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The build-up is reaching a crescendo one week ahead of the FEI Jumping European Championship 2023 which gets underway at San Siro Racecourse in Milan, Italy on 30 August.
Team and individual medals are up for grabs, and the flags of 24 nations will fly high at this 37th edition of an event that is steeped in the stories of champions.
A total of 87 athletes and their horses are entered, with 16 countries fielding teams and eight more represented by individuals. The chance for three unqualified teams from FEI Olympic Groups A and/or B to pick up a starting spot at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games also adds to the prospect for a super-competitive week of thrilling sport.
History
This is only the third time in its 66-year history for the FEI Jumping European Championship to be staged in Italy. There were only individual medals on offer when the Italy’s Graziano Mancinelli and Rockette reigned supreme in Rome in 1963 where two more greats - Germany’s Alwin Schockemöhle with Freiherr and Great Britain’s Harvey Smith on Warpaint - stood on the second and third steps of the podium.
At San Patrignano in 2005 it was Marco Kutscher and Montender who came out on top ahead of Switzerland’s Christina Liebherr in silver while The Netherlands’ Jeroen Dubbeldam claimed individual bronze. And Germany took the team title - first introduced in 1975 - that year too when Kutscher was joined by Marcus Ehning, Christian Ahlmann and Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum to pin Switzerland and The Netherlands into silver and bronze.
Ehning has an extraordinary record at European Championships, dating all the way back to Hickstead (GBR) in 1999 when he joined Michaels-Beerbaum, Carsten-Otto Nagel and Ludger Beerbaum to clinch team gold. He did it twice more - in 2003 when he also claimed individual bronze, and in 2005. He was on the silver-medal-winning teams in 2007, 2019 and 2021 and took team bronze in 2009.
Riding the exciting 12-year-old stallion Stargold with which he won the 5* Grand Prix in Aachen (GER) last month, the 49-year-old Olympic, World and European team gold medallist and three-time FEI Jumping World Cup™ champion and is back in Otto Becker’s selection this year. He will be accompanied by Gerrit Nieberg, Jana Wargers, Philipp Weishaupt and Christian Kukuk.
Germany holds pole position on the European Championships Roll of Honour with seven team and 15 individual gold medals collected down the years, three of the latter going to the legendary partnership of Paul Schockemöhle and Deister over three consecutive editions in the 1980s. André Thieme will not defend the individual title he won with DSP Chakaria at Riesenbeck (GER) in 2021.
Defending
The defending team champions are Switzerland, and Chef d’Equipe Michel Sorg brings all four of the side that clinched victory at Riesenbeck (GER) two years ago - Martin Fuchs who also clinched individual silver on that occasion, Steve Guerdat, Bryan Balsiger and Elian Baumann, along with Edouard Schmitz.
The Swiss are in flying form after a summer filled with success including victory in Aachen and three sensational wins in the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ Europe Division 1 series. But they know they have no room for complacency because they have a double mission in Milan.
Despite their prominence in the sport they are still chasing a qualifying spot at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and will be on the hunt for one of the three on offer next week along with teams from Austria, Denmark, Italy, Norway, Portugal and Spain. If they don’t make the cut this time around they only have one more chance when a single spot comes up for grabs at the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ Final in Barcelona (ESP) at the end of September. They won’t want to leave it that late….
Full list
The full list of teams for the 2023 Championship is Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland and all have entered five athletes except for Norway and Portugal who send only three. Individuals will represent Bulgaria, Greece, Israel, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Slovakia, Turkey and Ukraine.
There will be seven of the top 10, and 13 of the top 20 riders in the latest world rankings all flying their country’s flags,with world number two Julien Epaillard and world number six Simon Delestre amongst Henk Nooren’s formidable French quintet while the ultra-dependable Harrie Smolders - currently world number three - is listed on Jos Lansink’s Dutch team.
Seventh-ranked Shane Sweetnam headlines Michael Blake’s Irish side, while Di Lampard’s British team includes reigning Olympic champion and world number nine, Ben Maher. Sweden meanwhile has world number one and double world champion, Henrik von Eckermann, playing a starring role in a side that also includes Jens Fredricson, Wilma Hellström, Rolf-Göran Bengtsson and Petronella Anderson.
The Swedes have never won the European team title, taking silver in 2001 and 2017 and bronze in 2013. They twice won individual gold, Bengtsson and Ninja La Silla in 2011 and Peder Fredricson and H&M All In in 2017.
Timetable
The Championship timetable begins with the first horse inspection on Tuesday morning 29 August which will be followed by a training session before the draw for order-of-go in the evening. The first competition, a Table C Speed and Handiness, is open to teams and individuals and takes place on Wednesday 30 August, with the score for each athlete converted into penalties at the end of the day.
The second competition begins with one round on Thursday 31 August and is open to all teams and individuals, but only the top 10 teams and top 50 individuals go through to the second round on Friday 1 September when the team medals will be decided.
The top 25 go through to the first round of the individual final on Sunday 3 September, with the top 12 returning for a second round to decide the fate of the European individual title for 2023.
It’s all about to play out, so don’t miss a hoofbeat…..
In a nail-biting cross-country finish Germany claimed The FEI Eventing Nations Cup™ in Arville (BEL) by just 0.3 of a penalty over home side Belgium. Their victory was massively helped by a strong performance from Julia Krajewski, the individual gold medalist at the Tokyo Olympics. The 34 year old was also the individual winner of the CCIO4* competition, after jumping a super double clear on her impressive nine year old Holsteiner stallion, Nickel 21. The German performed well as a team, leading throughout to achieve a score of 103.2. Although four very strong and fast cross-country performances left the Belgians breathing down their necks with an overall score of 103.5. New Zealand presented an experienced team of riders all of whom were established at 5*, to finish third on a score of 116.4.
Hans Melzer, chef d’equipe of the winning team was delighted with the German performance, particularly after a year that has been somewhat up and down for German riders.
