Christopher Hector reports

Kenneth Braddick of dressage-news.com took the photos

There is something less than a world-wide press coverage of this year’s World Young Dressage Horse Championships in Ermelo, Holland. It seems some have decided that the World Champs have really become a publicity stunt for Helgstrand Dressage and the press room lacks a few familiar faces. I was getting worried about the Helgstrand dominance when I was last here, two years ago, and reading last year’s results reinforced that impression…

I discussed last year’s Young Horse Championships with Christoph Hess…

Back in the days when the judges were giving gold medals to very bad, very ‘spectacular’ tests, I can remember you saying that you thought young horse classes might lead the way out because there would be more concentration on the basics, on the natural movement, but looking at the 2018 World Young Dressage Horse Championships, they were totally dominated by one stable – Helgstrand – that does not produce horses that go naturally. Are you worried that having saved the Grand Prix, we are going to lose the Young Horse classes to ‘spectacular’ dressage…

“I think we have to be careful. I think a good example was the five-year-old class. I was not judging the five-year-old class, I was judging the final of the seven years, but in the five years I was giving comments, just for the last five or six horses for ClipMyHorse.”

“This was a good example. We had Matthais Rath riding this lovely chestnut, Destacado (Desperados / Londonderry) and Andreas Helgstrand riding Revolution (Rocky Lee / Rouletto). The chestnut was ridden in the way we want to see horses ridden on this level. Andreas – and I spoke with him about this at the Bundeschampionate a couple of weeks later – was asking for more than an extended trot, trying to get a 10.0! I said, Andreas, it is medium trot and medium trot is not extended trot. The judges say if it is not covering ground, or not in rhythm, they give low marks, but if it is not medium trot…? They say, oh, that was the best trot I have ever seen. I think it is very important to explain to the riders that medium trot is medium trot and not extended trot…”

And explain that to the judges…


“Yes, okay, I am one of them, but I think that is very important too, before the next World Young Horse championships, we explain what we want to see. In the five-year-old class, we have only medium walk, no extended walk, we have medium trot and medium canter, no extensions, which is good from the training point of view. But then Andreas said to me, Christoph, why don’t we ask for extension? And I said, extension is too much for a five-year-old. In the olden days, they said the four-year-old horse was a young remount, and the five-year-old horse an older remount – a remount is like a child in the primary school.”

“But instead of being in the primary school, now the young horses look like Grand Prix horses, and at the end of the day, we work against the nature of the horse. It is very important to explain to all people who are involved with young horses that they train young horses, they judge young horses, and they compete young horses on the level of their age.”

I was really hoping that this year was not going to be a Helgstrand publicity stunt, really hoping that the judges would be brave and mark down the spectacular and reward the harmonious.

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It was looking great after the first four horses had gone, since horse number four, Stefanie Wolf’s For Gold OLD (Franziskus / Blue Hors Zack) was harmony in motion. Fresh, naturally forward, up in front but not jammed in front, loose and gay. The young stallion loosens calmly, naturally in the walk, the halt is less than perfect, about the only part of the test that was. I remember Jo Hinnemann who is a part owner of the horse, and Stefanie’s mentor, a few years ago at the Bundeschampionate showing how a young horse should be trained and ridden, softly, naturally and at a level that was appropriate for its age. For Gold showed that the lessons have been well learned, and the judges were suitably impressed: trot – 9.3, walk – 8.5, canter – 9, submission – 8.5, perspective – 9 = 8.86 and into the lead, a lead they held all the way through the first group.

Stefanie Wolf and For Gold OLD

They were challenged by Eva Möller and Espe (Escolar / Dimaggio), one of nineteen members of the Helgstrand team at the championships. Like her dad, Espe is so powerful behind, so engaged, she has a lovely deliberate rhythm and the canter is a delight. Okay she’s a bit short and tight in the neck, but if Escolar is making them all like that, it is no wonder he is such a popular sire right now. They score: trot – 9.1, walk – 6.5, canter – 8.8, submission – 7.8, perspective – 8.4 = 8.12.

