On a day that bubbled with excitement, Team USA stood firm to take Dressage team gold, Team Brazil made history when slotting into silver medal position and the defending champions from Canada took bronze at the Pan American Games 2023 in Quillota, Chile.

This was the ninth PanAm Dressage team title for the USA as the side of Christian Simonson (Son of a Lady), Anna Marek (Fire Fly), Codi Harrison (Katholt’s Bossco) and Sarah Tubman (First Apple) finished on a tally of 450.670. Brazil completed on 443.343 and Canada posted a score of 431.937. 

As the US is already qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games it was the Brazilians and Canadians who claimed the two qualifying spots on offer. The hosts from Chile finished fourth on 423.672.

Biggest score

Today’s tests were Intermediate l for Small Tour and Grand Prix Special for Big Tour combinations, and the biggest score was posted by Ecuadorian individual Julio Mendoza Loor and Jewel’s Goldstrike who topped the Special with 78.617. Yesterday’s Grand Prix winning partnership of João Victor Marcari Oliva and Feel Good VO from Brazil slotted into a very close second when putting 78.612 on the board and defending individual champion Sarah Tubman from the USA finished third with Little Apple on 76.872. 

Four years ago the American pair were competing at Small Tour level, and this time around they showed just how much they have developed their partnership when stepping up to the Big Tour challenge so successfully. 

The Americans came out today with all guns blazing and 21-year-old Christian Simonson got them off to the perfect start when taking a strong lead in the Intermediate l when posting 74.971 which would leave him best in the Small Tour competition and individually fourth at the end of the day. That was backed up by 74.489 from Marek and Fire Fly, and 71.957 from Harrison riding Katholt’s Bossco before Tubman put the icing on the cake with her 76.872.

Amazing week

“It’s been such an amazing week!”, said Florida-based Tubman. “We are the youngest team the US has sent out in quite a while and I’m really proud to say we all delivered personal bests across the board along with amazing camaraderie! It’s one thing to stand up there and have the national anthem played because of your performances, and it’s completely different to do it next to three friends!”

Success today was particularly emotional for the 35-year-old as she remembered her former sponsor, Gerry Ibanez, who passed away not long after she won the individual medal at the last Pan Americans in Lima, Peru four years ago. 

Harrison who hails from Kansas but now also lives in Florida, USA said “you dream of making it into a championship like this and for it to come real is the best feeling!” 

Simonson’s Danish-bred gelding was formerly competed by Spanish Olympian and prolific producer of young Dressage horses Severo Jurado Lopez, and by Danish Olympian and World Championship team gold medallist Carina Cassøe Krüth. “I’m really fortunate to ride him”, said the young American, “he’s one of the only horses I’ve met that…even if he doesn’t win, that fighting feeling he gives you is probably the best thing!” 

Celebrate

The Brazilians had a lot to celebrate today. Not only have they been hugely impressive so far, with the relatively inexperienced Paulo Cesar Dos Santos (Fidel Da Sasa JE) and Renderson Silva De Oliveira (Fogoso Campline) showing extraordinary potential in their first year at Grand Prix level, but this foursome have also earned Brazil’s first-ever Pan American Dressage team silver medals along with that coveted Olympic slot. There was an enormous sense of achievement for them, and a sense that this is only the first step on a new journey ahead.

“This is the most special day of my life, a really important moment in my career!”, said Dos Santos. “It’s been a really hard year for me but I was confident that I would be here with a very strong team and we would be able to get our objective - the silver medal and also the qualification for the Olympic Games. I want to thank this amazing team - we are all warriors here together - and all the people back in Brazil, my family and my friends who are cheering for me. They push us to be here in this great moment and I want to share this moment with them as well!”

João Victor Marcari Oliva said of his fellow team-members, “they are not just partners in competition they are friends in life!” His horse, Feel Good, is special to him because he’s had him since he was 18 months old and they have grown up together. “He’s been with me a very long time and today he gave me everything we trained for over this last nine and a half years together. I’m so happy with him and he deserves a sacks of carrots now!”, said the 27-year-old rider.

Dream year

Manuel Rodrigues Tavares de Almeida Neto, who got married just a few weeks ago, said the last time he competed was at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and that, coming back to the sport after six years, this has been a dream year.

“I got this mare in April, the first German horse I was riding”, said the 30-year-old athlete who is more attuned to the Lusitano horses so closely associated with his successful equestrian family. “It was quite a challenge and I couldn’t be happier with the result. We made history here today and I really hope João and Renderson can make more history the day after tomorrow. 

“For Brazil this result puts us in a spot we’ve never been before, and in the next years I think there is much more to come so we can start dreaming and planning to make history at the Olympics as well - not this one (Paris 2024) but the next one!”, he added.

Meanwhile the top-23 combinations have qualified for Wednesday’s individual Freestyle medal-decider, so don’t miss a hoofbeat….

Results here

Since 2000, Le Lion D’Angers has played host to the most prestigious championship for young event horse- The FEI WBFSH Eventing World Breeding Championships for Young Horses. With a litany of famous equine winners, it highlights the connection between breeding and performance, and champions both stallions and breeders of event horses from across the world.

Many horses that have competed in Le Lion d’Angers have gone on to excel at international and even championship level. A vast number of stud books were represented in both the six-year-old and the seven-year-old championships this year, with the top prizes going to a British bred six-year-old mare and French-bred seven-year-old mare. 

It was a fairy tale win for Golden de Beliardaa and Thomas Carlile in the seven-year-old World Championships. This classy Anglo Arab mare is sired by Upsilon who Carlisle successfully campaigned to Championship level and appeared on a number of French national teams. Golden de Beliardaa is out of the mare Vieusinge du Maury by Jalienny and has been produced by Carlisle. This athletic little mare jumped a double clear to finish on her dressage score of 28.3 penalties. 

Speaking after his victory Carlile was emotional about her performance. “She gives everything she has. This little mare is a ray of sunshine she paws at me every time, so I am a little exhausted but I am really happy. She had a great season, everything she has done she has done really well. I am not thinking what comes next for her, we will see what happens next season. She is exceptional because she is a little reduced in her chassis but she has a lot of desire. She is not one we intend to sell with her breeding and because she is a mare.”

