Astrid Appels

Equestrian Website Pioneer

Since the beginning of the growth of the Internet, there has been an equine web site that has continued to evolve becoming a major source of European dressage news, with a focus on young riders. This is because the creator of the domain www.junior-riders.com has been a young rider herself. Since the age of 15 Astrid Appels, who is from Belgium has developed and maintained her own website. Junior-riders.com outgrew its "html-proportions" and became a 'multinational' website located at www.eurodressage.com. Currently 22 and a Ph.D. Research Fellow at the University of Brussels, she also designed and maintains the official website for the Royal Belgian Equestrian Federation, and is a regular contributor to HorsesDaily, and DressageDaily.

Fluent in five languages, Dutch, English, French, German and Danish, Appels also has an in depth knowledge of sport horse bloodlines often able to recite the lineage of a pedigree back several generations. Her true love however, is riding and training in the art of Dressage.