With three superb cross-country clear rounds, Team Germany, lying in silver medal spot overnight, climbed into gold medal position ahead of tomorrow’s final jumping test at the FEI Eventing World Championship 2022 at Pratoni del Vivaro in Italy today. And their leading rider, Michael Jung, maintained his position at the top of the individual leaderboard with a thrilling performance from the 14-year-old gelding fischerChipmunk FRH.

The big crowd of 22,000 spectators were gripped with excitement as a total of 87 horse-and-rider partnerships tackled the challenging 30-fence track set by course designer Guiseppe della Chiesa, with 72 completing the course, 11 coming home inside the time, three retiring and 13 eliminated. 

The defending champions from Great Britain dropped from pole position after the dressage phase down to bronze, while Team USA moved up from third to silver medal position. However the margins are really tight with just 1.3 penalty points separating the Germans on a tally of 76.1 from the Americans on 77.4 when each team’s best three scores are counted. And on a running tally of 80.9 the British are just 3.5 points further adrift and just over a fence behind Germany when the action resumes tomorrow morning at 11.30 local time. The final day of showjumping promises to be a truly gripping affair.

Glance-off

The British began to lose their grip when second-line rider Laura Collett and her Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold-medal-winning ride London 52 had a glance-off at the last element of the KEP Italia Slide at fence seven to plummet from individual second to 48th place. The long, steep slope from the log at the top was followed by two narrow brush fences.

“He was too fresh and too well in himself, he jumped off the top very boldly and he thought he was doing the right thing because he locked onto the skinny from the top of the hill and took me down to it and over-jumped. I needed to anchor him for the three strides but he just ran out of room”, the disappointed rider explained.

Defending individual world champion, Ros Canter, had kicked off the British effort with a spectacular run with Lordships Graffalo who galloped through the finish well inside the time so British hopes had been high. “He is just a phenomenal cross-country horse, he’s only 10 years old and it feels like child’s play to him! He experiences hills like that all the time at home whether he’s hacking or cantering so I knew he’d be able to keep his speed or accelerate up the hills and I think that’s key”, she explained.

Pressure

Collett’s mistake however piled the pressure on her Tokyo 2020 team-mates Tom McEwen and Oliver Townend, and British hearts missed a beat when McEwen was initially given 15 penalties for missing a flag at the notorious fence seven Slide. As it turned out he was right when he said these would be removed on further investigation later in the day, but he still had to add the 4.8 time penalties he collected with the hard-pulling Toledo de Kersker and despite a wonderful clear from Townend and Ballaghmor Class the drop down the leaderboard was inevitable.

World number one athlete Townend said the cross-county course was “a very fair and cleverly designed test but I don’t think it particularly suits some of the older horses such as London, Ballaghmore Class, Toledo de Kerser who have been around big 5-Stars like Badminton and Burghley because this is definitely smaller dimensionally and you are up and down the hills and the terrain is tough. They want big open courses that they can attack”, he pointed out.

Cruised

Meanwhile Team Germany just cruised into the lead even though pathfinder Christoph Wahler, who also had the unenviable task of being first out on the course this morning, picked up 9.6 time penalties with Carjatan S and said he didn’t enjoy the experience. “On a course like Luhmuehlen he flies, on a course like this he has to dig really deep”, he said.  

In complete contrast the second man out, Ireland’s Sam Watson (SAP Talisman) said, “I really enjoyed that even though it was hard work. If it’s not hard work we all go clear in the time and then today doesn’t matter so much. This is high performance sport and I think you have to be a genius now to push us out of our comfort zone and make it horse friendly to jump around. The course designer for me has done his job. It’s a very safe track to jump but it’s a hard track to ride, congratulations Guiseppe!”, he added. 

Like many of the 16 competing nations Team Ireland’s target from the outset is to fight for the one of the seven team qualifying spots on offer for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and a gutsy effort from all four team members today rocketed them up from twelfth to a very competitive fifth place on a score of 105.0. 

New Zealand’s Tim and Jonelle Price (Falco and McLaren), Monica Spencer (Artist) and Clarke Johnstone (Menlo Park) lie ahead of them in fourth place on a competitive score of 88.3 while Switzerland lies sixth (109.4) and Japan is in seventh (111.9) after the first two phases. 

Into gear

Germany really got into gear when 2014 world champion Sandra Auffarth delivered a masterclass with the 13-year-old Viamant du Matz. “We had a perfect run, super from beginning to end!”, she said. “My last run was in Aachen and he felt great there and it was the same here, there was nothing I was worried about it felt cool!” 

Then reigning Olympic champion Julia Krajewski came home six seconds inside the time with Amande de B’Neville before Michael Jung put the icing on the cake with another of the extraordinary rides that have earned him the nickname “Super Michi” on his home turf.

“He was great yesterday in dressage and today he was like a machine!”, said the German superstar. “At the end he was so super galloping and felt like he could do it all again! I was staying on the brake most of the way, I tried to keep him relaxed, and it’s fantastic how quickly he can think, he’s a big horse with a big stride and at that 7abc fence he was so super that I could jump the two hedges with a little smile on my face!”

