Team Norway stormed to a very significant victory in the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ of Greece staged at the 2004 Olympic venue of Markopoulo in Athens (GRE) today. This final of the 2019 Europe Division 2 series saw eight nations battle it out for the single promotional spot on offer in Division 1 next year, while also up for grabs were two qualifying places at the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ Final 2019 in Barcelona (ESP) next October. 

And it was the Norwegian side, consisting of three members of the Gulliksen family along with Hege Tidemandsen, who claimed pole position ahead of Portugal in second while Poland lined up in third. 

A move into the super-competitive higher division is a big ask for many of the countries that have a limited pool of horses and riders, so winning Chef d’Equipe, Mikael Kolind, was cautious about his team’s prospects after today’s great result. “We have the ticket for Division 1 now, so we will see if we will use it!” he said this evening. But there’s no doubt about their forthcoming trip to Spain.

“We are very happy to be able to go to Barcelona and hopefully to qualify a team for the Tokyo Olympics!” said Tidemandsen who produced one of the three double-clears that secured the winning zero scoreline. Portugal will join them at the Spanish fixture, putting just four faults on the board to finish a fence ahead of the Polish side who were foot-perfect second time out but who couldn’t improve on their eight-fault first-round tally to just miss out. 

It was wide open right to the end however, victory depending on a clear round from the last man into the ring, Geir Gulliksen (59) who is better known to his friends as “Jimmy”. His daughter Victoria (27) racked up 16 faults in the first round and eight in the second with the 10-year-old gelding Papa Roach. So although both Tidemandsen and Victoria’s brother, Johan-Sebastian (22) riding Exit of Ice Z, never put a foot wrong, Norway needed to discard those eight faults to stay out in front.

Hungary and Portugal were lying joint-second with a four-fault tally as the second round began over the course designed by Germany’s Christian Wiegand, and when the Portuguese held firm then a fence down from “Jimmy” would force a two-way jump-off, and any more than that could prove extremely expensive. Staying cool and calm however the Olympian, who has been the rock on which Norwegian showjumping has depended for very many years, steered the 13-year-old Gin Chin van het Lindenhof, a horse he took over from Ireland’s Bertram Allen at the end of last year, to a clean run all the way. And the roars from the Kiss and Cry said it all as he galloped through the finish - it was a Norwegian mission accomplished. 

“This was just an amazing experience!” said Tidemandsen. “It’s the first time for me at the Division 2 Final and to go in there and win the whole thing is just super, I’m so proud of what my team-mates and all our horses have achieved today!”

She runs a riding school in Norway along with her mother “a little further north from Gulliksens”, and has been a real self-starter. “I began with ponies and then we always made the horses ourselves because we never had money to buy the good ones, we would only get the horses no-one else wanted and if I was good enough I could improve them. But today I’m very happy because I have a really good horse who jumps his heart out for me” she pointed out.

She was talking about the 13-year-old Carvis who, however, has been a very difficult character along the way. “He was always jumping too big and scaring himself when he was younger, and I was a bit of a chicken so my sister did all the early work with him. He wasn’t easy”, she explained.

Now however he’s a family favourite. “We’ve had him for 10 years and people are always trying to buy him, but my father says we can’t sell a friend!”, she said this evening. She is hoping that she and her friend are on their way to Barcelona where the battle for that last Olympic slot is likely to be hard fought. 

The final Europe Division 2 standings, based on today’s result, show Norway and Portugal in first and second places, Poland in third, Hungary in fourth, Greece - represented by a plucky three-member side today - in fifth, Spain in sixth, Bulgaria in seventh and Romania in eighth. 

Full result here

Europe Division 2 Final Standings here 

Watch highlights here 

Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ of Great Britain 2019

There was a ring of familiarity about today’s super win by Team Sweden in the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ of Great Britain at Hickstead (GBR), where Ireland lined up second ahead of Italy in third and the reigning series champions from Belgium had to settle for fourth place. It’s less than two weeks since the Swedes celebrated success at the fifth round of the Europe Division 1 series on home ground at Falsterbo where super-hero, Peder Fredricson, sealed it with a breath-taking double-clear performance in the closing stages.

And he did it again today, but under a lot less pressure, because it was all done and dusted without the help of last-line team member Rolf-Goran Bengtsson. The Swedes are very definitely on a roll right now, and Chef d’Equipe Henrik Ankarcrona was rightly proud as his country lifted the prestigious Edward Prince of Wales Trophy for the very first time in the history of the competition that dates all the way back to 1947.

“It has been a fantastic year in the Nations Cup so far. Geesteren (round 4 in The Netherlands) was not the best for us, but we came back strong in Falsterbo. And I was told yesterday that Sweden has never won here in Hickstead, so I said let’s do it!” pointed out the elated team manager.

They were always on target after establishing the lead at the end of the first round on a zero score, just as they did on home ground a fortnight ago. Fredrik Jonsson (46) and Cold Play kicked off with a clear tour of the formidable Hickstead fences and when Angelie von Essen (40) and Luikan Q, and then Fredricson (47) and his relatively new ride, Zacramento, followed suit then anchorman Rolf-Goran Bengtsson’s (56) help wasn’t needed so he decided to stay on the sidelines with Oak Grove’s Carlyle this time around. 

But Ireland and Belgium were in hot pursuit with just four faults apiece as the second round began, and the Italians were also close behind with just five on the board. Team USA carried eight, Brazil carried nine and Germany already had 13 on their scorecard. The masterful Marcus Ehning breezed in with a first-round clear with Comme Il Faut while horseman supreme, double-Olympic Eventing champion Michael Jung, collected just four faults with Fischerchelsea, but despite faultless second efforts from both men the final German tally of 21 left them well out of contention.

