20 September '26
Roosje Brouwer and Elotte Z are crowned world champions in the seven-year-olds’
© Sportfot
The grand finale of the FEI WBFSH Jumping World Breeding Championship for Young Horses took place Sunday afternoon, with a thrilling conclusion for the seven-year-old horses. With the world title at stake, they had the honour of bringing the championship to a close and, in doing so, awarding the final medals of this edition.
The top 41 combinations from the qualifying rounds earlier this week took to the start and were presented with a demanding course set at a height of 1.45 metres. Course designer Bernard Mathy and his team ensured there were plenty of challenges, although no fewer than 13 pairs managed to complete the basic round clear of faults, thereby securing a place in the decisive jump-off. What’s more, there could have been a few more riders in the jump-off, as a handful of pairs managed to remain clear right up to the very last fence.
The jump-off then turned into a thrilling battle for the final world title of this edition. In the end, it was the Dutch rider Roosje Brouwer who came out on top with the mare Elotte Z, a daughter of Eldorado van de Zeshoek and Larino, bred and owned by Stal Everse. Brouwer and Elotte Z crossed the finish line in 35.47 seconds, beating the competition by more than three-quarters of a second.
Roosje Brouwer: “The plan was clear: I wanted to win (laughs). Elotte Z is naturally a very fast horse and, what’s more, incredibly careful. So I just wanted to ride as fast as possible. If I didn’t make a mistake myself, I knew she wouldn’t either. I felt there was a chance we could be in contention for the medals, but ultimately, of course, it still has to happen. So I’m very happy with this result.”
Following their gold medal at last year’s World Championships for six-year-olds, Brouwer’s compatriot Max van de Poll and his KWPN mare Ortane – the daughter of Balou du Rouet and Quinar Z, bred by D. Van De Linden – took silver this year. Van de Poll and Ortane entered the arena immediately after Brouwer and Elotte Z and, following a strong jump-off round, crossed the finish line in 36.28 seconds.
Third place on the podium went to none other than Christian Ahlmann and the grey stallion Toemme de Regor Z, a son of Chacco Blue and Cento, bred by Johan Veldeman of Stal De Regor. As the very last pair to start, they raced to the finish line in 36.69 seconds, thereby securing a World Championship medal for the Stoeterij Zangersheide team.
British rider Jude Burgess, riding the Irish mare Galwaybay Esmerelda (Emerald van ’t Ruytershof x Mermus R – breeder: Mr Justin Burke) and the Dutch rider Willem Greve, riding the BWP stallion Tattoo TN (Parfait van het Schaeck x Kannan – breeders: Valentijn De Bock & Carl Heyrman) were the other winners in the top five of the rankings.