Meanwhile the Americans added just the 0.8 time faults picked up by Will Coleman and Off the Record to their scoreline to overtake the British. Lauren Nicholson and Vermiculus collected 5.6 time faults but both Boyd Martin and Tsetserleg TSF and Tamra Smith and Mai Baum were clear and quick. And Smith goes into tomorrow’s final jumping phase with Mai Baum in individual bronze medal spot, only 0.8 behind British individual Yasmin Ingham who added just 1.2 time penalties to her scoreline with Banzai du Loir today. 

Magical unicorn

“I have an unbelievable magical unicorn in all three phases!”, Smith said. “He’s the horse of a lifetime and he’s made a lot of dreams come true. I will take care of him tonight, he felt great to the end, and I know his heart is as big as mine so he’ll give me everything he has tomorrow!”

In her very first championship Ingham can hardly believe she is stalking the mighty Michael Jung so closely going into the final day. “I could never have dreamed of being in this position!”, she said. “My horse deserves it so much, he’s just an incredible all-round horse and touch wood tomorrow he will show everyone that he really is the ultimate event horse!”

But Jung has his eyes set on his second world title and he’s so very hard to beat. He posted a record winning score in 2010 in Lexington, USA and if he stays on his tally of 18.8 tomorrow he’ll beat that. Can he do it?....”we will see” he said tonight with a wry little smile….

Results here https://www.longinestiming.com/equestrian/2022/fei-eventing-world-championship-pratoni-del-vivaro

Website here https://pratoni2022.it/en

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Dr. Thomas Bach expressed his appreciation for the FEI Eventing World Championships 2022 venue, during his visit to the iconic grounds in Pratoni del Vivaro (ITA) on Saturday. 

Accompanied by FEI President and IOC member Ingmar De Vos, FEI Secretary General Sabrina Ibáñez, Olympic gold medallist and Chair of the FEI Eventing Committee David O’Connor and President of the Italian Equestrian Federation Marco Di Paola, President Bach had the opportunity to tour the venue, take in the cross country competition and meet with some of the sport’s top athletes. 

“These are amazing facilities to see and it is a pleasure to experience a real Olympic legacy and sustainability success story,” Bach said. “I’m very impressed by the many measures the FEI has taken to safeguard the wellbeing and the health of the horses, and I am pleased with everything the International Federation is doing to ensure the future of the sport.”

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Dr. Thomas Bach, FEI President and IOC member Ingmar De Vos, and Olympic gold medallist and Chair of the FEI Eventing Committee David O’Connor (FEI / Richard Juilliart)

The Rocca di Papa Equestrian Sports Centre, in the heart of the beautiful Parco dei Castelli Romani, was also the cross country venue at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome. The cross country course designed by Event Director Giuseppe della Chiesa for the FEI World Championships, featured fences that were also used during the Olympic Games over 60 years ago.

Eventing has been an Olympic discipline since 1912, and the FEI Eventing World Championships 2022 in Pratoni del Vivaro will provide the first qualifying opportunity for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, with seven team qualifying spots on offer. More than 22,000 spectators were in attendance during cross country day which saw Germany, USA and Great Britain take the team lead going into the Jumping phase of the competition.  

“We are very pleased that President Bach could join us here in Pratoni to witness some of best the discipline of Eventing has to offer,” Ingmar De Vos said. 

“Eventing has grown and evolved over the years, as evidenced by the incredibly high level of sportsmanship at these World Championships.  
 
“What has remained, however, is the close knit nature of the Eventing community and the respect for good horsemanship practices. This truly is a sport where the focus is on ability and expertise, rather than gender. Women have participated alongside men in all the FEI Eventing World Championships since 1966 and I know that the amazing atmosphere here in Pratoni has only encouraged our athletes to give the best of themselves and their horses.”

The FEI Eventing World Championships has also put a spotlight on the intergenerational dynamics of the sport. At 22-years of age, Nadja Minder (SUI), Jarno Verwimp (BEL) and Alina Dibowski (GER) will be competing against veteran Eventer Andrew Hoy (AUS) who at 65 years, is the oldest competitor in Pratoni. Hoy, who took part in the 1978 World Championships, is hoping to add to his already impressive portfolio of six Olympic medals and four World Championship medals.  

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Dr. Thomas Bach and Olympic gold medallist and Chair of the FEI Eventing Committee David O’Connor at the FEI Eventing World Championship 2022 in Pratoni del Vivaro (ITA) (FEI / Richard Juilliart)

While there are 13 former Olympic medalists participating at the FEI World Championships in Pratoni, athletes from Lithuania and Thailand are also vying to make their mark in their countries’ first ever appearance in the competition.

“Eventing is a complete test of horse and rider,” David O’Connor explained. “For the human athlete, Eventing puts their relationship with their horse well and truly under a microscope. A rider needs to be able to keep their horse centred and in a strong frame of mind during the Dressage test, and then guide the horse’s natural instincts through the challenges of a cross country course, while maintaining this focus when Jumping.
 