British chances were dashed at the outset with a fall at the 4m-wide open water for the pathfinding partnership of Amanda Derbyshire and Roulette BH, and the hosts eventually finished last of the eight competing nations. With only the last leg of the Europe Division 1 series left to go, at Dublin (IRL) in two weeks’ time, they now have a lot to do to qualify amongst the top seven nations that will make the cut to the Longines Final in Barcelona (ESP) in October. There was reassuring news about both the British rider and her horse this evening however. 

“Amanda is all good, just a superficial injury to her face” said Hickstead’s Edward Bunn. “The horse had an x-ray and nothing special was found and he is now being transported to the closest clinic to be observed” he explained.

Despite a spectacular double-clear from their last-line duo, Yves Vanderhaselt and the lovely mare Jeunesse, the Belgians slipped off the radar in the second round and once Von Essen and Fredricson posted their second clears of the day the Swedes were already in the club-house and it was left to the Irish and Italians to battle it out for runner-up spot in the closing stages. 

And double-clears from pathfinder Anthony Condon (Aristio) and anchorman Paul O’Shea (Imerald van’t Voorhof) sealed it for the boys in green who completed on eight faults, while only the single time faults picked up in both rounds by Italian anchor Bruno Chimirri (Tower Mouche) separated the Italians who lined up third on a total of 10. 

Fredricson said that it’s the great team spirit in the Swedish side that’s giving them the edge right now and he heaped praise on the British venue this evening.  “It’s great to come to a show like this - Hickstead has its own personality and asks it own unique questions that give an extra dimension to our sport, and that makes it very special” he said. He also complimented his team-mates. “Angelie is a super rider and has a new horse, and Fredrik is an old friend of mine - we were both Eventing together long before we started Jumping and I’m really happy for him doing so well now!” he added.

“The team made my day easy today!” said Bengtsson who jumped a few fences and then retired in the second round as his services were not required. “At the moment we really have quite some good combinations of riders and horses and it will not be easy for the Chef d’Equipe to make his selection for the European Championships coming soon!” he pointed out. The Championships in Rotterdam (NED) are indeed only a few short weeks away and on everyone’s mind.

But for tonight it’s party-time again for the Swedes and their supporters. “I feel really proud that the Swedish name will now be on this great trophy!” Fredricson said this evening. 

Asked how he so consistently copes with pressure under fire, the world no. 2, Olympic silver medallist and reigning European champion replied, “I just focus on jumping a clear round inside the time! Everybody feels pressure in a team competition, you always want to do well so it’s really important to celebrate the good times and to enjoy a great evening together afterwards - we are going to do that again tonight!”  

Result: 1, Sweden 4 faults - Cold Play (Frederik Jonsson) 0/4, Luikan G (Angelie von Essen) 0/0, Zacramento (Peder Fredricson) 0/0, Oak Grove’s Carlyle (Rolf Goran Bengtsson) WD/Ret; 2, Ireland 8 faults - Aristio (Anthony Condon) 0/0, Armik (Capt Brian Cournane) 4/4, Mullaghdrin Touch the Stars (Michael Duffy) 4/4, Imerald va’t Voorhof (Paul O’Shea) 0/0; 3, Italy 10 faults - Lazzaro delle Schiave (Massimo Grossato) 4/0, Chaclot (Riccardo Pisani) 0/4, Driandria (Piergiorgio Bucci) 4/4, Tower Mouche (Bruno Chimirro) 1/1.

Full result here 

Standings after Round 6 of the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ 2019 Europe Division 1 series:

1. France - 320

2. Belgium - 315

3. Switzerland - 270

4. Sweden - 260

5. Ireland - 250

6. Italy - 250

7. Germany - 245

8. Netherlands - 200

9. Austria - 190

10. Great Britain - 165

Full standings here

Watch highlights here 

Next month’s Ready Steady Tokyo equestrian test event, which runs from 12-14 August, boasts a truly world-class field, including reigning Olympic champion and multi-medalled German athlete Michael Jung. The 17 athletes from four nations – Japan, Germany, Australia and Great Britain – have between them amassed an incredible tally of 74 medals at Olympic, world and continental Games and Championships.

Jung (37), the first and so far only Eventing athlete to have held the world, Olympic and European titles at the same time, has won 20 medals of which 12 are gold, including back-to-back Olympic titles and a team gold in London 2012. He is joined by triple Olympic team gold medallist Andrew Hoy (AUS), all four of Japan’s Asian Games 2018 gold medal team among an 11-strong Japanese squad, and five-time Olympian William Fox-Pitt (GBR), who has no less than 23 medals to his name.

The strength of the host nation has been increasingly underlined recently, with Japan taking team and individual gold at the Asian Games in Jakarta (INA), and the team finishing fourth and just out of the medals at the FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2018 in Tryon (USA) last September. And the successes have continued unabated this season, with the team winning the Olympic Groups F and G qualifier at Saumur (FRA) in June, while Japanese athletes have claimed no less than three CCI4* wins.

Kazuma Tomoto (36) topped the leaderboard at the CCI4* events in Chatsworth (GBR) and Ballindenisk (IRL) this spring, while Yoshiaki Oiwa (43) took individual honours in the Polish CCI4* at Strzegom at the end of last month with Bart L, the 13-year-old gelding he steered to double gold at the Asian Games. The Dutch-bred was previously ridden by Frenchman Matthieu Lemoine rode to team gold at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. So the writing is clearly on the wall – Japan is on a medal march in Tokyo next year!

