Belgian dressage team sets foot on Japanese soil

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It’s time for some behind-the-scenes photo’s in the Olympic Village! The Belgian dressage team set foot on Japanese soil last weekend. Riders Domien Michiels, Larissa Pauluis, Laurence Roos will represent Belgium in the Olympic ring for the first time in nearly a hundred years on the 24th of July. Wim Verwimp supervises student and first reserve Alexa Fairchild.

The entire team consists of:

  • Domien Michiels with Intermezzo van het Meerdaalhof (Gribaldi x Balzflug)
  • Larissa Pauluis with Flambeau (Ampère x Zeolite)
  • Laurence Roos with Fil Rouge (Stedinger x Argentinus)
  • Reserve Alexa Fairchild with Dabanos D’O4 (Abanos x Donnerschlag)

Keep an eye on our website for current updates from our Facebook page for more behind the scenes footage!

Alexa Fairchild to the Tokyo Olympics 2021

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After it only recently became clear that Belgium may send a dressage team to the Olympic Games, the Belgian team was announced by the KBRSF last weekend. It concerns the riders Domien Michiels, Larissa Pauluis and Laurence Roos. Wim Verwimp’s student Alexa Fairchild has qualified as first reserve with Dabanos D’O4 and will travel to Tokyo. A dream come true for the ambitious rider!

The qualification of the Belgian dressage team for the 2021 Olympic Games is a historic achievement. Because the Irish federation has decided not to send a dressage team and Luxembourg does not have enough combinations that meet the minimum scores, Belgium has been selected to send a team to Tokyo. The country had a dressage team for the last time at the Olympic Games in Amsterdam in 1928.

The Belgian Equestrian Federation (KBRSF) has appointed the riders Domien Michiels (Intermezzo van de Meerdaalhof), Larissa Pauluis (Flambeau) and Laurence Roos (Fil Rouge) to represent Belgium as a team. In 2019 Laurence Roos already obtained an individual starting place for Belgium for the Tokyo Games 2020. Alexa Fairchild (Dabanos D’O4) and Thibault Vandenberghe (Santiago Song) support the team as reserves. Thibault Vandenberghe is quarantined in Aachen as a non-travelling reserve.

Alexa Fairchild has had Wimp Verwimp and Anky van Grunsven as motivational trainers for years. With the guidance of Wim and the talent of Dabanos D’O4, she was able to prepare extremely well for the Olympic Games.

We wish the Belgian team and ofcourse our team members Alexa Fairchild and Dabanos D’O4 every success in the preparations!

Emma Driesen wins the first prize at CDN Dentergem!

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Team Verwimp was present at the CDN Dentergem competition last weekend. Great results were achieved during the Prix St Georges debut of Amperes Diamond vh Klaverhof and River Rise Benneton. Pupils Ruut Pasgang and Emma Driessen also did a great job! Read more about the results below.

Last weekend Jorinde had her Prix St Georges debut with the 10-year-old gelding River Rise Benneton and the 7-year-old gelding Amperes Diamond vh Klaverhof. Jorinde rode nice tests with both horses. She could steer them through the track with a lot of control. There were some minor mistakes due to the lack of experience at this level. However, the scores were close to each other, as she rode with River Rise Benneton to a percentage of 68.1% and with Amperes Diamond vh Klaverhof a percentage of 67.9%. Jorinde is very happy with the development of both horses with space for improvement!

Ruut Pasgang also presented her horse James Pleasure in the Prix St Georges. Unfortunately, there were some mistakes in the test due to the tension. Nevertheless, the trial was rated with a nice percentage of 65.2%. A great goal for the training sessions at home to work even more on relaxation during the test.

Emma Driessen was very successful in Dentergem. With her horse Grace she won first prize in the Young Riders Par Equipe test with 70.2%. Congratulations with this beautiful result!

A dream debut for Jorinde and Charmer in Le Mans!

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Last weekend Jorinde was present with two horses at the CDI** at Boulerie Jump – Pôle Européen du Cheval in Le Mans. Together with Charmer she had her debut in Intermediaire B and Intermediaire 2. Jorinde had a great performance by winning both classes! Read the results below.

Jorinde rode Charmer for the first time in the Intermediate B class. Charmer is a 9 year old gelding with many qualities. The combination won this class with a nice score of 70.4%. The next day Jorinde rode with Charmer in the Intermediaire 2. A tough test in preparation for the Grand Prix, but Charmer did his very best as always. They took first place with a score of 68.6%!

Besides Charmer Jorinde also had Juwel Krack v/h Klaverhof with her to Le Mans. With this stallion she competed in the Prix St. Georges class. It was a nice test which resulted in a percentage of 67.7% and a 6th place in the standings.

Team’s Verwimp student Olga Slasheva presented her horse Bacardi to the jury in Le Mans. The combination came second in the Intermediate I with a score of 68%. In the Freestyle kür to music Olga and Bacardi took the victory with a nice percentage of 73%.

