The Dutch event riders prepare for the European Seniors Championships in Avenches, Switzerland, where the first part begins tomorrow. Today’s vet check went well for National Coach Andrew Heffernan’s team. All four TeamNL horses have received the green light and are in excellent condition.
The Netherlands will be competing against Meryl Bloom, Jannick Bonzader, Sunny de Jong and Jordi Wilkin. Unfortunately, TeamNL fifth member Allen Reuter was unable to fly to Switzerland at the last minute because her horse Bomba was not fit.
First impression across the suburb
National team coach Andrew Heffernan is excited about his first impression of Cross Country. “We discovered the cross for the first time this afternoon. It looks nice. There are some serious fixtures and points out there, but I don’t think anything these groups can handle.”
Team
Heffernan brought with him a talented young team. Rotinier is 35-year-old Meryl Bloom. She has already competed in two Olympic Games and this will be her fourth European Championship. For this, she saddled her Olympic horse, The Quizmaster. 25-year-old Janki Bonzadir accompanied Bloom to the Tokyo Olympics last summer with ACSI Champ de Tailleur. She also selected her most experienced horse during this European Championship. The team was completed by Sanne de Jong (26) with Enjoy and 27-year-old Jordy Wilken with Burry Spirit. In August they were together in the team that finished second in the FEI Nations Cup at Haras du Pin. As a junior and junior rider, they started regularly for the Dutch team. They also gained the necessary experience in various Nations Cup competitions. Wilkin won the CCI4*-S race at Strzegom last spring.
a program
73 contestants from 17 different countries will start the European Championships to organize the events. The Netherlands set the first starting location. On Thursday, Jordi Wilkin and Janick Bonzader will take a dressage test. On Friday, Sun de Jong and Meryl Bloom will appear in the dressage arena. Saturday is across the country. The match will then start at 11 am. The final jump begins on Sunday at 11 a.m.
Source: KNHS