The seven-year-old class proved to be a hard-fought contest throughout, with less than a penalty separating the top five horses on the final leaderboard. The runner-up of this championship was Kiarado d’Arville ridden by Lara De Liedekerke for Belgium, who was narrowly defeated by Carlisle after picking up 0.4 of a time penalty in the jumping phase- this cost her the victory as she wound up just 0.1 penalty behind, on a final score of 28.4. The striking Belgian gelding is sired by top jumping stallion Diarado out of Nooney Blue by Jet Set Du Rezidal. Lara De Liedekerke has future Olympics in mind with this horse. “He is a fantastic horse, I am so happy. He’s a horse I plan very strongly for Los Angeles. He is very efficient in all phases.”

Third place went to another French-bred mare, Gravure de la Mouline by the Selle Francais stallion Eldorado de Hus out of the mare Quandy de Hus Z by Que Guapo. Ridden by Astier Nicolas for France, the mare finished on her dressage score of 28.7.

The Championship for six-year-old horses was won by the British bred mare, Barrington Alice ridden by Izzy Taylor (GB) and owned by long-standing event horse owner, Johnny Hornby. The flashy grey mare is sired by dual-purpose stallion Cevin Z out of Allercombe Mayday who was sired by the prestigious Thoroughbred stallion Kuwait Beach. The pair produced a stunning test to put them into second after the dressage, before jumping clear inside the time on the cross-country phase. The heat was on in the jumping phase with less than a fence in hand, between the top seven horses after the second phase. Taylor and her spring-heeled mare kept their cool, to jump a clear round with just 0.8 of a time penalty and finish on a score of 26.9.

Speaking after the result Taylor summed up her mare’s performance. “We are very happy with her. She’s a very exciting horse for the future, I rate her very highly and I think she’s a Senior Championship horse. She handled this week and every phase very professionally. She jumped a super round today, she was never going to touch a fence. The course was plenty tough enough and the time was tight enough for babies.”

Taylor is a previous winner here, having won the six-year-old championships on Monkeying Around in 2018- the horse she has since been short-listed for Senior Championships on. “I have won here with two very different horses but have ridden them both since four-year-olds.  This horse is bred by Susie Holroyd, who also bred my horse Allercombe Ellie who was meant to go to Rio (Olympics), so maybe this horse will…”

Taylor has competed on a number of British senior teams with different horses and very much hopes to be the one to take her up the levels. “She will have a holiday now and come back for next year. Hopefully she will win the seven-year-old Championships next year. Barrington Sports Horse own her, they own several lovely young horses and if someone really wants to buy them they can, but hopefully that won’t happen and she will go to the top with me.”

Second place went to the French-bred, Hermes Du Gevauden ridden by Stephane Landois, finishing on their dressage score of 27.7. The Selle Francais gelding is by Quintus D’09 and the dam is Amber Du Gevauden by Quality Touch. “The horse is normally a good jumper and the course was tough and the time was tight today but he delivered. For the future he will do the seven-year-old season and hopefully come back here next year. The goal for the end of the season was coming here.”

In third place on a score of 28.8, was Cooley on Ice and Amanda Goldsbury from New Zealand, who was competing here at Le Lion for the first time. Her Zangersheide mare was very inexperienced but is another exciting horse eventing under the world-famous Cooley prefix. “We’ve only had her since June and she had never evented. She had only done four events before coming here but she has an amazing attitude, she’s brave and careful and a lot of fun to ride.” 

Riders and owners were full or praise for this popular event, which is always famed for its imaginative cross-country fences and testing but educational tracks. The course was once again designed by the prestigious French Designer, Pierre Michelet.

FULL RESULTS 

Image: FEI / PSV

Uruguay's Eventing team is eagerly preparing to compete at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, fresh from their bronze team medal at the South American Games in 2022.

FEI Solidarity, as part of its mandate to promote sports development, has been a crucial partner in enabling Uruguay's athletes to shine on the international stage. This support has allowed the team to train locally, ultimately leading to their qualification for the Pan American Games. The journey has spanned a decade, and it's been steered by the guidance of National Head Coach, Edison Quintana.

Lucia Chieza, President of Uruguay's National Federation, expressed their gratitude for FEI Solidarity's support: "The funding received from FEI Solidarity has been so helpful to organise more events in our country, to help National Officials to become FEI Officials, and also to develop the grassroots levels,”

Overcoming challenges

Despite COVID 19 pandemic challenges disrupting their training, the team's dedication remained strong. After securing their Pan Ams spot at the 2022 South American Games, they continued to work; “We ask our riders to compete in pure Jumping and pure Dressage,” continues Chieza. “This helps us to be more prepared for international Eventing”.

National Head Coach, Edison Quintana played a pivotal role in the team's preparation and qualification for the Pan Am Games. Notably, Quintana also contributed as a teammate, alongside Svr Fraile Del Santa Lucia, clinching an individual silver medal in addition to the bronze team honour at the South American Championships.

“We want to complete a good event, and improve results of the past Games,” said Quintana. “I am so grateful to FEI Solidarity because we were able to be competitive in the South American championship because we had money to organise events to have this preparation. This would not be possible without the financial aid of FEI Solidarity. Today we are here in Chile, with our flag flying and happy to have the possibility of representing our country”

As Edison embarks on his sixth Pan Am Games, his wealth of experience promises to bolster the team's performance.

Uruguay’s finest

Joining the ranks of seasoned campaigners is Federico Gonzalo Daners Bidegain and Demitasse, a combination displaying excellent form in the 2023 season with two consecutive wins at Tacuarembo (CCI3*-S) and Montevideo (CCI3*-L). This husband of Olympic showjumper Gigi Hewitt is determined to improve upon his 2011 results.

National Champion Rufino Emilio Dominguez Midon and bay gelding Svr Edecan De La Luz come as a formidable partnership. Although this will be Dominguez Midon's first experience in a regional event, his impressive track record as the 2022 national Champion suggests a strong performance, aiming for a top-20 finish.