Cross country course designer Derek Di Grazia (USA) has built a special track for the test event and, while athletes, National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and National Federations (NFs) will have the chance to assess the undulations of the terrain at Sea Forest, Di Grazia will be giving nothing away about his Olympic course for next year’s Games.

“We have a truly star-studded cast for our Ready Steady Tokyo test event next month, when some of the world’s most decorated Eventing athletes and their equine partners will have the opportunity to trial our two fabulous venues and, at the same time, provide a taster of the level of equestrian action that will be on offer at the Games next year”, FEI President Ingmar De Vos said. “I can’t remember a time when we had such a high caliber of athletes and horses for the Olympic test event, so it’s going to be really special.

“Equestrian brings together sporting prowess and horsemanship and we are excited that a whole new global audience will have the chance to witness the unique collaboration between horse and human which creates a cocktail of drama and pure magic.”

The test event, which will trial logistics, results, timing and data handling, footing, transport between the two venues, along with multiple other key factors that are crucial for the smooth running of next year’s Games, is a CCI 3* Eventing competition that provides the opportunity to test both equestrian venues – Equestrian Park at Baji Koen and the new Sea Forest cross country venue.

Baji Koen, site of the Olympic equestrian events at the 1964 Tokyo Games, has undergone extensive refurbishment, funded independently by the Japan Racing Association, and will provide an extraordinary legacy for Tokyo inhabitants, along with the park that will be created out of the reclaimed land at Sea Forest, which hosts equestrian cross country, rowing and canoe sprint.

The full list of starters for the Ready Steady Tokyo equestrian test event are available here and will also be available on the dedicated equestrian page of the Ready Steady Tokyo website here shortly.

The test event also provides the opportunity for NOCs and NFs to take part in the official Observers Programme, which includes a session on climate mitigation protocols aimed at minimising the effects of heat and humidity. The FEI is also conducting a study on participants at the test event (human and equine) with the goal of further boosting current research on optimising performance in a challenging climate. Full details of the Observers Programme are available here.

Videos explaining the Tokyo 2020 Olympic formats for Jumping and Dressage, which were trialled at the Future Champions event in Hagen (GER) last month, are available on FEI YouTube here. The Eventing format, which has been run at events in Poland, Ireland, New Zealand and Italy, will be used at the last leg of the FEI Eventing Nations Cup™ in Boekelo (NED) in October, when the final team slot on the Tokyo 2020 startlist will be allocated.

Para Dressage is one of five sports that has been added to the live broadcast schedule for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, marking the first time that equestrian fans the world over will be able to watch daily live coverage of Para Dressage at the Paralympics.

The move comes thanks to increased support from the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), Tokyo 2020 and Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) and the demands of broadcasters, with Para Dressage joining canoe, rowing, archery and shooting to bring the total number of sports with live coverage to a record 21 disciplines from 19 sports.

“We are thrilled to be part of the live broadcast of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games and our sport will benefit greatly from this worldwide exposure”, FEI Secretary General and President of the Association of Paralympic Sports Organisations (APSO) Sabrina Ibáñez said.

“The development of Para Dressage is phenomenal, with the number of athletes growing year on year, and being included in the live coverage from Tokyo 2020 will give more parts of the world the chance to discover our amazingly talented Para athletes.”

Para Dressage features from Day 2 to Day 6 at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, which run from 25 August to 6 September.

“Thanks to the growing interest and investment from broadcasters around the world to screen the Paralympic Games we have been able to significantly increase the number of sports to be broadcast live for Tokyo 2020”, IPC Commercial, Broadcasting and Partnerships Director Alexis Schaefer said.

“Our strategy throughout has been to invest all additional revenues generated from TV rights sales back into the broadcasting plan for Tokyo 2020.  This is allowing us to broadcast live nine disciplines and seven sports more compared to Rio 2016, a huge leap forward which will benefit broadcasters and the whole Paralympic Movement.

“Without doubt Tokyo 2020 will have the best, most complete and in-depth TV coverage yet for a Paralympic Games.  In addition to more live TV coverage, we are also investing into delivering far greater short form content for broadcasters to use in the form of highlights, athletes features and profiles.  With such comprehensive coverage in place we are very confident that viewing figures will exceed the record cumulative audience of 4.1 billion people that enjoyed the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.”

“OBS is pleased to deliver extensive broadcast coverage of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games and bring even more outstanding, inspirational performances and stories of the Paralympic athletes to millions of viewers around the world”, OBS Chief Executive Officer Yiannis Exarchos said.

FEI.tv will be offering live free-to-air coverage of the Para Dressage competitions at the Longines FEI European Championships in Rotterdam (NED), 19-25 August, one of multiple events where Para athletes can achieve their Minimum Eligibility Requirements for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. Dedicated Para athlete profile videos will also be made available on FEI’s digital platforms.

The IPC press release can be viewed here.

Photo caption: International Paralympic Committee has announced today that Para Dressage is one of five sports that has been added to the live broadcast schedule for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, marking the first time that equestrian fans the world over will be able to watch daily live coverage of Para Dressage at the Paralympics. Pictured: Stinna Tange Kaastrup (DEN) and Horsebo Smarties, winners of individual Para Dressage Grade II Freestyle gold at the FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2018. (FEI/Liz Gregg)

About Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) www.fei.org

The FEI is the world governing body for horse sport recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and was founded in 1921. Equestrian sport has been part of the Olympic movement since the 1912 Games in Stockholm.

