placing Central European was Maria Klementieva on Doctor Wendell MF in fourth on 75.900% Fellow Russian Regina Isachkina placed fifth on Sun of May Life with 74.275% and extended her lead in the Central European league that gets to send two riders to the final in Gothenburg the brother of Jessica von Bredow-Werndl who is atop the standings in Western Europe went to his first World Cup Final in 2019 and likely would have been invited to the championships this year that was scheduled for Las Vegas but canceled because of the pandemic The next scheduled World Cup qualifier in Central Europe and the last for the region is scheduled for Motesice The next World Cup qualifier in Western European that has been reduced to six events from 10 Judges-E: Elisabeth Max-Theurer-AUT H:Annette Fransen Iacobaeus-SWE C: Ilja Vietor-SVK M: Peter Holler-GER B: Peter Hansaghy-HUN Poland hosted CDI World Cup Qualifier on the last weekend of October and its field of starters was impressive with acclaimed contestants such as Ingrid Klimke as well as more ambitious newcomers to the world stage and current Polish Champion Żaneta Skowronska – Kozubik defending the national honour The ground jury was led by Polish 4* judge Malgorzata Pawlowska who was assited by Austrian 5* judge Elizabeth Max-Theurer Ingrid Klimke and Franziskus FRH have definitely had a great season so far the highlight being a team bronze medal at the 2022 World Championships in Herning A week before the CDI Zakrzów the stallion Franziskus (Fidertanz x Alabaster) was awarded the prestigious FRH title by the Hanoverian breeding society The victory in Zakrzów is one next step on their way to WC Finals next April “I’m here for the first time and happy for Franziskus because he likes this big stable which is very quiet and he can look at his neighbour," said Ingrid "The ground is perfect both in the warm up arena and in the ring The atmosphere in the ring was very nice and he really listened to me I could put everything together in a very smooth and nice way." Klimke has been a leading in the world of eventing for more than two decades but in 2022 she finally made it onto the German dressage team for a major championship Klimke and Franziskus"Next year it will be 25 years I’ve been doing this as a business," she said I never could choose which is my favourite one and I’m always very passionate about dressage I’m very happy with Franziskus now because I’ve had him for nine years and we’ve had ups and downs so now I’m glad that we made a big step forward We won the Freestyle in Munster and also here I can come to the show and know that he’s behaving very well and listening Still I can progress and still there are things which I can work on and which I would like to improve My dream is for sure to go to the World Cup Finals Europeans next year and Paris in two years These are now our best years and I hope I can reap the fruits When asked which are the dressage successors in the barn Ingrid named Freudentanzer (by Franziskus x Damon Hill) as well as Firlefranz and several other younger horses in the barn "I had Damon Hill when he was three and schooled him up to nine years old to become a Grand Prix winner He was a very special horse for me so now I have one with the bloodlines of both my favourite stallions," said Ingrid "Freudentanzer won PSG a few times and Inter I and I will bring him up to next level next year and he is definitely of the quality I want." Klinke referred to four dressage horses she is excited about "All of the sudden I have really some wonderful prospects which I would love to bring to the spot," she said "My eventing horses have a little break now and my dressage horses are first to go in the indoor season My next show will be Stuttgart and hopefully I will go to London for the World Cup and then we’ll see what comes in the spring." Ingrid always looks for rideability in a horse over any other thing "I don’t favour any particular dressage bloodlines For me it’s important to see the horse and to feel the horse," she said "My father used to say that it doesn’t matter if it’s mare or gelding or a stallion The most important is that the horse has a good head and energy from behind Severo Jurado Lopez on DahoudWith the departure of Fendi T from his barn after the 2021 European Dressage championships in Hagen Severo Jurado Lopez moved away from the limelight but has been working his way back to the top with new horses Severo brought two horses to Zakrzów: Dahoud and Fontainbleau With the latter he won the Small tour on Friday and with the former he placed second in the World