Denemarken dominates at Youth Nations Cup classes, France claims U25 victory

Denmark dominated the Nations Cup Youth tests in Lier, taking an impressive triple victory in the Juniors, Young Riders and Pony classes. One day later, it was France who claimed the win in the U25 class. Danish chef d’équipe Jeanette Andreassen could hardly hide her pride after seeing her riders deliver such strong performances throughout the day. “I didn’t expect today’s wins, I never do,” Jeanette smiled afterwards. “But the riders rode very, very well. Some of them have only just moved up from the pony classes to Juniors, while others already have more experience. It’s a really nice mix.” 

Europeans Prep for Denmark

With the European Championships for youth riders approaching this summer, the Danish teams are carefully planning the road towards the season’s main goal. Before heading to the championships, the team still has one important stop on the agenda. “We have Hagen as one more competition before the Europeans to practice,” Jeanette explained. “Other than that, we don’t really have more competitions planned for now. Hopefully that’s enough,” she laughed confidently.

Good atmosphere and happy to be in Lier

Even though the outdoor season is still in its early stages, the Danish riders already look focused and in strong form ahead of the European Championships. The atmosphere within the team also seems excellent, something Jeanette values highly. The Danish chef d’équipe was equally enthusiastic about the venue in Lier. “Oh, Lier is so, so beautiful. Everything is good here. The arena, the stables, everything,” she praised. “The event is very well organised and we are super happy to be here.”

Concluding the day with a win from France

Friday afternoon belonged to the U25 class, where France claimed the top spot on the leaderboard. Chef d’équipe Muriel Leonardi was full of praise for her team. “It is a new team for me, with some riders on very experienced horses and others on younger ones. One of our riders, Ella, even rode a personal best today on a horse that’s only ten years old, while Alexandre on the other hand, is riding a 20-year-old! I am super proud of them, they did a really great job,” said Muriel. “I have known a lot of these riders since they were very young, all the way back to their pony days. They’ve come up through the ranks, from ponies to children’s classes to U25 and now here we are.”

Eyes on the Europeans

The team for the European Championships later this year has not yet been finalised. “Some of our combinations will still compete in Italy  and after that, you can no longer be selected for the team,” Muriel explains. “So there are still some important decisions ahead of us.”