To the strains of a brand new French-themed musical score embracing Edith Piaf’s “je ne regrette rien”, reigning Olympic, European and World Cup champions Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and the fabulous mare TSF Dalera BB claimed a definitive win at the second leg of the FEI Dressage World Cup™ 2022/2023 Western European League in Lyon, France today.

On the crest of a wave of success, the 36-year-old German rider clinched the 2022 World Cup title at Leipzig (GER) in April before taking a break ahead of the birth of her baby daughter, Ella Marie, in August. And her comeback today was nothing short of sensational.

A score of 90.140 left her ahead of compatriot and five-time World Cup champion Isabell Werth who finished second with Emilio on a mark of 87.945 while Sweden’s Patrik Kittel lined up in third with Touchdown and von Bredow-Werndl’s brother, Benjamin Werndl, finished fourth with Famoso OLD.

Jessica was delighted with the result that stamped her authority back on the sport she has dominated for some time now. And she was relieved this evening too.

“Coming back with a new Freestyle after riding one 90% score after another I knew I was pushing myself. I really wanted to get above 90 to be honest, and that I managed to do it is really cool because it’s what I wished for and prepared for!”, she said.

New lead

There were 13 starters in today’s points-deciding Freestyle and, first to go after the break, The Netherlands’ Thamar Zweistra looked set to forge a new lead with the high-stepping nine-year-old stallion Hexagon’s Ich Weiss who was really fun to watch.

But the pair performed a 2.5 canter pirouette to the left which brought her Degree of Difficulty and Choreography mark to a 5.5 because it is a breach of the rules. So it was the 77.255 posted by the host-nation partnership of Morgan Barbançon and Sir Donnerhall ll OLD that was holding the lead when von Bredow-Werndl entered the ring.

From the moment the German pair set off the crowd were spellbound however, and they burst into applause when the score was posted. The music was captivating, and the floorplan allowed Dalera to show off her pure class. Clearly the golden girl of German dressage had it in the bag.

Coincidence

Asked about her new French-themed Freestyle, von Bredow-Werndl insisted that “it is just a good coincidence that coming up is Paris 2024!

“My mom actually suggested to use this music”, she explained. “It feels like it fits perfectly to Dalera, right from the first time I rode it. And she loves it! It’s a love story between Dalera and me that’s made in France!

“The floorplan is perfect for her because we have developed together over the last four and a half years and we’ve been using the previous Freestyle all that time so I think it’s time now to adapt and move on. I spent a lot of time working on the new choreography and it is difficult, but not for Dalera. Today she made it feel effortless, easy and still expressive.  I rode this version last week on Wednesday and I just I knew this was it!”, she pointed out.

As best French finisher, having lined up in sixth in the final analysis behind Sweden’s Nanna Merrald Rasmussen and Atterupgaards Orthilia in fifth, Morgan Barbançon attended the post-competition press conference. She was happy with the performance of her great stallion Sir Donnerhall who has bounced back from a scary accident some years ago and who drew gasps of delight from the crowd when setting off in extended canter at the very beginning of his test.

Happy

“I am happy to see that he is still in a very good shape at 16 years old. It makes me happy to see he still wants to go in the ring, and Lyon is really my heart show - the best public is here!” And asked if she might think of changing her own Freestyle ahead of the Olympic Games in two years time she said “yes, and I might make it more French than France!”

The FEI Dressage World Cup™ 2022/2023 Western European League now moves on to von Bredow-Werndl’s home ground in Stuttgart (GER) in two weeks time where she will partner the 13-year-old Ferdinand BB. As defending champion she only needs two appearances during the season to qualify for the 2023 series Final which will take place in Omaha (USA) next April.

And well on his way to qualification is her brother, Benjamin, who goes into the next leg at the top of the WEL league table.

Result here

Standings here

Don’t miss a hoofbeat…..

For all the latest information about the FEI Dressage World Cup™ season 2022/2023 check out the new Series Hub here

Stay up to date with results, articles, interviews, videos and much more while following the action all the way to Final.

FEI PRESS RELEASE

Lausanne (SUI), 26 October 2022

A sustainable future for the FEI’s oldest and most prestigious team series centre stage at Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ Task Force Meeting

Equestrian representatives from around the world gathered online and in-person at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne (SUI) on Tuesday 25 October to explore different options to ensure a sustainable future for the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ Series.

A diverse spectrum of the Jumping community was present at the task force meeting, with around 50 participants from over 20 nations representing the interests of Athletes, National Federations and Regional Associations, Organisers, Chef d’Equipes, Owners, and the FEI.  