“It takes a great deal of horsemanship and expertise for the athlete and horse to carry out three completely different tests, and this relationship between the human and equine athlete is not one that is forged overnight. Patience and time is required for this mutual confidence to develop, and the athletes train as intensively as they would for any other sport.” 

The FEI Eventing World Championships which runs from 15 to 18 September will be followed by the FEI Driving World Championships that will take place from 20 to 25 September in Pratoni del Vivaro. 

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 able-bodied disciplines when Para Dressage joined its ranks in 2006. The FEI now governs all international competitions for Para Dressage and Para Driving.

FEI Media Contact:
Vanessa Martin Randin
Senior Manager, Corporate Communications & Media Relations
vanessa.randin@fei.org
+41 78 750 61 73

Paul Stretton
Senior Manager, Sport Communications & Media Operations
paul.stretton@fei.org
+41 78 661 66 53

As the Dressage phase of the FEI Eventing World Championship 2022 at Pratoni del Vivaro (ITA) drew to a close today Great Britain lost the advantage on the Individual leaderboard, but their spectacular team total of 69.2 set a new World Championship record and they go into tomorrow’s cross-country phase still well in command of the team rankings.  

When Tom McEwen scored 25.6 with his Tokyo Olympic team gold and individual silver medal-winning ride Toledo de Kerser late this morning the record was already broken, and then the 24.3 posted by the current number one athlete in the FEI Eventing rankings, Oliver Townend with Ballaghmor Class, stretched it even further.

Meanwhile German superstar Michael Jung, three times individual European champion, twice Olympic Individual champion and possibly on his way to his second Individual World title, ousted overnight leader, Great Britain’s Laura Collett, from the top of the Individual leaderboard when posting his best ever CCI-5* score of 18.8 with fischerChipmunk FRH this afternoon. 

“It’s amazing how he performs in the arena”, Jung said of the 14-year-old bay gelding. “He just brings everything in there and you can ride like at home so this is a great feeling. He is so relaxed but powerful and concentrated so you can show all of what you train, and that’s an amazing feeling for the rider”, the 40-year-old German pointed out.

The 26.0 posted by reigning Individual Olympic champion Julia Krajewski and Amande de B’Neville already boosted German team chances earlier in the day before Jung’s leading score saw his side rocket up from overnight seventh place to leave them in silver medal spot going into tomorrow’s cross-country challenge on a score of 76.1. 

Team USA held onto bronze medal position while New Zealand dropped from second to fourth, but on a running tally of 77.9 the Kiwis trail the Americans by just 1.3 while Team Australia are just over six points further adrift in fifth. France, Japan, Belgium, Switzerland and the host nation of Italy make up the top 10 of the 16 competing teams.

Individual

China’s Alex Hua Tian and Don Geniro slotted into individual fourth place with a score of 23.7 today, while America’s Tamra Smith and Mai Baum are in fifth ahead of Britain’s Townend in sixth. 

Smith was on the winning US team at the Pan American Games in Lima (PER) in 2019 with her 16-year-old gelding and the pair also competed at last summer’s Olympic Games in Tokyo. They were always expected to feature well in the Dressage phase at Pratoni having finished tenth in Aachen (GER) and ninth in Kentucky (USA) last year and ninth in Badminton GBR this year, always with impressive first-phase scores.

“I feel it was better than Badminton today”, said the 48-year-old Californian. “He’s in much better self-carriage and relaxation and most of it was brilliant. It’s been a life-long goal of mine to be here at the World Championship and to be on this horse is extra special because I think he’s one of the best in the world. I think he belongs here!”, she said.

Monica Spencer remains best of the Kiwis, in equal-seventh place with Britain’s Tom McEwen going into tomorrow’s cross-country phase on a score of 25.6. McEwen had been hoping for better but a break in medium trot early in his test saw him having to claw back marks, which he did with considerable cool.

“It wasn’t our best test but we recovered really well”, he said. “The changes and canter-work were lovely and I was really pleased with his walk but didn’t have quite enough from the leg going in probably and it was a little bit of a recovery process”, he explained. 

Food for thought

Once dressage is out of the way all focus now turns to tomorrow’s cross-county test, and Guiseppe della Chiesa’s course has certainly given riders plenty of food for thought.

“There are plenty of errors to be made if you’re not ‘on it’. You’ve got to go out with your plan and stick to it - the thinking rider will come out on top tomorrow, whether it’s how the horse feels underneath you or how the course could change”, McEwen said. 

World number four and three-time Olympian, New Zealand’s Jonelle Price whose score of 26.1 today with McClaren leaves her two places ahead of husband Tim and Falco in 13th, gave her assessment. 

“Time is going be the biggest factor”, she said. “We’ve got such a high-calibre field of horses here and the British team have the best horses in the world. So I think the horses are going to make light work of it but the hills and a lot of congested jumping will make the clock challenging.”