Cup qualifying Grand Prix freestyle Jurado made his international Grand Prix debut on the 8-year old Hanoverian Dahoud (by Desiderio x Balou de Rouet) in March in Herning competed him in Aalborg in May and then again in Zakrzow in October They were second in the freestyle with 78.020% Dahoud is 8 years only and he’s been with us longer He came to us from a lovely couple in Germany who support us He’s been working really hard and he’s cool He’s by Desiderio and he has a great character It’s fun to ride him because he’s very clever and very aware about anything you ask him The Danish based Spaniard rode the 10-year old Oldenburg bred Fontainebleau (by Foundation x Depardieu) to victory in the Prix St Georges with 72.010% It was the only test the horse did in Zakrzow the horse originates from Kerstin Klieber's barn “Fontainbleau came to us in a bit harsh circumstances," said Severo from a very sweet family that I’ve been training and helping That horse has been welcomed home and taken care of So far we’ve tried to build his muscles and put him back in shape He is a 10 year old very sweet horse with a great walk." Jurado competed in Zakrzow for the first time and praised the safe boxes and good quality footing When asked what his plans for the future are Severo Jurado on Fontainebleau"We have two horses which are very interesting and we want to come out with them With Dahoud I will take it step by step and show by show The goal is to be in the top form for next year it’s very important for Spain to get the Olympic qualification To train horses and prepare them so they are perfect for Paris." He set up his own business in 2020 which brought a whole new life for him compared to being on the payroll for someone else "I’ve ridden a lot of young horses in my life Now in my own stable I’m more about what’s gonna be tomorrow and not only now and that’s it," he said "I’m very careful of what I’m doing and when I compete my young horses When I feel they’re good – they will go out and try to perform "For me every horse is the best one," he said "Every horse has amazing things and the weak ones just like people Everyone has something and no one is the unique one I wouldn’t be fair if I chose just one among Fiontini Springbank or Lorenzo because they all had their different amazing qualities.” here on her small tour horse FedonA person who can claim it was her weekend as the winner of the first ticket to next year's World Cup Finals in Omaha Nebraska is Lithuanian Justina Vanagaite and her 9 year old BWP gelding Nabab (by Sir Donovan x Krack C) They finished third in Saturday’s GP Freestyle and as they ride in the Central European League they have achieved the right amount of points to gain direct access to the Finals “I’m super happy that I reached the maximum points of the qualifications to the Finals," said Justina "Zakrzów as always has been a super nice show I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the Finals I’m really looking forward to competing there." Photos © Lukasz Kowalski Related LinksScores: 2022 CDI-W Zakrzow 2020–Benjamin Werndl rode Daily Mirror to victory in the World Cup Grand Prix Friday in the first competition for the rider since breaking his collarbone in an accident at the German championships two months ago The pair competed at the World Cup Final in Gothenburg Sweden in 2019 and were likely to be invited to the final of the championships this year that was scheduled for Las Vegas but canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic Fellow German Frederic Wandres on Duke of Britain placed second on 75.714% Olga Safranova of Belarus on Sandro D Amour was third on 70.522% in their campaign to earn one of two places allocated to the Central European League at the final in Gothenburg next April The Grand Prix Freestyle to determine points is scheduled for Saturday Judges-E: Annette Fransen Iacobaeus-SWE H: Alice Schwab-AUT C: Peter Holler-GER M: Elisabeth Max-Theurer-AUT B: Simona Fialova-CZE scored a double victory at the 2020 CDI-W Zakrzow in Poland on 22 - 25 October 2020 a remarkable feat for a pair that only has three months of international competition down their belt The 15-year old Matouskova made an early transition to horses in 2020 after having competed two years at international FEI Pony level with Coelenhage's Las Vegas "Terka" and the now 15-year old Dutch Welsh pony Coelenhage's Las Vegas (by Speyksbosch Nando x Ox el Khafif) came from Milou Dees and Van Peperstraten's barn in The Netherlands and was acquired by the Czech family in 2018 Tereza made her CDI debut in the Children classes