Gastón Marcenal, alongside his 11-year-old mare, SVR Indy, has had a remarkable season, securing second place at Tacuarembo (CCI3*-L) and Rio Branco (CCI3*-L), and clinching bronze as part of the Uruguay team in the most recent South American Championship (2022). Although this might be their first international event, their experience together promises an outstanding performance.

FEI Solidarity support

FEI Solidarity's steadfast support from 2021 to 2023, including the silver team medal in 2022, reflects the remarkable success of their programme. Under the expert management of Quintana who himself has benefited from FEI Solidarity initiatives taking part in FEI’s Education Programme for National Coaches up to Level 3, the team has reached a point of self-sufficiency, showcasing the calibre of the team members, their training, and the unwavering support.

Lucia Chieza shared their ambitions, saying, “With the support of the FEI Solidarity Department, Uruguayan Army and our National Federation, our riders are extremely happy to represent our country at this important event.  We dream of having riders at the Olympic Games. We know it is very difficult but we hope that the Pan Ams can provide individual quota places for team Uruguay,”

FEI Solidarity's focus on sustainable development in equestrian sport has transformed Uruguay's Eventing team into a self-sufficient force. This success story exemplifies the tremendous impact of FEI Solidarity's tailored support in nurturing the four key pillars of National Federation, Athlete, Coach, and Values, from grassroots to the highest level, making a substantial difference on a global scale.

Check the FEI Solidarity Hub here.

You can follow the Pan American Games 2023 on FEI TV and the FEI YouTube channel

Team USA hold the lead after the opening day of Dressage at the Pan American Games 2023 in Quillota, Chile today. But a super test from the last man into the ring, João Victor Marcari with Feel Good VO, saw Brazil overtake Canada for second place going into tomorrow’s second day of action.

Marcari heads the individual leaderboard with the biggest score of the day, 76.478, while a personal-best of 76.065 leaves defending individual champion Sarah Tubman from the USA in second place with First Apple. Another Brazilian, Renderson Silva de Oliviera, is in third on a score of 75.304 with the famous Lusitano stallion Fogoso Campline. And in fourth spot going into day two is America’s Anna Marek who put 74.891 on the board with Fire Fly.

The team rankings are tight. USA is out in front on a collective score of 224.338 when the best three results are counted while Brazil is just over three points behind on 221.151. Canada lies third on 214.277, the hosts from Chile are in fourth on 209.920, Mexico holds fifth place on 202.822, Argentina is in sixth on 201.609 and Colombia is in seventh spot on 197.205. With only three combinations from the outset, Ecuador is no longer in contention following the elimination today of Caroline Espinosa and Findus K. However fifth place in the individual rankings is held by Ecuador’s Julio Mendoza Loor and Jewel’s Goldstrike while in sixth is the Small Tour combination of talented 21-year-old American Christian Simonson and the gelding Son of a Lady.

Images: FEI/ McMillan Photography

Thrilled

Marcari was thrilled to take individual pole position at the end of day one, but he is not getting carried away. “I didn’t really expect this!”, he said. “I was expecting to bring another horse but I had to change last week because the horse was not in the best shape so I had to bring this horse which is my second option - I expected to do a clean test, help my team, maybe get a medal from the team but not to win! I’m really happy, no words, I was crying after my test! I think I made my team proud, my trainer, my family and my country and this is what matters”, he said.

He wasn’t at all intimated by being the last rider into the arena this afternoon. “I liked going at the end of the day, I was making a joke that I was first to go in the Olympics and now I’m last to go at the Pan American Games!”, he said. Asked what he felt lay ahead he replied that “everything is possible here, maybe we won’t get a medal but I will still be happy. I achieved my objective today but tomorrow is another day and anything can happen!”, he concluded wisely.

Meanwhile Tubman reflected on the test that helped lift the USA to top of the team leaderboard. When she took the individual title in Lima, Peru four years ago she was still competing at Small Tour level. Today’s Grand Prix result was all the more special for that.

“It’s really cool to have gone through this process. USA have given us such a great opportunity, coming last time (to the Games) with an entirely Small Tour team. I felt I was more prepared this time because I knew what to expect. I’ve been really lucky in the last three or four years to travel a lot and be on other teams. But every time you go into that ring it’s the craziest butterfly feelings! So I’m just really proud of my horse. We’ve come a long way. It is not a small journey from Small Tour to Big Tour so to be rewarded in such a big ring - I think that was my personal best for the Grand Prix, I’m really proud of myself!”, she explained.

Dream come true

For third-placed Brazilian, Silva de Oliveira, today was a dream come true. He started out in the horse world cleaning stables and today the 31-year-old found himself putting his country within sight of achieving one of the two qualifying spots on offer this week for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. He only competed in his first Grand Prix in February this year, but he has a very special horse in the plucky little stallion Fogoso Campline who is doing everything to help him.

“I waited a long time for this moment in my life, I work hard every week and today my dream came true and I am really happy!”, he said. “It’s super to represent Brazil at the Pan American Games because it is my country, where for some people life is not easy but the people there are very special”, he said. 

“I started cleaning boxes and I worked really hard for a Brazilian rider who competed in the Pan American Games and Olympic Games. He said I can help you if you want and I said yes I want! He said you work and when you have time I can teach you. I started, and in a few months I had five or six horses and started competing in small (dressage) tests. This is now my life!

It is super to ride Fogoso”, he said of the 13-year-old horse that was previously ridden by Portugal’s Rodrigo Torres. “I only started doing Grand Prix this year and now I’ve done seven. In the first I made mistakes and each time I tried to improve. In my mind I know the Pan American Games is coming and I have to make my best test. And this here was my best test!”, he said, filled with joy. 

His reaction when he realised he had executed his best-ever ride today was to lean back in the saddle in the final halt and salute the crowd. And they loved him for it. Now, like all the rest, he has to try to do it all again.

Competition resumes at 11.00 local time tomorrow with Intermediate l for the Small Tour Riders and Grand Prix Special for the Big Tour contenders, and once again the top three scores from each team will count towards the final result. Team medals will be awarded tomorrow evening and it’s a close-run contest so far, so don’t miss a hoofbeat…

Results and startlists here 

Sweden’s Patrik Kittel concluded an exceptional week of success with victory in today’s first leg of the FEI Dressage World Cup™ 2023/2024 Western European League series in Herning, Denmark.

