The 2002 European Championships for Young Riders resulted in ambivalent achievements by the Belgian riders.

Ruth van Campen was the best Belgian combination with her Hanoverian mare Capriccio (by Caprimond). In the team championship test, Van Campen finished 6th in group 2 with 66.00% but her results did not count for the team championships as Belgium was unable to send a complete team of 3 Young Riders to these European Championships.

Out of the nine Young Riders that are currently competing in Belgium, the federation was unable to select "three". Only two out of nine Belgian young riders had produced the necessary qualifying scores at national competitions and had competed at one CDI according to the disputed incognito FEI rule. It is highly unfortunate that the other Belgian young riders, who were unaware of the rule or had not inspected the rule book thoroughly enough beforehand, were not even "alerted" by their federation that they still needed to compete in one CDI. Is it so much an effort to help the young riders paddle through the system of complicated FEI rules and regulations? It had only taken one phone call "in time" and Belgium could have sent a medal winning team to the 2002 EUYRC.

Now let's get back to the performances. In the individual test, Van Campen scored 66.53% and placed 9th out of 25 qualified combinations. In the individual finals, the kur to music, Van Campen could have scored higher but got stuck at 66.91% and a 12th place. Overall, however, Van Campen, who is trained by the German Hermann Gossmeier, ranked 10th and was the best Belgian Young Rider at Pratoni del Vivaro.

Van Campen's excellent placement might have come as a surprise but throughout the 2002 show season, Van Campen was generally scoring better than her "team mate" Hannelore Volders and her achievement at the European Championships was the correctly earned reward for the patient waiting and training of her young horse Capriccio.

Since the purchase of the KWPN gelding Jakko (by Chronos), Hannelore Volders finally got what she wanted: a top horse with which she could break through on European level. And that is what she did, but at the 2002 European Championships, even more was expected from Volders than a 12th individual place and maybe in a way, this result is just not good enough. Trained by Wim Verwimp, Hannelore Volders and Jakko had a great 2002 Belgian show season and even at the international CDI's, the rider produced wonderful scores. However, in Pratoni del Vivaro, one had to wait for the individual finals, for Volders to hit her normal level and that's a too long wait for a rider who aspires to be a top five rider in Europe. In the individual test, Volders and Jakko scored only 63,37% and placed 20th. Thanks to her good ride in the Team Championship test, the pair qualified for the individual finals. Her kur to music was very good and with 68.02% she placed 9th. In the overall ranking, Volders and Jakko placed 12th.

The Belgian young riders set down great rides at the 2002 European Championships in Pratoni del Vivaro, but one cannot ignore the fact that there should have been a complete Belgian team in Pratoni that aspired a medal in the Team Championships competition.

Related Links
Reper saves Belgian Honour at European Championships for Junior Riders
Full Scores of the 2002 European Young Riders Championships