The day was divided in two parts, beginning with a very clear setting of the scene by the FEI President Ingmar De Vos, where he referred to the long history and evolution of the Series, the success of the Series and the need to adapt to a changing sporting and media landscape.  This was followed by presentations from FEI Staff including Jumping Director Marco Fusté, Commercial Director Ralph Straus, Legal Director and Deputy Directors Mikael Rentsch and Aine Power and FEI Secretary General Sabrina Ibáñez. The FEI delegation set out the current situation in relation to the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ Series including the sporting context, the bidding process and legal requirements, the pool of events available to host qualifiers, as well as an increasingly competitive Calendar with international Jumping events rising from 720 in 2007 to 1771 in 2022, an ever-changing media landscape, commercial implications and a lack of identity for the Series.

With a break for lunch, and clear discussion points in mind for the afternoon, the second part of the day focussed around input from each of the different stakeholder groups and their ideas to secure the future of the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ Series. This was facilitated by a representative panel consisting of Athletes Steve Guerdat (SUI) and Kevin Staut (FRA); Organisers Nayla Stössel from St. Gallen (SUI) and Daniela Garcia from Mexico; Swedish Chef d’equipe Henrik Ankarcrona; Chair of the FEI Jumping Committee Stephan Ellenbruch; and, FEI Secretary General Sabrina Ibáñez.

As the day progressed, with ample feedback from the panel, constructive contributions from the participants in Lausanne and a detailed proposal from online participant Beezie Madden (USA), there was no shortage of ideas and there was both consensus and an appetite to address certain challenges in the redesign of the series going forward.

For FEI President Ingmar De Vos who moderated the meeting, the dedication of the community “was echoed in the high level task force discussions, with all the participants expressing their commitment to the Series and everything it stands for, and a strong desire to see it succeed and maintain its place as the pinnacle of our sport. Because this is what many athletes aspire to – to represent their nation on the international stage, to be a part of a team, and to win or compete for their flag. And this is a dream which the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup Series can and should continue to deliver for elite and developing equestrian nations.

“But to do this, we need a clear and easy to understand concept and a unique identity which reflects this status as the pinnacle of the sport, a global series with top events, and a narrative that can attract fans, inspire teams and create that strong sense of pride which goes hand in hand with the heritage of the FEI Nations Cup.”

“There is no shortage of commitment to the Series, but we need to secure and ensure meaningful change if we are to guarantee the viability of the Series for generations to come and we need the active help of our National Federations to provide us with the right tools to make this happen.

“I believe this task force meeting addressed all the relevant topics and confirmed that we are all in this together, and we will have to do this together in the name of the sport, and in the name of this wonderful Series which has such an important place in the community.” 

As for next steps, the FEI President confirmed that based on the constructive feedback from the meeting, an internal debrief will follow to establish future actions including drafting some proposals for a stronger framework, and a follow up meeting with the task force in the first quarter of 2023 to continue the fruitful discussions.

World-renowned Athlete and President of the International Jumping Riders Club Kevin Staut (FRA) summarised the position of Athletes and the general consensus in the room aptly when saying “we all want clarity and consistency (…) and we want the series to be rewarding for the Athletes, the NFs and the Organisers.

“We go for the glory, we go for the sport.”

For more information on the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™, click here.

Photo caption: FEI President Ingmar de Vos addresses the representative stakeholder panel at the afternoon session of the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ Task Force Meeting at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne (SUI) on 25 October 2022. The panel consisted of (from left to right): Athlete representatives Steve Guerdat (SUI) and Kevin Staut (FRA); Organisers Nayla Stössel from St. Gallen (SUI) and Daniela Garcia from Mexico; Swedish Chef d’equipe Henrik Ankarcrona; Chair of the FEI Jumping Committee Stephan Ellenbruch (GER); and, FEI Secretary General Sabrina Ibáñez (SUI). © FEI / Anouk Ruffieux 

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, Endurance and Vaulting.

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

Media contacts:

Didier Montes Kienle
Manager, Sport Communications & Media Relations
didier.montes@fei.org  
+41 78 750 61 21

The world’s top ten four-in-hand drivers, eight legs plus a Final, and one new World Champion – that’s what the 2022-23 FEI Driving World Cup™ promises.  

After two stilted seasons due to Covid-19, fans can look forward to a full programme of the heart stopping, edge-of-the-seat entertainment which is the FEI Driving World Cup™.  Demanding speed, accuracy and bravery from both horses and drivers, lightening reactions and steadfast commitment from the back steppers, technical excellence from the equipment, this is equestrian sport at its most exhilarating. 

In 2001 the ‘Driving World Cup’ format became part of the FEI repertoire. An ingenious formula -which brought four-in-hand Driving to a new audience during the autumn and winter season- it was easily incorporated into established indoor events and became an instant hit.
 
The first champion was German legend Michael Freund, who took the title five times, sharing it once in 2005 with the great Ijsbrand Chardon of The Netherlands, who himself has been crowned champion on three occasions. Current holder of the title is Ijsbrand’s son Bram, who seized the crown for a second time in Leipzig (GER) in April 2022 during the bumper event which also hosted the FEI Dressage, Vaulting and Jumping World Cup™ Finals.

