Dutch dominate home competition in Roosendaal

One surprise result came in the grade II competition, with Vermeulen upsetting Van der Horst in the Para equestrian event. 02 Jun 2016
Imagen
Group picture of four people

A Dutch para-dressage team selfie at the competition in Uberherrn, Germany in July 2015. (L to R) Demi Vermeulen, Rixt Van Der Horst, Joyce Heuitink (Chef D'Equipe) and Nicole Den Dulk.

ⒸJoyce Heuitink
By Rob Howell | For the IPC

Dutch riders shone at their home event in the PSC Den Goubergh meeting held 20-22 May at Roosendaal. The team took both individual and freestyle titles in three out of the five grades, as well as winning the overall team competition.

Current individual and freestyle European champion Frank Hosmar led the charge taking both titles in the grade IV competition. He won the individual title on his usual horse, Alphaville N.O.P. with a score of 74.246 per cent. He also came second in that test on Wallace N.O.P. (usually ridden by teammate Nicole Den Dulk). Fellow Dutch rider Marjolein Van Kerckhoven completed the podium. Alphaville took Hosmar to the title in the freestyle with 78 per cent, ahead of Belgium’s Ciska Vermeujen in second and Van Kerkhoven again in third.

In the grade Ib competition, Den Dulk took both titles on Wallace N.O.P. She scored 72.644 per cent to win the individual test ahead of teammate Estee Gerritsen. Den Dulk was also third in the test on Faust. In the freestyle she scored 77.417 per cent, finishing just ahead of Gerritsen in second and France’s Celene Gerny in third.

Writing on Facebook after the individual competition Den Dulk said: “It was a super start to the international competition. They were both super and I could really drive them. Wally [Wallace] also won with Frank – it was a Wally day.”

The Netherlands’ Demi Vermeulen picked up what could be described as surprise wins in the grade II competition. The up-and-coming Vermeulen was victorious in both individual and freestyle tests against her World and European champion compatriot Rixt van der Horst. Riding Burberry, Vermeulen scored 73.286 per cent in the individual test, pushing Van der Horst to second and third on two different horses, and 77.833 per cent in the freestyle, again ahead of Van der Horst and Germany’s Claudia Schmidt in third.

Germany’s world No. 4 Elke Phillipp took the two grade Ia titles. On Regaliz, she scored 73.91 per cent in the individual competition ahead of Singapore’s London 2012 medallist Laurentia Tan and Belgium’s Eveline Van Looveren. In the freestyle, Phillipp scored the highest mark of the overall competition and the only 80-plus score of the competition (80.333 per cent) to take the title ahead of teammate Sylvia Logemann and France’s Thibault Stoclin, respectively.

South Africa’s Philippa Johnson-Dwyer was back in the top spot on Lord Louis in the grade III competition. She scored 72.642 per cent to take the individual title ahead of the Netherlands’ Lotte Krijnsen and Sanne Voets. Johnson-Dwyer also scored 75.750 per cent in the freestyle, finishing again ahead of Krijnsen and Voets.