The FEI became one of the first international sports governing bodies to govern and regulate global para sport alongside its seven able-bodied disciplines when Para Dressage joined its ranks in 2006. The FEI now governs all international competitions for Para Dressage and Para Driving.

The FEI is the sole controlling authority for all international events in the Olympic sports of Jumping, Dressage and Eventing, as well as Driving, Endurance, Vaulting and Reining.

About International Paralympic Committee (IPC) https://www.paralympic.org/

About Association of Paralympic Sports Organisations (APSO) https://www.apsosports.org/

 

Germany dominated the FEI Eventing European Championships 2019 for Juniors and Young Riders at Maarsbergen in The Netherlands (10 to 14 July) when taking Junior team and individual gold along with the Young Riders Individual title. A total of 22 countries were represented, and Great Britain reigned supreme in the Young Rider team event.

Young Riders

Germany’s Jerome Robine and Guccimo R OLD led the Young Riders leaderboard after Dressage with a super score of 22.1 ahead of Morgane Euriat and Baccarat d’Argonne who posted 23.4 for France. But it would be Robine’s team-mate, Emma Brüssau (20), who would rise from third spot after the first phase to the top step of the medal podium when adding nothing to her mark of 25.3 at the end of the tough contest.

Robine disappeared from the reckoning on cross-country day when Guccimo fell at fence 15, and when Anais Neumann also took a tumble from Pumeckel E at the same fence then German team chances were dashed. In total 56 of the 66 starters ran into problems around the track, with 21 eliminations and two retirements on course. The combination water fence at seven proved particularly influential, and only four horse-and-rider partnerships made it home inside the time.

Euriat picked up just 0.4 time faults so was out in front on the final day, but 12 Jumping penalties saw her drop to sixth in the final analysis. Lying second overnight after a foot-perfect and on-time cross-country run, Brüssau stood firm once again to finish on her Dressage mark and claim the coveted Individual title.

“I’m a bit shocked and can’t believe it!”, said the phychology student afterwards. However success is nothing new to Brüssau who has an impressive CV that includes team gold and individual fourth at the Junior European Championships at Montelibretti (ITA) in 2016, Junior European team gold and individual bronze at Millstreet (IRL) in 2017 and individual silver in the European Young Riders Championship at Fontainebleau (FRA) last summer - on that occasion also with her 10-year-old Hannoverian mare Dark Desire GS. 

Britain’s Isabelle Upton and the 11-year-old gelding Cola claimed the silver. Lying fourth on 25.9 after Dressage they completed one of those rare cross-county clears to move into third going into the final day, and a foot-perfect run over the coloured poles saw them settle into silver medal spot, just 0.6 penalty points behind Brüssau’s gold-medal-winning score. This was a big boost to British team chances, and together with Felicity Collins (RSH Contend OR), Phoebe Locke (Union Fortunus) and Richard Coney (Kananaskis), Upton stood on the top step of the team podium. 

Britain also claimed individual bronze thanks to an extraordinary performance from Heidi Coy and the nine-year-old Royal Fury who rocketed up from 26th after Dressage to fifth with a superb cross-country round and then added nothing more on the final day to complete on a score of 32.6.

The British team score of 111.0 left them just over three penalty points ahead of France in silver, while The Netherlands claimed team bronze on a final tally of 171.1.

Juniors

It was a runaway win for Germany’s Anna Lena Schaaf and the aptly-named mare, Fairytale, in the Junior Individual Championship. The 17-year-old rider threw down the gauntlet with the leading Dressage score of 24.1 and stood firm to add nothing more. 

And backed up by an individual bronze-medal-winning performance from Ann-Catrin Bierlein with Auf Feht’s Fraeulein Hummel, a ninth-place finish for Calvin Bockmann and Altair de la Cense and 11th spot for Joelle Celina Selenkowitsch with Akeby’s Zum Glueck, Schaaf helped Germany to grasp the golden double in this division. The final German team tally was just 87.0 while Great Britain took team silver on a score of 97.2 and France claimed team bronze with 99.7.

It was British team-member, Saffron Osborne, who was Schaaf’s closest rival after the first phase having posted a mark of 24.8 with her nine-year-old gelding Lakantus. However a stop at fence seven proved costly, and the addition of 5.6 in the Jumping phase saw them eventually line up in 28th place. 

Of the 75 starters on cross-country day there were 15 eliminations and one retirement, and three more were eliminated in the final Jumping phase. A total of 54 completed and once again fence seven was highly influential. 

Britain’s Leilia Paske moved up from sixth after Dressage to fifth after cross-country, and when third-placed French rider Jeanne Cauvel (Iggy Pop) was eliminated in the Jumping arena and fourth-placed Irish contender Lilly Keogh (Master Tredstep) withdrew, then Paske’s clear round with Billy McFee took the silver.  

Like her Young Riders gold-medal-winning compatriot, Schaaf is also an inexperienced athlete having taken team and individual gold at the European Pony Championships in Aarhus (DEN) in 2016 and team bronze at Junior level in Fontainebleau last year. She was delighted with the performance of her home-bred Rheinlander mare who never put a foot wrong all week.

“She was so clever, and she did everything for me!” said the new Junior champion. 

Results here 

Germany dominated the FEI Eventing European Championships 2019 for Juniors and Young Riders at Maarsbergen in The Netherlands (10 to 14 July) when taking Junior team and individual gold along with the Young Riders Individual title. A total of 22 countries were represented, and Great Britain reigned supreme in the Young Rider team event.