However, the man who has dominated the format since he won his first title in Gothenburg (SWE) to round off the 2008-2009 season is current Four-in-Hand World Champion Boyd Exell (AUS). Fresh from his record breaking sixth win in Pratoni del Vivaro (ITA) in September, he really wants a tenth World Cup title. Determined to ensure that next-generation driver Bram, whose hunger for a win make him a formidable competitor, does not prevent Boyd’s dream of a double-figure tally of titles, the Australian will surely give it everything this season. During the press conference at the end of the World Championship on a wet Sunday in Pratoni, Boyd stated that he had already started training his indoor horses for the season – as did the gold winning Dutch team of Ijsbrand, Bram and Koos de Ronde, another former champion (2012-2013).

The FEI Driving World Cup™ is open to the top ten ranked drivers who have gained points at outdoor qualifying events during the preceding season. Their participation is then spread out evenly between the eight legs with five athletes per competition plus up to three ‘Wild Cards’, which organisers are at liberty to invite and may include a national driver, such as Fredrick Persson (SWE) who will compete in Stockholm (SWE) in November. At the end of the legs, the six top placed drivers are eligible for the Final.
 
One athlete who will be missed this season is Mareike Harm (GER), a finalist in Leipzig who is currently ranked 5th having also finished 5th individually in Pratoni and was a member of the German silver medal winning team. In what must be a first for the sport, she drove at the World Championship while five months’ pregnant and so has had to opt out the forthcoming World Cup series as her baby is due in February.

The Longines Equita Lyon (FRA) plays host to the first leg of the 2022-2023 season. The line-up packs a punch with on-form Ijsbrand, fresh from his individual silver and team gold in Pratoni, joined by indoor specialist and young talent, the 27-year-old Dries Degrieck (BEL) who was second at the same event last year and placed fourth in the final in Leipzig, just outside the medals. In what will be a close contest, the ever-competitive Koos will be pushing for a podium place alongside America’s leading driver Chester Weber and another indoor specialist, Jérôme Voutaz (SUI) with his Swiss Freiberger horses. Benjamin Aillaud (FRA) takes the Wild Card.

The first round is an early start at 8:30am on Saturday 29 October with the second round at 12:50pm on Sunday 30 October (CET). The order of the first round determines the running order of the second, both of which have a drive-off for the top three drivers.

Next in the series is Maastricht (NED) in early November, which is the first event for Boyd, who will be joined by outdoor marathon supremo Michael Brauchle (GER), plus Benjamin, Koos and Ijsbrand, and it’s a first outing for Glenn Geerts (BEL) as the Wild Card. The following weekend the focus moves to Stuttgart (GER), then Stockholm (SWE) before Geneva (SUI) in early December where Bram will be hoping to win again. The annual Christmas extravaganza at the London International Horse Show (GBR) is a popular pitstop on the circuit, followed by a post-Christmas outing in Mechelen (BEL) and the last leg in Leipzig (GER), ahead of the final in Bordeaux (FRA) in February.  

With the series starting and ending on French soil, all eyes will be on Lyon this weekend as drivers tackle a course designed by one of the most experienced designers on the circuit, Jeroen Houterman (NED) who was also behind the Leipzig course and was the technical delegate in Pratoni. That task in Lyon is assumed by one of the most experienced judges on the circuit, Anne-Marie Turbé (FRA) who was also in Pratoni, as President of the Ground Jury, a role she also assumes, alongside being Technical Delegate, this weekend.

It would be foolhardy to bet against Boyd smashing his own record to take a tenth win, or to think that Bram won’t go all-out for his third World Cup title, but such is the quality of the field this season that there’s every chance a new name will be added to Driving’s ‘Hall of Fame’. Michael Brauchle and Koos de Ronde flew round the obstacles in Pratoni, perhaps a prelude of what’s to come this World Cup series?

The wait is nearly over…

List of qualified athletes for the first leg of the FEI Driving World Cup™ 2022 - 2023: Boyd EXELL (AUS) - Ijsbrand CHARDON (NED) - Bram CHARDON (NED) - Glenn GEERTS (BEL) -Koos DE RONDE (NED) – Chester WEBER (USA) - Jérôme VOUTAZ (SUI) - Benjamin AILLAUD (FRA) - Michael BRAUCHLE (GER) - Dries DEGRIECK (BEL)

Dates, schedules and information here

The FEI has launched the bidding process for the FEI World Championships 2026 in all the FEI disciplines. The process begins today, 24 October 2022, and will end in June 2023 with the allocation of the Championships by the FEI Board. It will consist of the following four phases:

Phase 1: Expression of interest (24 October 2022)
Phase 2: Bidding (Mid-January - 14 April 2023)
Phase 3: Review of bids (Mid-April - 9 June 2023)
Phase 4: Allocation (June 2023) 

The bidding process will start with a call for expressions of interest from National Federations and Organising Committees who would like to engage with open and non-binding discussions with the FEI regarding the potential submission of a bid. Detailed information on each phase of the bidding process is available here. Expressions of interest should be sent to bidding@fei.org The submission of an expression of interest is entirely optional and is not a pre-condition to National Federations/Organising Committees submitting a formal bid in Phase 2.

