“Our Belgian dressage riders are performing better than ever. They deserve a full house at Jumping Mechelen.”
Last year, during her debut at Jumping Mechelen, Flore De Winne delivered a stellar performance. She became the first Belgian dressage rider ever to score above 80% in the Freestyle. Although she didn’t win the World Cup, with her infectious enthusiasm and her stunning black stallion Flynn FRH, she captured everyone’s hearts.
Next week, the duo heads to the Olympic Games. But first, Jumping Mechelen surprised Flore with a special honor: as the first dressage rider ever, she shines in the center of the event’s poster. Incidentally, it’s been exactly 25 years since the very first FEI Dressage World Cup took place at Flanders Christmas Jumping, Memorial Eric Wauters.
The Belgian dressage team has never been stronger.
After Jumping Mechelen, 29-year-old Flore De Winne continued to perform at a high level. She became Belgian Champion and secured 6th place at the World Cup Final. She was joined there by Larissa Pauluis, marking the first time two Belgians competed in the final. Over the past year, Belgian dressage riders have reached milestone after milestone. In Gothenburg, Domien Michiels became the first Belgian ever to win a Dressage World Cup event. He achieved this with Intermezzo van het Meerdaalhof, the first Belgian horse to claim an FEI World Cup title. In Rotterdam, the Belgian team achieved their best result ever…
“Truly impressive,” says Caroline Wauters of Jumping Mechelen enthusiastically. “Belgian dressage has never performed this well. That’s why we find it important to put this beautiful discipline even more in the spotlight and we will do our utmost to bring more spectators than ever to the stands of the Nekkerhal for the FEI Dressage World Cup on December 28 and 29, 2024.”
“The most beautiful experience of my life.”
Dressage is still somewhat less known in our country compared to jumping. But the discipline guarantees beautiful emotions and goosebump moments. Caroline Wauters: “What Flore delivered last year in the Nekkerhal was unforgettable for Belgian equestrian sport and for Jumping Mechelen. Everyone present could feel the magic in the air. That’s why we wanted to immortalize that moment on our poster.” With a huge smile and proudly pointing to her Flynn, Flore De Winne will be seen starting this autumn in the streets, in newspapers, online, and more.
“I think this is the best feeling ever,” says an emotional Flore as she recalls the moment on the poster. “To deliver the performance of your life with such an amazing horse in front of your home crowd and then to be rewarded by the judges—it was just sublime. I was incredibly grateful to Flynn at that moment. It was the most beautiful experience of my life, and I think it will remain so for a long time.”
Want to see how Flore was surprised by show jumper Wilm Vermeir and Jumping Mechelen?
Anniversary Edition: 25 years of CDIW at Vlaanderens Kerstjumping Memorial Eric Wauters
Dressage at Jumping Mechelen is also reaching its own milestone with this edition. It has been exactly 25 years since the first Dressage World Cup took place here in 1999.
Flore: “I find it a huge honor to represent this anniversary edition as the ‘poster girl.’ Of course, I’m really happy for myself and for Flynn. But above all, I’m proud that Jumping Mechelen has chosen to put our sport in the spotlight. It’s a great reward to see that our recent successes and hard work are being recognized.”
Olympic Games
On July 30 and 31 and August 3 and 4, Flore De Winne (Flynn FRH), along with Domien Michiels (Intermezzo van het Meerdaalhof), Larissa Pauluis (Flambeau), and Charlotte Defalque (Botticelli), will represent Belgium at the Olympic Games. They will be accompanied by chef d’équipe Jeroen Van Lent, who has supported the team for many years. In addition to a full dressage team, our country is also sending a strong eventing and jumping team, as well as a Paralympic team to Paris. This makes Belgium one of the few countries to send no less than 4 equestrian teams to the Games!
The entire Jumping Mechelen team is cheering them on for a fantastic result.
VIP packages on sale
The FEI Dressage World Cup will take place on December 28 and 29, 2024. Of course, between Christmas and New Year’s, you can also enjoy the FEI Jumping World Cup (December 30) and the FEI Driving World Cup (driving | December 29 and 30) at the Nekkerhal.
The provisional program, which also gives a central place to amateur sports and spectacular shows, can be found on the Jumping Mechelen website. Be sure to keep an eye on social media for some exclusive updates. Tickets will be available for purchase starting October 15, but you can already reserve a VIP table.