“This year sometimes we were unlucky in Nations Cups and at Aachen but this one was important because we had three long-listed riders for the Europeans (Championships) which are all to go to Blenheim. It was good to show here because it’s a hilly event and we don’t have so many of those in Germany so it was good preparation for the rest of the season. What they showed today was very good cross-country riding.”
“Julia (Krajewski) was with her younger horse which was his third time at 4* and is a horse maybe for the future. He will go to the long (CCI4*-L) at Boekelo and the other three were all younger riders from our prospective group based in Warendorf, and it was good to see the younger ones competing here and really attacking.
12 national teams from three continents came forward to compete at the Nations Cup in Arville, which is one of Belgium’s most prestigious equestrian events. The event as a whole attracted riders from as far afield as India, Morocco and Australia. Melzer highlighted the significance of the Series and why the event had proved so popular with riders from all over the world.
“The Nations Cups are super events because every rider is proud to ride for their country. It’s a good competition and especially here we have 12 nations so it’s like a little championship. It’s really great with atmosphere and a super course. I think it’s important we keep these Nations Cups going the whole year in every country because when you have enough riders you can test riders in a team and the team order and everything that they learn being part of a team.
“It was a real four star. It’s not too big but it was very technical with many questions and the country is really hilly. The second part of the course is up and down and up and down. We had 114 starters here which was unbelievable but the facilities are super, we had good weather, the ground is perfect so you could go and try to ride the time because there was no risk. It’s very good here in Arville.”
With the electors weighing up options for next year’s Olympics, events like these become more significant and Melzer will continue to assess their performance as these German team riders will now head to Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials (GBR) in September. “I think Julia will have a definite Olympic chance and the others are good enough when they have a good result here and then Blenheim ahead and there is a chance to put them on the long-list.”
When asked if the Germans can rise once again as the dominant eventing nation, he responded “The Germans did very well at the FEI World Championships in Pratoni and now the Brits are the strongest team in all ways. Our team must work everything at 100% and maybe we have a chance. It’s important to give the younger rider a good plan, that’s how they have a chance to come to the top and where they ride, how they train, with whom they train. We have our very good system in Germany since 2002- our prospective group and three of our riders today came through this system. And in the past Julia Karajewski, Sandra Auffarth and Frank Ostholt, they all came out of this group and for the future this is a good thing we have as we train a group of riders always together and they get more experienced and more confident.
The FEI Eventing Nations Cup™ action now moves to the final event of the Nations Cup Series which will play out at Boekelo (NED) (4-8 October). The Belgians continue to lead the Series with 600 points overall.
Final scores from Arville can be found here:
https://live.rechenstelle.de/2023/arville/nationcup03.html
For team standings:
https://inside.fei.org/system/files/NC%20Standings%20after%20sixth%20event%20-%202023%20-%20Bromont%20Cancellation.pdf
Billed as an ‘Ultimate Celebration of Driving’ the combined 7th FEI Para World Driving and the 13th FEI Four-in-Hand European Championship has a bumper confirmed entry of 65 drivers from 17 nations who will contest titles at the Equestrian Centre in Exloo (NED).
The hosts are fielding some of the favourites to take gold medals including reigning European Four-in-Hand Champion Bram Chardon (NED) who is ranked world number two. Perhaps the closest rival for the crown is his father, the on-form Ijsbrand, who was individual silver medallist at the World Championship in Pratoni (ITA) last year and is just behind his son in the rankings. Both have won this European title twice before and are odds-on to do so again. Both are also members of the formidable Dutch team which won gold in Pratoni, and they fully intend to retain the European gold they won in Budapest (HUN) in 2021, alongside their stalwart compatriot Koos de Ronde, also a multi-medallist. The Dutch fans are famously supportive and there is sure to be a large and passionate crowd cheering on their heroes.
As one of the event’s ambassadors Bram states, “It is extremely motivating to defend a title on home ground. Exloo is a venue which I am really familiar with and it has a great atmosphere. Because the whole show will be compact, it will be easy for the spectators to see all the action.
My father will be a serious contender for the title too, but we are not in competition with each other. We don’t mind which one of us wins, but our strategy is to win, and all our planning is for this. I have made some changes to my team but all the horses are experienced and our facilities at home are perfect for preparing them. They are really fit - for the dressage they will have great impulsion and for the cones I have a good combination that works well together.”
Multiple Para Medallists
Another strong Dutch squad leads the charge for the Para Drivers, with national coach Ad Aarts selecting multiple team and individual medallist Jacques Poppen who is a Grade 1 athlete, alongside event ambassador Ingmar Veneman (Grade II) - also a previous team gold medal winner - and first timer Josien de Boer (Grade I).
Having traded Para team golds with Germany over the years, the Dutch will be wary of their old adversaries, who are boosted by long term competitor and multiple winner Heiner Lehrter (Grade 1). Both teams will face stiff competition from a fearsome USA contingent, who have current Grade 1 World Champion Tracy Bowman in their ranks, as well as Great Britain who have seasoned competitors Mick Ward and Deborah Daniels on the squad.
Of the 25 individual athletes from nine nations, Australia will be represented for the first time by Jodie Mckeone, who has already started her campaign in Europe, and Ireland has Emma Golding, who travelled to the European outdoor season’s opener CAI Exloo in March. Recently featured in the FEI Para Equestrian Digest, Emma says,
“I'm really excited about these Championships, especially as they're my first since 2018 and my first with my Lipizzaner horse Mossy. Exloo will put on a great event and it's very exciting to be running alongside the Horse Fours. The entries for the Paras are showing two very strong Grades which is brilliant. The addition of the HRH Princess Haya Hand-in-Hand trophy* is great too and for drivers like me who don't have a compatriot competing in the other class, it offers a chance to make links between two countries for the event.”