Jorinde wins the PSG with Grace at CDN Weelde

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Team Verwimp was present at CDN Weelde last weekend. Jorinde presented the horse Grace in the Prix St. Georges and wrote the victory to her name. Pupils Elise Verwimp and Louise Brauwers also rode neat tests and achieved good scores in the Children and Juniors. Read the results below.

Prix St. Georges

Yesterday Jorinde was at a competition with the mare Grace. She is owned by Emma Driessen, but Jorinde took the test this weekend due to the exam period of the ambitious rider. She presented Grace in the Prix St. Georges and won this class convincingly with a percentage of 70.2%.

Children & juniors

Elise Verwimp presented her horse Boemerang in the Children class. She rode two neat tests, where she unfortunately made a mistake in the trot of the first test. Her horse Boemerang jumped into gallop too early. Despite some lost points, Elise still achieved a neat percentage of 69% in the team test. In the Individual test she rode a beautiful test without mistakes, resulting in a nice score of 73%.

Pupil Louise Brauwers rode with her horse Esprit in the Juniors at CDN Weelde. The golden combination rode a good Junior team test, which was appreciated by the jury with 68%. With the achieved results, there is enough motivation for team Verwimp to prepare the horses for the next competition!

It was a day of just not winning!

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During CDN Dentergem last weekend, Jorinde took four horses to present in the ring. As Jorinde described it was “a day of just not winning” for her, but she should certainly not be dissatisfied at all. With all four horses, Jorinde finished in the top 3 of the rankings and rode scores above 67%!

First of all, Jorinde started the horse Ampere’s Diamond v / h Klaverhof in the seven-year-old class. The jury gave her a high percentage of 75.3%.  This was good for a second prize.

Jorinde then presented her gelding Cape Town in the highest class, the Grand Prix. The combination rode a very nice test which was appreciated by the jury with 67%. This percentage was also good for a second prize.

Intermediate I & Level 4.3

After Jorinde made her Intermediaire 1 debut with Nolimit at the beginning of May, this combination has gotten quite the good feeling. Two weeks ago she already took first prize with 69.6% on CDN Grote Brogel. This weekend the jury appreciated the Intermediaire 1 test with 69.7% and a second prize. Jorinde temporarily ride Nolimit for owner Yinthe van de Ven, who unfortunately is injured after a fall.

Last but not least, Jorinde started her gelding River Rise Benetton in class 4.3. She was also able to ride a nice test with this horse. This time no second prize, but a third prize and a nice percentage of 67.7%.

Successful weekend for Team Verwimp at CDI * 3 Grote Brogel

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This weekend the international dressage competition CDI3 * Grote Brogel was ridden by Team Verwimp. Alexa Fairchild, Jorinde Verwimp, Louise Brauwers and Elise and Emma Verwimp shone in the ring and scored high with the freestyle to music. Read the results below.

Prix St. Georges

In the Prix St. Georges, Jorinde Verwimp presented the 9-year-old Golddream v / d Kempenhoeve this weekend. With the talented stallion under saddle she rode an excellent test. It was rewarded with a score of 70.7% and a 4th place in the rankings.

Intermediate I & Grand Prix

In addition to the Prix St. Georges, Jorinde also rode Golddream v / d Kempenhoeve in the Intermediaire I. Here the driven combination achieved a score of 70.3% and a 4th place. The freestyle to music also went smoothly. It yielded a score of 74% and a 3rd place.

The Grand Prix was ridden by both Jorinde Verwimp and Alexa Fairchild. Despite some flaws, the two combinations were satisfied with the results. Alexa Fairchild: “Our tempo changes and the transition from canter to trot were not very smooth. This cost us a few points with the tests, but I am satisfied. We look forward to the next competition! ”

Alexa took 22nd place in the Grand Prix with Dabanos D’o4 with a score of 67.4%. With the Grand Prix Special the combination recovered, and they rode to a neat 7th place with 69.2%. There were also some points to be gained at Jorinde. With Cape Town under the saddle, she finished 29th in the Grand Prix with a score of 66.1%. In the freestyle to music, it went better, and the combination rode to 16th place with a score of 67.3%.

Juniors & Children

Louise Brauwers and Elise Verwimp participated in the Juniors and Children this weekend. Louise achieved an excellent 3rd place twice under the saddle with Esprit in the individual and team tests. The combination successfully closed the weekend with the freestyle to music with a 2nd place and a score of 74.2%.

Elise Verwimp shone this weekend with Boemerang in the ring at the Children. They achieved fifth place in both the preliminary and team competition with 68% and 69.8%. In the individual competition, the talented combination rode to a coveted 2nd place with a score of 68.7%.

CDN Meerle

In addition to CDI Grote Brogel, Team Verwimp was also present at CDN Meerle this weekend. The team was represented by the combination of Ruut Pasgang and James Pleasure. They achieved a score of 67.3% in the Prix St. Georges. This resulted in fourth place.

Team Verwimp present at CDN Grote Brogel

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This weekend, neat scores were set by team Verwimp at CDN Grote Brogel. Where one combination went home satisfied with some room for improvement, the other combination took first place. Jorinde Verwimp as well as Ruut Pasgang and Wim Verwimp’s pupils Olga Slasheva, Chloe Morris Talbot and Eefje Appelmans showed beautiful pieces in the ring. Read the results below.