The 47-year-old three-time Olympian has long been master of the art when it comes to Freestyle performances, and with the 11-year-old gelding Touchdown he pinned an army of Danes into the minor placings.

On an emotional afternoon for rider Nanna Skodborg Merrald and the entire Blue Hors team, it was Blue Hors Zack who slotted into runner-up spot for the host nation ahead of compatriot Lone Bang Zindorff and Thranegaardens Rostov in third. Fourth and fifth places also went to Denmark with Andreas Helgstrand (Queenparks Wendy) pipping Anna Zibrandtsen (Quel Filou) while Germany’s Felicitas Hendricks (Drombusch OLD) slotted into sixth

“It’s difficult to put in words what a cool experience it was today!”, Kittel said. “The last time I won (a qualifier) was in 2017 and I think that was the last time I was really emotional when they played the national anthem!

“I knew all the (Danish) girls and Andreas would be really fighting to get up there and I tried to put that all behind me and go in and my horse just went unbelievably. I have to say that the lap of honour - with Scandic I’d be holding on for dear life - but Touchdown is so cool so you are high-fiving the entire audience! It’s an amazing feeling and the people in Boxen arena are so supportive, it’s great sport and it’s a great atmosphere to be in!”, he pointed out.

Pole position

All five judges - Peter Storr (GBR), Mariette Sanders-Van Gansenwinkel (NED), Susanne Baarup (DEN), Hans Christian Matthiesen (DEN) and Henning Lehrman (GER) - put Kittel in pole position for a soft and fluent test that earned a score of 84.065.

Skodborg Merrald’s 82.820 gave her the edge over Bang Zindorff whose mark of 81.760 was a personal-best however.

Skodborg Merrald admitted that she was fighting back the tears when the audience greeted herself and the 19-year-old Zack with such enthusiasm before they started. “It was bit emotional in the beginning when the audience welcomed me really nicely, clapping a lot. I felt the tears a bit there and I said to myself come on now, you have to pull yourself together and do your best! I think he really did his very best and I did as well today!”, she said.

Yesterday the pair had to settle for eighth place in the Grand Prix due to multiple mistakes. Today however they were mistake-free. “He was much more powerful, much more with me the whole way around. I was so, so proud, it was the best possible way for me to finish with him!”, she said of the horse that last year helped to make Danish Dressage history when part of the gold medal winning team at the FEI World Championship at this same venue.

Warm-up

Bang Zindorff’s warm-up wasn’t the way she wanted because her coach and fellow-competitor, Helgstrand, went two horses ahead of her. “Normally he helps in the warm-up so I had to use my husband! But he did a really good job and then Andreas came out and helped me for about five minutes. My goal was no mistakes and I succeeded so it was fantastic!”, she said.

Kittel talked about his plan for the FEI Dressage World Cup™ series.

“I’m very lucky at the moment to have so many good horses, four top top horses in my stables so one can rest and one can go and it’s a luxury that I’m very well aware of”, he explained.

“I will do Lyon (FRA) and Stuttgart (GER) with two different horses and I will take a decision about the Final when the day comes but first you have to qualify. But the World Cup series is so good. It starts in Herning with an amazing show and Stuttgart, Lyon they are all mega shows so whether you aim for the Final or not it’s great just to compete. I just take one show at a time and enjoy it!”, he said.

Four wins

He lined out in four classes at Herning and won all four, including the 3* Grand Prix and Grand Prix Special with Gallerias Bohemian, the 13-year-old gelding that carried Denmark’s Cathrine Dufour to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and to individual silver and bronze at the FEI European Championships in 2021.

He talked about the pressure of taking on such a successful horse from another top rider.

“Everyone has very high expectations and it’s not so easy. People are very quick to judge you, and Cathrine did such an amazing job with this horse. But even with the most well-educated horse you have to become a partner, and that takes time. I’ve only ridden him for 2.5 months and I need time to get to know him. Horses are not machines and neither are we, and we have to connect with them.

“Here in Boxen it was a risk taking him. I know the Danish audience have seen him with Cathrine and i wanted to do good and do the horse justice and Cathrine too. Here was the first time we did two fault-free tests together and that’s a lot of fun!”, he said.

Top ride

Kittel also competed Skodborg Merrald’s latest top ride, Blue Hors Zepter, in the past and he talked about what happens when horses move between top riders.

“I adored that horse and Nanna adored that horse. People think we are grumpy with each other when a horse changes (to another rider) but if the horse does well with another rider it actually gives me confidence that I did a good job with that horse! She rides it and does an amazing job, better than I did, but I’m happy with that! The horse has developed and bloomed….it’s part of the business and part of the game to do that, and it makes us riders happy to see the horse is performing well with someone else”, he insisted.

Today it was all about Touchdown however, and taking that top spot in Herning on the road to the FEI Dressage World Cup™ 2024 Final which will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia next April.

Next stop in the Western European League qualifying series is Lyon (FRA) in two weeks time where another win for Kittel would bring him very close to an early-season qualification spot.

Don’t miss a hoofbeat……

Result here: https://online.equipe.com/startlists/886005

Image: FEI / Kim Lundin

Ireland’s Richard Howley made it a magical double of back-to-back victories when, just a week after coming out on top at the opening leg in Oslo (NOR) last Sunday, he did it all again today at the second leg of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ 2023/2024 Western European League in Helsinki, Finland.

Once again there was a world-class field including many of those at the very top end of the rankings. But the 31-year-old rider who hails from Sligo in Ireland, lives in Yorkshire, England, and is ranked 114th simply left the rest floundering in his wake with another stunning performance from his 12-year-old gelding Consulent de Prelet Z in the eight-horse jump-off against the clock.

