International Under 25 Dressage & Jumping Competitions to Debut at 2017 European Championships

Diana Porsche of Austria and Di Sandro, the No. 1 Under-25 combination in the world. © 2016 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

Oct. 25, 2016

International competitions for Under-25 riders from the world's leading dressage and jumping nations have been created to premiere at the FEI European Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden next August.

The new concept in international competitions was announced Tuesday by Lövsta Future Challenge and the FEI European Championships in Gothenburg that created the event.

The top U25 riders from leading dressage and jumping nations will be invited to compete, individually as well as in teams during the Europeans Aug. 22-27.

Lövsta Future Challenge was created in 2011 by Swedish businesswoman Antonia Ax:son Johnson and Olympic dressage rider Tinne Vilhelmson Silfvén who trains and competes the horses for Antonia's Lövsta stud farm in Sweden. The aim has been to raise the quality of Under-25 riders and developing horses up to age 11 as preparation to compete in international Grand Prix and on national teams. Lövsta Future Challenge is also focuses on sustainability in equestrian sport, an aspect high on the agenda for the European Championships organization.

Antonia and the companies she heads up in both Sweden and the United States are major sponsors of horse sports, including dressage at the Central Park Horse Show in New York.

“We will have a number of classes in the program, which are not a part of the championships,” said Tomas Torgersen, the championships competition manager.

“The Lövsta Future Challenge classes are for U25 riders in both dressage and jumping and the riders will have the opportunity to ride in the main arena–Ullevi Stadium.

“For us it was natural to turn to Lövsta Future Challenge for a partnership in this. We've been partners for several years at Gothenburg Horse Show and it has worked fantastically. The contribution to the sport by Lövsta Future Challenge is important.”

This will be the first time U25 riders in both dressage and jumping will have their own international classes during a European Championship. There will be both individual and team competitions with Lövsta Future Challenge as class sponsor.

“This is a new step for us in our effort to support young talents in both jumping and dressage,” said Emelie Broman Tegelberg, project manager for Lövsta Future Challenge.

“We've created this concept together with the organization of the FEI European Championships and it's a way to develop what we've already accomplished with Lövsta Future Challenge. The best riders from the best nations will be invited to compete against our Swedish riders, both individually and in a team competition.”