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Olympic Champions at The Dutch Masters

The Olympic champions in show jumping and dressage will be competing at The Dutch Masters (11-13 March 2022): Britain's Ben Maher has signed up with his top horse Explosion W and Germany's Jessica von Bredow-Werndl is coming to the Brabanthallen in 's-Hertogenbosch with her Olympic mount TSF Dalera BB.

Maher and Explosion W: Brabant flavour
Ben Maher and his Explosion W are coming to Brabanthallen for the first time. Explosion W returns to his roots. He was born on 12 April 2009 at Willy Wijnen's home in Berlicum, a stone's throw from 's-Hertogenbosch. Wijnen predicted in 2013 that Explosion would be a horse for Tokyo. And he was right. The impressive KWPN gelding (Chacco-Blue x Baloubet du Rouet) joined Ben Maher when he was seven years old and their big breakthrough came in 2019 when they won the silver medal at the European Championships in Rotterdam. The year 2021 was a very successful one for this exceptional pair: the individual gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics and victories in many Grand Prix, ending with their first place in the IJRC Rolex Top 10 Final at CHI Geneva. The 39-year-old said of his horse after his victory in Tokyo: "He grew wings for me - he's a real athlete, he's not a normal horse. He is like lightning - I took a big risk across the middle section and normally we read each-others mind. We're very in sync and he did question me there, I felt a slight hesitation. But that's what sets him apart from the other horses. A little bit of luck is always involved, but it was incredible.”

Jessica and Dalera: unrivalled
Germany's Jessica von Bredow-Werndl was unbeatable with her TSF Dalera BB last year. The pair won the gold medal both individually and with the German team. They then performed similarly at the European Championships. The 35-year-old rider, who celebrates her 36th birthday on 16 February, rode her last competition with Dalera in Stockholm in November 2021. After that, Dalera was given a well-deserved rest period. "Dalera will be back in the ring in February at the World Cup competition in Neumünster, then we look forward to The Dutch Masters," Jessica said. She was also at the start in 's-Hertogenbosch in 2017 and 2018, but with a different horse, Zaire. So for Dalera it will be the first time. "Indoor or outdoor doesn't matter much to Dalera. Indoor she can sometimes be even more 'on fire', but that also depends on whether there is an audience or not."
Jessica is full of praise for her 15-year-old dark brown mare: "She is the most cuddly and loving horse you can imagine and at the same time she is a real 'show-woman' and very eager when it comes to competitions. She gives me the feeling that she really wants to do well and that she loves competitions."
The world number one is looking forward to coming to the Brabanthallen again. "It is a super well organised event with a lot of attention to detail. For us riders and our horses, the conditions are absolutely top notch!"

Photos: HippoFoto