Rotterdam gets set to host the 25th edition of the FEI European Dressage Championships for the first time and only the second time for the Netherlands (Arnhem 1999).

The FEI European Dressage Championships take place every two years, in the middle of the Olympic cycle, and have been held since 1963.

All European nations are invited with 3-4 athletes as a team, or 1-2 individuals, with one horse each. All participating combinations must have reached the set minimum eligibility standard.

 Please find below the 2011 Champions names and access to the championships online results:

THE WIND OF CHANGE
For 21 consecutive Championships, from 1965 to 2005 (no team title awarded in 1963) the Germans held the European title, but the last two editions have seen an upset to that tradition, with the Netherlands clenching gold. In 2009, the Dutch domination was particularly strong with five out of six individual medals awarded to Dutch riders, and the sixth going to British rider Laura Bechtolsheimer.

IN MEMORY OF HENRI CHAMMARTIN (SUI)
At the time of writing, a legend in the Dressage world, Henri Chammartin (SUI) passed away at the age of 92. An Olympic and European Dressage champion, Henri Chammartin won the first two editions of the FEI European Championships in 1963 and 1965 riding Wolfdiedtrich and competed in five consecutive editions of the Olympic Games – Helsinki 1952, Stockholm 1956, Rome 1960, Tokyo 1964, and Mexico 1968 – winning a total of five Olympic medals including Olympic champion in 1964.

RECORD BREAKING ...
In 2009, the formidable partnership of The Netherlands' Edward Gal and Moorlands Totilas smashed the world Freestyle record before a packed house with Windsor Castle standing proudly as a backdrop when scoring 90.70% (including an unbelievable 29 perfect-10 scores) to win the Freestyle gold medal.

BELIEVE IT OR NOT ...
Germany has won the European Dressage Team Title on 21 occasions. The greatest number of teams to participate in European Dressage Championships is 14 - at Hickstead (GBR) in 2003 and again at Hagen (GER) in 2005. Germany's Dr Reiner Klimke won three individual titles - at Aachen in 1967 riding Dux and again in 1973 riding Mehmed, and at Copenhagen in 1985 riding Ahlerich. With Gigolo, Germany's Isabell Werth took the individual title in 1995 and 1997 and won the Grand Prix Special at Donaueschingen, Germany in 1991 and at Lipica, Slovenia in 1993. Anky van Grunsven has three wins to her name – in 1999 with Bonfire followed by the back to back wins with Salinero in 2005 and 2007.