Prix St. Georges

It was busy this weekend at the Prix St. Georges. The driven Ruut Pasgang and her James Pleasure were ready to make their debut and rode with great enthusiasm a neat score of 66.03%. The combination showed beautiful pieces with some room for improvement and finished in thirteenth place. Wim Verwimp’s other students also achieved great places in the rankings.

Chloe Morris Talbot rode Hello Dolly US with a score of 66.7% and finished in eleventh place. Olga Slasheva achieved a score of 67.1% with Bacardi 141 under the saddle, which resulted in tenth place. Of course, Jorinde Verwimp also participated in the class. She put down an excellent test with the stallion Juwel Krack vh Klaverhof, who was rewarded with a score of 69.1% and a fifth place.

Intermediate I & Level 4.3

In intermediate I Jorinde took the win. She rode a steadfast test with No-Limit Cv that yielded a score of 69.6%. This resulted in a first place.

Jorinde rode this weekend together with student Eefje Appelmans in Level 4.3. She presented her gelding River Rise Benetton in the ring and achieved a score of 68.6%. The combination finished in third place. Eef Appelmans immediately succeeded Jorinde in the standings with a fourth place. She achieved a score of 68.4% with Dynamite under saddle.

Photography: Chris Coessens

Great Intermediaire 1 debut for Jorinde and Nolimit!

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Last weekend it was a easier competition weekend for Jorinde. She presented only one horse in the ring named Nolimit. This was a competition debut for the combination, as Jorinde has temporarily taken over the training of Nolimit for owner Yinthe van de Ven because of a rehabilitation process.

Inter 1
It was the first time that the combination Jorinde and Nolimit competed together. In addition, Jorinde showed this horse directly in Intermediaire 1. A level what was new for Nolimit. So basically a double debut. And not without any result, because the combination became 2nd with 69%!

Nolimit
The horse Nolimit is new to Jorinde. She took over the training from Yinthe van de Ven. Unfortunately, Yinthe fell from a young horse at the beginning of April and it turned out that her hip was broken. She has been operated on and the rehabilitation process has now started. This will unfortunately take 3 to 4 months. During this period Jorinde will train and compete Nolimit for Yinthe.

Great results for Team Verwimp at the Sentower Dressage Festival

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Team Verwimp was well represented at the Sentower Dressage Festival in Opglabbeek, also known as CDI Opglabbeek. Jorinde presented three horses in the ring: Golddream vd Kempenhoeve, Juwel Krack vh Klaverhof and Capetown. Her students Louise Brauwers and Elise Verwimp were also present in the ring. 

Small Tour
The small tour was ridden by Jorinde and her horse Golddream vd Kempenhoeve. Golddream had the perfect competitionmood this weekend. He did his best and Jorinde was able to ride nice tests with him, with the result that they were in the top 5 of the ranking every day. The tests went every time better. The Prix St. Georges was rated by the jury with 69.7% and the Intermediaire 1 with 70.1%. On the last day Jorinde rode a very nice Freestyle with Golddream vd Kempenhoeve. This resulted in 71.9%.

Jorinde also brought Juwel Krack van het Klaverhof to CDI Opglabbeek and showed his talents in the Small Tour. Unfortunately Juwel did not have his best day on the first day and was a bit naughty. Jorinde had more control on the second day and Juwel Krack van het Klaverhof did his best for it in the Intermediaire 1. The jury appreciated this test with a good result of 67.4%.

Grand Prix
Last but not least, Jorinde showed the gelding Cape Town in the Grand Prix. Cape Town did his best. There is still a lot to improve, but the feeling ride a good test was there. A result of 67% was achieved in the Grand Prix and 71.1% in the Grand Prix Freestyle.

Juniors
Student Louise Brauwers started her horses Esprit and Graaf Donnerhal in the Junior class during CDI Opglabbeek. Esprit was in good rhythm and was nice to ride. In the first test he became 2nd in the ranking with a percentage of 70.5%. In the second test he scored 69%. In the freestyle, Louise and Esprit scored 70.6%.

Louise’s other horse, Graaf Donnerhal, had his international debut in Opglabbeek. He still found the entourage very exciting. Fortunately he continued to do his best in the tests. For now the combination wants to get more experience in the international competitions, so Graaf Donnerhal is less impressed by the atmosphere.

Children
After 12-year-old Elise Verwimp made her international debut in Sint-Truiden last week with her horse Boemerang, she was also present at CDI Opglabbeek this weekend. The combination came 5th in the Children Individual Test with 69.1%. The other tests were rated with nice percentages of 66.8 and 68.6%. Elise was allowed to ride in the awards ceremony, a great experience for such a young rider.

CDN Grote Brogel
Between the busy days of CDI Opglabbeek, a debut was planned in CDN Grote Brogel. Jorinde started the gelding Charmer for the first time in the Intermediaire 2. She rode a nice test with a lot of harmony and suppleness. This resulted in a nice score of 70%, which made this combination win this class. What a great debut.

All in all, we can look back with great satisfaction on a successful and educational competition weekend.