The Small Final for six-year-old dressage horses, presented by Gestüt von Bellin, was on the program at the FEI WBFSH World Championships for Young Dressage Horses in Verden, and the winner was – just like last year – the Dutch stallion Roman Empire.
Back in 2025, the son of Romanov out of a Sir Sinclair dam, bred by Stal Zogland and owned by Rom Vermunt and Stephanie Scheerder had already qualified for the Final by winning the Small Final. Even then, he was under the saddle of his trainer Bart Veeze, who knows exactly what made the difference: “On the first day, things were a bit chaotic for us,” the rider admits. “We had mistakes in both changes, and he went against the rein once – those were real rider errors. Today, everything was a bit more relaxed, and I was more focused mentally.” The stallion was so much more relaxed today, and he’s always absolutely well-behaved. “And that’s despite the fact that he has a dual role – he’s also serving as a stud.” With a final score of 8.62, the tall dark bay secured the victory. The individual scores: 8.8 for the trot, 8.6 for the walk and canter, 8.2 for submission, and 8.9 for prospects.
Second place in this Small Final went to the Swedish stallion Sundown by Suarez, ridden by Sofie Lexner, with an overall score of 8.48 (breeders: Per Grönkvist and Johan Svensson; owner: Christinelund Dressage).
Third place went to Pina Colada, a son of Governor bred in the Netherlands, presented by Kirsten Bouwer (breeder: J. Mol). His final score: 8.20. Stephanie Scheerder and Rom Vermunt thus had double reason to celebrate: they are the owners of both the winning horse and the third-place finisher, Pina Colada. This means they’ll get to cheer on two horses in the Final. The top three finishers from the Small Final have secured their spots in Saturday’s final. The World Championship final for six-year-old dressage horses begins Saturday at 4:00 p.m. in the HORSE24 Arena.
Spanish Spotlight
The Spanish contingent has never been this “large” at the World Championships for Young Dressage Horses: They arrived with twelve horses – four in the five-year-old class, three in the six-year-old class, and five in the seven-year-old class. And their fan club is definitely the largest on the entire World Championships grounds. With a group of 50 people, the Spanish horse fans – in their bright red team outfits – are everywhere on the World Championships grounds and are spreading great cheer. The goal is clear: “In a few years, we want to be right up there competing at the top of the World Championships!” reveals a member of the fan club, beaming.
World Championship Tip:
On Friday and Saturday (August 7 and 8), upbeat music will be playing at the Food Court starting at 6:00 p.m., featuring event saxophonist Chris Kawa and “the band that plays wherever the fun is,” The Speedos. And admission to the World Championship grounds is free starting at 5:00 p.m.!