Strong Squads for Team Medals
Challenging the home nation for the Four-in-Hand title are eight teams which include strong squads from Germany, Belgium, France and Hungary, a country that dominated the sport during its early years. Forty drivers from 13 nations will vie for individual podium places and include 2015 European Champion and marathon specialist Michael Brauchle (GER), previous European individual medallists Glenn Geerts (BEL), Benjamin Aillaud (FRA) and József Dobrovitz (HUN), who will line up in the team alongside his son József Jnr.
Princess Haya’s Hand-in-Hand Trophy
The coveted ‘Hand-in-Hand’ trophy introduced by former FEI President Princess Haya for Drivers in 2010, after it was launched in 2006 for Dressage, will be presented to the pairing of one Para athlete and one able-bodied athlete who finish with the lowest number of penalties. Current holders are Francisca den Elzen (NED) and Saskia Siebers (NED) who won at the FEI Driving and Para-Driving World Championship 2018 in Kronenberg (NED).
More special prizes are the ‘Bartje’ awards which will be given to section and overall winners in all classes. Bartje is a character from a regional novel and symbolic of the province of Drenthe in northeast Holland where the Championship is being held.
The Equestrian Centre in Exloo is a popular venue for all types of equestrian sport but the sand arenas, grass tracks and new obstacles have been specially prepared ahead of the Driving Championship. Course designer is Jeroen Houterman (NED), who has worked with show director Arjan Kleinjan and Lieuwe Koopmans from Exloo to organise a layout which prioritises the easy viewing of the obstacles for spectators.
The provisional programme is:
Wednesday 23 August
10:00 – Horse inspection
19:00 - Opening ceremony
Thursday 24 August
09.00 - Para Dressage
16.30 - Four-in-Hand Dressage Part 1
Friday 25 August
10.00 - Four-in-Hand Dressage Part 2
Saturday 26 August
10.00 - Marathon
Sunday 27 August
10.00 - Cones
16.30 - Award ceremony
The Championships will be broadcast live on FEI TV
* This trophy is awarded to a team comprised of one Para Driving Athlete and one able-bodied Athlete, preferably from the same nation. The team with the least penalty points after the 3 competitions wins the Hand-in-Hand Trophy.
The first European Four-in-Hand Championship was held in Budapest in 1971 and was one of the first events to be run under the new FEI ‘Combined Driving’ rules. It ran every two years until 1981, then was revived in 2011 after a 30 year hiatus in Breda (NED), so this is the second time The Netherlands has hosted this Championship.
The first Para Equestrian Driving World Championship was organised by the IPEC in Wolfsburg (GER) in 1998 and has been held every two years since then, skipping a year in 2020 due to the pandemic. The first FEI Para Driving World Championship was held in Breda in 2010, so The Netherlands has hosted the FEI event four times prior to Exloo 2023.
Medallists in 2010 included Heiner Lehrter and Jacques Poppen, when Heiner together with Christoph Sandmann (GER) received the Hand-in-Hand award. In 2014, the separate Grades I & II classes were introduced which are governed by the FEI Para classification so there are two individual competitions as well as the team awards. Each team must have at least one Grade I member and not include more than two athletes from any one Grade. Either horses or ponies may be driven and approved ‘Compensating Aids’ can be used.
Pivo Inc., the Silicon Valley based company behind the AI powered smartphone mount for the creation of hands-free motion tracked videos, has become the Official FEI Training Technology Partner.
The Pivo Pod, an AI-powered smartphone mount and performance tracking tool, has become the equipment of choice for many equestrians around the world looking to improve their riding skills. Designed for indoor and outdoor use, the mount works in tandem with a powerful application which can be downloaded for free on any smartphone.
"Today represents a significant milestone for Pivo, and we are pleased to join forces with the FEI, which shares our unwavering commitment to enriching the experience for equestrian enthusiasts worldwide," CEO of Pivo Ken Kim said.
"Pivo's journey has been an extraordinary one. We started with a versatile and fun product, which has now evolved into a specialised solution catering to a dedicated community who share a passion for equestrian as both a sport and a lifestyle at all levels.
“The equestrian community was quick to recognise Pivo’s potential and we were surprised and delighted when riders, both amateur and professional, embraced our technology. The community’s suggestions – provided through user-generated content on social media – were instrumental in shaping our specific line of Pivo products that now exists for equestrians.
“Our customers are at the heart of everything we do, and this collaborative spirit and dedication have been pivotal in shaping Pivo into the powerful tool it is today. Our mission now is to help 'make equestrians the best version of themselves,' and this collaboration with the FEI is a testament to the realisation of that vision.”
Pivo has already made significant inroads in major markets, including France, Germany, the UK, USA, and Australia, where riders have wholeheartedly embraced this transformative solution.
The AI-powered smartphone mount and accompanying software is designed to detect the horse and rider, and ensure that the rider stays perfectly centred in the frame. And while the Smart Capture function allows riders to take photos of themselves through voice commands, the Auto Zoom and Auto-Alignment features guarantee the capture of smooth and seamless training videos.
It is also possible to make video calls with the Horse Tracking function, so that coaches can offer real-time feedback through remote lessons.
"Our collaboration with Pivo is proof that tradition and technology can come together easily to enhance the equestrian experience," FEI Commercial Director Ralph Straus affirmed.
"Pivo's commitment to providing riders with exceptional tools for improving sporting performances, while ensuring accessibility for every equestrian enthusiast, has added unique value to our industry.
“Over the years, Pivo has seamlessly integrated into the equestrian lifestyle, and has earned the trust and respect of equestrians around the world for the user-friendliness and adaptability of its products. As a company, Pivo has demonstrated a great deal of authenticity in its development style and a talent for simply listening.
"The nature of commercial partnerships is changing, and the economic environment we are currently operating in requires a great deal of adaptability and flexibility. We are proud to be partnering with a company that is truly in tune with our community, has their ear to the ground with regards to what equestrians need and want, and is willing to take the necessary creative risks to be a game changer for our sport.”