on the pony at the CDI Brno in June 2018 but also rode in the FEI pony classes in 2019 with starts in Mariakalnok after acquiring Paolo il Bello from Austrian Franziska Fries in January Terka and Paolo"When I rode him the first time I really enjoyed the feeling on him," Tereza told Eurodressage about her first ride on Paolo Paolo Il Bello is a 14-year old Bavarian gelding by Pasolongo out of Sandy (by Legedär II) bred by Germann Vitzthum and originally owned by Alois Antholzer With no international shows hosted in the spring of 2020 due to COVID-19 Tereza qualified nationally for the 2020 European Children Championships in Pilisjaszfalu (HUN) in August 2020 was a big disappointment as the pair got eliminated in the team test However two weeks later they returned to the arena at junior level the combination seemed to have found their stride at the CDI-W Zakrzow They won the team championship test with 71.566% the individual test with 71.059% and placed second in the Kur to Music with 74.600% so it was a nice surprise after I saw the results I was overwhelmed and happy," said Matouskova "Paolo gave me a very good feeling in the arena He tries his best every time and is well concentrated He has a great character for competition." Matouskova wins two junior classes in ZakrzowTereza has been training with Czech FEI rider Hana Vasaryova at Pelican Dressage Stable for seven months The junior rider admits that the switch from ponies to horses was not an easy one "The transition was hard of course because I never rode big horses before," she said "Especially the difference between moving around the arena with a pony anda  big horse With pony the arena looks so much bigger and it feels like you have much more time to do each exercise Tereza is in her last year at elementary school and will take her entrance exams for high school in the spring of 2021 she hopes to learn as much as possible from Paolo "Our plans for the season 2021 is to move to a higher level so I should take the advantage to learn from him as much as possible," she said "Of course we hope for more CDI competitions than this year and if everything goes well Related LinksScores: 2020 CDI-W ZakrzowEastern European Children & Junior Teams for 2020 European Youth Championships Named 2021–Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and Ferdinand BB won the World Cup Grand Prix Freestyle Sunday to kick off the German rider’s campaign for a start in the championship Final next April Jessica and the 12-year-old Hanoverian gelding scored 78.780% in only the second Big Tour Freestyle for the world No 1 on her double Olympic gold medal mount TSF Dalera BB Jessica who has been partnered with Ferdinand since the horse was young including competing in the World Young Horse Championships at the age of five Kristy Oatley was runner-up on 77.575% on Du Soleil the 17-year-old Hanoverian that she rode at the 2016 Olympics one of four Games in which she has competed for Australia Kristy lives in Germany and in recent years has devoted much of her equestrian commitment to her daughter who is the European Pony Champion and world No Rose competed Herzkoenig NRW here to win the pony CDI team and individual competitions and place second in the freestyle Austria’s Timna Zach on Farant was third on 77.530% in the World Cup Freestyle Judges: E–Ilja Vietor–SVK H–Christof Umbach–LUX C–Peter HOLLER–GER M–Trond Asmyr–NOR B–Sarah Geikie–USA 2018–Germany’s Frederic Wandres and Duke of Britain won the World Cup Grand Prix Freestyle Sunday for a double victory and a second personal best score with compatriot Fabienne Müller-Lütkemeier on Fabregaz runner-up Frederic and the 11-year-old Hanoverian gelding that began Big Tour six months ago scored 79.610 per cent per cent The previous best musical performance result was 75.100 per cent posted five months ago The result that earned 20 points puts Frederic and Duke of Britain into a four-way tie for fourth place in the Western European League that began its 10-event qialifying circuit last week leading to the final in Gothenburg The winning combination posted a personal best score in capturing the Grand Prix Saturday Frederic began competing Duke of Britain as his first Big Tour mount in April after Victoria Michalke of Germany rode the horse in young horse classes including as a six-year-old in the the world championships He has competed three different horses at the World Young Horse Championships in the past three years Fabienne Müller-Lütkemeier on Fabregaz was second on 77.850 per cent with Portugal’s Boaventura Freire on Sai Baba Plus in third