Wednesday, 03 September 2025
Day one of competition at the FEI Para Dressage European Championships 2025 dawned under rainy skies this morning at the Dutch National Equestrian Centre in Ermelo. Three of the British contingent, in partnership with Agria, were in action today – debutante Jemima Green and Fantabulous in the Grade 2, followed by both Gabriella Blake and Strong Beau and Mari Duward-Akhurst and Athene Lindebjerg in the Grade 1, would head down the centre line in the spacious main arena.
Earning her place to ride in the British team is a dream come true for Hampshire-based rider Jemima Green. A pony-filled childhood set her on career with horses and riding, but a car accident in 2015 cut that short. However, a doctor’s verdict that she’d be unlikely to ride again was all the motivation she needed to prove them wrong. Years of rehabilitation and intensive work on her balance and strength have not only got her back in the saddle, but a coveted Union flag on her new red-collared riding jacket.
Her equine partner is already turning heads in Ermelo. Fantabulous was spotted by Jemima as a four-year-old and she knew instantly that he had star qualities and a good temperament, but he was quite young. Early competitions with Jemima’s previous coach, Anna Miller, put him in good stead, before Jemima took over the reins last year. Now seven, he’s one of the youngest horses at the championship, but the pair have a very strong bond.
As the final competitor of seven, Jemima turned down the centre line to get her Grade 2 test underway – the realisation of her first championship test set in and she looked at total ease as the flags of the nations blew in the breezy conditions. If there were nerves, she hid them well with a relaxed, attentive first halt from ‘Fanta’ – just a slight mismatch on the left fore leg prevented it from being completely square. The first tour of medium walk showed excellent rhythm and ground cover, and the judges found their eight button. The first section of trot work continued the rhythmical theme, with Jemima visualising every turn.
This Grand Prix A test is packed full of transitions to test the communication between horse and rider, but this duo was on the mark. Fanta had his ears pricked and was enjoying his task, and they really settled into the test. The quality of the walk improved as the test progressed – purposeful and with good ground cover. A final halt brought their first championship test to an end, although the pair looked as though they didn’t want it to end!
All eyes went to the scoreboard – after an anxious wait for the judges to do their final tally, the score flashed up as 73.000%. While everyone else had done the maths, Jemima didn’t initially realise that she’d won her first senior championship medal, so focused was she on Fanta’s performance, that it wasn’t until her support team delivered the news during the FEI steward check that the emotions began to flow. Jemima broke down with tears of joy and many of those around her found themselves wiping their eyes, too.
“I’m feeling a lot of joy, and I'm very overwhelmed and surprised – I wasn't expecting this at our first championship!” said a delighted Jemima.
“He’s only seven, so it was such a big ask for him to come in there and he really tried for me. He felt nervous, but he worked with me and it's just a bit of a shock to be honest. You hope for these kind of outcomes, don't you? But until it really happens, you don't realise it. For a seven-year-old in his first championship to come out and hold it together and listen and work with me… he's such a fantastic horse.
“We have such an amazing relationship and it's just so nice. I've had him since he was four and to come out and do that, it's just amazing. It's been such a team effort with him,” she added.
Jemima was quick to praise her support team; “I have a very strong team. I've not been with them that long, but Georgie [Nicholls], who's my trainer and rider, not only loves Fanta just as much as me, but she really has an understanding of how he needs to go for me. She's so invested and she really thinks out of the box and, you know, how it’s going to work for me.
“Then Maisie, who grooms and comes to all the shows, she just makes sure he's one hundred percent priority number one, looks after him and me, does my hair, and she just supports us and takes the best care of Fanta. We have a really good girl bond.”
And a final word on her equine partner; “He is an absolute showman – he loves all the attention. Once you start getting him ready and things, he's like, “excuse me, okay, what are we doing?” He’s the absolute joker of the whole yard – he'll grab everyone's zips, lick everybody's faces. He loves the attention and has the best character.
“I think when he feels confident and comfortable out there, then he loves to show himself off. But we've got to build to that for him – he's got to come here and have a really good experience in the ring, and gain the confidence and the mileage,” she beamed.
Wolverhampton-based rider Gabriella ‘Gabby’ Blake got her first British team call-up in 2023, where she was part of the bronze medal quartet at the FEI Para Dressage European Championship 2023, as well as taking individual bronze in the Grade 1 with her very own unicorn, Strong Beau. Last year she was reserve for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games which, having had a taste of championship competition, left her hungrier than ever to earn selection this year. A strong spring and summer campaign with podium finishes at key internationals got that call-up and they arrived in Ermelo in peak form.
Gabby and ‘Beau’, who she owns with her parents Gavin and Estelle Blake, have been a solid partnership for seven years and all the work they’ve put in and hours of training came to the fore for their trip up the centre line. The competition was running slightly ahead of schedule but, as is within the rules, Gabby used every last moment to prepare with her coach, multi-Paralympic medallist Sophie Wells.
Despite the grey skies, Beau shone white as snow in the arena and their first halt was the perfect start, with two of the five judges awarding an eight. A steady stream of sevens and seven point fives flowed for the intricate circles, with Gabby keeping a purposeful walk and riding with super accuracy, expertly showing the change of bend where needed. Beau was really listening to his rider and it was a harmonious picture. The mid-test halt wasn’t quite square, but the required five seconds of immobility was statue-still. They moved off in a good walk, but then the judge rang the bell – an error of course.