With a passionate team of approximately 30 developers, Pivo is now looking forward to collaborating further with a broader cross section of the equestrian community, to seek insights to drive the development of their products.
From a development and growth perspective, Pivo is also considering ways to expand their team by welcoming skilled technicians with first-hand equestrian experience to steer the course of future innovations.
Watch the Pivo X FEI promo video featuring Merrylegs, the star of the upcoming Thelwell Movie, an onscreen adaptation of Norman Thelwell’s pony illustrations.
The Pivo Equestrian Pack is now available with up to 35% off at pivo.ai until 1 September 2023.
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 is the sole controlling authority for all international events in the Olympic sports of Jumping, Dressage and Eventing, as well as Driving, Para Driving, Para Dressage, Endurance and Vaulting.
About Pivo https://pivo.ai
Pivo, Inc. is a developer of AI-technology solutions and smartphone robotics. Launching on Kickstarter in 2018, Pivo specialises in helping creative people capture stunning footage using their smartphones. The recipient of the 2019 iF Design Award and a CES Innovation Awards Honoree in 2022 and 2023, Pivo now distributes its Pivo Pods to more than 138 countries and has a growing global community of over 300,000.
About 3i
3i, Inc. is leading the charge in transforming the physical world's interaction with the digital world. 3i's innovative hardware and software solutions leverage state-of-the-art technologies like AI/ML and AR/VR to help customers create immersive experiences through rich content and digital twins. With a truly global and diverse team of experts, 3i is well-positioned to drive digital transformation and accelerate the creation of the metaverse.
FEI Media Contact:
Didier Montes
Sport Communications & Media Relations Manager
didier.montes@fei.org
+41 78 750 61 21
Pivo Media Contacts
(UK/Europe)
Ten Four Communications
Louise Treloar
Louise@tenfourcoms.com
+44 (0) 7590 808 130
Steph Staszko
(US)
Max Borges Agency
pivo@maxborgesagency.com
The FEI Tribunal has issued a Consent Award under the FEI Equine Anti-Doping Rules Article 2.3 for Evading, Refusing or Failing to Submit the horse to Sample Collection.
In this case, the athlete Abdullah Aldhuwayhi (FEI ID 10203839/KSA), failed to submit the horse Shaymaa (FEI ID 106RQ41/KSA), to the doping control station for a sample collection at the CEI2* 120 - Al Ula (KSA), 03-04 March 2023.
The athlete, admitted the rule violation and accepted the consequences. In its final decision the FEI Tribunal disqualified the horse and rider combination from the event and imposed an 18-month ineligibility period on the athlete from the date of the Consent Award. He was also fined CHF 5,000.
The full Decision is available here.
Notes to Editors:
FEI Equine Prohibited Substances
The FEI Prohibited Substances List is divided into two sections: Controlled Medication and *Banned Substances. Controlled Medication substances are medications that are regularly used to treat horses, but which must have been cleared from the horse’s system by the time of competition. Banned (doping) Substances should never be found in the body of the horse and are prohibited at all times.
In the case of an adverse analytical finding (AAF) for a Banned Substance, the Person Responsible (PR) is automatically provisionally suspended from the date of notification (with the exception of certain cases involving a Prohibited Substance which is also a **Specified Substance). The horse is provisionally suspended for two months.
Information on all substances is available on the searchable FEI Equine Prohibited Substances Database.
It was all about the British once more when the FEI Eventing European Championship 2023 drew to a close at Haras du Pin, France this afternoon. At the last edition in Avenches (SUI) two years ago they swept all before them, and again today they took not only the team title but team-members Ros Canter (Lordships Graffalo) and Kitty King (Vendredi Biats) clinched individual gold and silver ahead of Germany’s Sandra Auffarth in bronze.
The team ranking established after yesterday’s thrilling cross-country phase remained the same, with Germany standing on the second step of the podium ahead of the hosts from France during the medal ceremony.
In the final analysis the British score of 103.9 left them well clear of their German rivals who completed with 131.2, while the French took bronze on a score of 134.2. German chances had been compromised by the loss of their star performer Michael Jung who was eliminated for an unlucky fall just a few fences from home with Fischerchipmunk FRH yesterday.
Team Ireland finished fourth, with Switzerland, Sweden, Belgium and The Netherlands completing the line-up. A total of 56 combinations started in dressage on Thursday but that was narrowed down to just 37 in today’s deciding jumping phase. For Belgium and The Netherlands there was plenty to celebrate as they picked up the two qualifying spots on offer for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
This was Great Britain’s 24th team and 20th individual title in the 70-year history of this Championship.
Pressure
The French team kept the pressure on Germany with clear rounds from both Karim Florent Laghouag (Triton Fontaine) and Nicolas Touzaint (Absolut Gold HDC), but Stephane Landois (Ride for Thais Chaman D) lost his grip on overnight individual fourth place with a fence down and Gaspard Maksud (Zaragoza) also left one on the floor. With the German team reduced to just three they had plenty to contend with, but while Malin Hansen-Hotopp (Carlitos Quidditch K) had a fence error and some additional time faults, both Christopher Wahler (Carjatan S) and Sandra Auffarth (Viamant du Matz) were foot-perfect over the track designed by Quentin Perney which consisted of 12 fences and 15 jumping efforts.
Lying sixth in the individual rankings at the start of the day, that clear would promote Wahler to individual fourth place behind team-mate Auffarth, and ahead of the two French clear-round jumpers, Touzaint who slotted into fifth and Landois who finished sixth.
Britain’s Kitty King had no room for a fence error if she was to hold Auffarth at bay for the silver medal as she went into the ring to jump the penultimate round of this Championship, but when she added only 1.2 time faults to her scoreline she was secure for the second step of the individual podium. And then all eyes turned to Canter and Lordships Graffalo, the horse she calls Walter.
