Photo: TEAM myrtill |
With the 2021 European Haflinger Championship all wrapped up, we’re now left with countless unforgettable impressions and emotions: From the Parade of the Nations all the way to the closing ceremony, those four intense tournament days are sure to accompany both our participants and the audience for quite some time to come.
A total of 278 horses from 12 countries met in Stadl-Paura to compete for the title of European Haflinger Champion. With the contests taking place at consistently high levels, we are delighted to congratulate the South Tyrolean participants and their horses on their outstanding achievements:
Priska Kelderer and Monsun G-Z BZ28826, a son of More than Words competing in the Young Horses category, won silver in Trail and in Western Pleasure, bronze in Horsemanship and gold in Ranch Riding.
Luca Zeni and Zarife BZ28838, also competing in the Young Horses category, held bronze in Trail, silver in Ranch Riding and gold in Reining.
Prior to the contest, the Reining arena had caused some discussion – but the South Tyrolean contestants ended up sweeping the board and claiming the podium all for themselves: In the Young Horses category, Luca Zeni came in first ahead of Judith Faller on Zusan BZ28798 and Franziska Mairhofer on Zara BZ28902. In the Adult Horses category, Mirjam Brunner and Tosca BZ27921 came in fourth in the first test and then first in the second test, but unfortunately they were eliminated in the finals due to a fault.
In the Young Horses Driving category, Kathrin Karosser held silver with Sakura 040003824060917, while she was unfortunately eliminated competing with V-Amanda-W BZ28436.
But the South Tyrolean team also excelled far beyond the medal table: In show jumping, Susanne Kremer and Ulisse-Z BZ28144 came in fifth among fierce competition in the Adult Horses category. In the same category, Vera Senoner was unfortunately eliminated on Viola-Z BZ28446, but competing among the Young Horses on Waaris-Z BZ28735, she jumped to eighth place.
Christine Kofler and More than Words DE473730450310 on the other hand achieved a very impressive fifth place in the Advanced class of the Dressage contest. Verena Lentsch, competing in her first European Haflinger Championship, finished sixth on Arabella HU BZ29310 in the Dressage contest for 4-Year Olds. More dressage results achieved by the South Tyrolean team: Francesco Rizzello and Bananajou-A BZ29243 came in fourth among the 4-Year Olds, and Svenja Ratschiller on Zebra BZ28717 was ranked 13th in the 5-Year Olds category.
The South Tyrolean Haflinger team also placed well in the Loose Jumping contests: fourth place for Nicola Metzger’s stallion William-B BZ29644, and fifth place for Luisa Schenk’s Adiemo-Z-A BZ29245.
Competing in the Young Horses Eventing contest, Heidi Marini got off to a great start but was unfortunately eliminated due to a slip-up by her mare Z-TEBBY BZ28969 in the dressage test.
Congratulations to Vanessa Mader and Angela Kirchmair, who both held gold on a horse bred by Luisa Schenk: Mader in the Nations Cup on Rosenrot BZ26657, and Kirchmair on Windos Ass (Weltmeister-Z-U) BZ28147 in the Adult Horses Show Jumping contest.
Filled to the brim with magnificent pictures of a breed whose versatility remains practically unrivalled, the entire tournament was of course broadcast to a global audience via live-stream.
The supporting programme, cheerfully presented by Walter Oberhofer and Luca Marini from the Parade of the Nations all the way to the grand and festive award ceremony, also turned out to be a big success. A special evening reception under the auspices of the Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino Euroregion – the origin and homelands of the breed – provided a welcome platform to exchange ideas and engage in networking.
All in all, the EUCH was a major celebration for the Haflinger community around the world – finally an opportunity to meet again, socialise, connect, compete and put on the grand stage the one thing that unites us all: our great passion for the Haflinger breed. It proved to be yet another key event of the kind that affords the Haflinger breed the significance it deserves: There is a rising demand for South Tyrolean Haflingers in particular – and the increase in worth and prices that results from it is directly linked to the successful, high-level positioning of Haflingers bred and trained in South Tyrol. Our equestrian athletes deserve an abundance of praise for their contribution to this success.
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