on 75.385 per cent and results for riders from the geographic area did not change the top of the standings there–led by Stanislav Cherednichenko of Russia with 66 points Hanna Karasiova of Belarus on 62 and Russia’s Inessa Merkulova on 49 points Russia’s Regina Isachkina earned eight points here to move her into fourth place with 48 points on the rankings from which the top two get an invite to the final Judges-E: Peter HOLLER-GER H: Elisabeth MAX-THEURER-AUT C: Ilja Vietor-SVK M: Susanne BAARUP-DEN B: Sławomir Pietrzak-POL German Carina Scholz-Bachmann has been sanctioned by the FEI for a positive medication test on her horse Tarantino at the 2020 CDI-W Zakrzow The FEI conducted random doping tests at the World Cup qualifier in Zakrzow on 23 - 24 October 2020 and Scholz' horse was picked A group of seven horses in total were tested there Quincy and Vestermarkens Tayler who all tested negative The 14-year old Hanoverian Tarantino (by Toronto x Carbid) tested positive to the controlled medication "Acepromazine" which is a sedative The FEI says the drug has "high potential to influence performance." which often comes as an easy to administer oral paste to quiet nervous horses Instead of appealing the decision in front of the FEI tribunal Carina Scholz accepted the administrative sanction on 4 January 2021 but will be disqualified from the CDI-W Zakrzow (losing her scores and world ranking points from this event) In an interview with St.Georg Scholz states she has no clue where the drug came from "Neither I personally nor my employees have administered the drug acepromazine to Tarantino," she said "I have checked with my stable management and tried to find an explanation for the origin of this substance This is an absolutely unsatisfactory situation But since I am the person responsible for my horse Carina Scholz is listed in the German B-squad She married Fabian Scholz in October 2020 is due to deliver their first child this month Photo © Lukasz Kowalski Related LinksGerman Dressage Squads for 2021 AnnouncedBachmann and Scholz Get MarriedCarina Bachmann and Tarantino, A Pair to Watch for Germany While in Western Europe some autumn CDI's are getting cancelled due to a lack of entries and oversupply of shows since the spring of 2021 the Central European League World Cup qualifier and indoor CDI in Zakrzow A packed field from pony level to Grand Prix made the show buzz with excitement on the weekend of  21 - 24 October 2021 Olympic champion Jessica van Bredow-Werndl rode her rising Grand Prix horse Ferdinand BB into his first international Grand Prix class in January 2021 and has been putting the miles and ring experience on the 12-year old Hanoverian by Florencio x Lanciano Zakrzow was the horse's first World Cup qualifier with the new short Grand Prix test as warm-up round It was not yet smooth sailing with this quick and difficult programme which can be tailored to the horse's ability and strength Werndl rose to the top of the board and won the World Cup qualifier 78.770% "Ferdinand saw a few Halloween ghosts in the first test in Zakrzow He was really scared at the beginning and that was really difficult During the test it got better and better and he left the arena with a good feeling the spook was over on the second day," Jessica explained Christian Schumach and Te Quiero SFWhen comparing the ranking of the Short Grand Prix with that of the Freestyle The winner of the Short Grand Prix was Austrian Christian Schumach on Franziska Fries' 10-year old Holsteiner bred Te Quiero SF (by Totilas x Loutano) In his first year at international Grand Prix level the bright bay has had a busy programme starting his Olympic campaign in May in Ornago then flown to Tokyo for the Olympics and the European Championships six week later Two weeks after Hagen the horse won the Austrian Grand Prix Championships Another two weeks later he was trailered to Poland for his first World cup qualifier Schumach won the Short Grand Prix with 72.342% and placed fifth in the freestyle with 75.765% At the Austrian Championships Schumach said that Te Quiero would go back to owner Franziska but instead he took the Holsteiner to Zakrzow "At the beginning of the season 2021 we decided that Christian will ride Te Quiero during the whole season and that i am going to take over the reins in winter," Franziska told Eurodressage "Christian did a fantastic job and Te Quiero was able to gain a lot of experience At the beginning he had no self confidence and sometimes it was a difficult way but now he is such a superstar and it's a pleasure to work with him It was the