“I always want to win, and competing against the best riders you have to give all. My horse is very careful so I can ask him everything, I can move fast and collect him at the last minute. Obviously I never thought I would win both legs even if it is always the goal to win. I really want to try to go the the World Cup Final so this is my chance and we are very motivated”

Richard Howley (Ireland)

With two maximum scores his running tally of 40 points looks to have already booked his ticket to the 2024 Final which will take place next April in Riyadh in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Tested

Brazilian course designer Guilherme Jorge tested them with his 13-fence track that was all the more difficult because of the tight confines of the arena in Helsinki. And when Italy’s Lorenzo de Luca and the 11-year-old gelding Cappuccino 194 were the only partnership from the first group of 19 to come home on a clean sheet, it seemed not many more would make the cut. But Jorge got exactly what he expected.

“Eight clears is my favourite number for any class so I am very pleased!”, he said.

“It is a World Cup qualifier with good prize money and I was comfortable with how the horses were jumping. Of course during the first half I wanted more clears, but they did come. In an indoor arena both horses and riders have to be focused and to have a plan. If something doesn’t go according to plan then the rider doesn’t have so much time to adapt”, he explained, adding that the generous time-allowed of 77 seconds was deliberate because he didn’t want to put any extra pressure on horses and riders.

First out

De Luca was first out in the jump-off with an eight-fault run and The Netherlands’ Leopold van Asten and VDL Groep Iron Z also left two on the floor before 2022 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ champion, Switzerland’s Martin Fuchs, and the 10-year-old Commissar Z returned a four-fault result when clipping the second fence.

There was no mistake from the reigning series title-holder and double World Champion Henrik von Eckermann from Sweden however as he steered his exciting young mare Dzara Dorchival home clear in 36.86 to take the lead. Another former World Cup champion, Germany’s Daniel Deusser, also left all the timber intact with the 12-year-old Bingo Ste Hermelle to slot in behind the Swedish pair, but then 25-year-old rising German star Philipp Schulze Topphoff put in a mighty challenge which saw him overtake von Eckermann when stopping the clock in 36.77 seconds with the fabulous mare Carla NRW.

The penultimate partnership of Brazil’s Yuri Mansur and QH Alfons Santo Antonio double-faulted leaving only Howley to now challenge for the win as last man to go. And with supreme confidence he produced an extraordinary round that brought him home in 34.18 seconds, a full 2.59 seconds quicker than the young German whose round in 36.77 seconds had looked all but unbeatable.

It would the Irish national anthem ringing out across the arena for the second week in a row.

Quality

Talking about his winning horse Howley said, “he’s very careful and he’s got the end quality of jump and he’s super scopy. The most important thing is that I keep him trusting me and keep him confident in the build-up to these classes. And then when you ask the question he gives you everything. The horse is just a phenomenal character and he’s a real fighter!”

Howley’s own coolness under fire has been remarkable over the last two spectacular performances also.

Schulze Topphoff said he was very pleased with his second-place finish, but reckoned that he could have been faster. His mare Carla has a wonderful jumping technique, with her toes to her nose as she clears her fences with the greatest of ease.

“If I had followed her instinct I might have been faster!”, he said at the post-competition press conference. “I was a little slow at the beginning of the jump off and she is amazing and so careful. I have her since her first show the year when she was four. It was a little difficult at the start, she had a big stride and it took her time to find her balance but we gave her the time she needed to develop and I think she thanked us today!”, said the young man who was only 23 years old when winning the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ qualifier at La Coruna (ESP) in 2021.

Consistency

Howley said today that he owes his current success to the confidence his horse has established through consistency. “It’s from riding him well consistently, letting the horse gain belief in himself and belief in me that I’m not going to put him in a bad situation. Apart from that he’s also growing and developing, with every show he goes to he’s just getting better and better. He competed very well at the Global Tour this summer and now he’s come indoors and two out of two (qualifiers) he has won. I can’t expect more from him but I’m very grateful for what he does for me”, he said.

His next stop will be round three of the Western European League series in Lyon (FRA) in two weeks time, so don’t miss a hoofbeat…..

FULL RESULTS

Longines FEI Jumping world Cup WEL Standings

The mountains that tower above the capital city of Santiago in Chile were shrouded in mist today, and there was a chill in the spring-season air. But at the Escuela de Equitación Regimiento Granaderos army base in nearby Quillota, the temperature was already rising as the Dressage horses came forward for the first Horse Inspection ahead of tomorrow’s opening day of equestrian action at the Pan American Games 2023.

Over the next two weeks the hopes and dreams of athletes, horse owners, breeders, supporters and fans from 19 countries across the Americas are hanging in the balance along with qualifying slots for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. In Dressage only two teams will take Olympic tickets, and the countries chasing them down are Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Mexico. 

The event venue is proving a big hit with riders, and many of the horses had a real spring in their step when trotted up before the Ground Jury today.

“It is beautiful here with the mountains as the backdrop, the arena is really nice and all the warm-ups too, the stabling is super, super nice and the people are amazing. The Chileans are so welcoming and very sweet to us!”, said Mathilde Blais Tetreault after presenting the 13-year-old gelding, Fedor, who will line out for Team Canada tomorrow afternoon. 

Small Tour combinations will compete in the morning followed by Big Tour combinations in the afternoon, and the Canadian will run 29th of the 36 partnerships when riding the Grand Prix in front of the judges panel of Michael Esinski (USA), Cara Witham (CAN), Cesar Torrente (COL), Magnus Ringark (SWE) and Carlos Lopes (POR).

It’s a real family effort where Blais Tetreault is concerned. The 13-year-old Dutch-bred Fedor belongs to her sister, Laurence, who also competes but who has chosen to pass the horse over and instead act as groom for her sibling this week.  “It’s really an amazing experience for us to be here together for my first Championship and to have her by my side!”, said Mathilde today.

She started training the horse for her sister “and the partnership ended up being really good between him and I and she had the graciousness to give me the ride on the horse - I will be forever grateful!”, she explained.

Team

There was a real sense of collaboration between the Ecuadorian team this morning too. Julio Mendoza Loor describes his side as “the three Ecuadorian Muskateers!” 

Carolina Espinosa and Maria Jose Granja are both based in their country’s capital city of Quito where Carolina works as a coach and horse-trainer. Her horse, Findus K, belongs to one of her clients and was bought in Germany as a three-year-old. Espinosa trained him up to Prix St Georges and Intermediate 1 level. “It’s been a long journey but he’s a very sweet horse”, she said.

