Dutch rider Marlies van Baalen secured a narrow victory for the Netherlands in the FEI dressage Nations Cup with a focused and steady test on Habibi DVB, scoring 71.957%. The Dutch team, led by Chef d’Equipe Patrick van der Meer, finished with a total of 215.587 points, just ahead of Great Britain’s 215.152. Impressively, all four Dutch riders scored above 70%, despite three horses being relatively young and inexperienced. Hans Peter Minderhoud was the top individual scorer for the Netherlands with 72.739% on Glock’s Taminiau, a young stallion competing in a large arena for the first time.
Great Britain put up a strong challenge, highlighted by Lottie Fry and Glamourdale’s 75.109%, the highest individual score of the day, though mistakes cost them crucial points. Van der Meer expressed pride in his team’s performance, emphasizing the importance of gaining experience in a big atmosphere ahead of upcoming European and World Championships. The Dutch victory earned them 15 points, moving them to joint first place in the FEI dressage Nations Cup series leaderboard alongside Germany, with Great Britain third. The series will continue at Aachen in July 2025.
