Amalie Marie Litland wins DHL prize
The 2* riders competed in an exciting two-phase special class, featuring a wide range of nationalities and promising young talent. The win in this class went to Norway. Just seventeen years old, Amalie Marie Litland and her twelve-year-old gelding Iwan crossed the finish line in a time of 33.61 seconds.
Second and third place remained in the Netherlands. Birthday boy Stijn Jonkers and his horse Libertho H finished in 34.92 seconds. Yesterday’s runner-up, Yves Willems, took third place today with Toulusha Key SR in a time of 35.47 seconds.
Winner Amalie could hardly believe it when we spoke to her: “I’m so happy. This is my first time in Rotterdam and I love it. The arena is amazing, but really, everything here is beautiful, cozy, and well organized. I train with your very own Yves Houtackers and my two horses are stabled with him, which is how I got the opportunity to compete here. I brought both horses—one is competing at 1.30m and the other at 1.40m. Tomorrow are the finals, and I’m already hoping to come back next year!”
We also caught up with the birthday boy who finished second—Stijn Jonkers, who turned eighteen today:
“I can hardly believe it. This is my very first international competition, and to do it at CHIO Rotterdam and get this kind of result is just incredible. My horse Libertho is very fast and has a huge stride, so I can often do one less stride than others. I actually compete in eventing, but thanks to my sponsor, the Euro-Rijn Group, I got the chance to ride here.”