Belgian dressage dominated at the Neumünster leg of the FEI Dressage World Cup Western European League, claiming the top two places on the podium as Larissa Pauluis and Flambeau secured victory with a personal best.
It was a second win of the FEI Dressage World Cup season for the pair, while fellow Belgian Justin Verboomen finished runner-up with Djembe De Hus OLD. Third place went to João Pedro Moreira of Portugal and his elegant Drosa Fürst Kennedy OLD.
The podium repeated that of the Mechelen (Belgium) qualifier in late December. In Neumünster, however, victory in the Grand Prix went to Verboomen and Djembe De Hus OLD (owned by S.A.R.L. Haras de Hus), a combination that showed further improvement following Mechelen.
The best home result on the day in Germany came from Raphael Netz and Great Escape Camelot, who finished fourth. Following Pauluis’ victory, Netz has now relinquished his leading position in the FEI Dressage World Cup standings to the Belgian athlete.
Flambeau thrives in Neumünster
Pauluis and Flambeau (owned by Marie Christine and Jean Pauluis, Caroline and Emmanuelle Lepage) rose to the occasion in the Freestyle with 84.015%, comfortably improving on the personal best they had set in Mechelen.
Entering the arena, she knew she had to better Verboomen’s 81.985% to reach the top of the podium. She had placed second in Saturday’s Grand Prix, but having previously scored higher than Verboomen’s near-82%, she knew an opportunity remained. Encouragingly, Flambeau had already delivered good performances in Neumünster’s Holstenhallen at the event’s previous two editions.
“I think Flambeau likes this show a lot. He is very relaxed in this arena. He was really with me, and showed some very expressive piaffe and passage. We really connected in the right way,” said Pauluis.
These piaffes and passages were rewarded with multiple nines and tens from the judges, as were Pauluis’ halts. She laughed about that afterwards: “I’m very happy with that, because it’s only in the last few months that I’ve managed to get him to halt square!”
Powerhouse versus lightness
The contrast between first and second place was striking: the lightness and elegance of Verboomen and Djembe De Hus OLD versus Flambeau, Pauluis’ powerful partner. Some tension in the walk cost Verboomen valuable points in the Freestyle.
“Even before I entered the arena, I knew that the walk would be the tricky part,” Verboomen explained. “The atmosphere and enthusiasm of the crowd here are fantastic, but he did react to it. I tried to keep him with me in the walk, but that only worked too late.”
When asked about his future plans with the light-footed chestnut, Verboomen remained cautious: “We’ll see how things go. As many people already know, Djembe is for sale, so I don’t really dare to make plans.”
Moreira puts his trust in Fürst Kennedy
The competition in Neumünster remained exciting until the very end. As the final starters, Moreira and Drosa Fürst Kennedy OLD (owned by Roberto Pedrosa, Haras do Drosa) knew they needed a new personal best to secure a place in the top three. The pair are a pleasure to watch, and Drosa Fürst Kennedy OLD is a horse with enormous talent for the collected work. Showing excellent pirouettes and a strong extended trot, they delivered just that, scoring a new personal best of 81.080% to claim third place.
“In the Grand Prix, Kennedy already felt good, but unfortunately we had a big mistake on our last line,” said Moreira. “[In the Freestyle] I wanted to deliver a clean and nice test. I have a lot of trust in Kennedy, he is really a wonderful horse.”
It was Moreira’s first appearance in Neumünster, despite living relatively nearby. “We only started looking at our plans for this year after Mechelen, and this fitted well,” he said. “Maybe we’ll also ride the qualifier in ’s-Hertogenbosch (Netherlands). [Here in Freestyle at Neumünster] I was very happy with him. Kennedy is still relatively young and stayed very much with me, and the frame was better than [in the Grand Prix]. He felt absolutely fresh and confident.”
Youth on the rise
While the top three featured more established names, this FEI Dressage World Cup qualifier also highlighted the strong emergence of young talent.
Netz, 26, who has already been competing at senior level for some time and finished fifth at the FEI Dressage World Cup Final 2024 in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), placed fourth with Great Escape Camelot (owned by Theres Boss, Sonja Kristina Krall) on 80.940%. He guided the sensitive Camelot with great feel through their test, with the passages proving a real highlight.
Moritz Treffinger, the 22-year-old German, finished in fifth on a score of 78.365% with Fiderdance (owned by Gestüt Bonhomme, and formerly ridden by Australian Simone Pearce). The precise young German won over the crowd with his energetic Freestyle, his intense concentration clearly visible.
Another 22-year-old, Alexander Yde Helgstrand (Denmark), delivered two solid tests in his FEI Dressage World Cup debut with Inspiration PF (owned by Helgstrand Dressage A/S, Patrik Kittel). In his Coldplay-themed Freestyle, he produced a faultless performance and even included a beautifully executed 360-degree piaffe pirouette at the end. The pair finished sixth with a new personal best of 77.430%.
“It was great to see so many young, upcoming riders performing so well,” noted ground jury president Francis Verbeek (Netherlands).
Pauluis looks ahead
While Pauluis is now top of the Western European League standings, she said she is undecided as to whether she will aim for the Final in Fort Worth, USA.
“I really enjoyed our ride [in the Freestyle], it was a pleasure to ride. And when I can enjoy the ride, it usually means the picture is also beautiful,” Pauluis said. “Because of the long journey, I’m not yet sure whether we will go to the Final. Our main focus this year is with the Belgian team, as we want to qualify directly for the Olympic Games in Los Angeles 2028 at the FEI Dressage World Championship 2026 in Aachen – that is our main goal.”
The FEI Dressage World Cup season continues this week with the penultimate qualifier in Gothenburg (Sweden) on 20–21 February – so don’t miss a hoofbeat.
Source: FEI press release by Bettine van Harselaar