Germany’s Olympic champion Krajewski and her mare will be on familiar territory because the pair came to Pratoni in the spring of this year to train on the hills in preparation for Kentucky where, in the final analysis, they didn’t compete. She said today, “my horse is built like a showjumper - she can jump everything and she is really fit. For the cross-country here the horses need to be in good condition, and the riders need to be clever at some of these combinations”. 

Equiratings statistics show that at the last seven FEI Eventing World Championships the eventual winning team was lying either first or second after dressage and that, since 2002, the individual champion has never been outside the top five after the dressage phase. At the last four world championships Team Germany has led the way after dressage and Michael Jung has arrived in Pratoni this week as favourite to take the Individual title.

But statistics are one thing and the sport of Eventing has a knack for throwing up plenty of surprises. The story of the FEI Eventing World Championship 2022 will continue to play out when Germany’s Christoph Walhler and Carjatan S lead the way in the cross-country phase at 10.30 local time tomorrow morning….so don’t miss a hoofbeat….

Results here 

Website here 

The FEI has been made aware of the social media posts published by Jessica von Bredow-Werndl (GER) on Thursday, regarding her return to competition from maternity leave.

While we fully understand her desire to compete, Ms von Bredow-Werndl clearly expressed her decision to avail of the maternity leave provisions set out in Article 2.2 of the FEI Dressage World Ranking List Rules in April 2022 and it was explained to Ms von Bredow-Werndl at the time that the minimum period of the maternity leave would be six months.

The FEI also informed the German Equestrian Federation at the time that, further to Ms von Bredow-Werndl’s decision, a note had been added to her profile confirming that she would not be competing during the six month period of her maternity leave.

Once an Athlete has chosen to apply for medical/maternity leave under Article 2.2 of the FEI Dressage World Ranking List Rules, and has benefited from the provision allowing for the retention of 50% of the ranking points from the corresponding six months of the previous year, it is not possible for the Athlete to subsequently change their mind.

The procedures currently in place for Athletes applying for medical/maternity leave are to protect the fairness and integrity of the sport. Any recalculation of the Dressage Rankings could have a significant impact on other Athletes.  

The FEI will undertake a review of the medical/maternity leave Rules for the future, and will liaise with the riders’ clubs (IJRC, IDRC) and the wider equestrian stakeholder groups.

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:

Vanessa Martin Randin
Senior Manager, Corporate Communications & Media Relations
vanessa.randin@fei.org  
+41 78 750 61 73

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

Alan Smith (GBR), who was equestrian correspondent of the Daily Telegraph for 48 years, covering 10 summer Olympic Games and every major equestrian championship between 1960 and 2008, has died, aged 89. Remarkably, he was in charge of the newspaper’s skiing coverage at eight winter Olympic Games having attended no less than 17 Olympic Games altogether.

Starting with the FEI Jumping European Championship for Juniors held in Hickstead (GBR) in 1961 through to the 2008 Olympic Games, after which he retired, he acquired a profound knowledge of equestrian sport and became a walking encyclopaedia of results and unforgettable stories. His dedication to the profession – he was dogged in the pursuit of a good story – and great kindness to young writers, helped him set the high standard of equestrian journalism, for which he is greatly admired to this day.

Before “falling into journalism”, as he would say later himself, he turned down a place at Reading University because his father was ill and someone in the family had to make a living. He joined the Brenards Air News agency which was based at Heathrow, now one of the world’s largest travel hubs, but only a “collection of huts” in those days.

After a spell working on pedigrees for the British Bloodstock Agency – his love of racing never left him and he continued to have shares in racehorses until his death – he was taken on by the Telegraph racing desk. One day the deputy sports editor asked him if he would like to cover “a bit of show jumping” and he never looked back.

In addition to his journalistic work, Alan Smith was on numerous committees including the FEI Jumping World Cup Committee, from the series creation in 1978 through to 1998. He developed a lasting friendship with Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who was the FEI President from 1964 to 1986. Having covered equestrian sport for nearly 50 years, he became the much admired and respected doyen of his profession.

“Alan Smith was one of the living legends of equestrian journalism and the sport as a whole,” FEI Secretary General Sabrina Ibáñez said. “He has sadly passed away after covering some of Jumping and Eventing’s greatest moments. On behalf of the FEI, I am honoured to pay tribute to such a remarkable newspaperman, who knew everything there was to know about the sport and more. He was admired for his infallible work ethic and was a true legend across press offices worldwide. My thoughts at this sad time are with Alan Smith’s family and friends and the British equestrian community. He will be very much missed.”

In 2020, fellow equestrian journalist Louise Parkes conducted a lovely interview with Alan Smith, which is available on the FEI website here. We invite you to read it and join us in remembering an exceptional professional and a wonderful man.