Together they competed on the gold medal winning team at the Bolivarian Games in 2017 alongside Granja and Mendoza Loor, so this is a side that has already proven its worth and they have a podium placing in their sights over the next few days.

Granja’s stallion, Emiliano, is 21 years young and started out as a Jumping horse. She took him on to help with his flatwork and ended up competing him at the Bolivarian Games in 2013, but his career came to a shuddering halt due to a bout of colic a year later. As it happened what could have been a tragedy turned into a career-defining episode because when she paid for Emiliano’s colic surgery the owner gifted her the horse. 

“He was a year in the field afterwards, and then I took him back and started training again. He was 11 years old then and now we are here ten years later!” said the rider who works at a sports club in Quito as a coach and stable manager.

Describing Emiliano she said “he has a big heart in a small horse!” and team-mate Mendoza Loor agreed. “Actually we call him Napoleon because he doesn’t know he’s so small. He’s only 158cms but he has a big opinion of himself!”, Mendoza Loor pointed out.

He is based in North Carolina, USA and is the most experienced member of the Ecuadorian team. A Pan American Games veteran and three-time gold medallist at the Bolivarian Games, he also competed at the FEI World Equestrian Games in Tryon (USA) in 2018.

He will line out in the Grand Prix tomorrow afternoon with the 12-year-old KWPN gelding Jewel’s Goldstrike, and there is no doubting his ambition.

“I need to finish in the top two individuals here to get to the Olympics”, he explained simply, adding that the team “will give everything and fight for the medals!” over the next few days.

Home flag

Meanwhile Team Chile’s Mario Vargas (Kadeine), Carlos Fernandez (Heroe XXV), Virginia Yarus (Ronaldo) and Svenja Grimm (Doctor Rossi) are tasked with flying the home flag, and they are doing it with enormous pride.

“We actually have a really experienced team, one of the best Chile has ever had!”, said Grimm this evening. “Mario has a long history of competing in Pan American Games, I also have a lot of history riding, Virginia is located in Wellington, USA most of the time and she competed at the Tokyo Olympics for Chile as well and at many Pan American Games, and for Carlos it is his second Pan Americans, he also rode in Lima (2019). So we have four riders with a lot of experience behind us”, she explained.

She continued, “there’s been a turning point in the sport here. Chile was very strong in the early years of the Games because of our army riders, and there was a strong German influence with German trainers. Now we’ve reached a turning point again, there is a group of people working really hard to bring the sport forward and to make it stronger in this country and having this team here shows that there has been development”. She trained with Germany’s Jonny Hilberath earlier in her career and has been coached by Dutch stars Emily Scholtens and Adelinde Cornelissen more recently.

Vargas, age 69, describes himself as “probably the oldest athlete competing for Chile at the Pan American Games but I’m so proud to be here!” In partnership with Grimm he spends half of each year in Chile and the rest in Europe competing with young horses they have produced between them.

“I have made eight Grand Prix horses in my life and 32 Small Tour horses - producing good horses is my real passion. Svenja and I work together a long time and we do a good job I think!”, he pointed out.

He will be second into the arena with Kadeine when the Prix St Georges gets things underway tomorrow morning, following Colombian pathfinders Santiago Cardona and his nine-year-old stallion Dostojewski who will step into the ring at 11.00 local time. 

It’s going to be a roller-coaster two weeks of thrilling sport in all three equestrian Olympic disciplines, so don’t miss a hoofbeat….

Follow the action on FEI.TV

More about the equestrian events at the Pan American Games 2023 in Santiago (CHI) here 

Startlists and Results here

The build-up to the 19th Pan American Games is at boiling point this week, and for Chile it is a very special moment as the country which is renowned for its stunning natural beauty, unique cultural traditions and rich history welcomes athletes from all across the Americas for the very first time. 

From 20 October to 5 November the capital city of Santiago will take centre stage as more than 6,000 of the best athletes on the continent compete across 38 sports, with qualification for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games adding an extra edge to the tension and excitement.

The countries that have previously hosted the Pan American Games are Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, the United States of America and Venezuela. The Games always take place the year ahead of the Olympics, and in equestrian sport there are three Olympic qualifying spots on offer in Jumping and two each in Dressage and Eventing, all of which will be hotly contested again this time around.  

The participating nations this year include Argentina, Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, USA, Uruguay and Venezuela while the two athletes from Guatemala will compete under a Neutral PS Flag.

The 2023 equestrian venue is at the Escuela de Equitación Regimiento Granaderos in Quillota, a traditional army compound in the Valparaiso region that lies in the foothills of Chile’s coastal mountain range. Quillota is located 126 km from Santiago city, and the action gets underway with Dressage next Sunday, 22 October. 

Dressage

A total of 11 nations, eight with teams, three with individual athletes and a maximum of 36 starters will line out in Dressage. 

Team Canada came out on top at the last Pan Americans in Lima, Peru in 2019 pinning USA into silver medal spot and Brazil into bronze, the Canadians and Brazilians earning the two spots on offer for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Canada’s Moreira Laliberté won both the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Special with her Sandro Hit gelding Statesman, and she was joined by Jill Irving, Tina Irwin and Lindsay Kellock to take the team title. 

But it was the USA’s Sarah Tubman and First Apple who claimed individual gold with a single percentage point advantage over Canada’s Irwin and Laurencio in silver while Tubman’s team-mate Jennifer Baumert took the bronze with Handsome. The American record in the history of Dressage at the PanAms, which dates right back to the first edition staged in Buenos Aires (ARG) in 1951, includes eight team and 10 individual titles, and Tubman made it three-in-a-row individual victories for USA following a back-to-back double from compatriot Steffen Peters in 2011 and 2015.

Both Small Tour and Big Tour combinations compete at the PanAms, and the Small Tour riders were first to battle it out in the individual gold-medal-deciding Intermediate I Freestyle/Grand Prix Freestyle on the final day in Lima. Just four horse-and-rider partnerships contested the higher-level Big Tour class, but the medals were decided by the biggest scores on the day regardless of the category, so it was Small Tour contenders Lockman, Irwin and Baumert who posted those to claim the medals.