Young Riders

Germany’s Jerome Robine and Guccimo R OLD led the Young Riders leaderboard after Dressage with a super score of 22.1 ahead of Morgane Euriat and Baccarat d’Argonne who posted 23.4 for France. But it would be Robine’s team-mate, Emma Brüssau (20), who would rise from third spot after the first phase to the top step of the medal podium when adding nothing to her mark of 25.3 at the end of the tough contest.

Robine disappeared from the reckoning on cross-country day when Guccimo fell at fence 15, and when Anais Neumann also took a tumble from Pumeckel E at the same fence then German team chances were dashed. In total 56 of the 66 starters ran into problems around the track, with 21 eliminations and two retirements on course. The combination water fence at seven proved particularly influential, and only four horse-and-rider partnerships made it home inside the time.

Euriat picked up just 0.4 time faults so was out in front on the final day, but 12 Jumping penalties saw her drop to sixth in the final analysis. Lying second overnight after a foot-perfect and on-time cross-country run, Brüssau stood firm once again to finish on her Dressage mark and claim the coveted Individual title.

“I’m a bit shocked and can’t believe it!”, said the phychology student afterwards. However success is nothing new to Brüssau who has an impressive CV that includes team gold and individual fourth at the Junior European Championships at Montelibretti (ITA) in 2016, Junior European team gold and individual bronze at Millstreet (IRL) in 2017 and individual silver in the European Young Riders Championship at Fontainebleau (FRA) last summer - on that occasion also with her 10-year-old Hannoverian mare Dark Desire GS. 

Britain’s Isabelle Upton and the 11-year-old gelding Cola claimed the silver. Lying fourth on 25.9 after Dressage they completed one of those rare cross-county clears to move into third going into the final day, and a foot-perfect run over the coloured poles saw them settle into silver medal spot, just 0.6 penalty points behind Brüssau’s gold-medal-winning score. This was a big boost to British team chances, and together with Felicity Collins (RSH Contend OR), Phoebe Locke (Union Fortunus) and Richard Coney (Kananaskis), Upton stood on the top step of the team podium. 

Britain also claimed individual bronze thanks to an extraordinary performance from Heidi Coy and the nine-year-old Royal Fury who rocketed up from 26th after Dressage to fifth with a superb cross-country round and then added nothing more on the final day to complete on a score of 32.6.

The British team score of 111.0 left them just over three penalty points ahead of France in silver, while The Netherlands claimed team bronze on a final tally of 171.1.

Juniors

It was a runaway win for Germany’s Anna Lena Schaaf and the aptly-named mare, Fairytale, in the Junior Individual Championship. The 17-year-old rider threw down the gauntlet with the leading Dressage score of 24.1 and stood firm to add nothing more. 

And backed up by an individual bronze-medal-winning performance from Ann-Catrin Bierlein with Auf Feht’s Fraeulein Hummel, a ninth-place finish for Calvin Bockmann and Altair de la Cense and 11th spot for Joelle Celina Selenkowitsch with Akeby’s Zum Glueck, Schaaf helped Germany to grasp the golden double in this division. The final German team tally was just 87.0 while Great Britain took team silver on a score of 97.2 and France claimed team bronze with 99.7.

It was British team-member, Saffron Osborne, who was Schaaf’s closest rival after the first phase having posted a mark of 24.8 with her nine-year-old gelding Lakantus. However a stop at fence seven proved costly, and the addition of 5.6 in the Jumping phase saw them eventually line up in 28th place. 

Of the 75 starters on cross-country day there were 15 eliminations and one retirement, and three more were eliminated in the final Jumping phase. A total of 54 completed and once again fence seven was highly influential. 

Britain’s Leilia Paske moved up from sixth after Dressage to fifth after cross-country, and when third-placed French rider Jeanne Cauvel (Iggy Pop) was eliminated in the Jumping arena and fourth-placed Irish contender Lilly Keogh (Master Tredstep) withdrew, then Paske’s clear round with Billy McFee took the silver.  

Like her Young Riders gold-medal-winning compatriot, Schaaf is also an inexperienced athlete having taken team and individual gold at the European Pony Championships in Aarhus (DEN) in 2016 and team bronze at Junior level in Fontainebleau last year. She was delighted with the performance of her home-bred Rheinlander mare who never put a foot wrong all week.

“She was so clever, and she did everything for me!” said the new Junior champion. 

Results here 

Spectacular performances from more than 300 promising young athletes from 33 countries.

The Netherlands and Germany claimed double-gold, while Spain and Ireland topped the podium in the remaining two Championships as talent, courage, determination and team-work were all tested during a superb week of top sport.

Children

In the battle for the Children’s Team title which attracted a massive 23 countries from all across the continent, the Dutch pipped Germany while Great Britain claimed the bronze. 

With the The Netherlands and Germany tied on a zero score after the second team competition it came down to a nail-biting jump-off between the two sides on Thursday. And although Thijmen Vos (Theo 149) faulted once, flawless performances from team-mates Emma Bocken (Dagma), Jorinde Dolfijn (Providence) and Finn Boerekamp (Gradini) clinched it for the host nation. 

Germany’s Tiara Bleicher made her only mistake of the week with Daniels Jack S in this jump-off, but, on her Championship debut, it didn’t hold her back from claiming the Individual title which was also decided by a race against the clock two days later. The 14-year-old from Munich steered her 10-year-old gelding through the finish in 36.20 seconds when first to go and couldn’t be caught, while The Netherlands’ Emma Bocken clinched silver in 37.17 seconds. 

