Dutch rider Den Dulk wins double gold in Roosendaal

“It definitely gives me a boost looking at the next competition and especially the FEI Para-Equestrian European Championships. But I still have to qualify as the Netherlands has so many good riders.”

The Netherlands continued their emergence as a dominant force in the para-equestrian dressage scene with a series of home wins at the latest European three-star international competition in Roosendaal (29-31 May).

Leading the charge was grade Ib rider Nicole Den Dulk, who won the individual and freestyle tests. Riding Fifty Fifty, the Alltech Federation Equestrian International (FEI) World Equestrian Games 2014 bronze medallist took the individual title with a score of 73.267%. Switching horses, Den Dulk also took second in that event, riding her newer horse Wallace with a score of 72.471%. Finland's Katja Karjalainen was third on Woikoski High Flow with 71.149%.

Den Dulk did find a way to ride Wallace to gold, as she came out on top in the grade’s freestyle contest (77.417%). Denmark’s Stinna Tange Kaastrup rode Steffi Graf to second place (73.250%), while Karjalainen took third (71.750%).

“I was very happy with Wallace and Fifty Fifty,” Den Dulk said. “I have had Wallace now for almost a year, and we are really starting to become a team. We had some communication problems, but we worked on that, and all the hard work paid off.”

“It definitely gives me a boost looking at the next competition and especially the FEI Para-Equestrian European Championships. But I still have to qualify as the Netherlands has so many good riders.”

Den Dulk’s Dutch teammate Rixt Van Der Horst also took a double victory in the grade II competition. On Uniek, Van Der Horst took the individual (73.476%) and the freestyle (77.500%) titles.

Denmark’s Caroline Cecilie Nielsen and the Netherlands’ Demi Vermeulen traded places for second and third over the two events. Nielsen was second in the individual test on Leon (70.429%) and third in the freestyle (71.833%), while Vermeulen was runner-up on Vaness in the freestyle (74.583%) and third in the individual (68.810%).

Frank Hosmar continued the home country’s run of success with a victory in the grade IV freestyle, gaining the highest score of the overall competition. Riding Alphaville NOP, Hosmar broke the magic 80% mark with 80.083%, finishing ahead of Great Britain’s Sophie Wells, who rode a new horse C Fatal Attraction (76.000%). Hosmar’s teammate Sabine Peters came third, riding Carolus Magnus (73.500%).

First and second place swapped though in the individual contest, with Wells taking the win (74.444%) and Hosmar second (73.413%); Peters took third (70.000%).

Wins from Singapore’s Laurentia Tan and South Africa’s Philippa Johnson-Dwyer also highlighted the event. Tan was double winner in the grade Ia individual and freestyle competitions, riding Ruben James with scores of 72.464% and 78.500%, respectively.

Johnson-Dwyer, riding Lord Louis, took the individual and freestyle grade III titles, scoring 70.813% and 73.250%, respectively.

The next major three-star competition is on 8-10 July in Hartpury, Great Britain, for the British Festival of Dressage, which is expected to draw a wide range of international competitors. The event is a final chance for European riders to make the cut for the European Championships in Deauville, France, as well as giving all riders the chance to score more vital Rio 2016 qualification points.