 Photo caption: Pictured in 1992 - (L to R) Brian Giles of the Daily Mail, Alan Smith from the Daily Telegraph and HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. (Photo: Peter Hogan)

Photo caption: British journalist Alan Smith, who covered equestrian sport for nearly half a century, has passed away at the age of 89. He is pictured at the FEI Jumping World Cup Final in Paris-Bercy (FRA) in 1987. (Photo: Jan Gyllensten)

They arrived with six Team and five Individual gold medals already under their belts, and today Team Great Britain showed they are again the ones to beat when filling the top two places on the leaderboard at the end of the first day of Dressage at the FEI Eventing World Championship 2022 in Pratoni del Vivaro (ITA). It’s early days, but the country that claimed Olympic gold in Tokyo 12 months ago and then swept all before them at the FEI European Championships 2021 once more look like a truly formidable force.

Defending double-world-champion and British team member, 33-year-old Ros Canter, posted the first big score today with the relatively inexperienced 10-year-old Lordships Graffalo when putting 26.2 on the board this morning. However fellow-countrywoman, 25-year-old Yasmin Ingham, who is competing as an Individual, impressed Ground Jury members Christina Klinspor (SWE), Peter Gray (CAN) and Christian Steiner (AUT) even more for a mark of 22.0 with her 11-year-old gelding Banzai du Loir to go out in front. 

And it took an inspired performance from Canter’s Tokyo 2020 team-mate Laura Collett to push this pair off pole position later in the afternoon when London 52 simply swaggered through a superb test to earn the highest score of the first day, 19.3, to firmly secure the team advantage for her country. 

“He definitely loves a crowd! He went in that arena and went, yes! everyone is here to see me! He is just a pleasure to ride when he’s like that!”, Collett said afterwards.

Running team score

On a running team score of 45.5 the British go into tomorrow’s second day of Dressage, when another 43 horse-and-rider partnerships will take their turn before facing into the Cross-country and Jumping tests on Saturday and Sunday, with an eight-point lead over Team New Zealand (53.0) who have only 0.5 of an advantage over Team USA in third place (53.5). Kiwi chances were hugely boosted by a spectacular test from Monica Spencer and her racing-bred 11-year-old gelding Artist who strutted his stuff for a strong score of 25.6 that leaves the 35-year-old rider currently in third place. 

This is an incredible result for Spencer who is competing for the very first time on a Senior team and for the very first time in the Northern Hemisphere.  She gave birth to her son, Gus, just 10 months ago and has travelled 18,000 kms with her horse to ride alongside Clarke Johnston who scored a handsome 27.4 today to slot into eighth place with Menlo Park and the star Kiwi husband-and-wife partnership of Tim and Jonelle Price who go into the ring tomorrow. This is a team that clearly means business.

Meanwhile Will Coleman (Off the Record) and Lauren Nicholson (Vermiculus), with scores of 26.4 and 27.1 respectively, kept the USA well in contention at this early stage. French rider Thomas Carlile slotted into individual fifth place with a lovely ride on Darmagnac de Bellard that scored 26.4 and he was really pleased with his “very gentle, very honest and shy little horse”. Like all the riders who have competed today he can now turn his attention to Saturday’s cross-country phase which looks set to be quite a thriller.

While others seem to be somewhat in awe of it, he described Guiseppe della Chiesa’s 30-fence track as “lovely”, but that perhaps is because he said he has competed at Pratoni del Vivaro many times, “and I love this place!”

Balance

“It seems to me like a balance between a true championship test and a modern look at Eventing with a lot of frangible pins that we all have our ideas about but it’s the way the sport is going and we need to choose and produce our horses in that aspect now. There are plenty of different routes to make sure everyone has the possibility to get around and it will require proper cross-country riding with the terrain….I’m really looking forward to it!”, he said.

A score of 30.7 from team-mate Astier Nicolas and Alertamalib’or leaves France on a running tally of 57.1 while Japan is close behind on 60.2 and Team Australia is in sixth place with 61.8 on the board.

At the end of a difficult day for Team Germany they currently lie seventh, both Christop Wahler’s Carjatan S and Sandra Auffarth’s Viamant du Matz finding the dressage arena spooky and subsequently struggling to give of their best. Auffarth, who won World double-gold in 2014, was devastated initially but her sense of humour returned. “At London 2012 (Olympic Games) the roof of a judge’s hut blew away when I was in the arena and today a letter fell down, so I suppose it was a smaller thing this time!”, she told a German reporter.

But Germany still has two world-class combinations to come in Tokyo 2020 Individual Olympic champions Julia Krajewski and Amande de B’Neville and 2010 world champion Michael Jung with fischerChipmunk FRH. The leaderboards are likely to see many changes over the next 24 hours.

Runner-up spot

Britain’s Yasmin Ingham talked about her horse, Banzai du Loir who leaves her in individual runner-up spot this evening. “I’m so proud of him, he’s a really special horse and I still think there’s plenty more in there which is very exciting! I couldn’t fault him today at all. We have more experience now in big arenas after doing Blenheim (GBR) last year and Burghley (GBR) just before we came, and it’s great to have Chris Bartle (coach) with us here”, she pointed out. Looking ahead to the cross-country challenge she added “the Slide at 7 comes up pretty quick but it all looks jumpable. There’s plenty to look at and the water complexes are difficult - we will know what it’s all about by Saturday!”