Individual bronze went to Bulgaria’s Aya Miteva who finished fifth individually at the 2018 Balkan Children’s Championship in Zagreb (CRO). She was riding the 21-year-old stallion SIEC Caro Ass who previously served a number of top Turkish riders throughout his stellar career. Louise Ameeuw (Lover Boy Z), daughter of Christophe Ameeuw, the man behind the Longines Masters Series and Ecurie d’Ecaussines which is the European base for many of the world’s top riders, just missed out on the podium when finishing fourth.

Juniors

A total of 21 countries fielded teams in the Junior division, with Spain taking the gold ahead of Germany in silver and Ireland in bronze. Maya De La Joya Fernandez-Longoria (Un Lord du Rozel) jumped double-clear in the two-round team competition, and although her compatriots Mario Villapalos Rodriguez (Iroko vd Brouwershoeve), Theo Chulia Leduc (Farao vd Eglantierheuvel) and Diego Ramos Maneiro (Texas De Trebompe) all faulted, Spain’s final tally of 14.24 left them more than a single penalty point ahead of Germany on 15.79.

It was their slower times in the opening individual Speed event that hampered German chances, as this side added only two time faults to their tally on Nations Cup day. Matthis Westendarp (Stalido) jumped double-clear and the German side also included Hannes Ahlmann (Nerrado) whose uncle, Christian Ahlmann, has long been a German Jumping legend.

It was sweet revenge for Kate Derwin in yesterday’s Junior Individual final however when this time around it all came right for the 17-year-old daughter of one of Ireland’s best-known horse dealers, Jim Derwin. She finished an agonising fourth at the 2018 Junior Championships in Fontainebleau (FRA), but that only strengthened her resolve and, holding the narrowest lead going into the deciding round, she kept a cool head to claim the top step of the podium with her fifth clear performance of the week from AHG Whiterock Cruise Down. 

“This year my trainer Denis Flannelly and my father put together a plan. They said last year it was left behind, but this year I was going to win a medal and not just any medal but it was going to be gold!” said the 17-year-old who proudly sang the Irish national anthem during the prizegiving with that precious medal around her neck. Spain’s De La Joya Fernandez-Longoria claimed the silver and bronze went to Belgium’s Thibeau Spits (Bellissimo Z).

Young Riders

Bas Moerings (Fosther), Veronique Morsink (Entrepeneur), Lars Kersten (H-Cassino) and Rowen van de Mheen (Q Verdi) joined forces to claim the Young Riders team title for The Netherlands. The Belgian side of Dieter Vermeiren (Kingston Town lll Z), Simon Morssinkhof (Vivolta de Gree), Zoe Conter (Univers du Vinnebus) and Gilles Thomas (Konak) had the advantage with the lowest combined scores after Wednesday’s opening Speed class, and looked set to stroll to victory when adding nothing to their scoreline with three clears in the first round of Friday’s team competition in which the Dutch added five to their tally.

However when Vermeiren racked up a 12 second time out then Morssinkhof’s eight had to be included, bringing the Belgian total to 12.11 which left them just over a penalty point behind the Dutch who this time kept a clean sheet.

Once again the Individual champion came from the bronze-medal winning side, 20-year-old Philipp Schulze Topphoff from Germany pinning Spain’s Paloma Barcelo (Ines) into silver medal spot while Dutch team gold medallist, Lars Kersten, took the bronze.  

Schulze Topphoff is no stranger to success, winning team gold at the European Pony Championships in Arezzo (ITA) in 2013, and team bronze at the Pony EC in Millstreet (IRL) the following year. Last summer he took team gold again at the Young Riders EC in Fontainebleau (FRA) and, just a few weeks ago, this young man and his talented nine-year-old grey mare, Concordess NRW, were members of the German side at the Official Test of Equestrian Formats for Tokyo 2020 staged in Hagen (GER). 

In a new innovation this year, the fifth member of each team that made it onto the podium also received a medal. All five riders competed on the opening day, before the four-member teams were named for the remainder of the week. 

Results here 

Team Sweden soared to victory at the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ of Sweden 2019 in Falsterbo (SWE) this afternoon, but it took a nail-biting last-to-go run from home heroes Peder Fredricson (47) and H&M All In to clinch it. Leading on a zero score at the halfway stage, the hosts looked set to stroll into pole position, but some second-round errors allowed Switzerland to chase them right to the line.

In the end just a single time-fault separated the two sides, the winners posting a final score of four faults ahead of the Swiss with just five. The hugely popular annual fixture at Falsterbo always has a really fun atmosphere, with the knowledgeable crowd loudly supporting every horse-and-rider combination as they enter the arena. But they exploded with extra delight when the coveted trophy remained at home for the first time since 2012.

Fredricson had the maximum weight of expectancy on his shoulders as he set off in the second round with the result hanging precariously in the balance. A fence down would hand it to the Swiss, and even a single time fault would mean a jump-off against them. 

“It’s always much nicer afterwards than before - there’s a lot of pressure because you want to do well at home because you know the feeling is very nice and you don’t want to miss it!” said the reigning individual European champion. 

He had anchored his country on a zero score at the end of round one which began with a copybook clear from team-mate Malin Baryard-Johnsson (43) and H&M Indiana who were first to take on Frank Rothenberger’s 12-fence track. Asked if she had any concerns about being competition pathfinder, the four-time Olympian said “the good thing about going first is that you walk the course, you make a plan, and you can’t watch anyone else doing different things because you don’t have time!”.

