Tobias Thorning Jørgensen (DEN) left no room for suspense in Grade III at the Orifarm Healthcare FEI Para Dressage World Championship 2022 in Herning (DEN) today. Riding his lovely mare Jolene Hill, Tobias scored a massive 78,676% to comfortably take the title ahead of silver medallist Natasha Baker (GBR) and Keystone Dawn Chorus on 73.970%, who was closely followed by Rebecca Hart (USA) on her World and Paralympic medal winning horse, El Corona Texel. 

Tobias reflected on his gold medal after the ceremony, and said: “It was amazing to finally get into the arena and finally get this medal. You have all these expectations from others and yourself and you want to do good, but you never know with horses, so I am very happy to finally have accomplished what I was fighting for, to get the gold in all three championships Europeans, Paralympic and now the Worlds”. 

“It is just amazing to be at the top of the podium with such good riders in the grade.”

Michelle ends eight-year wait for World title 

Grade V on the other hand was a real nail-biter as Michele George (BEL) and Best of 8 went in the lead with 76.419%. The defending World Champion Sophie Wells (GBR) and her new horse Don Cara M looked like a good candidate for the gold. Unfortunately, a mistake in the canter transition put her out of the contention for gold and she finished with 75.279% and the silver medal. Frank Hosmar and Alphaville N.O.P. were as close as you can be when they finished just 0.023% behind Sophie with 75.256%. 

“It still feels amazing to have the gold around my neck!” she said after stepping off the podium. “I am speechless, honestly. We worked so hard for this and as I told you it is a new competition and a new start and I’m just so proud of her.”

When comparing this title to those she has won before, she added: “It is even better. I am happy, but I always feel I can do better so we train hard and when you win you feel like it wasn’t for nothing”.

Tomorrow sees the start of the team competition with Grade I, II and IV athletes retuning to the arena for what will undoubtedly be another two days of thrilling Para Dressage competition. 
 
Full Results here
 

It was a roller-coaster day at the Agria FEI Jumping World Championships in Herning, Denmark today, but the two leading nations and the two leading individuals after yesterday’s opening competition maintained their positions. So Sweden heads France going into tomorrow night’s team medal decider and Frenchman, Julien Epaillard, is holding Britain’s Scott Brash at bay in the individual rankings.

Another superb course designed by Dutchman Louis Konickx separated the top ten nations from all the rest, so joining the Swedes and French tomorrow evening in the team finale will be Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium, Great Britain, Switzerland, Canada, Ireland and Brazil. It was touch-and-go all day with the team placings constantly changing, and the USA missed the cut when finishing eleventh of the 22 competing countries despite a great performance from McLain Ward and Contagious who produced the only American clear round.

Team Belgium was lying third as the action began and could have been badly shaken by the elimination of Jos Verlooy for a fall from Igor who stopped in the triple combination. But Peter Weinberg’s “Never Give Up” team lived up to their motto, and with a foot-perfect run from Jerome Guery (Quel Homme de Hus) and just single errors from both pathfinder Nicola Philippaerts (Katanga vh Dingeshof) and anchorman Gregory Wathelet (Nevados S) they only dropped two places to fifth.

Clears form Marcus Ehning (Stargold) and Andre Thieme (DSP Chakaria) saw Germany move up to third with only four faults to add to their scoreline while Maikel van der Vleuten (Beauvilel Z) and Jur Vrieling (Long John Silver) did likewise to leave The Netherlands in fourth.

Rocky day

The British had a rocky day, stalwarts Ben Maher (Faltic HB) and Scott Brash (Hello Jefferson) steadying the ship when relatively new recruits Joseph Stockdale (Equine America Cacharel) and Harry Charles (Romeo 88) faltered. In contrast Team Canada, lying twelfth as the day began, put in a really gutsy performance with zero scores from both Beth Underhill (Nikka vd Bisschop) and Tiffany Foster (Figor) and just single errors for Erynn Ballard (Gakhir) and Amy Millar (Truman) to put themselves right into the reckoning when moving up to eighth.

The spirit in the Canadian camp is infectious. The all-female team are completely in synch as they give it their all for Chef d’Equipe Eric Lamaze who announced earlier this year he would retire from the saddle due to health issues. Watching the 2008 Olympic champion support his ladies from the Kiss and Cry this week has been highly entertaining as he jumps every fence with them and feels every emotion.

