A great start for the "young wild ones" - "Tiemeyer x Hetzel Young Horse Masters" has begun

The opening day unfolded as desired: calm and welcoming. From today, the average age of all horses in the Kleve district may have decreased slightly, as five- to eight-year-old young horses have arrived in Goch at the Holger Hetzel Stables from all over Germany and beyond for the Tiemeyer x Hetzel Young Horse Masters. Until Sunday, the future sport stars will be in the spotlight in eleven classes.

Sophie Hinners (Pfungstadt) and Jenny Heinekamp (FIN/Wachtberg) made the first "statements" with their young horses, as both riders topped the leaderboards in the two sections of the six-year-old show jumping horse qualifier. Day one was dedicated to arriving and getting familiar with the tournament grounds. Unlike seasoned sport horses, five- and six-year-old jumpers are not yet frequent travelers. Every venue is new, exciting, with different sounds and influences—circumstances that must be considered.

For the five-year-old horses, there was a class L jumping competition in a clear-round format, meaning that all clear rounds are placed equally in first place, regardless of time. For the six-year-old horses, a class M** jumping course was set up, which was also designed to be appropriate for a first-round competition—challenging, but not too demanding.

Clever courses for young show jumping horses

The skill of the course designer is always in demand, but especially so for young horses. Frank Rothenberger (Bünde), who has designed courses both nationally and internationally, including at CHIO Aachen, World Cup Finals, Nations Cups, and Championships, understands that courses for young horses must both provide a measure of competition and assess training progress, while also building the horses' confidence in themselves and their riders. Thus, an opening day, or even an entire young horse tournament, presents an interesting challenge for a renowned course designer as they get to know new four-legged "clients."

Silinde Aeg - Reunion at Hetzel Stables

Jenny Heinekamp from Wachtberg, a native Finn who competes for the RJC Rodderberg and trains horses, competed with the six-year-old Belgian mare Silinde Aeg, owned by Gregor Heinekamp. Heinekamp had already impressed with Silinde Aeg in January at an indoor tournament at Hetzel Stables in Goch. Now, she won the first section of the class M** jumping competition (Prize from MyShowAdvisor) in 60.67 seconds. Sophie Hinners from Pfungstadt in Hesse, who recently placed second with the German team in the five-star Nations Cup in Falsterbo, Sweden, should also be satisfied. She won the second section with the six-year-old Holsteiner gelding Uriel. This first qualification alone saw 63 pairs start, highlighting the popularity of young horse events and the appeal of the Tiemeyer x Hetzel Young Horse Masters as a venue.