“The launch of the bidding process for the FEI World Championships 2026 is an important milestone,” FEI President Ingmar De Vos said.

“This year we hosted hugely successful World Championships in Jumping, Dressage and Para Dressage, Vaulting, Eventing, and Driving. We were fortunate to work with very professional Organising Committees producing events of the highest order. The result proved popular with the athletes and National Federations. No less than 411 athletes and 340 horses representing 49 nations competed at the Ecco FEI World Championships 2022 in Herning (DEN) whereas 127 athletes and 274 horses from 29 NFs were represented at the FEI World Championships 2022 in Pratoni del Vivaro (ITA).

“The events attracted worldwide interest with over 7’000 articles published in the international press. But the platforms where the Championships were perhaps the greatest hit were social media. The number of followers on the FEI’s social media channels grew by 42% compared to the FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2018. Impressions and engagements were 56% and 97% up respectively whereas video views increased by a staggering 233%.

“This success gives us confidence that the new flexible approach is the best way forward.

“As was the case for the FEI World Championships 2022, bids will be accepted from National Federations and Organising Committees who are interested in hosting the FEI World Championships 2026 in one or more FEI disciplines.The FEI World Championships 2026 for Dressage and Para Dressage should remain combined. Bids for the full “FEI World Equestrian Games™” comprising all disciplines will also be considered.

“We look forward to interesting bids from many regions of the world and are available for any queries or clarifications all the entities considering a bid may have,” President De Vos concluded.

A detailed Bid Guide containing an overview of all the requirements/rights/benefits associated with hosting the FEI World Championships 2026 will be available as of mid-January 2023.

Picking up where they left off when taking Team gold at the ECCO FEI World Championships this summer, Danish riders completely overwhelmed the opposition at the first leg of the FEI Dressage World Cup™ 2022/2023 Western European League series on home ground in Vilhelmsborg, Aarhus (DEN) today.

Yesterday Carina Cassøe Krüth and the 11-year-old mare Heiline’s Danciera led the rout in the Short Grand Prix in which Denmark claimed all of the top four places. And today they did it again in a slightly different order in the Grand Prix Freestyle in which Cassøe Krüth remained at the head of affairs while her world championship team-mates Nanna Merrald Rasmussen and Daniel Bach Andersen finished second and third and her trainer, Andreas Helgstrand, finished fourth.

With her brand new Freestyle, Cassøe Krüth grabbed a big lead when posting a score of 85.925, all five judges - Mariette Sanders-Van Gansewinkel (NED), Hans-Christian Matthiesen (DEN), Susanne Baarup (DEN), Elke Ebert (GER) and Maria Colliander (FIN) - placing her first.

Flying form

However her compatriots were also in flying form and, with just three of the 15 starters left to go, Bachmann Andersen produced a lovely confidence-giving ride on the 12-year-old gelding Zippo M.I. to score 81.330 for temporary second place on their Freestyle debut.

Second-last into the ring, all eyes were on Helgstrand and the fabulous 8-year-old Jovian who has already been super-successful as an even younger horse. And the double Olympian, whose training and sales business is a driving force in equestrian sport, produced a lovely Freestyle at the stallion’s first attempt. Breathtaking extended trot earned 10s and 9s galore, and although the horse lost balance and broke in tempi changes and has clearly more to learn about piaffe, the quality of movement and scope for development suggests a really exciting future for the pair who are only on the very first steps of their journey together.

Putting 80.000 on the board they slotted into third only to be demoted to fourth by the final combination of Merrald Rasmussen and the 11-year-old stallion Blue Hors St Schufro. This pair who won the Freestyle in Falsterbo, Sweden this summer overtook Bachmann Andersen and Zippo for runner-up spot when putting a healthy 82.610 on the board. But no-one could overtake Cassøe Krüth and the horse she steered to that team gold and individual seventh place at the championships staged in Herning two months ago.

Party-style

Talking about her new fun-themed party-style Freestyle, Cassøe Krüth said, “I think I already had a bit of a party with the old one but I wanted to keep the same vibe but not the same music so we stepped it up. I always think music is very personal and Freestyle is very personal, and I want to tell the audience a bit about myself and what I like and where I come from through my Freestyle and I think I grew up with this music. I was a teenager in the 90s and into every boy band and it was part of my life when I was a bit younger”, she explained.