“The energy coming from him is unbelievable!”, said Tiffany Foster after her second great ride of the week which sees her holding fifth place going into day three of these Championships. “We have a long history Eric and I, and we all know how much this means to him. As a team we are so tight and so close, myself and the girls are doing this for him as well, he puts so much time and energy into it, he’s just 110% behind us.

“And he does actually know what he’s doing - this isn’t his first rodeo - I definitely think we’ve got the best Chef d’Equipe here!”, she added.

Pole position

Three clears rounds, from Henrik von Eckermann (King Edward), Jens Fredricson (Markan Cosmopolit) and Peder Fredricson (H&M All In) kept the Swedes in pole position. It’s a really special week for brothers Peder and Jens as it’s their first time to be in a Championship team together.

And it’s a really special week for Jens’ horse-owners and his gelding’s many fans because the 11-year-old has a quite a story behind him. Jens works at the Swedish National Training Centre in Stromsholm, and the owners of the cafe there bought the horse for the riding School as a three-year-old. “Nobody thought he was special but the cafe owners wanted to buy a horse for me and because he was too sensitive to use in the school I said I’d ride him and maybe we’d sell him on later. To my big surprise he turned out to be a superstar!”, Jens explained today.

Team France also produced three clear rounds to hold their place, but arguably the most pressured ride of the day was that of anchorman Kevin Staut who took a fall from Scuderia 1918 Viking d’la Rousserie yesterday. That could have rattled him badly, but like the true professional he is, he just regrouped and steered a perfect run this afternoon when it was really needed.

“I was so disappointed yesterday, it was like what happened at the WEG in Lexington (USA, 12 years ago) but I’ve been to many Championships and I know well that anything can happen. I am a team rider and Team France means everything to me, so I just got on with it today!”, he said after securing that second spot for his country.

Smoothest of rounds

Swedish supporters were going wild when Peder Fredricson entered the ring, last to go today when the smoothest of rounds with his brilliant 16-year-old gelding saw him secure the team lead while also moving him up to individual third place after Switzerland’s Martin Fuchs dropped all the way to 15th with a fence down. The strength of the Swedes is evidenced by the fact that Fredricson’s team-mate, von Eckermann, is lying individually fourth ahead of Canada’s Foster in fifth while Britain’s Ben Maher lies sixth.

Julien Epaillard’s mare is only 10 years old but is taking the Championship challenge completely in her stride to keep the Frenchman on his zero scoreline. But Britain’s Brash looks a real threat to the leading bunch. Hello Jefferson coped with a tricky moment at the triple combination which proved the real bogey of the day by simply jumping himself out of potential trouble, and Brash looks like a man on a mission.

Talking about his horse he said, “he’s busy and energetic and he’s lovely. He was tricky to start with because he has such a busy brain and he’s strong-minded so he always thinks he knows best! It has taken time to make a partnership - Nick (Skelton, Rio Olympic champion) said he’s an unbelievable horse when he saw him - we’ve had to work to get the partnership right and thankfully it’s come through now. They (horses) are soulmates at the end of the day who we spend most of our time with, I spend more time with them than my family!”, he said.

He decided to bring this horse to Herning because “he was just amazing in Aachen and it feels like he can do anything right now so I was pretty confident coming here that he’s in good shape. But to keep all the poles up every day within the time allowed is demanding - you need a bit of luck along the way as well”, said the London 2012 Olympic team gold medallist.

Everyone will be hoping for a little of that luck when the action resumes tomorrow night at 21.00 local time with not just the Team Jumping title at the ECCO FEI World Championships 2022 up for grabs but five Olympic qualifying slots also on offer.

Swedish Chef d’Equipe, Henrik Ankarcrona, said his riders want the team gold “so bad that it hurts! But we all know it can fall apart in a split second with a fence down….”

It’s still all very much to play for, so don’t miss a hoofbeat…..

Results Day 2 

Tomorrow’s startlists here 

The Organising Committee of the ECCO FEI World Championships in Herning (DEN) have not only provided athletes with top class competition conditions, but have also set a new benchmark for the care and recognition of Grooms at equestrian Events.
 
With a dedicated Groom’s Lounge at the stable area, to in-venue recognition for Grooms on the big screen, the Organising Committee have ensured that this stakeholder group were well integrated into all organisational aspects of the World Championships. 

Television graphic from the ECCO FEI World Championships 2022 in Herning (DEN)

“We have been very impressed with the level and attention that the Grooms have received during the ECCO FEI World Championships in Herning,” Founding Director of the International Grooms Association™ (IGA) Lucy Katan said.