Overnight leader Collett reflected on her test today with London 52. “He was pretty good at Badminton but there were bits that weren’t quite good enough and we’ve just been really working on. Once I got the first centreline out of the way I thought Carl (Hester, Olympic dressage rider and coach) will be happy now! From then on he just felt like he was getting better and better and I could just have a lovely time basically!

Asked if she felt pressure going into the arena she replied, “yes I’m well aware I’m sat on one of the best horses in the world and people expect him to deliver - and luckily he did!”

She said she competed at the FEI Pony European Championships at Pratoni in 2005 so is familiar with the cross-country course. “But sadly it’s not going to be a Dressage competition this weekend! From start to finish the course is full-on and there was a lot head-scratching when we first walked it to decide exactly what the direct route was because there are so many options”, she pointed out.

Tonight the British are sitting pretty, with two more of their Tokyo 2020 winning side yet to go in Tom McEwen (Toledo de Kerser) and Oliver Townend (Ballaghmor Class), but they know the story of the 15th edition of the FEI Eventing World Championship still has a long way to go. The second day of Dressage begins at 09.30 tomorrow when Australia’s Shenae Lowings and Bold Venture step into the ring and the battle for both the Team and Individual medals resumes…..don’t miss a hoofbeat…..

Results here

Website here 

A starry roll call of the world’s top four-in-hand drivers makes up the definite entry list, revealed a week ahead of the 25^th FEI Driving World Championship for Four-in-Hand.

All eyes will be on five time World Champion Boyd Exell (AUS) who is aiming for his sixth consecutive outdoor title against the likes of four-time winner Ijsbrand Chardon (NED) or Zoltán Lázár (HUN).

Keeping it in the family, Ijsbrand’s son and current FEI Driving World Cup™ Champion, Bram, joins the Dutch contingent, while for Hungary, successful father and son duo József Dobrovitz Snr. and Jnr. return to Pratoni having been at May’s Test Event. The two ladies on the list are Germany’s Mareike Harm and Anna Sandmann, the latter being the daughter of international Driving icon Christoph Sandmann, who competed in multiple editions of the FEI World Equestrian Games™.

From the sixteen countries who have confirmed their 37 athletes and 185 horses, Holland will lead the charge in the team event. Winners of team gold a record ten times since the first World Championships held in Münster (GER) in 1972, they are boosted by a depth of talent including world number two, Koos de Ronde. Previous winners Germany and Hungary, who are also fielding the maximum six athletes, will put up a tough fight for the coveted team crown. Another nation to watch is Belgium, with the up and coming Dries Degriek joining Leipzig’s World Cup bronze medallist Glenn Geerts and Tom Stokmans.

The USA will not be defending the team title won in Tryon (USA) as their only competitor is Chester Webber, although as the 2018 silver medallist and an experienced campaigner, he will have an individual podium place in his sights. Shaping his season around this event, Chester’s horses came to Europe from Florida in May.

Each of the six nations which has entered a team of three athletes can field up to three additional individuals. Also in the team event, France has four entries, including Test Event winner Anthony Horde and as the home nation, Italy is represented by one driver, Luca Cassottana. World number three, Jérôme Voutaz, is flying the Swiss flag and individual athletes have also been confirmed by Austria, Czech Republic, Spain, Poland, Romania, Sweden and Uruguay.

Having just turned 50, Boyd has enjoyed an unbeaten outdoor season this year and is on the form of his career. With a steely focus, he is determined not only to defend his title but to resoundingly win. Consistent across the three phases of dressage, marathon and cones, he is a master at maintaining his cool under pressure, whether leading from the front or chasing from behind. Joining him to give Australia a team is Tor Van Den Berg, who is also a Grand Prix Dressage rider.

For those who came to the FEI World Equestrian Games™ held at Pratoni del Vivaro in 1998, it is a welcome return to this legendary venue, which has been overhauled ahead of the FEI World Championships 2022. For others, it may be their first visit, and they can be assured of a warm Italian welcome – as well as nail biting competition where history will be made.

The FEI Driving World Championship 2022 will begin on 21 September with the horse and course inspections. The competition schedule will be:

Dressage on 22 & 23 September

Marathon on 24 September

Cones on 25 September

For more information on the FEI World Championships 2022 in Pratoni del Vivaro (ITA), go to: https://pratoni2022.it/en

Germany’s Christoph Wahler and his 13-year-old grey gelding Carjatan S will be first into the arena when Dressage gets underway tomorrow (Thursday) morning at the FEI Eventing World Championships 2022 in Pratoni del Vivaro, Rocca di Papa (ITA). There was just one withdrawal during today’s first horse inspection, Mexico’s Daniela Moguel and the mare Cecelia, so a total of 89 horse/rider combinations from 26 countries will tackle the three-phase competition that will decide both Team and Individual medals over the next four days at this much-loved Italian venue.