Chasing down the Olympic qualification spots this time around will be Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Mexico. 

The competition timetable for Dressage is:
21 October - Horse Inspection and Draw for Starting Order 
22 October - Prix St Georges / Grand Prix (Team and Individual Qualifier) 
23 October - Intermediate I / Grand Prix Special (Team Final and Individual   Qualifier) Team Medal Ceremony
24 October - Second Horse Inspection and Draw for Individual Final
25 October - Intermediate I Freestyle / Grand Prix Freestyle (Individual Final) Individual Medal Ceremony
          
Check out the full list of Dressage entries here.

Eventing

A total of nine nations, eight with a team, one with an individual athlete and a maximum of 34 starters will line out in Eventing.

The Americans are the defending team champions here following the success of Lynn Symansky (RF Cool Play), Tamie Smith (Mai Baum), Doug Payne (Star Witness) and Boyd Martin (Tsetserleg) who reigned supreme in 2019 ahead of Brazil in silver and Canada in bronze.

USA has long been the dominant force in Pan American Eventing, with a total of 10 team and 11 individual titles. 

Martin and Symansky took individual gold and silver respectively in 2019, and bronze went to Brazil’s Carlos Parro (Quaikin Qurious). USA and Brazil took the two qualifying spots for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. 

The cross-country test is always the thriller in the sport of Eventing, and appointed to design the track in Quillota is Pierre Le Goupil from France, the man who will also create the cross-country challenge for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Versailles (FRA) next summer, so there is huge interest in his ideas. 

USA is already qualified in Eventing for Paris 2024. Teams seeking one of the two Olympic qualifying spots on offer at the Pan American Games 2023 are Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Uruguay.  

The competition timetable for Eventing is:
25 October - Draw of nations, Cross-Country course open to athletes
26 October - First Horse Inspection
27 October - Dressage
28 October - Cross-Country 
29 October - Second Horse Inspection and Jumping test (Final Individual 
          and Team) Team and Individual Medal Ceremony

Check out the full list of Eventing entries here

Jumping

A total of 18 nations, nine with teams and nine with individuals, and a maximum of 47 starters will line out in Jumping.

It was Brazil, Mexico and USA that clinched team gold, silver and bronze in Lima four years ago, Marlon Zanotelli (Sirene de la Motte), Eduardo Menezes (HS Chaganus), Rodrigo Lambre (Chacciama) and Pedro Veniss (Quabri de l’Isle) bringing it home for the Brazilian champions. It was a really close contest for silver and bronze.

Zanotelli went on to take the Individual title for Brazil ahead of Argentina’s Jose Maria Larocca (Finn Lente) in silver and America’s Beezie Madden (Breitling LS) in bronze while Brazil, Mexico and Argentina claimed the three Jumping qualification spots on offer for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

USA has won the Pan American Jumping team title on seven occasions and Brazil has won it six times, while Americans have also racked up six individual victories. Chile made its mark in these Games at the inaugural event in 1951 when Alberto Larraguibel, César Mendoza, Ricardo Echeverria and Joaquin Larrain claimed the team title and Capt Larraguibel steered Julepe to take individual gold.

At the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games the countries chasing qualification for Paris 2024 will be Argentina, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Uruguay and USA.

The competition timetable for Jumping is:
29 October -  Horse Inspection
30 October -  Training
31 October -  First Individual and Team competition
1 November - Second Competition Round 1, Second Competition Round 2
(Team Final and Individual qualifier). Team medal ceremony.
2 November - Second Horse Inspection
3 November - Third Competition Round 1, Third Competition Round 2 (Individual Final). Individual medal ceremony.

Check out the full list of Jumping entries here

You can follow the action across all three disciplines on FEI.TV, so don’t miss a hoofbeat…..

More about the equestrian events at the Pan American Games 2023 in Santiago (CHI) here 

The FEI has published the Longines League of Nations™ Qualification Ranking, for 2024 which features the ten teams that are qualified for the FEI’s new flagship Series which gets underway in Abu Dhabi (UAE) on 8 February 2024.

No stranger to podiums and with great depth of talent, the top ten teams on the Longines League of Nations™ Qualification Ranking include Ireland – in frontrunner position – followed by USA, France, Germany, Switzerland, Great Britain, The Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden and Brazil.

These ten teams have now been invited to confirm their participation in the inaugural Longines League of Nations™ season which will see the world’s best Jumping teams compete against each other at four qualifiers in Abu Dhabi (UAE), Ocala (USA), St. Gallen (SUI) and Rotterdam (NED), in order to secure one of the coveted spots at the Longines League of Nations™ Final in Barcelona (ESP) where the best eight nations will battle for the title. 

"The Longines League of Nations is all about the team, and working together to achieve something greater than any individual performance,” said FEI President Ingmar De Vos.

“To be in the top ten of the Longines League of Nations Qualification Ranking is in itself a huge achievement, and I want to congratulate all the individuals that have contributed to their nation’s ranking – from the athletes, the owners, the grooms, the Chefs d’Equipe, the support teams, the trainers and of course the National Federations, because that was a big team effort!

“We are really excited and working closely with the Organisers to provide the very best platform to showcase the very best sport from the very best nations, and we are looking forward to working closely with the ten nations that will be part of the Longines League of Nations Series in 2024.

“And lastly, I want to thank our Top Partner Longines for their incredible support and commitment to this historic Series and everything that it stands for in our community.”

Longines League of Nations™ 2024 Series calendar

8 - 11 February:  Abu Dhabi (UAE)

19 - 23 March:  Ocala, FL (USA)

30 May - 2 June:  St. Gallen (SUI)

20 - 23 June:  Rotterdam (NED)

3 - 6 October:  Barcelona (ESP) - Final

Longines League of Nations™ Qualification Ranking for 2024 season (top ten nations and points)

1. Ireland (IRL) – 13834 pts
2. United States of America (USA) – 13532 pts
3. France (FRA) – 12890 pts
4. Germany (GER) – 12876 pts
5. Switzerland (SUI) – 12514 pts
6. Great Britain (GBR) – 12045 pts
7. Netherlands (NED) – 11957 pts
8. Belgium (BEL) – 11552 pts
9. Sweden (SWE) – 10237 pts
10. Brazil (BRA) – 9289 pts

The full Longines League of Nations™ Qualification Ranking (Nations 1-21) can be seen here.