When dressage leader Jung went out of contention yesterday she rose to pole position, and she had more than two fences in hand as she set off today. The first element of the double at fence four hit the floor, but she still completed with a 6.7 fault advantage over King to take the individual honours and to put the icing on the British team cake.
Expectation
Talking about how she handled the weight of expectation she said, “I had to keep in my own bubble a little bit, remind myself who I’m sat on and just try and do the best job I could in that situation.”
The team success means even more to her than her individual achievement. “For me the team always comes first, it’s what I do it for, it’s what I dream of doing. Our family are sporty all-rounders and it’s always been about riding for Great Britain. After (winning) Badminton that was such a massive box ticked for me and I didn’t think it could get much better! I’ve got Walter to thank for it all, he’s just unbelievable!”, added the 37-year-old who took team and individual gold at the world championship in 2018 and European team Gold in both 2017 and 2021.
Like Canter, King was on the winning British side at the 2021 European Championship, but she said today she wasn’t expecting to feature so prominently this time around.
“I thought I’d be coming out here just to put a score on the board and be a good pathfinder and that it would be up to the rest with their amazing horses. So to come home with a medal of any colour is a huge honour and achievement and I’m very, very proud of my horse! I’m delighted with silver - and Ros definitely deserves the gold!”, she pointed out.
Germany’s Auffarth was quite happy with her individual bronze, but even happier that her team managed to take silver after losing their star player in Michael Jung. She said her chestnut gelding Viamant was a bit fired up by the enthusiastic crowd today, but it also made him jump even better. “I’m very proud of him, and proud of my team and all the work we put in at our training camps”.
Favourites
At the post-competition press conference her Chef d’Equipe, Jens Adolphsen, said “after Tokyo everyone said the Brits are favourites for the next 50 years! But then it changed (when the German team won gold at the last year’s world championship) and now I hope it changes again!”
Paris 2024 is now in full focus for all the nations, and the relief for Belgium and The Netherlands with today’s confirmation of their participation was enormous. It was particularly emotional for Dutch team member and coach, Andrew Heffernan.
“I had 20 years of competing and then I got the job as coach because we needed to qualify for Paris, and with the support of all my riders I came out of retirement and rode on the team. And thank god it has worked out - now I’m going straight back into retirement because the pressure this week - from my perspective doing both jobs has been huge. This was what we needed to achieve and we’ve done it!”, he said, attempting to control an ocean of happy tears.
There was a question about gender balance in equestrian sport from the floor of the press conference today, and FEI President and IOC member Ingmar de Vos, who earlier thanked the show organisers, officials and volunteers for making this FEI Eventing European Championship such a special occasion, pointed out that “we are the absolute champions of gender diversity because everyone has a chance in our sport!”
Indeed everyone has a chance, but they’ll all be out to beat the British next summer so when Ros Canter was asked if she expects to be the Paris 2024 Olympic champion she replied, “the simple answer is - I hope so!”
For now however she can bask in the light of European golden glory….
Team Great Britain’s mission to take their 24th team and 20th individual title is back on track after a thrilling cross-country day at the FEI Eventing European Championship 2023 at Haras du Pin in France.
Ysterday they already stood top of the team leaderboard but it was German star, Michael Jung, who was heading the individual standings at the end of the dressage phase.
On a roller-coaster of an afternoon today however Jung was eliminated for an unlucky fall at the drop before the final water complex, and going into tomorrow’s closing jumping phase it is Britain’s Ros Canter and the horse with which she won Badminton 2023, Lordships Graffalo, who head the individual standings.
Storming
The pair were in a league of their own when storming around the recalibrated course with nine seconds to spare on a day when not one other combination managed to get home within the optimum time of 8 minutes 18 seconds. Lying second when the actions resumes in the morning is Canter’s team-mate Kitty King (Vendredi Biats) while Germany’s Sandra Auffarth (Viamant du Matz) is in third and Frenchman Stephane Landois (Ride for Thais Chaman Dumontceau) is in fourth place.
There were many changes to the individual leaderboard, but none as dramatic as that of Ireland’s Sarah Ennis who, lying 54th of the 56 competitors after dressage, has rocketed up to fifth with Grantstown Jackson going into the final day. Team silver medallist at the FEI World Equestrian Games in 2018, she had the unenviable task of going first on today’s cross-country track and, coming home in 8 minutes 24 seconds, gave the impression that the challenge was not as difficult as had been anticipated.
As it turned out however on a day when three horse-and-rider combinations retired and eight were eliminated, she and her Irish-bred gelding were one of the very best when producing the second-fastest ride in this phase.
Decision
After a night of torrential rain the Ground Jury made an early decision this morning to shorten the track, dress the take-off areas of some fences and to delay the start, originally scheduled for mid-day, to 14.00 hours. The loop of fences from 12 to 15 was removed, so horses went directly from the log-pile at eleven to the water complex at 17ab and 18, and there was an option at fence five.
It wasn’t just Pierre Le Goupil’s beautifully designed course that asked questions however. The going, already challenged by over 250mm of rain in the last few weeks and further softened by the overnight downpour, tested strength and stamina.
British pathfinder King set her team up nicely when collecting just 3.6 time penalties but there was a nervous moment when reigning world champions Yasmin Ingham and Banzai de Loir had a run-out at the last element of the coffin combination at fence 22. And when Laura Collett’s line through the corner at fence 20b with London 52 went under review she had to add 15 penalties for missing the flag along with her 9.2 time penalties.
Exhibition
Canter gave an exhibition of cross-country riding, recovering quickly from a blip at fence two where a number of others also had an uneasy moment, to return with a fresh horse and a big smile.
“He’s very efficient, a very careful horse, he never balloons, he never goes green so he always lands travelling which is very good. He’s extremely polite which is unusual - to have a horse that travels at his speed that is so responsive. So when he gallops he gallops low, but when you sit up he bunches up and his head comes up. It’s the best of both worlds. There aren’t many that gallop low and then don’t want to stay down there. Not many that have their heads up to jump but then want to gallop low. I think that’s where he’s just amazing. I’ve never sat on a horse like him that travels so efficiently and that is so rideable and so brave.