best decision and I am more than happy with the development Kristy Oatley and Du SoleilAustralian Kristy Oatley and her 17-year old Hanoverian Du Soleil (by De Niro x Caprimond) have been on a lighter programme this year with the liver chestnut showing in Zakrzow in Paurl and the CDI Verden in May after which Oatley skipped the Olympics to focus on her daughter Rose's pony career Oatley and Du Soleil were fifth in the Short Grand Prix with 70.710% and runners-up in the freestyle with 77.575% Austria had a strong presence at the World Cup qualifier in Zakrzow fellow country mate Timna Zach produced two consistent rounds aboard her own and René Hagemeier's 11-year old KWPN gelding Farant (by Spielberg x Negro) Zach was second in the Short Grand Prix with 72,184% and third in the freestyle with 77,530% Related LinksScores: 2021 CDI-W Zakrzow Stalls for Rent at Durondeau Dressage in Peer, Belgium Exceptionally Well Located Equestrian Facility in Wellington, Florida Well-built Equestrian Estate With Multiple Business Opportunities in Sweden Stable Units for Rent at Lotje Schoots' Equestrian Center in Houten (NED) For Rent: Several Apartments and Stable Wing at High-End Equestrian Facility Stable Wing Available at Reiterhof Wensing on Dutch/German border Real Estate: Well-Appointed Country House with Extensive Equestrian Facility in the U.K. 2015–Beata Stremler and Rubicon made it two for two for the first time in almost two years at Big Tour in winning the CDI3* Grand Prix Special Saturday a day after capturing the Grand Prix in their homeland Beata and the 12-year-old Rhinelander gelding that she rode on Poland’s World Games team in 2014 scored 73.647 per cent In a repeat of the order of finish in the Grand Prix on Dzeko was second on 70.020 per cent with Austria’s Renate Voglsang on Fratello third on 68.569 per cent ZAKRZÓW CDI3* GPSpecial Children - Individual TestJudges: Pietrzak Pony Riders - Team Championship TestJudges: Petukhova Pony Riders - Individual TestJudges: Clarke Pony Riders - Kur to MusicJudges: Riexinger Junior Riders - Team Championship TestJudges: Pruchniewicz Junior Riders - Individual TestJudges: Pietrzak Junior Riders - Kur to MusicJudges: Pietrzak Intermediaire I Kur to MusicJudges: Vietor 2017–Malene Kohlschmidt Ebbesen on Mira won the World Cup Grand Prix Freestyle Sunday the first musical performance victory for the Danish team combination in the second year at Big Tour Malene and the 17-year-old Danish Warmblood mare were awarded 73.775 per cent for the first win in seven freestyle starts in their Big Tour career that began in June 2016 who have competed in three Nations Cups for Denmark Poland’s Katarzyna Milczarek and Dzeko was second in the freestyle on 72.900 per cent and Uwe Schwanz of Germany on Hermes winner of the Grand Prix and the first freestyle in less than two months at Big Tour Malene gets to carry her 20 points for the victory back to the Western European League where she will be in a three-way tie for second place behind Sweden’s Patrik Kittel at the top of the WEL standings Only a World Cup in Moscow at the end of November remains of the 11-event Central European League schedule with Russia’s Inessa Merkulova on top with 75 points and Hanna Karasiova of Belarus standing second on 71 points Two places are reserved for Central Europe in the final in Paris next April Judges-E: Peter Holler GER H: Isabelle Judet FRA C: Wacław Pruchniewicz POL M: Francisco Guerra Diaz ESP B: Peter Hansaghy HUN Polish rider Beata Stemler and Rubicon D made their lengthy break from the show ring count by taking victory in the Grand Prix as well as the Speial at the 2015 CDI Zakrow - 6 - 8 November 2015 The German based Polish rider scored 72.660% and 73.647% at their second international since the 2014 World Equestrian Games in Caen “Rubicon D felt really powerful in Zakrzow CDI Zakrzow is a very nice show with very motivated people organising it and very good grounds and stables," Beata told Eurodressage.By winning the Grand Prix Stremler claimed the inaugural 'Wojtek Markowski Memorial Cup' “He was the one who said I must make the move to Germany when I was just 18 and he has  always been there for me since I was a junior with all his knowledge and all his great advice; I miss him so much.” Taking a substantial amount of time  off with 12-year old Rubicon D to have a chip removed Beata agreed with the horse's owners and her coach Ton de Ridder to take her time bringing him back into competition "Much like Ton and Beatriz did with Delgado," Beata added “Now I am more than happy to enter the show grounds again