2000 European Pony Championships

German Pony Dames Rock the House in Mother Country Land

For the eleventh time Germany secured the gold team medal in dressage at the European Pony Championships. Even more shocking was the way in which Germany captured all three individual medals and place four at the 2000 European Pony Championships in Hagen, Germany, from 25th to 29th July 2000

That Germany would win gold was no surprise, but that Great Britain is coming up with a stronger team each year raises concern in the German camp, which seems to have a life-time subscription to gold. German Chef d'Equipe Cornelia Endres considers Great Britain as the strongest competitors at this years pony derby, and she was right. The English team won silver and Denmark grabbed bronze as leading rider Lisbeth Pedersen scored above 70% with her Cha Cha.

Top scorer for Britain was Maria Eilberg with the Westphalian pony Manitu M. The bay gelding already built up a career in Germany by becoming reserve champion under Wiebke Stommel at the 1997 German Young Horse Championships. Sally Makin on Nurejew and Victoria Molloy on Victoria backed up Eilberg by scoring above 67%. Drop-out score for Britain came from Laura Bechtolsheimer who is leasing Golden Dancer, the 1996 European Dressage Pony Champion (under Jana Kun) and the 1999 golden team member (under Marie Jaeger). "This is a perfect example that a top class pony can not excel without a quality rider who rides with feeling. I have the impression that Golden Dancer has lost his fun in work. Pony stallions have a special personality and they have to be treated on an individual basis," Conny Endres explained.

Next Page of this 2000 EC Ponies Report

 



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