Fredrik Jonsson (46) and Cold Play were next of the host contingent, faulting only at the penultimate oxer. But when Stephanie Holmen (28) and Flip’s Little Sparrow were clear, and Fredricson then followed suit, the Swedes strode into the second round at the head of the leaderboard chased by France and Switzerland carrying five faults apiece, Italy with seven, and USA with eight on the board.

The French faltered with nine to add second time out, but Baryard-Johnsson was clear again so things were still looking good for the Swedes before Jonsson hit the vertical at fence four on the turn to the open water and Holmen racked up 12 faults to change the situation dramatically. Because super-smooth clears from Beat Mandli (Dsarie), Niklaus Rutschi (Cardano CH) and Paul Estermann (Lord Pepsi) ensured the Swiss would have nothing to add, leaving anchorman and World No. 1 Steve Guerdat sitting idle on the sidelines in the closing stages. It all came down to Fredricson’s final effort if the honours were to stay on home soil. 

However when you’ve been to four Olympic Games, taking team silver in 2004 and individual silver in 2016 before scooping individual gold and team silver at the European championships in 2017, team silver at the FEI World Equestrian Games in 2018 and third place on the podium at the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final 2019 then you’ve clearly got what it takes. Fredricson stayed completely focused, and the brilliant H&M All In took it all in his stride to gallop through the finish and bring the home crowd to their feet.

“I wasn’t nervous before Malin went, but when she was double-clear then I knew we had a very good chance and I really wanted to do well. You could feel the tension in the team before the second round, I think that’s the same for every team riding at home because you really want to perform well, and today we did it, and it’s brilliant!” Fredricson said this evening.

Having recovered from the early bath he was given when thrown into the water-jump during some wild Swedish celebrations, Chef d’Equipe, Henrik Ankarcrona, expressed his sheer delight at today’s fantastic result. “I’ve had three unbelievable years as Chef - silver at Europeans and WEG, but this beats it all! To win at home, it’s a bucket-list thing for any team, to stand on the podium hearing the crowd cheer like you are rockstars! It will leave me with goose-pimples for a very long time …. I have the best job in the world!” he said.

His team still has work to do however as, with just two rounds remaining at Hickstead (GBR) in two weeks’ time and Dublin (IRL) in early August, they are lying joint-eighth alongside Ireland on the Europe Division 1 leaderboard from which only the top seven will qualify for the €2m Longines Final in Barcelona (ESP) in October. 

Result: 1, Sweden 4 faults - H&M Indiana (Malin Baryard-Johnsson) 0/0, Cold Play (Frederik Jonsson) 4/4, Flip’s Little Sparrow (Stephanie Holmen) 0/12, H&M All In (Peder Fredricson) 0/0; 2, Switzerland 5 faults - Dsarie (Beat Mandli) 4/0, Cardano CH (Niklaus Rutschi) 1/0, Lord Pepsi (Paul Estermann) 0/0; Albfuehren’s Bianca (Steve Guerdat) 4/DNS; 3, Italy 9 faults - Tokyo du Soleil (Luca Marziani) 9/0, Elzas (Giulia Martinengo Marquet) 1/5, Ottava Meraviglia Di CA’ San G (Paolo Paini) 1/1, Tower Mouche (Bruno Chimirri) 5/1.

Full result here 

Standings after Round 5 of the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ 2019 Europe Division 1 series:

1. France - 320

2. Switzerland - 270

3. Belgium - 245

4. Netherlands - 200

5. Germany - 195

6. Austria - 190

7. Italy - 170

8. Ireland - 160

8. Sweden - 160

10. Great Britain - 120

Full standings here 

The FEI Tribunal has issued its Final Decisions in one case of a breach of the FEI’s Equine Anti-Doping and Controlled Medication Regulations (EADCMR) and three horse abuse cases.

The breach of the EADCMRs occurred at the CEI1* 80 in Doha, Mesaieed (QAT) on 3 March 2018, where the athlete Ahmed Mubarak Ahmed Al Kuwari (FEI ID 10113516/QAT) and the trainer Mohammed Misfer M D Al Hababi (FEI ID: 10113220/QAT) refused to submit to sample collection from the horse Gavotte Des Pins (FEI ID:105PJ94/QAT).

The horse and athlete were disqualified from the event. As the Person Responsible, the athlete was suspended for two years, until 4 March 2020, and the trainer for 30 months, until 4 September 2020. The provisional suspensions, which were imposed on both the athlete and trainer on 5 March 2018, were credited against the period of ineligibility in the Final Decision. In addition, they were each fined CHF 3,000 and ordered to pay CHF 1,500 towards the legal costs of the judicial procedure.

The FEI also opened three other cases involving horse abuse, following protests filed by Pauline van Drumpt from Clean Endurance. Two of these incidents took place at the CEI1* 100 in Abu Dhabi, Al Wathba (UAE) on 8 December 2018.

In the first case, involving the horse Castlebar Nato (FEI ID: 104OC45/UAE), the FEI Tribunal ruled that the athlete, Khalid Jumaa Salem Al Khatri (FEI ID:10103378/UAE), had committed horse abuse. He has been suspended for 30 months from the date of the Final Decision on 26 June 2019.

The athlete was also fined CHF 9,000 and ordered to pay CHF 1,000 towards the legal costs of the judicial procedure.

Following an incident at the same event involving the horse Songbird FF (FEI ID: 105VH23/UAE), the FEI Tribunal ruled that the athlete, Mohammed Saeed Al Blooshi (FEI ID:10113165/UAE), had committed horse abuse. He has been suspended for 18 months from the date of the Final Decision on 26 June 2019. He was also fined CHF 6,000 and ordered to pay CHF 1,000 towards the legal costs of the judicial procedure.  

