MANY international show jumpers took the opportunity to have a break over Christmas and the New Year, with the only show on the schedule being the five-star World Cup show at Mechelen in Belgium, which hosted no less than three World Cups – namely show jumping, dressage and driving.

Billed as ‘the equestrian end of year party’, Mechelen provided top-class international sport, as well as entertainment for spectators at the show, which ran from Thursday, December 26th until Monday, December 30th.

A few dedicated Irish competitors contested the senior classes at the show, while four budding pony competitors made the journey to Belgium to take on the challenge of the FEI Jumping Ponies’ Trophy – they were James Derwin, Senan Reape, Zara Jane Kelly and Alanna Fagan.

The top 20 international athletes after four qualifying legs were invited to compete at the FEI Jumping Ponies Trophy Final. Following the first two competitions their placings were converted to penalties. The top 15 athletes from this ranking qualified to start in round one of Monday’s final two-round competition, carrying forward their converted points. Following round one, only the top 10 combinations proceeded to the final round, another full course of 1.35m fences.

Having finished eighth and fifth in the qualifying classes, James Derwin and Rincoola Babog (ISH) were the only Irish combination to make it through to the final round and finished in sixth place overall. Switzerland’s Laura Andre was rewarded for her incredible consistency in three classes over four days to win with Clementine.

The Irish Sport Horse Creevagh Carisma, bred by the late Ronnie Hollinger, finished third in Saturday’s two-star 1.40m class under Britain’s Annabel Shields, who spends a decent amount of time competing in Ireland.

Dressage World Cup

The dressage Grand Prix saw another one-two for Belgium, with the win being secured by Justin Verboomen on Zonik Plus with a score of 74.348%, while Larissa Pauluis rode Flambeau into second place with 73.783%. German rider Dorothee Schneider on Dayman took third on 72.870%.

The final FEI Dressage World Cup qualifier of the year in Mechelen turned into an exciting contest between Dutch and Belgian combinations. In the festive arena, the home crowd witnessed Belgian dressage performances of a calibre rarely seen before. Ultimately, it was Dinja van Liere (NED) and her top horse Hermès N.O.P. who disrupted the Belgian celebration with a winning score of 83.240% in the Freestyle. The pair achieved fourth place at the Paris Olympics, but Hermès found the atmosphere in the earlier Grand Prix overwhelming, leading to costly mistakes and a fourth-place finish. “In the Grand Prix, we really lost each other,” Van Liere explained. “He was scared and spooked, so it was a difficult ride.”

However, the pair restored order in the Freestyle. Despite minor errors in the two-tempi changes and one pirouette, Hermès appeared far more settled, delivering a relaxed and harmonious performance with outstanding piaffe and passage-work, to claim victory. Their score of 83.240%, though impressive, remained around 5% below their Olympic peak. The most memorable moment of the weekend came from Justin Verboomen and his own Zonik Plus. Competing in just their second international Grand Prix and their first World Cup competition, the pair delivered a standout performance. After winning the Grand Prix on Saturday, they scored a sensational 81.730% in the Freestyle, finishing second.

Jumping World Cup

Germany’s Hans-Dieter Dreher propelled himself to the top of the podium in the ninth leg of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup Western European League staged in Mechelen on Monday with the 15-year-old gelding Vestmalle des Cotis.

From the penultimate draw of the 10 athletes through to the jump-off, he set off in determined fashion to topple long-term leader, the host nation’s Gilles Thomas from the top spot, with a clear round in a time of 36.14 seconds.

Thomas and the incredible 10-year-old stallion Ermitage Kalone had set what looked to be an unbeatable time in the second round against the clock from second position, as they produced the first faultless round of the jump-off in 36.22 seconds, which eventually proved good enough for the second spot on the podium.

Pieter Devos (BEL), with his exciting home-bred nine-year-old mare Casual Dv Z, chased hard with another foot-perfect round to cross the finish in a time of 36.26 seconds, just 0.12 seconds behind the leading time.

On this occasion, that performance that looked good enough to win most classes, saw him having to settle for the final podium position in third place.

The five-star 1.55m Grand Prix saw a win for Portugal’s Giesteira Almeida on Karonia.L (36.08), with second place going to Harrie Smolders (NED) on Mr Tac (37.05) and third to Gregory Wathelet (BEL) on Double Jeu d’Honvault (37.70).