The first dressage competition on Friday morning, the Prix St Georges, was won by Dutch Marlies van Baalen with her darkbay 10-year-old KWPN stallion Zinidi (by Gribaldi). The combination received a score of 70,000 per cent from the judges Ulrike Nivelle from Germany, Jacques Van Daele from Belgium en Dutch international judge Ghislain Fouarge.

The next three placings were also for The Netherlands. Runners-up was local hero Kyra Klinkers who scored 69.737 per cent in front of her home crowd with Whoopydoo, an 11-year-old KWPN gelding by Lord Sinclair. Equal third were Diederik van Silfhout and Madeleine Witte-Vrees with 68.509 per cent. Diederik van Silfhout, who won team bronze at the World Equestrian Games in Caen, France, had taken the 10-year-old KWPN gelding Zep (by OO Seven) to Maastricht. Madeleine rode the young, only seven-years-old, Cennin (KWPN, by Vivaldi). Best foreign combination was British Charles Hutton with the Danish bred Douglas IV (by Diamond Hit) in fifth with a score of 67.544 per cent.

Judge Ghislain Fouarge said afterwards: “We saw some really good tests and young horses. This class showed wellknown riders with rather unknown horses. A few stood out: Marlies’s Zinidi, but also Cennin of Madeleine and Sir Donnerhall II Old of Spain’s Morgan Barbançon. All young horses with talent and potential. This kind of competitions, like here in Maastricht, are really good for young dressage horses who need some more experience.”

Full results: http://eventcontent.hippoonline.de/970/sta_erg/08_ergNED.htm?style=longines

Marlies van Baalen: www.dressuurstalvanbaalen.nl / www.facebook.com/marlies.vanbaalen