2004 World Championships for Young Dressage Horses

Minderhoud Deserving Credit for Training Eye Catcher Florencio

July 12, 2004

The first time I saw Florencio in the flesh was at the Althengst Parade in Vechta in November 2003. I was surprised to see the Dutch rider Hans Peter Minderhoud aboard the horse. After having seen a procession of German stallions classically ridden under German stallion, it was quite surprising to see this young Westfalian horse presented the Dutch way.

In the Althengst Parade coverage, Eurodressage wrote: "Hans Peter Minderhoud presented the Florestan offspring Florencio. His Dutch way of riding with very low, fixed hands and a very curled up neck stood out in all other German trained stallions. Florencio is gifted with a fantastic canter."

It's been nine months since the parade in Vechta, and the pregnancy period is over. Minderhoud has delivered a Florencio who no longer is tight in the neck. He has been given the freedom to breathe. and the horse has completely loosened up in his body. He is now a gummi ball bouncing off the ground.

His canter has changed from a "fantastic canter" into "the best one one has ever seen." Florencio now canters "as if he has been shot from a canon," a friend told me. So much engagement, so much scope and so ground covering. It makes you gasp! In general, the horse moves with elasticity, suppleness and throughness from tail to mouth.

Minderhoud has exceeded my expectations and presented Florencio in a very professional, and relaxed way and deserves only compliments for his riding job; come to think of it, taking Minderhoud's three World Champion's titles into consideration, one can say that he has become the Dutch version of Holga Finken and Dr. Ulf Moeller - the "young horse specialists."

Text and photo copyrighted Astrid Appels/Eurodressage - No reproduction allowed!

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