It was all new to her, and to Danciera. “I didn’t get to ride it before. I heard it a bunch of times so I knew where I had to be for every note but I thought when I rode it today it took me through it. There was so much beat and rhythm and it tells me what to do”, she said.

She’s as excited as everyone else about what’s happening in Danish dressage right now. “The sport is at a very high level and it doesn’t seem like it’s going to stop! It seems we are all going to continue producing horses and Cathrine (Laudrup-Dufour) also has new ones on the way, so as long as we have really good partnerships with our horse owners so we have good horses and we keep on educating them then I think it’s looking very positive for Danish Dressage sport!”, she pointed out.

The second round of the 11-leg FEI Dressage World Cup™ 2022/2023 Western European League will be held in Lyon, France next weekend.

Don’t miss a hoofbeat…..

Result here 

For all the latest information about the FEI Dressage World Cup™ season 2022/2023 check out the new Series Hub here

Stay up to date with results, articles, interviews, videos and much more while following the action all the way to Final.

FEI Dressage World Cup™ here

Making the very best of her last-to-go draw, Sweden’s Angelica Augustsson Zanotelli galloped to victory in the second leg of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ 2022/2023 Western European League series in Helsinki, Finland today.

Riding the feisty 12-year-old mare Kalinka van de Nachtegaele the 35-year-old rider was tenth to go in the jump-off but only saw pathfinder, Belgium’s Gilles Thomas, take his turn before her. “I didn’t watch the others, but Marlon (her husband and fellow athlete) told me they were really fast. I know my horse is super quick and I knew I had to stay calm or she would get too excited, so I had my plan and went as fast as I could while keeping her under control, and it worked!”, said the happy rider afterwards.

Breaking the beam in 34.13 seconds she pinned longtime leader Gerrit Nieberg from Germany into runner-up spot with Blues d’Aveline CH. This pair seemed to have set the bar too high for their opponents when grabbing the advantage with a brilliant run in 35.16 seconds when second to go, but Augustsson Zanotelli shaved more than a full second off that target time. Third place went to Germany’s Janne Frederike Meyer-Zimmermann (Buettner’s Minimax) and Ireland’s Thomas Ryan (Springfield) slotted into fourth.

Hard-earned

From 37 starters there were 10 through to the final barrage and every spot was hard-earned. The tight confines of the 60m x 30m ice-skating rink in Helsinki always presents an enormous challenge to riders and horses as well as to the course designer at this annual contest. But Brazil’s Guilherme Jorge set them a superb track that tested the best while keeping them safe.

As Jordy van Massenhove explained after jumping clear first time out, Jorge’s generous time-allowed of 74 seconds meant there was no need for heroics. It was rhythm and accuracy that were key to success and time wasn’t really an issue.

“He didn’t want us to rush because he knows everything comes up so fast in this ring and of course you can’t add strides anywhere, but if you ride in a normal rhythm you normally easily get inside the time”, the Belgian rider said after safely negotiating the 13-fence course including the bogey penultimate triple combination that proved the undoing of many others.

The jump-off however was fast and furious, and the turns to the vertical three from home and to the following vertical before hanging right-handed on the run to the final oxer just didn’t come up quite right for some, including Norway’s Victoria Gulliksen and Papa Roach who clipped the latter and for Great Britain’s Jack Whitaker - one of three members of his family competing in today’s qualifier - who clipped the former when his brilliant little grey, Equine America Valmy de la Lande, got too deep on the approach.

Just right

It all came up just right for Augustsson Zanotelli and Kalinka however. “I’m lucky I have a very quick horse so I will not go in to play safe!”, she said after her first round. And she lived up to her promise when breaking the beam in the winning time as the crowd went wild along with her delighted husband, Brazilian Olympian Marlon Zanotelli, who said afterwards “I’m so happy for Angelica, it’s a dream for us to be in the top sport together!”

“My horse was unbelievable!”, the winning rider said. “She’s very special, she’s very delicate and sensitive but when she enters the arena she wants to win. She’s been extra amazing over the last six months and I think her best years are still to come - she’s getting better all the time!”

Runner-up Nieberg said it was difficult to be one of the first to go against the clock today but that he was “more than proud to finish second!” And it was a big moment for third-placed Meyer-Zimmermann today too.

“I just came back from my maternity leave, so today is special. Everything takes more time now but it’s so much more beautiful to travel with my family!”, said the athlete who gave birth to son Friedrich Alexander in January 2022.

Double-clears

Double-clears for Ireland’s Ryan and Belgium’s Thomas left them in fourth and fifth places ahead of Gulliksen who slotted into sixth with the fastest four-fault finish. Adding points to her second-place finish behind Switzerland’s Bryan Balsiger at last weekend’s opening leg in Oslo (NOR), Gulliksen is in pole position on the Western European League leaderboard going into the the third leg of the series in Lyon, France next weekend.

