Sensational Grand Prix Victory For Dinja van Liere & Hermes @ CDIO Aachen

Dinja van Liere, the new star on the Dutch dressage firmament, has booked a sensational victory in the 5* Grand Prix at the 2021 CDIO Aachen on Friday 17 September 2021.

Not a single German combination was able to capture a top three spot in this prestigious dressage class, a very unusual feat on home turf. British Charlotte Fry finished second on her 2019 European Championship team horse Dark Legend, while Swedish Patrik Kittel placed third on Fiontini.

The New Face of Dutch Dressage
Dinja van Liere is not a new comer to international dressage sport, but her career has mainly focused on training and competing young horses. She is a medal winning rider at the World Young Horse Championships, Just like Hans Peter Minderhoud and Emmelie Scholtens, before making her introduction to Grand Prix.

Van Liere has slowly worked her way up and this year is has become HER year reaching the highest echelon of international dressage sport. She was the Dutch team reserve for the 2021 Olympics with Haute Couture after the FEI refused to accept her number one Hermes as a team option because his ownership paperwork was not made in order on time before the 15 January 2021 deadline. Dinja travelled with number two, Haute Couture, to Tokyo and opted to ride her at the 2021 European Championships in Hagen last week, finishing 10th in the Kur to Music finals.

It looked like a strategic choice to save Hermes for the CDIO Aachen instead of the European Championships. With all the biggest horse names absent from Aachen after a tiring summer show schedule, Hermes would be the one in best shape and with the least miles able to make a splash in the highly important CDIO 5* tour in Aachen. The strategy worked out and Van Liere made an impact, launching herself as the "New Face of Dutch Dressage" with a riding that is light, harmonious and less pressured looking.

Aboard Joop van Uytert's 9-year old KWPN stallion Hermes (by Easy Game x Flemmingh) produced an excellent ride with the piaffe passage work as highlights. The half passes had great crossing. The rein back had a bit of resistance in the bridle and the horse changed lead in the extended canter. The pirouettes were small but still a bit laboured. The walk was well ridden. The ride was excellent with even more promise for the future.

The judging panels the first two days in Aachen had been overall generous with their points and it was no difference in the CDIO Grand Prix. Van Liere clearly produced the best ride of the day and deservedly had the winning score. The judges rewarded it with 78.022%, but their individual marks ranged from 76.848% to 79.891%. The 5* Grand Prix was judged by Katrina Wuest, Magnus Ringmark, Francis Verbeek-van Rooy, Andrew Gardner, and Susan Hoevenaars. Three ranked Van Liere first, one judge had the pair second and one third.

“This is a dream come true. Simply amazing!” said Van Liere after her victory. It was the first time Dinja competing in Aachen and she walked off with the victory straight away. “Is that actually allowed the first time round?” joked her colleague, Patrik Kittel, who finished in third place.

Twitter @dressagehub
Instagram @dressagehub
Tumblr Dressage hub

[Linsi]

Faith in the future of dutch dressage restored 🙌❤

[claudia]

Incredible how she prepared two horses at the same time to GP level with her amount of experience.. Not even a year on this level with them and already scores like this.

[jonjonwp]

Certainly a very nice horse and well ridden. Happy in his mouth too. So good to see she was not hanging on to the curb rein as so many riders do. I was quite shocked at Fiona Bigwoods riding of Hawtins Delicato today. She rode that lovely sensitive horse with the tightest curb contact she could, very active hands and bumped round in the saddle. Awful performance, that horse deserves better.

[vibeskouenborg]

Oh my good god- this is really ugly- . The horse shows so much that the home work is hyperflexion. The tail swifts all the program, it is behind vertical and 4 beat trot very often, the head is kinking to the side, the canter is stiff and lateral- all because og bad balance. F***.