with this special horse and our first competition after our break was in Perl in September where he did a very nice job scoring 71% in the Grand Prix and 70% in the Special I could feel though that he still needed a bit more show condition and at the CDI Zakrzow he already felt much stronger!” Beata really enjoys riding for Poland as there is a very motivated Federation helping her a lot with the financial side of competition “I am really very grateful for this," said Stremler which maybe doesn't have a big name in the equestrian world so it is a really nice feeling when I see that even riders from such countries can achieve something That spreads the hope and shows other riders from my country that everything is possible.”Beata is aware she has faced hurdles similar to the ones every rider comes across in an active equestrian career For her it is important to stay focused and always work on one self “One day you will achieve some of your goals I think in our sport it is normal that sometimes we don’t get enough points but from the other side and sometimes we also get too many," she said "The most important thing is to keep working on ourselves and try to be so good that we just have to get good points Beata co-owns Rubicon D with Regine and Manfred Loose “He has learned all the Grand Prix movements without me having to use a whip even once I could teach him everything just playing around He always wants to do everything right but sometimes his energy takes over and he just has to buck or run a bit too quick Rubicon D is Beata's second self trained Grand Prix horse after Martini She took the latter to 2012 Olympics in London and hopes to head to Rio with the Rhinelander gelding She knows that this goal is very hard to achieve but she will see it through until the very end Stremler is based at Gestut Wiesenhof in Krefeld and recently took over the ride on the 2012 Trakehner Licensing Champion Donauruf from Fie Skarsoe Since 2011 she has been coached by Ton de Ridder and she has turned her passion into her profession Her goals working with horses are to make them supple and happy “I love doing basic work and lots of gymnastics during riding When this works well horses learn the difficult exercises without even realising it I feel that this way of riding develops their motivation to work for us by Sarah Warne - Photos © Lukasz Kowalski Related LinksScores 2015 CDI Zakrzow Victorious in every class entered at both junior and young riders level at the 2016 CDI-W Zakrzow on 4 - 6 November 2016 Hungarian Berill Szoke Toth is delighted with the winning performances of her horses Qatar and Donnington Park The long-time Hungarian team rider has now concluded her 2016 show season with a clean sweep "I managed to claim first place in both the junior and young rider categories and all in all I was able to finish a successful competition season for 2016." 7-year old Qatar (by Quaterback x Stedinger) which she has only been riding for one year and a half Szoke Toth scored 70.541% and 70.482% in the team and individual test “My coach Robert Ács trains him and he is still young but already knows far more than his age requires I hope that we will have many successful years together in the future,” said Berill Szoke Toth and 12-year old Donnington Park ( Damon Hill x Mister A) posted scores of 69.435% in the team test and 69.386% in the individual She rounded off her weekend with a tidy victory in the Kur on 72.875% "Donnington Park and I began our Young Rider journey this year and this has been quite a big challenge for me because I am just 17 years old," said Berill is now 13 and in 2016 I compete her in the European Junior Riders Championship and  became a Hungarian champion in category M Donna is a real mare with a huge quality and  this season she was involved in a lot of competition That is why we chose to give her a break and take my other two horses to Zakrzów." Szoke Toth expressed a particularly keen delight in competing in the Polish Zakrzow "This year is the second time I have competed in Zakrzów and I was looking forward to the competition because like last year it was at international level I believe that this competition is one of the most competitive in Eastern Europe and although this year the weather wasn’t favourable for us this didn’t affect the atmosphere because the barn I very  much enjoyed myself and I hope I will have an opportunity to compete here again next year.” Berill felt well prepared for the competition “Donnington Park is a well routined horse with countless competitions already behind us and here he was able