Helsinki Event Director, Tom Gordin, was a happy man this evening. “We made a new record in visitors and I’m so proud that riders come back year after year, and so thankful!”, he said. And so was course designer Guilherme Jorge.

“It’s always a big challenge here because of the small arena and I always try to give the best chance to horses. We have great footing so that helps”, he said, adding, “and now I must be Angelica’s second-favourite Brazilian!”

Result here

WEL Standings here

All four members of the history-making Danish side that won team gold at the ECCO FEI World Championships 2022 in Herning, Denmark this summer will line out next weekend when the FEI Dressage World Cup™ 2022/2023 Western European League gets underway, again on their home ground but this time in Aarhus, Vilhelmsborg (DEN).

Nanna Merrald Rasmussen, Carina Cassøe Krüth, Daniel Bachmann Andersen and Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour arrived as favourites to take the team title in August, but were pushed every inch of the way by the powerful British and German sides that had to settle for silver and bronze. It was an enormous achievement for the Danes who only once before took a world championship podium placing when clinching bronze in Lausanne (SUI) in 1982. And Laudrup-Dufour’s silver-medal-winning double in the Grand Prix Special and Freestyle this summer was the icing on the cake.

With the new World Ranking system now in place for both Jumping and Dressage, Laudrup-Dufour is lying second on the current Dressage Athlete ranking list while Cassøe Krüth is in fifth and Merrald Rasmussen and Bachmann Andersen hold tenth and eleventh places respectively. Next weekend Cassøe Krüth will partner her Herning ride Heiline’s Danciera who lies fifth on the latest Dressage Horse ranking list.

Eight nations

Athletes from eight nations - Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway and Sweden - will compete in the Short Grand Prix on Saturday 22 October from which the top 15 will qualify for Sunday’s points-deciding Freestyle.

The Danes may be a tough bunch to beat however because Laudrup-Dufour will partner her Tokyo 2020 Olympic ride Bohemian, the 12-year-old gelding with which she claimed Team and Grand Prix Special bronze and Freestyle silver at the FEI Dressage European Championships 2021 in Hagen (GER) last September.

And adding more fuel to the Danish fire will be double-Olympian Andreas Helgstrand with the exciting 8-year-old stallion Jovian who won the 7-year-old title at the World Breeding Championships last year before posting a double of CDI3* wins in Aalborg (DEN) in May, another double at CDI3* Hagen (GER) in June and fifth and fourth places in the Grand Prix and Special at the CDI4* in Aachen (GER) later that month.

This pair are definitely ones to look out for when the action kicks off, and with Anna Kasprzak and Lone Bang Zindorff also in the mix, the Danish contingent are a real force to be reckoned with this weekend.

German duo

However they may not have it all their own way because Germany will be represented by Helen Langehanenberg and Dorothee Schneider who have a world of experience and success behind them, and two great horses.

Langehanenberg was on the silver-medal-winning German team and finished individually fourth at the London 2012 Olympic Games with the stallion Damon Hill who she then went on steer to victory at the FEI Dressage World Cup™ Final a year later. She brings the 14-year-old mare Annabelle, who finished sixth in both the Short Grand Prix and Freestyle at the FEI Dressage World Cup™ 2022 Final in Leipzig (GER) in April, to Aarhus this week while Schneider, a double-Olympic team champion, will partner the 14-year-old gelding Faustus who, like Annabelle, competed on the gold-medal-winning German team at last year’s FEI Dressage European Championship and who has been a prolific winner this season at CDI3* and CDI4* level.

Marc Peter Spahn (Jeroen Poll) will fly the Belgian flag while Emma Kanerva (Greek Air) will compete for Finland, Yessin Rahmouni (All at Once) will represent Morocco, Denise Nekeman (Boston STH) and Emmelie Scholtens (Desperado NOP) will line out for The Netherlands while Norway’s Mathilde Merethe (Sandbaeks Rio El) and Sweden’s Johanna Due Boje (Mazy Klovenhoj) and Jacob Noeerby Soerensen (Sheern) complete the startlist.

First stop

Aarhus is the first stop in the 12-leg FEI Dressage World Cup™ 2022/2023 Western European League that continues at Lyon (FRA) the following weekend before moving on to Stuttgart (GER) and Madrid (ESP) in November and then Salzburg (AUT), London (GBR) and Mechelen (BEL) in December.

The action will resume at Basel, St Jakobshalle (SUI) and Amsterdam (NED) in January 2023, and following legs in Neumünster (GER) and Gothenburg (SWE) in February the twelfth and final qualifier will take place in ’s-Hertogenbosch (NED) in March.

The top 9 finishers in the League will qualify for the 2023 Final along with the defending champion, Germany’s Jessica von Bredow-Werndl, who is automatically qualified provided she competes twice during the season.

The Final returns to Omaha (USA) from 4 to 8 April, where her compatriot and five-time champion - the legendary Isabell Werth - reigned supreme on the only other occasion it was staged there in 2017.

