[Current world champion during the veterinary check Yasmin Ingham with Gipsy du Loir. Photo ©Ashley Claus]
BOEKELO – A total of 90 horses that were presented for the veterinary inspection on Wednesday have been declared fit to compete in the 54th edition of Military Boekelo-Enschede. Riders from no fewer than eighteen countries will compete in and around the Teesinkbos.
Only British rider Izzy Taylor was initially sent to the holding box for a reinspection, but was later cleared to participate with her horse Barrington Alice. On Thursday at 9:00 a.m., Italian rider Andrea Docimo will be the first of fifty individual combinations to start the dressage phase with Tradewinds Alfredo. Fourteen minutes later, Jordy Wilken will be the first Dutch rider to enter the arena with Champ van’t Vhij. Nina Hut has start number 26 with Carthageno and begins her dressage test at 12:25 p.m., followed by Gert-Jan Heinen as the 31st starter with Goliath at 2:00 p.m.
World-class competitors
The main world-class contenders on the first day include two-time winner Tim Price (NZL) with Brookfield Future News (11:21 a.m.), Izzy Taylor with SBH Big Wall (12:53 p.m.), recent European Championship bronze medalist Tom McEwen (GBR) with Quintus (2:49 p.m.), and reigning world champion Yasmin Ingham (GBR) with Goliath du Loir (4:21 p.m.).
The final nine individual competitors will begin on Friday from 9:00 a.m., after which all team riders from eight nations will take to the stage. Among them are four debuting Dutch riders, with Tijn de Blaauw opening for TeamNL at 10:53 a.m. with The Joker. He will be followed by Aliene Ruyter with Veloumani Tess LY (12:04 p.m.), Sterre van Houte with Crossborder Radar Love (2:00 p.m.), and second-to-last starter Splinter Bergsma with Vigo Key SR Z (2:56 p.m.), all hoping to lay a solid foundation for a strong result for TeamNL under national coach Andrew Heffernan.
European Champion Laura Collett from Great Britain will enter the dressage arena at 10:32 a.m. with Count Onyx, while Yasmin Ingham will perform with Gypsie du Loir starting at 12:32 p.m.
Horse welfare first
During the customary riders’ briefing, jury president Angela Tucker and FEI technical delegate Gillian Kyle made an urgent appeal to all riders to prioritize their horses’ welfare. Tucker stated: “We hope that you will all be true ambassadors of this beautiful sport and that, especially in the cross-country phase, we will see skilled riders and happy horses.”
For the latest news, up-to-date information on participants, and ticket sales, see www.military-boekelo.nl
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