The FEI Tribunal stated in its Final Decision that the athlete also had to take some responsibility for the actions of his Support Personnel, including the registered trainer, Suhail Mugheer Salem Alameemi (FEI ID:10137884/UAE).

The third abuse case occurred at the CEI3* 160 in Abu Dhabi, Al Wathba (UAE) on 9 February 2019 involving the horse Sarab (FEI ID:105DP50/UAE). The FEI Tribunal ruled that the athlete, Abdul Rahman Saeed Saleh Al Ghailani (FEI ID: 10114704/UAE), had committed horse abuse.  The athlete has been suspended for 12 months from the date of the Final Decision on 26 June 2019. He was also fined CHF 4,000 and ordered to pay CHF 1,000 towards the legal costs of the judicial procedure.  

The FEI Tribunal stated in its Final Decision that the athlete also had to take some responsibility for the actions of his Support Personnel, including the registered trainer, Majed Khalfan Al Jahouri (FEI ID: 10014774/UAE).

These Decisions can be appealed before the Court of Arbitration for Sport within 21 days from the date of notification, 26 June 2019.

The FEI Tribunal’s decisions can be found here.

In a cliff-hanger of a competition, Team Israel made history when snatching the single spot on offer at the Olympic Jumping Qualifier at Maxima Park in Moscow (RUS) today. This was the second of two special qualifiers for countries in Group C, the first staged in Budapest (HUN) two days ago where Ukraine came out on top.

“We were optimistic but there was a lot of pressure this afternoon. But these guys, they made it, all of them are magnificent, they’ve all done a great job and the second round was perfect! We are happy and this is historic - it’s first time we will have an Israel (Jumping team) at the Olympics!” said Amichai Alperovich, team sports manager.

However today’s victory was a very narrow one, just a single fault separating the winning foursome of Daniel Bluman (29), Ashlee Bond (34), Elad Yaniv (41) and Dani G. Waldman (34) from the Polish side that consisted of only three team-members. They put up a really gutsy performance and held the lead at the halfway stage, but a single second-round fence error meant the ticket to Tokyo 2020 would go Israel’s way.

In contrast to most of Europe which has been experiencing sweltering heat this week, it has been cold, and extremely wet, in Moscow with maximum temperatures of around 8 degrees. “Yes it’s raining, but it’s the same for everyone!” said Israeli team coach and former Olympic, World and European champion Jeroen Dubbeldam yesterday. 

A total of six nations lined out this afternoon and both Azerbaijan and Kyrgystan, who also sent out three-member sides, were eliminated in the first round leaving four countries to battle on in round two. However it was already a two-nation contest at this stage, with Poland out in front carrying 13 faults chased by Israel with 15 on the board as the action resumed. Russia was next in line with a 42-fault scoreline while Uzbekistan returned to the ring with 60 faults on their scoresheet.

The course designed by Olaf Petersen Jr. was no walk-in-the-park, and only four horse-and-rider partnerships managed to get home inside the 78-seconds time-allowed in the first round. The oxers at fences three and six fell on numerous occasions, and the triple combination at fence seven required caution to get the distances just right. Russian chances were shaken when Vladimir Tuganov’s Tulum took a dislike to the open water at fence nine in both rounds, while the final line that began with an intimidating wall followed by a double and then a sharp left-hand turn to a liverpool proved the undoing of many.

Israeli pathfinder, double-Olympian Daniel Bluman, made it all look pretty easy when registering just a single time fault first time out with Ladriano Z, but when Ashlee Bond and Chela LS added 12 and Elad Yaniv and Alvaro du Gue also ran into trouble on the run home to finish with nine, they began to look vulnerable. Not even the hugely experienced Dani Waldman and Lizziemary escaped unscathed as they racked up five faults for a pole off the middle of the triple combination and one for time.

Poland didn’t get off to the best start when Andrzej Oplatek and Stakkatan left two on the floor, but when Jan Bobik and Chacco Amicor produced the only complete clear of the first round and the only mistake made by the anchor partnership of Kryzsztof Ludwiczak and Nordwind was at the wall, with a time-fault also added, then their tally of 13 gave them a two-fault advantage over Israel as round two began.

And when Oplatek produced a brilliant clear second time out then that piled the pressure on Israel, because Bluman once again posted a single time fault while Bond added eight more to her tally. But Yaniv rode to the rescue with a zero score and then all the pressure was on Polish shoulders once again. So when Bobik faulted just once, at the tricky oxer at fence six in an otherwise foot-perfect second run, then the result would lie in Dani Waldman’s hands.

No matter what would happen Poland could finish with no less than 17 on the board while a clear from the Waldman would see Bond’s eight faults dropped from the Israeli scoresheet when the best three results were counted, leaving them with just Bluman’s single time fault to add for a total of 16. And that’s exactly what she did, the lady who changed her surname from Goldstein to Waldman when getting married just four weeks ago steering the great chestnut mare that has carried her to the top of the sport through a fabulous round to clinch it.

Poland’s Ludwiczak wrapped up the afternoon with only the fifth clear performance of the day, but his country would miss out on that Tokyo ticket by an agonising one-fault margin.
Result: 1, Israel 16 faults; 2, Poland 17 faults; 3, Russia 54 faults; 4, Uzbekistan 119; 5, Azerbaijan and Kyrgystan Elim.
Full result here