to show his best form Qatar is still young and hasn’t got as much experience He needs more time and I felt that in the arena he was a little hot," she explained Based at the Dressurzentrum in Máriakálnok Berill has spent almost 18 months trainin with seven-time Hungarian Champion Robert Ács who made the move from Germany back to his home country Hungary just one year ago “Now I will have a short rest period in December before starting the 2017 show season in January," said Berill "I want to take full advantage of the winter preparation because next year should be full of success I hope to remain a part of the Hungarian National team and also to participate in the European championships by Sarah Warne - Photos © Lukasz Kowalski Related LinksScores: 2016 CDI-W Zakrzow Scores: 2016 European Children Junior Young Riders Championships Nikolett Szalai Wins 2016 Hungarian Grand Prix Championships  Pia Fortmuller and Elena Sidneva snatched the trophies in the big tour classes at the international indoor competition held in Zakrzow The Zakrzow CDI was well attended by riders from Scandinavia Germany and East European countries competing at all levels from ponies up to Grand Prix German Heike Kemmer won the Grand Prix for Special as well as the Special aboard her 14-year old Oldenburg bred Quantico (by Quattro B x World Cup I x Shogun xx) The pair scored a winning 68.830% in the Grand Prix and boosted that score up to a 70.167% in the Special Kemmer's student Pia Fortmuller landed first place in the Grand Prix for Kur Aboard the 17-year old Dutch warmblood gelding Orion (by Jazz x Consul) the Canadian achieved 68.340% to top the leader board who has lately been getting some coaching from Jonnny Hilberath as well also finished second in the freestyle with 72.000% The Grand Prix kur was won by Russian routinier Elena Sidneva on her chunky dark bay 11-year old Russian bred Romeo Star (by Hlorat x Held x Nargil) which is originally named Herzenbrecher von Sevs Sidneva scored 73.000% to top the leader board in the freestyle Photos © Lukasz Kowalski Related LinksScores 2013 CDI ZakrzowPhoto Report: The Winners Take it All at 2013 CDI RadionkowPhoto Report: Snap Shots from the 2012 CDI Radzionkow Swedish pony and junior rider Laura Laustsen is looking east for shows unlike her Swedish peers that travel to north-western Europe This tactic has certainly paid off as at the recent 2021 CDI-W Kunkiai in Lithuania she bagged six trophies in two divisions The World Cup qualifier in Kunkiai is a brand new event on the FEI calendar and the first international Lithuania has hosted since May 2019 when the country stayed to subsequent CDI's in Vazgaikiemis Before that Sialiai was the only venue that hosted an international in Lithuania in the past six years For 15-year old Laustsen the choice to ride in Central and Eastern European shows is one of convenience The Swede kicked off her 2021 show campaign in Zakrzow (POL) a month ago and last weekend headed to Kunkiai (LTU) where she reaped the fruits of her labour training with Jacob Norby Sorensen junior and Grand Prix," Laustsen told Eurodressage "Zakrzow and Kunkiai are really easy to get to Laustsen is based at her parents Patricia Florin and Bjarke Laustsen's dresssage sales yard Gunnarlunda in Helsingborg where Norby Sorensen manages the training programme Laura and Mithril in KunkiaiFor Laura 2021 is her last year on ponies and she is certainly making that count Not only is she already getting her feet wet on horses competing 18-year old schoolmaster Pasteur (by ) in the junior division but with her 9-year old Holsteiner bred pony Schierensees Mithril (by Schierensees Marillion x Pilgrim's Red) she is giving it her all Laura and Mithril dominated the pony division which featured 6 riders in total from four different nations the individual test with 72.676% and the Kur to Music with 75.045% who is named after the Lord of the Rings' protective jacket made from the Dwarfish ore mithril Jonna Schelstraete acquired the pony at the Ponyforum Open Sales in 2014 for daughter Micky but the ride was first allocated to now Dutch young rider medal winner Marten Luiten The pair finished fourth as a 5-year old at the 2017 Dutch Young Pony Championships before Micky Schelstraete took over the ride She competed the pony three internationally (2018 CDI Le Mans Aachen Indoor and 2019 cdi Saumur) before he sold to Sweden With the 18-year old Danish Trakehner Pasteur (by Schwadroneur x Cannon Row xx) who was previously shown by Danish junior Maria Vesterholm in 2013 she also scored a hattrick in the junior division