Dressage riders in Belgium, show jumpers in Spain — Global Champions Tour in Doha postponed
Dressage
Three Luxembourg dressage riders were competing in Lier, Belgium, at the end of February. While Amélie Decruyenaere Haupert missed a reward on the Hanoverian Finaud with 67.929 percent despite a top-10 finish in a CDIJ class, Téo Rouyr on D’Ultimo was able to impress several times.
The pair finished among the top ten in three different pony competitions. His fourth place in the team ranking was even topped by a 3rd place in the individual classification; Rouyr reached the podium with 68.919 percent. In the freestyle he managed to become 7th, with 71.108 percent.
Nicolas Wagner Ehlinger (WR 45) rode Quater Back Junior in both the CDI 4* Grand Prix and the Grand Prix Special. In the first test hout e was tenth of 26 riders with 69.369 percent; in the more demanding Special he finished 6th with 69.021 percent. Among the strong competition in Lier were Germans Katharina Hemmer, Ingrid Klimke and Lisa Müller, the wife of football star Thomas Müller.
Show jumping
Victor Bettendorf cleaned up in Valencia. For example, riding Horacio Du Gue he won a 1.40 m class of the Medium Tour and claimed six other podium positions, finishing a total of thirteen times among the top ten in various classes. In the CSI 3* Grand Prix over 1.55 m he even grabbed a double victory!
He reached the jump off, for which only five combinations had qualified, with both, the eleven-year-old gelding Atchoum de la Roque and the ten-year-old gelding Qwando van de Rispen. The total prize money for this test was €56,800, of which the Luxembourger ultimately claimed €25,560: in a faultless time of 34.59 seconds he won this competition on “Qwando” and took also the second spot on “Atchoum” (35.02). Italian Giacomo Basso was third with Cash du Pratel (35.12).
Victor’s brother Basile secured ten top-10 placings in Valencia during the past tournament week, reaching the podium three times.
Doha competitions cancelled
Victor Bettendorf was actually scheduled to compete this week at the Global Champions Tour stop in Doha (Qatar). As the tour and the Doha Equestrian Tour stated together in a joint message on Monday, the event planned for March 4th to 7th will not take place on the scheduled days.
The reason is the current security situation in the Middle East and the Gulf region, which has led to operational and travel restrictions. The organizers report that the horses and accompanying persons who had already arrived at the venue are doing well and are all safe. Bettendorf himself, according to an Instagram post, is not there but back home in Normandy.
Translated from German by AI and adjusted by Paul Krier.