Jameson RS2 and Marieke van der Platen

In the second group we have the Dutch stallion, Jameson RS2 (Blue Hors Zack / Negro) with Marieke van der Platen. He is a big, impressive, black stallion with so much scope, but it looks all the while that the scope is being restricted, blocked in the back so there is so much more movement in front than behind in the trot. The canter is simply super, the horse looks so much better when Marieke lets him out a bit in front. The judges love it. Trot – 9.7, walk – 7.4, canter – 9.8. submission – 8.4, perspective – 9.2 = 8.9. Nice test, better than Stefanie’s? Not in my book, still you could see where the judges were coming from.

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Andreas Helgstand & Queenparks Wendy

This alas, was not the case in the last test of the group. Andreas Helgstand riding Queenparks Wendy (Sezuan / Blue Hors Soprano). The man has obviously got a super eye for a horse, and the mare is gorgeous, but once again the picture is marred by the house style, which is so artificial, so manufactured, the movement is tight and spikey. There’s way more in front than behind in the trot, and she is running in the extended trot (when will a judge at C have the guts to ring the bell and say ‘sorry, error of course, please ride a medium’) and when the mare is asked to lengthen her neck in trot, she doesn’t really relax. Wrong Christopher, it was a great test: Trot – 8.9, walk – 9.5, canter – 9.4, submission – 8.7, perspective – 9.2 = 9.14. It’s time for lunch, in truth probably time for a stiff drink.

Johnny Depp and Renate van Uytert-van Vliet

Certainly it seems the judges enjoyed the break since they come out in the third group in happy happy mood, awarding huge scores to a couple of okay tests. There is no doubt that Renate van Uytert-van Vliet’s Johnny Depp (Bordeaux / Jazz) is flash, very flash, but that doesn’t hide the fact that the contact is unsteady, and the tail keeps swishing. Everything is a bit rushed. Wrong again, trot – 9.1, walk 9.7, canter – 9.2, submission – 8.8, perspective – 9.6 = 9.28.

Johnny Be Goode and Emmelie Scholtens

Then they go ga ga on another Dutch stallion, Johnny Be Goode (Dream Boy NOP / Tietse D) and Emmelie Scholtens. The work is nice enough, but my neighbour  (who just happens to be a top dressage rider) and I decide we must have been watching a different test than the one the judges saw: trot – 9.2, walk – 9.8, canter – 8.8, submission – 8.6, perspective – 9.5 = 9.18. It’s raining, the equestrian gods crying perchance?

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Jessica Lynn Thomas and Secret

Still there is one more mega score, and this time it seems well deserved.  Jessica Lynn Thomas rides Secret (Sezuan / St Moritz) softly, tactfully, and the bay stallion rises to the occasion. Trot – 9.9, walk – 9.5, canter – 9.7, submission – 8.8, perspective – 9.8 = 9.54.

There is one more dark horse in the ranks, Andreas Helgstrand and the dark bay stallion, Jovian (Apache / Tango). Andreas warms up with a bit of false passage, but this time the work is less hectic, although he is still going for a big extended trot instead of the medium. The horse is looser, softer and does stretch on the trot circle. Judges love it: trot – 10, walk – 7.5, canter – 9.8, submission – 9.5, perspective – 9.5, for a 9.26 total.

Andreas Helgstrand and Jovian

Yet another for Helgstrand Dressage, Eva Möller and Valverde (Vitalis / Ampère). Again the work is a bit rushed and tight, but there is no denying the bay has movement to burn, powerful trot (even if they too, do extended not medium), engaged canter and a super walk. Score: trot – 8.9, walk – 10, canter – 8.8, submission – 9.3, perspective – 9.4, total 9.2801, into second.

Eva Möller and Valverde (photo Lily Forado)

Stefanie Wolf and For Gold will finish the day in eighth, for mine it was still the nicest test of the day.Want to see more of her?

story ends, but there’s much much more to come from Ermelo…