He measures every jump, he reads every jump and sees to know how much he has to give everything. He makes my job easy because, hand on heart I’m not normally the fastest rider!”, she said afterwards.
Dashed
Michael Jung’s freak fall late on the track dashed German chances of a closer contest going into the final day. His normally sure-footed gelding Fischerchipmunk FRH just didn’t seem to get his landing gear down in time and knuckled over on the slope at fence 24 to leave his rider with no chance of staying in the saddle.
Jung was stoic however - “it was just unlucky, there was nothing anyone could do about it”, he said afterwards. That’s horse sport as the double Olympic champion knows only too well.
Auffarth, Christoph Wahler (Carjatan S) and Malin Hansen-Hotopp (Carlitos Quidditch K) are left to fly the German flag tomorrow, but there is a 27.3 penalty gap between them and the leading British, while the French foursome of Landois, Gaspard Maksud (Zaragoza), Nicolas Touzaint (Absolut Gold HDC) and Karim Florent Laghouag (Triton Fontaine) are only 0.2 penalty points behind in bronze medal position as the day begins. Team Ireland lie fourth (136.4), the Swiss are in fifth (147.9), Belgium is in sixth place (166.2), Sweden in seventh (194.8) and The Netherlands lie eighth (212.2).
Both Team Italy and Team Austria dropped out of contention today leaving Belgium and The Netherlands on course for the two Olympic qualifying spots on offer.
And the battle for the team and individual medals at the 70th anniversary FEI Eventing European Championship is far from done and dusted. The second horse inspection will take place at 09.00 tomorrow and the jumping phase will begin at 12 noon. There’s a lot still for play for…
Don’t miss a hoofbeat….
It has taken 40 years to make it happen, but today Team Switzerland held the Aga Khan Cup aloft when winning the sixth and last leg of the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ 2023 Europe Division 1 series in Dublin, Ireland.
And for Swiss team member Martin Fuchs, this victory was all the more special because it was filled with family connections to the past.
“It was a fantastic day and very emotional. I was thinking a lot about my father (Thomas Fuchs) and godfather Willi Melliger who were both on the winning team 40 years ago. It was a dream to win the Nations Cup here today. I remember my dad talking about this win and I am so happy I can share this with him today and have the same emotions he had 40 years ago!”, he said.
That victorious team in 1983 also included Walter Gabathuler and Heidi Robbiani who bridged a 53-year gap since Switzerland’s previous win in 1930. It seems the wait makes victory all the sweeter.
On a high-scoring afternoon Swiss supremacy was emphatic, their zero scoreline in stark contrast to the remainder of the field. Team Great Britain, winners on their home turf at Hickstead two weeks ago, racked up 57 faults to finish last, behind Spain on 28, The Netherlands on 24, Belgium on 21 and France on 20. Third place went to Mexico - always welcome visitors at the Irish venue - who completed with 16 faults on the board, while the hosts finished second on a total of 12.
Without penalty
The Swiss already had the bit between their teeth when they were the only ones without penalty at the halfway stage. Pathfinders Steve Guerdat and Venard de Cerisy led with a foot-perfect run over Alan Wade’s course, and although Bryan Balsiger’s Chelsea Z clipped the middle element of the triple combination at fence 10 first time out, both Fuchs with Leone Jei and last-line partnership Edouard Schmitz and Gamin van’t `Naastveldhof kept a clean sheet.
As round two began the Irish, French and British were all on level pegging with eight faults apiece in second place, while Belgium and Spain were on 12, Mexico on 16 and the Dutch were lying last with 20 on the board. The French added 12 to their scoreline however and the British effort collapsed when their pathfinder Sam Hutton was eliminated for a fall from Oak Grove’s Laith, Sienna Charles matched her first-round tally of 12 with Stardust and Tim Gredley picked up eight with Medoc de Toxandria before Sienna’s brother, Harry Charles, ran into all sorts of problems with Romeo 88 for an extremely uncharacteristic 29 faults.
In contrast however, Team Mexico produced three brilliant clear rounds to hold their ground. They have a special place in Irish hearts after their thrilling victory at the Dublin venue in 2018 and the crowd were right behind Nicolas Pizarro (Pia Contra), Fernando Martinez Sommer (Cor Bakker), Federico Fernandez (Romeo) and Jose Antonio Chedraui Eguia (H-Lucky Retto). Their sixteen faults proved plenty good enough for third place at the end of the day.
Favourites
The Irish had been favourites to repeat their success of 2022, but first-round mistakes at the open water for both Michael Duffy (Cinca) and Mikey Pender (HHS Calais) and a pole down in the combination for Cian O’Connor (Eve d’Ouilly) left them carrying those eight faults - a spectacular clear from Shane Sweetnam (James Kaan Cruz) allowing them to drop four from their scoreline. And when the Swiss didn’t even need to call on Schmitz in the second round because the win was already in the bag after three more fabulous clears, the Irish, with just four more to add without bringing Sweetnam back into the ring, decided to call it a day because they couldn’t be beaten for runner-up spot.
At the halfway stage Swiss Chef d’Equipe, Michel Sorg, was happy but cautious. “We all know what can happen in the second round so we must stay calm and focused!”, he said. His team gave him nothing to worry about however.
“Today was a very enjoyable day with a nice course”, said Guerdat. “I had lots of fun during both rounds, my horse was jumping really good and he made it feel easy! We said before we came here that we really wanted to beat the Irish and we made it work. They are always very strong here and we had to be stronger to win. We are all happy it worked out today!”
Balsiger said, “I was a little disappointed after the first round and the mistake I had. It was my mistake in the middle of the triple combination but I am so proud of my horse and he improves at every show. I really like the atmosphere here and it is a special show for me as I have family living about one hour from Dublin. They were here today and I am so happy!”