Germany was drawn first to go of the 16 teams, and with individual riders also interspersed, the drawn order is as follows (Teams marked with an asterisk): 1, Germany*; 2, Ireland*; 3, Canada*; 4, France*; 5, Belgium*; 6, Czech Republic; 7, Poland; 8. Spain*; 9, The Netherlands; 10, Lithuania; 11, Switzerland*; 12, Thailand; 13, Italy*; 14, Sweden*; 15, Denmark; 16, New Zealand*; 17, Hungary; 18, India; 19, USA*; 20, Japan*; 21, Great Britain*; 22, Australia*; 23, Austria*; 24,     China; 25, Ecuador; 26, Brazil*.

The defending champions from Great Britain have a good draw, and Ros Canter, who won both Team and Individual gold last time around at Tryon, USA in 2018 will put the first British foot forward when entering the arena with Lordships Graffalo in the 13th starting spot tomorrow morning. Each team will field two combinations on Thursday and two more on Friday when the Dressage phase will conclude, except for Team Austria who, with just three in their side, send only Katrin Khoddam-Hazrati and Oklahoma 2 into action tomorrow afternoon while her compatriots will strut their stuff inside the boards on Friday. 

Course

Guiseppe della Chiesa’s cross-country course was opened today revealing 42 jumping efforts on his 30-fence track over a distance of 5,600 metres. The optimum time in which to get home is 9 minutes 50 seconds and as Great Britain’s Lucinda Green, 1982 World Champion and twice European Champion, pointed out after her first look at the fences, this is a track that will need to be ridden “by feel” rather than on the clock. The constant undulations, climbs and drops make it a roller-coaster from start to finish and included, this time at fence two, is Albino’s Water Trough, an obstacle that has been constantly altered and reused since first built for the 1960 Olympic Games.

Riders will walk the course several times over the next few days before the cross-country action begins on Saturday but first they will want to perform well in the Dressage arena to place themselves prominently on the leaderboard.

One young man who should be feeling confident is Switzerland’s Robin Godel who was individual winner with Grandeur de Lully CH while also helping his country to victory at the Test Event at Pratoni in May which was also the first leg of the FEI Eventing Nations Cup™ 2022 series. The Swiss were superb at this 4* NC-S event with Nadja Minder slotting into fifth individually with Toblerone while Melody Johner and Toubleu de Rueire finished eighth, and all three combinations are back in action again this week. 

Their cross-country coach is Kiwi legend Andrew Nicholson who during his own spectacular career won every CCI 5* in the Northern Hemisphere and who won team gold at the 1990 World Championship in Stockholm (SWE). Nicknamed “Mr Stickability” for the number of times he defied gravity and stayed onboard his horses in tricky situations he will have advised his squad how to ride the long and steep run down the combination KEP Italia Slide which is guaranteed to be one of the favourite viewing spots for spectators early on the course.

Idol

Nicholson is an idol for individual competitor Fouaad Mirza from India who will start 19th of the 45 runners in tomorrow’s first day of Dressage and who said today that his country will soon be a force to be reckoned with in the sport of Eventing. The 30-year-old who hails from Bangalore moved to Germany in 2017 and is based with German team member Sandra Auffarth who won double-gold at the FEI World Championship in 2014.

He’s been riding the 16-year-old Seigneur Medicott for some years now and is confident that they will give a great account of themselves over the coming days. “We’ve done a lot together, we’ve been to two Championships and we know each other very well”, he said today. “Of course this is one step further, a 5* not a 4* so it will test the partnership of horses and riders and the bond between them. It’s a difficult course but we are looking forward to tackling it!”, he added. 

In the past seven world championships in Eventing, the eventual winning team has been placed either first or second after Dressage. It was Team New Zealand at the 1990 Stockholm World Championships that last defied this trend by starting in fifth place after Dressage. The on-form Swiss team have never started a world championship inside the top ten after Dressage and they only time their best placing was ninth in Jerez (ESP) in 2002. But things can change and over the next few days a whole new story will be written.

The camaraderie in this special equestrian sport is something very special and some British team supporters had a nice surprise last night. Andrew Nicholson was on the same flight from London and they offered him a ride in their taxi to Frascati, the town near Pratoni which is housing most of those visiting the event. That led to a dinner invitation the group will never forget, and they will by flying both the Swiss and British flags at the FEI Eventing World Championships 2022 as a result. 

It’s already memorable, so don’t miss a hoofbeat of the FEI Eventing World Championships 2022….

Timetable and results here 

Website 

Two time Paralympian and World Championship medalist Rodolpho Riskalla from Brazil, has been elected to the newly created World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Athletes’ Council.

The WADA Athletes’ Council was created in May 2022 as part of widespread Governance reforms to “enhance athletes’ representation within WADA through the establishment of a 20-member Athlete Council, composed of athletes’ representatives chosen by athletes.” The Athletes’ Council, which replaces the 12-member WADA Athlete Committee, is also responsible for appointing athlete representatives to other WADA bodies.

The Athletes’ Council is structured into three groups, with Group 1 comprising five athletes appointed to their position by the Athletes’ Commissions of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and International Paralympic Committee (IPC).

