14 Feb Belgian double at the top: Verboomen wins FEI Dressage World Cup™ Grand Prix in Neumünster
(Neumünster) It was a finish the Holstenhallen had never seen before: two Belgian dressage riders dominated the FEI Dressage World Cup™ Grand Prix at the VR CLASSICS Neumünster on Saturday morning. In front of a sold-out crowd, World No. 1 and reigning double European Champion Justin Verboomen lived up to his favourite status in impressive fashion. Riding his 11-year-old Djembé de Hus OLD, the 38-year-old claimed a clear victory in the Prize of Madeleine Winter-Schulze & Familie Schwiebert, Helenenhof with 76.826 percent. Second place went to his European Championship team-mate and compatriot Larissa Pauluis on the 16-year-old Flambeau (74.196 percent). Germany’s World Cup league leader Raphael Netz completed the podium aboard Great Escape Camelot (73.587 percent).
Successful Neumünster debut for Verboomen
For Justin Verboomen, it was his first start in Neumünster and only his third international Grand Prix with Djembé de Hus OLD. Accordingly, the respect for the historic Holstenhallen arena was considerable.
“The arena here is really impressive. I was actually a bit nervous coming here, but it felt very good once I was inside,” said the Belgian after his test. Team-mate Larissa Pauluis had warned him in advance: “She kept telling me that when you ride here, you can almost touch the feet of the spectators.”
The atmosphere posed a particular challenge for his relatively inexperienced horse: “Djembé isn’t used to big crowds and this kind of environment yet. But he handled it brilliantly today. Show by show he’s becoming more confident and more focused on me.”
Verboomen was especially pleased with individual movements: “Some parts of the test were even better today than in the World Cup qualifier in Mechelen — especially the extended walk, the transitions and the canter work.” The Damon Hill son was previously trained to Grand Prix level by Jessica Michel-Botton and Marcus Hermes and is now continuing his international development under Verboomen.
Personal best for Pauluis
Larissa Pauluis presented Flambeau for the third time in the Neumünster World Cup leg and celebrated a new personal best in the Grand Prix with second place.
“It’s actually funny, because everybody knows he can get quite wild in prize-givings,” she said with a smile about the Ampere son.
Neumünster’s proximity to the spectators is unique: “This arena is not easy because the crowd is so close — but he seems to really like it here.” Her conclusion was accordingly positive: “He was totally focused today and I think it was our best test. He keeps improving, our connection has become much better. I’m really proud of him.”
That Belgium once again filled the top two places in an FEI Dressage World Cup™ Grand Prix meant a great deal to her — even though she had taken the win ahead of Verboomen in Mechelen: “First or second — it doesn’t matter. It’s just a fantastic year for Belgian dressage.”
Netz posts personal best despite slip
Raphael Netz was also making his third consecutive appearance in Neumünster with Great Escape Camelot and was satisfied with third place, although not everything went perfectly.
“It’s our third time here now and we really enjoyed the ride today. I was able to use every corner,” analysed the Bavarian rider. One small moment, however, proved costly: “Unfortunately we had a little slip in the second passage.”
Despite the mistake, the 73.587 percent still marked a personal best Grand Prix score. “To be honest, I didn’t expect that because I kept thinking about that moment after the test. When I saw the marks, I was very happy.”
His ticket to the FEI Dressage World Cup™ Final in Fort Worth (USA) is virtually secured. Now the focus is on refinement and polish: “I don’t necessarily need more points, but of course we still want to improve. And I simply love competing — that’s what we do it for: to enjoy it and to keep developing.”
Strong youth coming through
Behind the leading trio, the next generation also made a strong impression. Just 22 years old, U25 European Champion Moritz Treffinger rode the 17-year-old stallion Fiderdance to fifth place (71.370 percent) in only their second FEI Dressage World Cup™ start after Amsterdam.
Notably, around a quarter of the 16-strong field was under the age of 25 — clear evidence that the FEI Dressage World Cup™ series is increasingly serving as a springboard for emerging Grand Prix talent.
From the judges’ perspective, the class also reflected the positive development of the sport. Ground Jury President Elke Ebert commented: “We really enjoyed judging this competition. There were very interesting horse-and-rider combinations, and it is especially encouraging to see so many young riders coming up into Grand Prix sport. In an arena like Neumünster that is a real challenge. Many experienced riders say beforehand: ‘Be careful in this arena.’ So it’s impressive how confidently the young riders performed. We were unanimous in our ranking and very impressed by the overall quality.”
Sponsor highlight importance of youth development
From the sponsor side, the sporting level and the importance of youth promotion were also emphasised. Rainer Schwiebert underlined his family’s long-standing commitment: “Neumünster is very close to our hearts as a family, and as long as I’m still at the forefront, we will continue to support this show with full conviction. It’s particularly pleasing to see the development of the U25 riders. As a regional youth coach, I know how important stages like this are. The performances were outstanding — and perhaps an example for others to follow.”
The FEI Dressage World Cup™ qualifier is being staged in Neumünster for the 39th time, making it the longest-running leg of the dressage series. The best 15 combinations will return on Sunday at 10:00 a.m. for the FEI Dressage World Cup™ Freestyle, presented by VR Bank zwischen den Meeren.
Last tickets available
Anyone wishing to attend should act quickly: a limited number of seats for the almost sold-out show days are still available online via RESERVIX (https://vr-classics.reservix.de/), by phone on +49 4321 755421 or via email at tickets@vr-classics.de. Standing tickets for the main arena (Hall 1) and roaming tickets for the exhibition area are available online and at the box office. Further information can be found at vr-classics.de and on social media.
Caption: Justin Verboomen & Djembé de Hus OLD (c) Stefan Lafrentz