The curtain came down on the U14 European Championship yesterday at the Unikornis in Pilisjaszfalu, Hungry. Between the 25th and 28th of August, the best riders in Europe battled for maximum honors.  The various individual champions were crowned on Sunday.  Team Spain, led by Jenny Eriksson, had four participants, two of which were Purebred Spanish Horses.  

After round one—Preliminary Test B—the two Spaniards entered the arena to give their best: Jeanette Vallve with PRE Zanon, owned by Antonio Melia and bred by Pedro Marques Taltavull, scored 71.780%, thus taken twenty-third place. European debutant Yaiza Salmon in the saddle of Rui Matxitxaco, owned by Santiago Mazo and bred by Jose Antonio Ruidiaz Rubio, was no less and also surpassed the 70% barrier with a 70.221% (twenty-sixth place).

Jeannette Vallve with Zanon. Lily Forado photo resource

Then it was time for the various nations to battle for the metals. There were eleven countries competing for the title as European Champion. The Spanish team included Jeanette Vallve, Hugo Melida, Carmen F. Prado and Yaiza Salmon who enjoyed the sweetness of the podium but, finally, was left at the gates of the bronze medal with an ephemeral difference of two points, which went to the Belgian team with a final score of 223.509%.

Yaiza Salmon with Rui Matxitxaco. Lily Forado photo resource

Jeanette Vallve's good performance with wonderful PRE horse Zanon allowed Spain to climb positions during the second block of the competition. Her 74.175% placed the pair eleventh, which gave Spain a major advantage over the other nations. Yaiza Salmon also contributed to success with her 71.000% and twenty-sixth position as the final score for her European participation. After the last performance of Spanish rider Hugo Melida, it all boiled down to a single test. Excitement, tension and above all hope could actually be felt in the atmosphere. Spain was playing against Belgium for the bronze medal. The confrontation fell in favor of the Belgian quartet, which overshadowed Spain by two points, thus placing them fourth.

On Sunday, August 28th, for the second consecutive year, Jeanette Vallve was present in the final of the individual test; a very important test reserved only for the best 18 pairs in Europe. After finishing her performance, she scored 73.983%, thus occupying eleventh place.

Once again, Purebred Spanish Horses were present at the competition par excellence for minors (U14). It was a very important representation for the breed as it highlights the breed’s extensive versatility.

Congratulations to the team!