About the Longines League of Nations™ Qualification Ranking

The Longines League of Nations™ Qualification Ranking was created to establish an annual Team Ranking and is part of the Longines League of Nations™ Rules. The Qualification Ranking used for qualification for the Longines League of Nations™ is calculated based on the combined points of each NF’s 6 best Athletes of which at least 1 must be an U25 Athlete on the Longines Ranking.

For the inaugural 2024 Season, the Qualification Ranking was established based upon the regular monthly Longines Ranking that was published after the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ Final 2023. 

As from 2024, the Longines League of Nations™ Ranking will be based upon the regular monthly Longines Ranking that is published after the conclusion of the LLN Final of the respective season. The winning team from the Longines League of Nations™ Series is automatically qualified for the following season. 

For more details on the qualification system for the teams, refer to the Longines League of Nations™ Rules here. 

Visit the dedicated Longines League of Nations™ hub for all the latest news, FAQs, information on the venues, the Rankings and more.

With a spectacular ride against the clock, and from a 40-strong startlist sprinkled with multiple champions, it was Ireland’s Richard Howley who reigned supreme with the 12-year-old gelding Consulent de Prelet Z in the first leg of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ 2023/2024 Western European League in Oslo, Norway today.

The new season could hardly have gotten off to a better start as the spectators roared with approval while the result was being decided in a 17-way second-round race against the clock.

That wasn’t the plan of course designer Elio Travagliati from Italy whose first-round track had plenty of height to it, but the big number of clears led to a mesmerising deciding round in which Frenchman Simon Delestre took the early lead with Dexter Fontenis Z with a super-fast performance only to have to settle for runner-up spot behind Howley.

First

It was reigning Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ champion and longtime world number one, Sweden’s Henrik von Eckermann, who was first to take on the jump-off track, but a pole off the oxer fourth-last with the 10-year-old mare Dzara Dorchival left the door wide open.

Next in, Delestre looked to have slammed it firmly closed when galloping through the timers with a fabulous clear from his always speedy 10-year-old gelding Dexter in 34.85 seconds. And although plenty more left all the timber intact they were nowhere near the Frenchman’s target time until, twelfth into the ring, Howley set off with complete conviction.

His 12-year-old gelding was swift, smooth and responsive every inch of the way, and turning left-handed to the final oxer the pair were leaving nothing behind them. 

“My idea was to stay wider to the second-last and to turn tight and take one stride less to the last. I was never riding for second place, and thankfully it came off!”, said the 31-year-old Irishman who burst across the finish line in 34.55 seconds which simply couldn’t be bettered.

There were five still left to go and Great Britain’s Jack Whitaker slotted into third when next in with Equine America Valmy de la Lande - the brilliant little grey with which he finished fifth at the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ 2022 Final in Leipzig (GER).

Breaking the beam in 36.42, the British duo pinned 2009 European champion Kevin Staut and Beau de Laubry Z from France into fourth while last man in, Ireland’s Shane Breen, clinched fifth place with the stallion Cuick Star Kervec to finish ahead of Swedish brothers and multiple medallists Jens (Diarado’s Rose Elith) and Peder (Hansson WL) Fredricson in sixth and seventh respectively.

On the road  

With the maximum 20 points from the Oslo win under his belt, Howley now has the road to the 2024 Longines Final in Riyadh (KSA) next April clearly in his sights. Today could well be a game-changer for the man who left County Sligo in the West of Ireland at the age of 17 to make his way in the sport. 

In the early years he worked for Jack Whitaker’s father, Michael Whitaker, with whom he remains close, and having learned about the business he set up a successful stable of his own with his wife, Morgan, in Yorkshire, England where they breed, produce and develop about 150 horses. 

After six big wins in three weeks on the Sunshine Tour in Spain earlier this year Howley found a real purple patch with continuously strong results, and today’s win has brought him to another level.

“I’ve had Consulent for about 18 months and he’s jumped numerous clears in the Global Champions and won a 1.60m class in Dublin this year - he’s super consistent. My intention has been to get as many good results on the board as possible and to push for the World Cup Final”, he explained this evening. Today’s victory will certainly help him along the way.

“I’m over the moon!”, Howley said this evening. “My horse jumped unbelievable and it’s an incredible feeling, I have my parents here with me for the first show in a long time so they brought some Irish luck!”

Pleased

Host-nation hero, Geir Gulliksen, produced one of 10 clears in the jump-off and finished ninth with his faithful 17-year-old VDL Groep Quatro which really pleased the Norwegian crowd.

At this evening’s post-competition press conference he said “it was a great class for the public to watch! We were against the best in the world and horses with big strides, but my horse has a small stride so I had no chance to catch the winner. I wanted to stay clear and have a good placement, and we did that”, he pointed out.

Show Director, Morten Aasen, was also well satisfied.

“We are proud to have all these top riders coming to Oslo. We had seven out of the top ten in the world and out of the 40 starters today so many could win. It is really special to Jumping and horses that everyone can have a chance to win”, he said.

Jump-Off

Richard Howley reflected on the jump-off and what today’s success means to him. 

“Simon (Delestre) had a fantastic round, he’s obviously in brilliant form, he won the Grand Prix yesterday and he really threw down the gauntlet today and I had to try and match him! But Consulent is a fantastic horse, I was just schooling him a bit this week and we were planning on the win and it came up. This is one of the biggest achievements of my career! 

“Growing up watching the indoor World Cup qualifiers on TV this is what dreams are made of, what you try to achieve in your career, and I’m very, very grateful to be able to do it!”, he added.

So how to celebrate the magic of the moment? “Well it looks like I missed my flight, so we will look for an Irish pub with my Mum and Dad - and Jack (Whitaker) has missed his flight too so he can join us!”

Next stop for the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ 2023/2024 Western European League is just a week away in Helsinki, Finland on Sunday 22 October. Don’t miss a hoofbeat…..

Result 

Standings after Round 1 in Oslo (NOR)