Riskalla, whose nomination was put forward by the Athletes’ Committee of the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI), is one of only eight athletes to be elected to Group 2 from a stellar nomination pool of 34 candidates. Athletes who ran for election in this Group have competed at the international level within the last nine years, and were from the same sport as the International Federation Athlete Commission nominating them. Riskalla will hold this position for a three-year term beginning in 2023.

A further seven positions in Group 3 will be selected by the Athlete Council Appointment Panel to fill skills and diversity gaps. The Panel will be composed of two athletes from the new Council (one representative each from Groups 1 and 2) and one member of the WADA Nominations Committee.

“I would like to offer my congratulations to Rodolpho on his election to the WADA Athletes’ Council and I’m confident that he will be an excellent ambassador to represent the interests of the athletes,” FEI President and Member of the WADA Executive Committee Ingmar De Vos said.

“Rodolpho is fully committed to the core principles of WADA and eager to put his knowledge and experience of international sport to the service of the athlete community. His passion and courage apply to all facets of his life, and he has been an inspiration to many athletes in equestrian sport.

“We greatly value his enthusiasm and resolution to achieve his goals and fight for his principles and values, which includes a world where all athletes can participate in a doping-free sport environment.”

Riskalla became a Paralympian in late 2015 after contracting bacterial meningitis in the run up to the Olympic Games in Rio 2016, at which he had hoped to represent his country in Dressage.

He defied the odds and went on to ride at the Paralympic Games in Rio, just months after his illness cost him both legs below the knees and a loss of fingers, finishing in 10^th place individually.

His extraordinary story earned him the 2016 FEI Against all Odds award, and he was also named Para Equestrian Rider of the Year by the Brazilian Paralympic Committee in 2018, 2019 and 2021. Competing in Grade IV, he went on to secure two silver medals at the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games™ in Tryon (USA) on his mount Warenne. He followed this with an individual silver in Grade IV at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo 2020, and more recently a bronze medal at the Orifarm Healthcare FEI Para Dressage World Championship 2022 in Herning (DEN) in August, with his beloved Don Henrico.

 Rodolpho Riskalla riding Don Henrico at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, for a silver medal in Individual Grade IV (© FEI/Liz Gregg)

Quick links:
Rodolpho’s a role model, FEI.org, 7 March 2019
Para Equestrian Digest, 14 April 2022

The FEI Board has approved a temporary exemption to the FEI Veterinary Regulations in response to the shortage of vaccines in Europe created by supply issues facing Boehringer Ingelheim, a key producer of equine influenza vaccinations.

At its meeting on Thursday, 8 September the FEI decided to extend the booster intervals from six to 12 months in combination with increased disease surveillance and a higher level of general biosecurity.

Currently, Article 1003 of the FEI Veterinary Regulations requires Equine Influenza boosters to be given in the six months (+21 days) leading up to a competition, but not within seven days of arrival at the Event.

With the worldwide temporary derogation approved by the FEI Board in effect from 1 October 2022 to 1 April 2023, horses will be eligible to compete at FEI Events with the most recent booster taken within a period of 12 months, but not within seven days of arrival at the Event. All other requirements of Article 1003 must be fulfilled during this period. 

In order to increase disease surveillance during the derogated period, Article 1029.7 of the FEI Veterinary Regulations that concerns the testing of febrile horses for EHV-1, is expanded to also include testing for Equine Influenza.

Caused by technology upgrades at one of its vaccine production facilities, Boehringer Ingelheim is currently experiencing supply delays for the Equine Influenza (EI) vaccine ProteqFlu® as well as the Equine Influenza and Tetanus vaccine ProteqFlu® (TE). The biopharmaceutical company is working on a number of measures to address these delays.

“In their review of the potential impact of the vaccine shortage, the FEI Epidemiology Group found that even a short interruption to vaccine supplies could have a significant impact on several types of sport, breeding and leisure horses,” FEI Veterinary Director Göran Akerström explained.

“However, the horses with the highest risk of developing a disease, including life threatening conditions, are horses aged 0-4 that do not yet have a strong immune defense against Equine Influenza. In particular, equine sectors with young horses, such as breeding and horseracing could face serious horse welfare problems if vaccines are not available to them. Old, retired horses could also be at a high risk.

“This is why the FEI Veterinary Epidemiology Working Group has advised that middle-aged equines, like FEI horses that are at least six years old and that have been vaccinated on a regular basis, are considered better protected because of a longer vaccination history. The Group was in agreement that a temporary extension of the booster intervals would not put the FEI population of horses in danger of developing disease, while making vaccines available to the more high risk equine groups in the short term. The equestrian community now needs to work together to mitigate a very challenging shortage of vaccines.

“The extension is only a temporary solution and only possible because FEI horses are well protected after having been vaccinated every six to 12 months, often for many years. We will revert back to the six month booster interval as soon as the vaccine availability is back to normal as we need to continue building on this collective immunity for the long term.”

The FEI Veterinary Department will monitor the situation and updates will be provided to the community and the public on a regular basis.

Quick link:
Equine Influenza Vaccines – FAQs about the current shortage