Competing against 8 other riders from 6 different nations Laustsen and Pasteur won the team test with 68.727% the individual with 68.588% and the Kur with 74.150% With Pasteur in the winner's circle at KunkiaiThe six victories came totally unexpected to Laustsen "I did absolutely not expect to win 6 times," she said "It is a strong field especially in the junior class with finalists that have been competing at the European championships a few times Laura was particularly pleased she is started to have better control over her show nerves and her pony lived up to the expectations "I can really feel that the lump I used to have in my stomach before performing is gone when entering the arena with Mithril," Laura explained "We have created such a good bond together We know how to help each other in the arena and especially on the warm up I feel like I can enjoy it instead of stressing about it but even better the second day and totally amazing in the freestyle." With Pasteur she is gaining mileage at junior level "He is an 18 year old stallion and he just does what he is told to do but overall I am very very happy with him." With Mithril at the 2021 CDI ZakrzowPlacing 10th at the 2020 Swedish Pony Championships and 13th at the 2020 Swedish Junior Championships Laura has been combining ponies and horses for the past two years "I think it is really fun to ride both horse and pony," she explained "It is more difficult to ride a horse because you need a lot more technique and there are many more things you need to think about but it’s fun to go through some difficulties Pasteur have taught me so much in such a short time and a lot of those things I can bring over to Mithril which have improved my riding on him too." Laura added that she has no concrete competition plans and goals except "to improve my riding and to everyday be better than I was yesterday." European Pony Champion Rose Oatley has sold her second FEI pony The chestnut pony will continue his sport career under Hanna Titanilla Szeivolt Herzkönig is a 9-year old Westfalian stallion by Helios B x FS Don't Worry x Rosedale Tiberius and bred by Alfons Baumann He was licensed at the Westfalian Pony Licensing in Münster-Handorf Under owner Danica Duen he became the reserve Westfalian and reserve Bundeschampion as a 3-year old in 2016 In 2017 he was Westfalian Champion and fourth at the Bundeschampionate as a 4-year old In 2018 he reclaimed the Westfalian Champion's title and scored bronze at the Bundeschampionate under Luna Laabs Rose's mom Kristy Oatley purchased Herzkonig from Duen in the late spring of 2019 Herzkonig became Rose's second iron in the fire alongside her number one in the barn The Westfalian stallion was never able to compete the quality and results that Daddy Moon produced and the stallion only did one CDI in the 2.5 years he was with Oatley The new combination made its national show debut in Buchholz in February 2020 and competed lightly at local events in Germany that year A long break between October 2020 and July 2021 followed and they returned to the arena in Elmshorn in the summer of 2021 Their first international was in October in Zakrzow where they won the team and individual test with 75 - 73% scores and placed second in the Kur Herzkonig has now moved on to a new rider as the rising 15-year old Oatley has Daddy Moon and already begun focusing on horses and junior as well as young rider level competition with Rock Revolution The 13-year old Hanna Titanilla Szeivolt plans to unlock her international pony career with Herzkonig She also owns the now 18-year old former international dressage pony Mysterious Golden Bink previously shown internationally by Dutch pony riders Merel Massop Szeivolt and Mysterious Golden Bink were fourth at the 2021 Hungarian Pony Championships Related LinksHerzkönig Sold to Rose OatleyMalaczkov, Felvinczi, Ambach, Szokola, Yom Tov Win 2021 Hungarian Dressage Championships a Belgian I-judge and regular Technical Delegate and Steward at many international championships will be partnering up with Polish level 2 judge Zbigniew Seibt for an FEI course to promote FEI stewards to Level 1 as well as for an FEI refresher seminar The FEI Stewarding course will be held at the equestrian centre KJ Lewada of Andrzej Salacki in Zakrzow The course is open to all national federations, of which the FN has to register their candidates for the course. For more information contact anna.milne@fei.org Related LinksArduous Work Delivered at FEI Technical Delegates' Seminar at 2011 CDI WroclawFEI Judges and Technical Delegate Seminar at 2011 CDI Wroclaw