“The #ChampionsAsOne concept has resonated strongly throughout the Event and we are extremely pleased to see that Grooms, who have been the unsung heroes of the equestrian world in the past, are now being formally recognised and appreciated for all their hard work behind-the-scenes.

“While the Organisers have proactively introduced key initiatives to provide comfortable working conditions for Grooms, they have also been open and willing to listen to the IGA’s ideas and suggestions.

“As an ‘IGA Show Supporter’, the Organising Committee have worked closely with us to implement feedback from Grooms received through an international survey we carried out earlier this year. A key point that came through strongly was to have a ‘grab-and-go’ style take away option for late night food provisions that would be of use to Grooms on the really busy and long days. The IGA fed this back to Herning 2022 and we were delighted when we learned that this service was made available for the Grooms at the Championships.”

Photo: Karina Krause - Rihards Snikus' groom © FEI / Liz Gregg

 In a move away from tradition, the ECCO FEI World Championships in Herning also saw Grooms feature in the prize giving ceremonies for the first time ever. Every Groom was mentioned by name and formally included in the gift giving protocol during the ceremony. 

“Grooms are an integral part of the equestrian family and as any athlete knows, behind every happy horse is a happy Groom!” Herning 2022 CEO of Sport Jens Traberg said. 

“We wanted to ensure that Grooms are looked after, not just in terms of food and beverages but that their work and their important place in the equestrian community is also recognised.” 

The significance of the inclusion of Grooms in key celebratory moments was not lost on the community. 

“It was an emotional moment to see members of the Grooms community finally get recognised for the work that they do behind-the-scenes,” IGA representative in Herning Jenny Ellis said.
 
“The ECCO FEI World Championships in Herning have certainly set the bar high and we hope that others will continue to build on what has been done here in Denmark for the Grooms community, and will share these best practices with other Organising Committees in the future.”

An independent not-for-profit professional association, the IGA was established to achieve greater representation and career recognition for grooms, as well as to improve their working conditions, especially at equestrian events where long hours are the norm.

The IGA was formally recognised by the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at the FEI Sports Forum held in Lausanne (SUI) in April 2022.

Watch the video "Grooms, the beating heart of equestrian sport"

There was magic in the air tonight at the Stutteri Ask Stadium in Herning, Denmark where Great Britain’s Lottie Fry and her spell-binding stallion Glamourdale claimed their second gold medal of the week in the Blue Hors FEI Dressage Freestyle World Championship.

In Monday’s Grand Prix Special the pair pinned Denmark’s Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour and Vamos Amigos into silver medal spot and The Netherlands’ Dinja van Liere into bronze, and tonight the same three athletes filled exactly the same places on the Freestyle podium.

But the electricity and excitement in the air this evening was on a whole other level. The sound of more than 10,000 people screaming with delight at the glorious sight of beautiful horses and their stylish riders dancing under the floodlights heralded the arrival of a new era in the sport that has been evolving rapidly over the last decade and more.

And leading the charge of change are three ladies with lovely young horses that are only starting out in their careers and who have incredibly exciting futures ahead.

Spell

Fry and Glamourdale were third-last to go of the 15 Freestyle starters and from the moment they entered the arena they had the crowd under their spell. From foot-stomping passage and piaffe to the 11-year-old stallion’s trademark high-stepping extended canter they kept the audience enthralled, and despite a couple of mistakes they racked up colossal scores to put 90.654 on the board and bring the spectators to their feet in a joyous frenzy.

Van Liere had to follow that but wasn’t the least bit intimidated. Her 10-year-old stallion just seemed to grow in confidence with every move, and picking up scores of nine and ten along the way the elegant pair posted 86.900 to slot into silver medal spot. But Laudrup-Dufour and her 10-year-old gelding Vamos Amigos demoted them to bronze with a performance that put 89.411 on the board and set the home crowd alight yet again.

Van Liere was delighted to collect her second medal of the week at her very first World Championship. The 31-year-old athlete has really put herself on the map with some exceptional performances over the last five days.

“I’m incredibly proud of my horse, he did such a fantastic job today”, she said tonight. “On Saturday and on Monday he was a little bit tense and I thought today with all the audience he would be more tense but he was actually so relaxed. He’s just getting better and better so I was extremely proud that he did such a good job and I had all his focus”.

Enjoy the experience

Laudrup-Dufour was under the utmost pressure with the hopes of her country sitting heavily on her shouldersm but she said she just decided to enjoy the experience “and it was fantastic riding through that gate again. The crowd tonight were the real superstars, I’ve never seen anything like it, it was like being at a soccer game!”, she said.