The story of the 2022/2023 season will begin to unfold when the action gets underway on Saturday with the Short Grand Prix which starts at 19.00 local time followed by Sunday’s Grand Prix Freestyle which will kick off at 13.30. It’s going to be another super season, so don’t miss a hoofbeat…..

For all the latest information about the FEI Dressage World Cup™ season 2022/2023 check out the new Series Hub here

Stay up to date with results, articles, interviews, videos and much more while following the action all the way to Final.

FEI Dressage World Cup™ here

Digital seminars for the core equestrian community were held on 11 and 13 October. The objectives were to highlight the best practices in the management and activation of social media platforms to help athletes, National Federations, and equestrian professionals increase their digital audiences and broaden communication.

Two sets of seminars were held over two separate days. The first one was tailored to the needs of international athletes, grooms, and their support teams whereas the second one was open to National Federations (NFs) Secretary Generals, media managers and individuals within the NFs and Continental Associations involved in communication and/or the management of digital channels.

In her opening statement, FEI Secretary General Sabrina Ibáñez emphasised the importance of the use of digital platforms by athletes to build their personal brand, grow their fan base, enhance their business dealings, and ultimately attract sponsors. The Secretary General introduced the various topics, which were discussed during the seminars including best practices on content creation, effective use of digital channels, strategies to increase fan base and engagement, and opportunities for further collaboration with the FEI and other stakeholder groups.

The seminars featured presentations by FEI staff in charge of social media along with experts such as Chris Sellers, Commercial Director at Socialie; Thibault Philippaerts, international athlete from Belgium, team champion and individual silver medallist at this summer’s FEI Jumping European Championship for Young Riders; and Michael Richter, Head of Channel Management at Athletia Sports. Presentations on best practices for NFs were made by representatives of the German Equestrian Federation and USEF.

Over 220 attendees took part in the seminars.

The participants were really pleased with the quality of information and exchanges provided.

“The seminar was very interesting, it was a very good idea to hear from different professionals and share varied points of view,” Gala Planas, deputy general manager for Spanish Dressage rider Beatriz Ferrer-Salat commented. “I was happy with the initiative and hope to benefit more in the future.”

“The FEI Digital Seminar was very informative and I am excited to learn and explore more about the partnership with Socialie and the FEI,” Christie Hanson, FEI groom, social media manager and coach for her daughter Maren Elise Fouché-Hanson (USA), who is also an FEI Junior rider, said. “The content provided through those sources from photographers/videographers will make it much easier to share. I am grateful to the FEI for offering to support the riders with personal assistance developing their content and branding and showing them how to bring our sport to a wider audience and attract sponsorships.”

“It was a very nice opportunity to hear each presentation and approach to social media which is sometimes left behind in our daily tasks,” Satomi Asaeda from the Japanese Equestrian Federation said. “It was interesting to learn about the approach of the FEI and the German Equestrian Federation and how they work as a team. I was surprised that they reply to all the comments! Thank you also for the introduction to Socialie, which was new to us.”

All the presentations and video recordings of the sessions are available on the FEI website here.

 

In 2019 he did it with his great grey gelding Clouzot du Lassus and today young Swiss star Bryan Balsiger did it again when winning the highly competitive opening leg of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ 2022/2023 Western European League with the mare Dubai du Bois Pinchet.

From a starting field of 38 there were 11 through to the jump-off, and the 25-year-old rider was fourth to go against the clock. Setting the target in 41.38 seconds he then had an agonising wait while the rest tried to catch him, but in vain.

“Since the beginning of the year Dubai has been the number one horse in my stable and we’ve been having good results together. I knew we could do more and I was waiting for a big win, so I’m over the moon with her! She has a lot of temperament but I know her well and she gives me everything - and more!”,  he said this evening after pinning the host nation’s Victoria Gulliksen into runner-up spot and Ireland’s Eoin McMahon into third.

Launchpad

Today’s launchpad for the Western European season certainly didn’t disappoint, with a sparkling line-up and a course to match. On his Oslo debut, Swedish course designer Peter Lundstrom certainly didn’t hold back. He knew he was catering for a world-class field and his 14-fence track was up to height and demanding of everyone’s full attention.

The Telenor Arena is compact, and for the first big indoor event of the season that always proves a challenge for horses that have been jumping outdoors over the summer.

Today’s first-round test included plenty of twists and turns, and one of the pivotal points was the 1.63m vertical with a skinny plank on top at fence 12. For some horses it fell easily while others hit it hard but it didn’t come down.

Reigning world champion, number one in the Longines rider rankings and the last man into the ring in the opening round, Sweden’s Henrik von Eckermann looked set to make it a 12-horse jump-off with the 10-year-old gelding Hollywood V until this one fell and he was obliged to join 13 others on a first-round four-fault tally.

