For the fourth time, young European championships were held at the Schafhof belonging to the Linsehoff-Rath family, but never before was the variety of nations so great: 24 nations competed in the juniors, 20 in the children, and riders from 28 countries traveled to Kronberg to compete with the best of their age.
Allegra Schmitz-Morkramer and eleven-year-old black stallion Libertad won the final junior freestyle, the Theurer Trucks GmbH&Co.KG prize, with a score of 82.665 percent. The silver medal went to Lana-Pinou Baumgurt on ZINQ Emma FH with 79.165 percent and bronze went to Myles Graham from Great Britain on Nibelley Union Hit with 77.885 percent. “In the team test we had a few uncertainties, in the individual test Libertad did really well and we got the silver medal. Now there's still gold in the freestyle - I can't find the words," said 17-year-old Allegra, who was part of the junior gold team last year and won individual gold, as well as in 2019 with the children, when she went home with double gold. “I was really nervous because I was the last rider to start the freestyle. I felt pressure just because I wanted to do well. And then I came out and heard the notes – wow, I was just overwhelmed.” Coach Sonja Ellerbrock shed tears of joy: “Everything went right from start to finish today. It was such a great, harmonious round and that Allegra kept her nerves at the end - it's great." Allegra and Ellerbrock have been training together for ten years, and when asked about the strengths of the new European champion, the trainer doesn't have to think twice: "Her intuitive way of riding and her nerves of steel."
Team gold, bronze in the individual ranking, silver in the freestyle – her first individual medals at a European championship. 18-year-old Lana-Pinou was speechless. "I had a crazy feeling today. And Emma is only nine. Before we bought her she was a broodmare but she is still developing. She is an absolute dream horse.” In the last hours before her freestyle start, Lana-Pinou prepared very specifically. "I think I've heard my freestyle music about 100 times," she admits with a laugh. "Already last night. It was the first time that we showed the freestyle at a tournament and I wanted to prepare as well as possible for it.”
Stunned, he kept putting his hand to his forehead after his freestyle and shook his head - he couldn't believe that he was on course for a medal. "I've been riding this freestyle since April this year and I think it suits my horse as well as me," says bronze winner Myles Graham. "I've probably watched them 1,000 times at home. I chose the music with her former rider, Rebecca Bell, and created the choreography with my mother and our team trainer Peter Storr.” Myles' mother is also his trainer, Caron Roberts: “I'm just overwhelmed. He rode great all week and I don't think he can even realize it yet, it's unbelievable. The last European Championships were his debut. At that time he was still the rider who started at the beginning. This year he was the last rider in the team test and was so well supported by the whole team. The camaraderie was just great.” The gold winners from the individual rankings, Rose Oatley and Sommernacht, went into the freestyle arena not without some pressure from the favourites. It was the freestyle premiere for the young couple. In the gallop tour, a few mistakes crept in, resulting in fourth place today. "What my child and this mare did this week - that was amazing," emphasizes mother and trainer Kristy Oatley. “Yesterday's gold medal was the creme de la creme and the freestyle was the icing on the cake for us. You could see that the two of them didn't know the way yet, but that doesn't matter, it'll be fine next time." The chief judge of the freestyle, Katrina Wüst, summed it up enthusiastically: "After this week here at the Schafhof, we can see that the level of Europe's juniors has improved enormously. Many years ago I judged the first Junior European Championships, when our current host Matthias was still riding with the young riders. There were already good riding juniors, but not nearly as many as now. In addition, we really saw a lot of good couples, also from countries that are not otherwise the focus of dressage sport. And what we experienced today: That was the top of the top!” A total of 16 European Championship medals were awarded in the five days of the European Championships at the Schafhof in Kronberg. The German team around national coach Hans-Heinrich Meyer zu Strohen and head of the team Cornelia Albrecht won nine out of a possible eleven: two team golds, two individual golds, one freestyle gold, two individual silvers, one bronze and freestyle silver. A definitely notable yield. A total of seven different nations took home medals. “28 nations at the start – is a record. And so many who have won medals – that's fantastic!” summarized tournament director Matthias Alexander Rath with a very satisfied smile. "And I hope that we will see many of them again in two years at the Schafhof. From July 10th to 13th, 2025 we will be holding the European Championships for young riders (U21) and U25 riders here. We are already looking forward to that today.” (KiK/pe&pa)
