The "Young People's Aachen" - Future Champions at Hof Kasselmann
Horses & Dreams meets Germany has only just come to an end, but the next event is already lined up: This time Germany will be meeting Europe, from 15th to 19th June 2011 at Hof Kasselmann. Hagen a.T.W will be firmly in the spotlight as the venue for the official German Nations Cup tournament for juniors, young riders and pony riders, in both show jumping and dressage. The "Jeunesse Dorée" will be sure to gather at the "Young People's Aachen", hosted by Bianca and Ullrich Kasselmann.
From this year onwards, the riders' festival for the young generation will be known as "Future Champions", and rightly so. Some of the most exceptional riders of today made their Nations Cup mark at Hagen a.T.W. - Laura Bechtolsheimer (Great Britain), who won three silver medals at the WEG in Kentucky and triumphed with four Grand Prix victories at Horses & Dreams in May, caused just as much of a stir as a young talent at Hof Kasselmann as Robert Whitaker. Patrick Stühlmeyer (Osnabrück) and Andreas Kreuzer (Mühlen) are also on the list of riders who are lighting up the Nations Cup tournament at Hof Kasselmann these days.
And we must not forget Jessica Springsteen, daughter of rock legend Bruce Springsteen, who, rather than follow in her father's rather large footsteps, has decided to show jump her way into some equally sizeable hoof-prints instead. Having started riding at age four on her parents' farm in New Jersey, the young star-in-the-making is now one of five riders nominated by the USEF (Unites States Equestrian Federation) for the European Nations Cup Tour, which has "Future Champions" in Hagen a.T.W as its final leg. Team boss, US show jumping legend George Morris, will be firmly by the side of his young team as they travel through Europe, helping young stars like Springsteen (who won Bronze in the 2010 North American Championships in Lexington) add to their already rather impressive list of victories.
The "cool young things" of today's riding scene are always keen to come to Hof Kasselmann, but never more so than this year, as an additional age class has been opened up. With the addition of children and young people aged 12 to 16, who already ride adult horses, Future Champions will see young riders ranging in age from 12 to 21 years old competing in a variety of events. As well as the Nations Cup events in both disciplines, the LVM Masters der Landesverbände (involving teams with a mixture of dressage riders and show jumpers) provides a good opportunity for those in the know to compare young riders from right across Germany and scout out talent for future events.
With all this and a great deal more on offer, you can be sure that the average age in Hagen a.T.W will drop significantly from 15th to 19th June, as the exciting, dramatic and turbulent battle for Nations Cup victory is played out...