Aged only 22-years-old Frank Schuttert has been crowned as the new Dutch Sernior Champion last weekend in Mierlo, the Netherlands. Schuttert gave it all from the first to the last day and took the gold medal aboard Go Easy de Muze (Vigo d’Arsouilles x For Pleasure).
Back in 2014 Frank Schuttert already claimed a medal at the Dutch Championships. Aboard Winchester HS (Numero Uno x Nimmerdor) he then returned home with the bronze medal. Last year, he went into the final as number one on the standings, but had a fall in the first round of the finals. This year, Schuttert was settled in runner-up position aboard Jos Lansink’s Go Easy de Muze. Until the final round, there the top nine was only 4 points away from each other, and Schuttert took the chance to turn the cards.
Befor the final round Michael Greeve was in the lead of the ranking. A single knockdown with Whitney BB seemed to place him into bronze medal position, but with the addition of a time penalty Michael Greeve ended in fourth place.
Jur Vrieling rode his stallion VDL Zirocco Blue N.O.P. (Mr. Blue x Voltaire) to a silver medal finishing on a total score of 1.37 penalties. Aboard his second mount VDL Glasgow van ‘t Merelnest (Nabab de Rêve x Darco), Jur Vrieling also had no knockdowns throughout the entire championship and finished on a bronze medal position. However, according to the regulations one rider can only win one medal so reigning Dutch Champion Leopold van Asten and his fabulous VDL Groep Zidane N.O.P. (Heartbreaker x Calando I) took the bronze medal.
With the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio coming up in August, the Dutch riders had to show their shape for the outdoor season in Mierlo. However Maikel van der Vleuten did not compete at all and Jeroen Dubbeldam, Gerco Schröder and Harrie Smolders did not pick their number one mounts for the championship.
