Johanne Pauline von Danwitz more than lived up to expectations when leading Germany to triple gold in the Junior competitions at the FEI European Dressage Championships for Young Riders and Juniors 2013 in Compiegne, France. And Denmark’s Cathrine Dufour showed that her 2012 Young Rider double of individual medals was no fluke when repeating the success she enjoyed at Balve, Switzerland twelve months ago by winning both the Individual Final Freestyle. The Dutch beat their old rivals from Germany to take the Young Rider team title, and, after a ten-year absence from the podium, Belgium claimed Young Rider team bronze.

The Stade Equestre du Grand Parc in Compiegne, northern France, was bathed in sunshine throughout the five-day fixture which attracted competitors from 21 nations. Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Ukraine all fielded representatives, and the the performances at the top end of the scoreboards were of exceptional quality.
There were six sets of medals up for grabs, with Team, Individual and Freestyle titles to be decided in both divisions.

Junior Team Championship

Her march to triple-glory began when von Danwitz produced the highest score of the Junior team competition with Habitus whose own record is a story in itself. With owner Louisa Luttgen in the saddle, this great horse won four European gold medals in a row including Young Rider team last summer. Von Danwitz got the ride at the end of 2012, and with Luttgens’ assistance quickly established a tremendous new partnership. Together the 17-year-old rider, and the horse who is only one year younger, have been showing fantastic form throughout the 2013 season both nationally and internationally, and their star continued to shine brightly at Compiegne.

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