Important
For Michel Sorg, everything about this win was important.
“It was really special to stand on the podium in this amazing arena. It is a dream to win here. Our last win was 40 years ago with Thomas (Fuchs) in the team who is now our national coach!”
Today’s result is the perfect preparation for his next target - the FEI Jumping European Championship 2023 which kick off in Milan (ITA) in just over two weeks’ time where Switzerland will be hunting not just European medal glory but a crucial qualifying spot for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
“Milano is the biggest goal of this year for us. We want to qualify for Paris and it was important to bring the same four guys here who will be in Milan in a few weeks. It is good for the team spirit”, he pointed out.
This was Switzerland’s third victory from their four allocated starts in the 2023 Europe Division 1 series, having won the opening leg on home ground at St Gallen in June, at Falsterbo in Sweden in July and again today at the last leg in Dublin, Ireland. They finish at the top of the league table with 370 points ahead of Ireland in second, Great Britain in third, Germany in fourth, Belgium, Netherlands and France in fifth, sixth and seventh places and Italy in eighth place.
Only the top seven of the eight competing nations in this series qualify for the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ 2023 Final in Barcelona (ESP) from 28 September to 1 October, so Team Italy has missed the cut.
German giant Michael Jung swaggered to the top of the individual standings with a superb performance from Fischerchipmunk FRH as the dressage phase drew to a close at the FEI Eventing European Championship 2023 at Haras du Pin (FRA) today.
As expected the individual leaderboard got a good shake-up, but it was four of reigning world champion Yasmin Ingham’s British compatriots who ousted her from overnight pole position before Jung overtook them all with a ride that earned a sensational leading score of 19.4 going into tomorrow’s cross-country challenge.
His advantage is narrow however with a whole tribe of Brits breathing down his neck. Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo are in second (21.3), Tom McEwen is in third (22.0), Laura Collett and London 52 are in fourth (22.4) while Ingham (23.4) has dropped to fifth ahead of Tom Jackson and Capels Hollow Drift in sixth place (25.7).
The team classification shows the British out in front on a tally of 67.1 with Germany in second on 76.3 and Belgium in third on 90.9. Switzerland and The Netherlands share fourth place with 93.1 on the board while France (94.4), Sweden (98.9), Italy (99.1), Austria (103.5) and Ireland (105.5) are lining up behind them.
But none of the leading pack are feeling complacent about their results so far. All talk is about the challenge that will be presented by Pierre Le Goupil’s cross-country track tomorrow.
Overtake
McEwen was first to overtake Ingham this morning. The world number two rider produced two big second-place results - at the CCIO4*-NC-L in Boekelo (NED) last October and at the CCI5*-L in Kentucky (USA) in April 2023 - with the 12-year-old JL Dublin since taking up the ride last year.
“He’s simply stunning on the flat!”, he said. “He captures the eye, he swings through and bar the tiniest few things he was absolutely excellent. I was delighted, I thought the changes were a serious highlight and as per usual that extended trot - if we could do five more of those we’d be in the lead by a little way!”, he pointed out.
Collett and London 52, Olympic team gold medallists in Tokyo and three-time 5* winners, then slotted in behind her compatriot, but Jung set a whole new target when third to go of the final tranche of today’s competitors, and despite a powerful challenge from Canter he couldn’t be budged from the top of the scoreboard.
Analysing his test today he said “the highlight was definitely the entire canter-work. However we lost some points in the walk which could be better. Overall it was one of the best tests we’ve ever done!”
Over the moon
Canter said she was “over the moon with Walter” - Lordships Graffalo’s stable name. “It’s been a long wait for me this last two days…when I got on today I felt better that I had a job to do at last! Looking back at old videos of Walter in the spring building up to Badminton I can’t believe how much he has come on since then, he’s truly an amazing horse and I’m very lucky to have him!”
All the riders know that their dressage scores may pale to insignificance tomorrow because the cross-country track cannot be underestimated. Jung described it as “big but fair”, adding however that “every question needs to be clearly understood by the horses.”
McEwen said, “I think they’ve built a beautiful track, not what I was expecting but a stunning track but you have to be on it the whole way around, stay on your game, feel where you’re going and judge where you are at”.
Very big
Collett said “dimensionally it’s very big, there’s no real let-up for the horses energy-wise and of course the ground is going to play a massive part. (The weather) is probably not what we were all expecting going to France. You are going to have to be on your A-game, the first water is a serious test and it comes very early”.
And it has been raining this evening.
Canter said “the weather and the ground is something we the Brits have had to cope with a lot this year….we’ve ridden on this going so many times that hopefully we can stay in our bubble and concentrate on our job. The first water is a very big drop in so it will be interesting to see how they read that. I think it’s more the undulations, the twists and the turns that are going to create the challenges at the jumps”.
German team member Sandra Auffart is lying individually eleventh after scoring 28.6 with Viamant du Matz today. If there is anyone who knows about riding the cross-country track at Haras du Pin in less than ideal conditions it is the multi-medalled three-time Olympian who took double-gold here at the FEI World Equestrian Games in 2014 with Opgun Luovo. She is not intimidated by the challenge of tomorrow’s track.
Asked if there was any comparison to the course she tackled so successfully nine years ago she replied, “yes its a bit similar here and there, with the last water and again the last hill - I remember every bit of the cross-country from 2014 so I think that’s a little advantage! The first water is also a bit similar with a drop down the curved line to the skinny one in the water. It’s a tough question at the beginning but the course is interesting and it’s very exciting!”
The action gets underway at 12.00 with Ireland’s Sarah Ennis and Grantstown Jackson first out on the course.