Gabby realised her mistake and fought to get her composure, compounded by a small stumble from Beau. She has worked hard on her mental resilience with the World Class Performance team, particularly performance psychologist Leonie Lightfoot, and it showed – she was quickly back into the groove and the marks began to build. A positive final centre line and halt brought the test to a conclusion on a high. There was a touch of disappointment on Gabby’s face, but only in herself. The error of course meant that there would be a half a percent deduction from the score of each judge – even with that, it was still a strong score of 72.375%, which put them into second at that stage of the competition.
“The test felt absolutely incredible until my little boo-boo. All I wanted to do today was go in and ride a confident test and give him confidence, and I did do that. Everything I've asked for, he did today,” reflected Gabby.
On the error of course, she said; “I went completely blank – it's never happened before, so I don't know what happened today, but obviously I'm human and things happen. Everywhere else, he gave me everything.”
Her trainer Sophie had sensible advice; “Basically, I've just got to carry on with my processes, what I've done at home,” explained Gabby. “She tells me I've just got to think of it like I'm at home and just do what I do there. I used to struggle going away from home, but I'm now managing to get when I get home at a competition venue.”
And a final word on her unicorn, Beau; “He's very cheeky! Very, very cheeky. When I got him, he wasn't really anything – I got him from a sales livery and nobody wanted me to buy him, but I knew there and then that that was it. I’ve gone a long way to get him to where he is today, but he is my horse of a lifetime. Every time I say that, I get emotional – he's literally my dream horse and he looks after me beyond anything. He can be naughty for my mum or my coach, but when I get on him, he's like, ‘I know my job’. He loves his work, he loves what he does and, today, he was absolutely amazing. He felt great,” she beamed.
The final rider in today’s Grade 1 individual medal battle was Buckinghamshire-based rider Mari Durward-Akhurst. Ermelo is Mari’s second European Championship appearance, having made her senior debut in 2019 with former ride, Sky O’Hara, where they were part of the silver medal team. Her equine partner this time around, Athene Lindebjerg, is also a championship veteran, having claimed medals at Paralympic and European Championships with former riders. The duo came together in 2023 and has gone from strength to strength, with a call-up for last summer’s Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, where they picked up freestyle bronze. Being able to call herself a Paralympian is an honour that means the world to Mari.
‘Athene’ is owned by Diane Redfern of South Bucks Riding for the Disabled – where Mari rode for therapy purposes as a child to help with her disability – Romilly Hart and Mari’s father Nick Durward-Akhurst, and Mari lovingly refers to her as ‘The Duchess’. Mari’s long-time coach, Rob Waine, accompanied the pair to the arena.
As the elegant, leggy duo turned down the centre line, a beaming smile erupted on Mari’s face, which set the mood for the test. The first halt was super, with three eights awarded, and Mari quickly established a pleasing walk with a real sense of purpose. Through the tricky half-circles, Mari rode with good accuracy, followed by a pin-point halt and relaxed immobility for eights across the board from the judges. The serpentine was well-ridden, with Athene following every aid, and there were eights aplenty from the panel. A determined final centre line and square halt brought a super performance to an end. Was it medal worthy? Throughout the test, the scores had been trending amongst the leaders, so hopes were high. After the paces mark was added, the score was announced as 75.958% – it was a bronze for Mari and her Duchess.
“It feels amazing, it was a really good test. She was so forward, which was amazing, but I think if something had banged, we might have taken off! It was just in a few places, but no, I'm delighted with it. I think I was accurate – I looked for my cones – and she loved it. In all honesty, I hate this test because I find it really hard, but what really matters is we went in and followed the process,” said Mari knowingly.
“She's going the best she's ever gone – we’re in a different place to Paris now. It's like she's grown again, and she's here and she just absolutely loves it. That's what makes it so special, because she goes in like, ‘I've got this’, and she just loves every minute. It's so nice that she enjoys it so much,” she continued.
And her thoughts on being here in Ermelo? “To ride her at another championship is just incredible. She's just such an incredible mare and my first Europeans was in Rotterdam, so to be back in Holland and to get an individual medal is incredible!” she replied.
The Grand Prix A individual results on day one largely stuck to form with Europe’s established names claiming the top honours. However, there were a few new names – equine and human - on the podiums across the three grades – great for the continuing evolution of para dressage.
Grade 1
Grade 2
Grade 3
Tomorrow it’s the turn of the Grade 4 and 5 combinations to tackle the Grand Prix A test for individual medals. There’s no British representative in the Grade 5 division, which starts the day at 09:00 (BST), but the Grade 4 marks the championship debut for visually impaired rider Nicola Naylor with her partner, Humberto L, who she jointly owns with Rosalind Emery Kay. They go fourth of the 12 starters at 09:27 BST (10:27 CET).
You can watch all the action live on FEI.TV, powered by ClipMyHorse.TV, with a subscription or via the FEI YouTube channel. All the start lists and results are available via the Equipe platform and everything you need to know about the British squad and how the competition will progress on our online Para Dressage Hub.