Last Sunday, Thibault Philippaerts (Derby De Riverland) won the Belgian Championship for Young Riders in an incredible way. He left all the fences untouched throughout the three competition days. Anthony Philippaerts (Calypso De Blondel) placed fifth by the Juniors.
Azelhof was the playground for the Belgian Championship for youth the past few days. Thibault rode his second BC as a Young Rider. It was a memorable championship for this young man. “I can summarize the championship in two words”, says Thibault, “My horse was outstanding and stayed clear over the three competition days. That makes me an overjoyed and proud rider”.
Derby de Riverland is a very promising eight years old gelding. “Out of all the horses at the championship, he was the only one that stayed clear. We worked very hard towards this championship, but that’s no guarantee for success. Everything has to work in your favor. And luckily, that was the case for us this week. He’s only eight years old but jumped incredibly. Derby de Riverland has a lot of potential, it’s a horse for the future. I hope I can experience some more of these moments with him”, smiles Thibault.
Also Anthony Philippaerts started off strong. Unfortunately, not everything worked in his favor during the second competition day, but he ended with a double clear round as well. “I’m looking back at this championship with mixed feelings”, says Anthony. “I had the best time on Thursday but got the last fence down. That was quite a bummer. Anyway, we placed third and everything was still possible. On Friday, we got a fence on the first and second jump. When this happens, you know you can forget about it. However, I kept my mind cool and started my last day as if it was our first competition day. No thinking about those mistakes, and just go for it. That’s what Calypso and I did, resulting in two clear rounds. That performance makes it easier to forget a little the disappointment from before. Calypso and I just started working together, but we have a good connection. I hope we’ll have a long and bright future ahead.”
Father and mother Philippaerts are very proud of their sons. “Thibault was strong, cool-headed, very present and clear. Top-notch. I can’t say more than that. And except the start of his second competition day, also Anthony rode a very strong championship. On Sunday, he began the final very cool and combative, strong enough to place fifth in the end. Both Thibault and Anthony have a strong horse for the future,” says Ludo.