Pathfinder

Ireland’s Eoin McMahon set the jump-off target when pathfinder with Ludger Beerbaum Stables’ 12-year-old grey mare Chakra who broke the beam with a clear round in 46.13 seconds. That always looked beatable, but two more took their turn before Balsiger blew the competition wide open when scorching through the finish almost five seconds quicker, in 41.38 seconds, to really put it up to the rest of them.

Germany’s Daniel Deusser, 2014 series champion, looked really threatening when sixth to go with his big-winning mare Killer Queen VDM. But a slip on the roll-back to the two remaining elements of the triple combination halfway around the jump-off track put paid to their chances as they hit the second element, although their four faults in 42.76 seconds would still be good enough for sixth place at the end of the day.

With two Norwegians through to the timed decider the home crowd had a whole lot to cheer about and, next to go, Victoria Gulliksen set them alight with a brilliant round from her ever-reliable chestnut gelding Equine America Papa Roach who cleared the course in 43.62 seconds to slot into runner-up spot.

And when promising young Dutchman, 22-year-old Lars Kersten, steered Emmerton home clear in 46.80 for fourth place and Norway’s Marie Valdar Longem brought Echo de Virton home in 47.12 seconds for fifth, then Gulliksen maintained her second-place finish behind Balsiger and ahead of McMahon.

Special

The partnership between Gulliksen and the 13-year-old Papa Roach has long been a special one, and there was a whole lot of Norwegian happiness this evening.

Talking about her ride at the end of the first round, the 30-year-old athlete said, “it was a crazy feeling, an adrenalin-kick like I never experienced in my whole life! Without that horse I would never have jumped clear. I was missing totally to the last fence but he jumped it. But he does everything for me because he loves me and I love him, and he just knew he had to jump clear today and he was really working for it! I couldn’t be more happy to have a clear round for the first time in the World Cup on home soil!”

And then she went out and did it again….

Reflected

Meanwhile Balsiger reflected on his success. “I always knew Dubai could do big sport, but something was missing until today and now I have the feeling that this is just the beginning at this level and I’m very excited for her!” said the rider who plans to also bring the 13-year-old mare to the second leg of the WEL series in Helsinki, Finland next Sunday.

Asked about winning twice in Oslo, he said that he came well prepared on both occasions. “When we plan go to a World Cup qualifier I always have my horses ready because it is a big opportunity to ride for your country at this level and I just want to do my best”, he pointed out.

“I needed luck today, but after three years you know how difficult it is to win at World Cup shows. It doesn’t happen every weekend and it’s a brilliant achievement that can only happen with the help of my great horse and all of my team, my sponsor and trainer and my groom - I am so grateful to them all for believing in me and my horses!”, he said.

Result here 

Standings here

Second-time gold winner HH Sheikh Nasser Bin Hamad Al Khalifa, with the horse Lola De Jalima from Bahrain took the top prize again at the FEI Endurance World Championship for Young Horses held on Sunday 2 October, 2022 in Vic (ESP). Athletes completed a mountainous and challenging 120 km-long course, over four loops. 

In a tight competition, with the first and second vet gates busy with horses riding in together, Lucía Lateulade with the horse JM Hadamo from Uruguay came in second. Carlos Pacheco Perez with his mount Ella De Fontaines from host-country Spain claimed bronze. 

HH Sheikh Al Khalifa has successfully completed 13 FEI Championships in Endurance, including this one, since the start of his career, out of a total participation in 19 Championships. The first time he took the top prize was in August 2012, when he won the FEI Endurance World Championship for Young Horses in Bablona (HUN). 

Demonstrating its impeccable level of fitness, Al Khalifa’s horse, Lola De Jalima, took an average of 1 minute 4 seconds to recover after each of the first three loops. The horse took only 9 minutes 12 seconds to recover from the last of the four loops. 

The ride started off at a cool 7 degrees at 07:30, with weather conditions warming up significantly to 27 degrees by the time the first horses started to arrive at the vet gates around 16:00. 

Lateulade came in second at the test event for these championships earlier this year in Vic in April, also with the horse JM Hadamo. It was Pacheco Perez’s first Championship; the last ride he competed in he placed first in Monpazier (FRA) this past August with the same horse Ella de Fontaines. 

Also participating in this year’s ride was athlete Saeed Salem Atiq Almuhairi from the UAE. A three-time gold winner of the World Juniors and Young Riders Championships, his most recent win was in Ermelo (Ned) in 2021, preceded by wins in Pisa and Valeggio Sul Mincio, both in Italy, in 2019 and 2017 respectively. 

This year’s FEI Endurance World Championship for Young Horses witnessed 41 starters from 20 countries. It was the concluding event of a weekend with two FEI Endurance Championships, with host nation Spain claiming both team and individual golds at the FEI European Championship for Young Riders & Juniors held on Friday. 


FULL RESULTS