Stal Hendrix-competition crowns 2025 winners

27 June 2025

The 2025 final of the Stal Hendrix Competition took place today on the grass arena of the Peelbergen Equestrian Centre. After claiming three victories throughout the series, the KWPN-approved stallion Rising Aranix (s.Aganix du Seigneur) was the undisputed overall winner of the four-year-old division under Kristian Houwen. In the five-year-old category, Uricana Grace Z (s.Uricas van de Kattevennen) and Britt Driessen dominated the competition, while in the six-year-olds, Offield van Schijndel (s.Diamant de Semilly) claimed a repeat win with an impressive performance under Piet Raijmakers Jr.

The four-year-olds were judged by international riders Frank Schuttert and Marinus Den Doelder, who praised the quality of the field. “The level was high, and most horses already showed rideability and were well presented in this impressive arena,” Frank noted. “I hope and expect we’ll see several of these horses back at higher levels in the future.”

Aganix du Seigneur on top
Although Rising Aranix (Aganix du Seigneur x Echo van ’t Spieveld), bred by Rising Stud, was outjumped in the final by another impressive Aganix offspring, Verly Chin van het Schaeck ridden by Bo op den Brink, his consistent performances throughout the series secured him the overall win. “We already knew he had delivered outstanding rounds in the entire series, and he confirmed that again today. Rising Aranix is very rideable and has a bright future in sport,” the judges commented. He was awarded marks of 8.6 and 8.0. Rising Aranix is ridden by Kristian Houwen, who also finished second in the overall ranking with another licensed stallion, Rock Me Zsazsa (Lambada Shake AG x Cornet Obolensky), bred by Gerrit and Karin Huisman and owned by Jan van Meever. Today, Houwen once again made a strong impression in the final. Thanks to a third-place finish in the double points final, Annie Z (Ambler Gambler x Calvaro Z), ridden by Michiel de Ruyter and bred by K. de Ruijter and J. Verberne, moved up to third place overall, scoring 8.5 and 8.0 today. Notably, three Aganix du Seigneur offspring placed among the top eleven: the winner Rising Aranix, Verly Chin van het Schaeck in seventh, and Astoria Z by Jop Keunen in eleventh.

Driessen dominates the five-year-olds
Britt Driessen delivered a strong performance throughout the series with two horses bred by her father John Driessen. With the very competitive Uricana Grace Z, by Uricas van de Kattevennen, she claimed victories in Kessel, Sevenum, and Asten. Although they narrowly missed the jump-off in the final, their points lead was unassailable, securing the overall win. Britt also placed fourth in the overall standings with Duel Mood Z (s.Duel de HSP). A lightning-fast round in the ten-horse jump-off earned Popeye van de Paardebloem (Couleur Latour x Elvis ter Putte) and Piet Raijmakers Jr. the win in the final, lifting them to second place overall. The careful CatoKey SR (Catoki x Bentley van de Heffinck), bred by Erik and Josje Sleutels, also jumped double clear with Yves Willems to secure third place in the series.

Second title for Offield van Schijndel
In the six-year-old division, Offield van Schijndel (Diamant de Semilly x Baloubet du Rouet), bred by Van Schijndel Promotion, claimed back-to-back Stal Hendrix titles with Piet Raijmakers Jr. After winning the five-year-old series last year, the powerful gelding triumphed again, topping a 14-horse jump-off with the fastest clear round. Under Nicole Caris, Off the Road (Comme Il Faut x Kannan), bred by Stal Peters, jumped to second place in both the final and the overall rankings. Thanks to consistent results -five times in the top 4- Emile Tacken and the Diamant de Semilly daughter Davina completed the podium. Once again, the Stal Hendrix Competition has provided an outstanding platform for promising young showjumpers from the region over the past months.

Photo Offield van Schijndel – SportFot
Text – Jenneke Smit