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Result after Dressage: https://results.worldsporttiming.com/event/162
A dedicated Press Kit can also be found here
At the end of day one at the FEI Eventing European Championship 2023 at Haras du Pin (FRA), the defending champions from Great Britain are already flexing their not-inconsiderable muscles. It’s only halfway through the Dressage phase, but with the reigning individual world championship partnership of Yasmin Ingham and Banzai du Loir lying first and team-mate Kitty King in third place with Vendredi Biats they already have a strong grip on the team and individual leaderboards.
However, last to go this afternoon, Germany’s Jerome Robine produced a super test from his 13-year-old Irish-bred gelding Black Ice to separate the two British ladies when slotting into second spot. Competing as an individual the 25-year-old rider and the horse he steered into tenth place at Luhmuehlen (GER) in June look set to present a serious challenge.
As it stands this evening Team Germany is lying second with Christop Wahler in individual fourth place with Cartjatan S and Malin Hansen-Hotopp and Carlitos Quidditch K in tenth. The nations lining up behind them are The Netherlands, France, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, Sweden, Austria and Ireland in that order.
Ingham leads the individual standings on a score of 23.4 and Robine is next with 26.0 ahead of King on a mark of 27.2 and Wahler on 28.3.
Early lead
The Netherland’s Andrew Heffernan and Gideon took the early lead and held on for some time, their impressive score of 29.00 leaving them fifth overnight ahead of Sweden’s Lina Forsberg (Kaizen) in sixth and Frenchman Karim Florent Laghouag (Triton Fontaine) in seventh. Completing the line-up of the top 10 so far are two Italians, Giovannii Ugolotti (Swirly Temptress) and Evelina Bertoli (Fidjy des Melezes) in eighth and ninth followed by Hansen-Hotopp in tenth.
Britain’s King was the first to overtake Heffernan but wasn’t entirely happy with her performance.
“Froggy (Vendredi Biats) did a solid test but I’m a bit disappointed with the mark, it’s quite a bit off what he can score. He was really onside, didn’t really make any mistakes, the rein-back was a shame because he’s usually very good at those but there was a bit of a miscommunication between us, but otherwise he was super and tried the whole time so I’m really proud of him”, she said after putting her good score on the board.
She was already thinking ahead to Saturday’s cross-country course which has all the riders talking.
“Obviously I’ve got a job to do going first and hopefully put in a good score for the team. It’s going to be a tough track, very twisty and hilly and the ground is fairly soft so it’s going to be a good stamina test, and there are lots of questions right to the very end so you are going to have to stay on your game”, she pointed out.
She described the 29-fence test as “a cross between Bramham and Luhmuehlen - Bramham dimensions and terrain and Luhmuehlen twistiness. But he’s done well done in both so I hope that will stand us in good stead. It’s a great track and I look forward to Saturday!”, she said.
Undaunted
Ingham is also undaunted. Just as he was when he carried her to the world title a year ago, Banzai was light, elegant and expressive today when cruising to the top of the dressage scoreboard. The day got warmer as it went along but she said, “he’s not a horse that seems to struggle in the heat, he felt really extravagant in there, he was floating around the boards, and he really is such a pleasure to ride in every phase”.
Her take on the cross-country test is that “it’s a very interesting track, very well built and designed and beautifully presented so I’m really looking forward to riding around it. There are some serious questions and the ground is the same kind of ground we’ve been dealing with in England. There’s been a lot of rain here so I’m hoping this next few days drying weather will help that. I’m looking forward to Saturday but I won’t be taking anything for granted, there’s lots to do and I’ll be working hard to have a good result”, she said.
Asked to compare the course at Haras du Pin to Pratoni (Italy) where she won the world title she said “Pratoni was very undulating and twisty and this brings similar vibes to that. But it’s very big and bold out there, quite a lot of big ditches and brushes and everything dimensionally is quite big so I’m very lucky to be sat on an excellent jumping horse”.
And does holding the title of world champion put more pressure on her? “I still can’t believe that actually happened! I still put just as much pressure on myself and nothing really has changed in that regard. I’m still very competitive and want to do my best and make sure I ride Banzai to the best and show him off!”, she explained.
She was only 25 when she scooped that world title a year ago, and second-placed Jerome Robine is only that age this year. His excellent test today was not unexpected because he has regularly scored in the early 20s and he has been on the German team radar for quite some time. Today’s result has confirmed the wisdom of his selection for his very first senior championship.
He said this evening that he is lucky to be in a position to share feedback from German team members Hansen-Hotopp and Wahler before heading out onto Saturday’s cross-country track. He feels quite confident about it but he knows it won’t be easy.
“It starts with the first water and you have from the beginning to the end questions all the way, so and there will be mistakes everywhere”, he said. He’ll be hoping he won’t be making any of them however.
Challenging
Cross-country course designer, Pierre Le Goupil, explained today that it has been a challenging time preparing the ground for this year’s event at Haras du Pin. “We probably had more than 250mm of water in two weeks which is a lot on a natural clay ground. In fact Le Pin is more easy to prepare when it is dry”, he said.
“This puts a little bit more pressure on the (horse and rider) combinations…it is already a demanding venue because of the topography, it is never flat. The only fences that can be on the flat are in the water jump. The strategy of the riders, the knowledge, the commitment between the combinations is going to be part of the game and they will need to have a strategy to know their horse and not to ride flat so they have enough petrol in the tank to finish.”
Before Saturday’s excitement however there is another day of dressage ahead and the leaderboard could likely get another good shake-up.
Italy’s Federico Sacchetti (GRC Shiraz) will be first into the ring tomorrow morning followed by Ireland’s Jennifer Kuehnle (Polly Blue Eyes), Great Britain’s Tom McEwen (JL Dublin) and Girg Le Coz (Aisprit de al Loge) from France. Then the team rotation begins again with some of the biggest names in the sport going later in the day including Germany’s Michael Jung (Fischerchipmunk FRH) and Great Britain’s Ros Canter (Lordships Graffalo).
Don’t miss a hoofbeat….
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