The Jiva Hill Stables FEI Dressage European Championship 2025 in Crozet (FRA) will get underway on Wednesday morning at 10:00 with Francisco Benitez Sanchez first into the arena for Spain. During Tuesday’s draw, the Spanish team picked the very first starting slot, while Sweden drew the final position on the team starting list.
Earlier today, all horses passed the veterinary inspection, clearing the way for the afternoon’s draw that determined the running order of the 14 national teams. In a ceremonial procedure, team names and starting numbers were drawn from large wine coolers, first selecting the nation, and then the number.
The sequence for the teams is as follows: Spain, Hungary, Poland, Finland, Austria, Switzerland, Denmark, France, Portugal, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Great Britain and Sweden. Three nations, Hungary, Finland and Austria, will field only three combinations, meaning their first athletes will not appear until later on the opening day.
Final starting order
The draw began with the nine individual combinations. According to their positions on the FEI Dressage World Ranking, the highest-ranked riders secured starting slots on the second day, while the others will compete on Wednesday.
Rotem Jale Ibrahimzadeh (TUR) will be the first individual combination to appear, sixth to go on the opening day. She will be joined in Wednesday’s line-up by Nicolas Wagner-Ehlinger (LUX), Gabriele H.-Kiefer (CYP), and Dalia Katinaite-Pranckeviciene (LTU).
On Thursday, Maria Klementieva (CYP) will lead the action at 10:00, followed by Grete Ayache (EST), Isabel Freese (NOR), Nathalie Wahlund (ITA), and finally Luxembourg’s Fie Christine Skarsoe, who will enter the arena as the final combination, immediately after Sweden closes the team competition.
The team draw followed a similar system, with placements allocated depending on the collective ranking points of the riders entered.
Two days of Grand Prix
The team medals will be decided across two days of Grand Prix, Wednesday 27 and Thursday 28 August, with the first combination entering at 10:00 each morning. The final athlete is due in the arena at 16:36 on Thursday, after which the medal ceremony will crown the 2025 European team champions.
Defending champions Great Britain return with a powerful team. Their line-up includes reigning World Champion and Dressage World Cup™ winner Charlotte Fry with Glamourdale, also her Olympic bronze medal partner. The ever-experienced Carl Hester returns with Fame, Olympian Becky Moody brings Jagerbomb, and Andrew Gould completes the quartet with Indigro.
Germany also field a full-strength team, with Olympic silver medallist Isabell Werth and Wendy de Fontaine, contesting her 17th European Championship. Olympic Team gold medallist Frederic Wandres (Bluetooth OLD), Ingrid Klimke (Vayron) and Katharina Hemmer (Denoix PCH) complete the line-up.
Denmark, bronze medallists in Riesenbeck, once again look strong with Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour (Mount St John Freestyle), Andreas Helgstrand (Jovian), Nadja Aaboe Sloth (Favour Gersdorf) and Rikke Dupont (Grand Galliano). Belgium, Sweden and the Netherlands also bring firepower, with Justin Verboomen (Zonik Plus), Patrik Kittel (Touchdown) and Dinja van Liere (Hermes) among the top names to watch.
Crozet set to shine
The boutique-style Jiva Hill Stables offers a stunning backdrop to this year’s Championship. Located in the French countryside, with the mountains beyond, the venue pairs five-star hospitality with first-class facilities for horses, riders and spectators.
The stables are extra spacious, they offer plenty of wash-down areas for the horses, cooling zones are in place, and grazing paddocks have even been provided – all underscoring the Organising Committee’s commitment to horse welfare. The main arena has been beautifully prepared, supported by a 10-minute ring for pre-test work and a cool indoor arena for warm-up.
Ones to watch
Justin Verboomen (BEL) is one of the new names making an impact. With the nine-year-old Zonik Plus, he already claimed victories in both the Grand Prix Special and Freestyle in Aachen, defeating established stars. “That is my biggest goal, to have Zonik as relaxed every day as he was during the Freestyle in Aachen, and for us to have that good connection. The feeling is the most important thing for me,” he explained.
Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour (DEN), meanwhile, will be aiming for another individual medal with Mount St John Freestyle. The pair helped Denmark to team silver at the Paris Olympic Games and carry seven European medals already between them. “Freestyle has all the qualities: she’s reliable, and honestly, it’s just up to me to ride clean tests. My goal is to present her in the best way that I can,” Laudrup-Dufour said.
The Grand Prix begins tomorrow at 10:00, and by Thursday afternoon the team medals will be decided. The top 30 combinations will qualify for Friday’s Grand Prix Special, before the best 18 return for Sunday’s Freestyle finale.
Starting lists and results: https://results.worldsporttiming.com/event/284