“I was super happy with my horse, he was hot today but with that said he’s ten years old, it’s my third horse within four years to take an individual medal with and I’m very proud of him and my team”, she added.

She was asked afterwards if she was disappointed with her result, “no you always go for gold but it’s an honour to be here with these two girls and I do really think that we are a part of changing the sport of dressage and it makes me so proud!”, she pointed out.

Fry said she’d never experienced anything quite like riding into the arena tonight. “The second you entered the crowd was going crazy before you even started, and that already was exciting for Glamourdale to go in there and he knew that it was full and he needed to show off. But as soon as the music started it was the most insane feeling, he was dancing to his Freestyle and I just felt I could sit there and enjoy it. I was listening to the crowd singing along and getting excited about his extended canter. Honestly it was the best feeling in the world and I never have been in an arena like that or ridden a test like that before.

“This is exactly what Glamourdale was made for - arenas like this, music like that and floor-plans like this! It was all perfect today”, she said.

Judges

Judge at C, Denmark’s Susanne Baarup, said the judges enjoyed tonight’s Freestyle competition just as much as everyone else.

“It’s amazing to sit there giving marks for such good riding and floor-plans and music, and it’s the small details that decide the placings and we saw extraordinary quality. Out of 15 combinations 13 were plus 80% scores. It’s an honour and a pleasure to be able to judge a world championship and for me it’s particularly special because I was born in this area”.

She was also delighted to see so many young horses doing well. “A lot of people say we don’t see a lot horses form the (Young Horse) world championships doing Grand Prix. But here in this field of nice horses there have been a lot who had success as young horses. It shows the basic riding was done in the correct way”, she pointed out.

Changes

Laudrup-Dufour talked about the changes she sees happening in the sport. Changes for the better.

“I think style-wise all three of us (herself, van Liere and Fry) we are light riders and we want to try to shape the horses in the softest way possible. It is tricky with such powerhouses, all our three boys are super powerful and it takes a lot to control it but I think it’s impressive - the way both Lottie and Dinja ride, it’s so light and you can’t see that they are doing anything. As Susanne said to see the young horses coming through the system is great. They start to get older now and they can show how much the breeding meant over the last few years, you can tell that these horses are born to do this and it makes it so much more fun for us riders. You don’t have to tell them what to do, you can just go along with them”, she pointed out.

One horse who is certainly born to do it is Glamourdale who rocked the ring on is way to victory this evening. ”It is really hard to believe this all actually happened”, said Fry, “but everything with Glamourdale is nothing short of amazing. He has had this music at stallion shows growing up, so he always dances to it. When the crowd joined in and sang tonight he just loved every minute of it!”

Result 

Latvia Rihards Snikus won Latvia’s first ever equestrian gold medal at a European, World, Olympic and Paralympic competition at the Orifarm Healthcare FEI Para Dressage World Championship 2022 in Herning (DEN) today.

On King of the Dance, Snikus scored 78.535% to take the gold in the Grade I Individual competition, narrowly ahead of defending champion Sara Morganti (ITA), at her third World Championships on Royal Delight, with 78.393%.

And in moment of history, Ireland won its first ever World Championship Para Dressage medal, with Michael Murphy taking the bronze on Cleverboy with 74.143%. An exhilarated Snikus said: “There are no words. Wow! It’s a historical moment. “The halt was great and the free walk was not perfect, but it was very good.”

An accomplished deejay when he’s not riding, he added that if he had to choose a song from his collection to play tonight it would be The Black Eyed Peas’ I’ve Gotta Feeling. “Tonight’s going to be a good night,” he laughed.

Katrine captures the crowd’s hearts

As World Championship debuts go, they don’t come much better than that enjoyed by Denmark’s Katrine Kristensen. In front of an enthusiastic home crowd and in only her second global championships, she took the gold medal in the Grade II Individual competition. Riding Goerklintgaards Quarter, she scored 75.778% to finish ahead of two of the biggest names in Para Dressage, Austria’s Pepo Puch, and Great Britain’s Sir Lee Pearson.

Puch, riding Sailor’s Blue, scored 75.333% to take the silver, just a whisker ahead of bronze medallist Pearson, on Breezer, who scored 75.091%.

“It was fantastic, and the Danish audience was amazing,” Kristensen said after receiving her gold medal. “It was a very big experience. We will celebrate a little bit later, but we have riders competing tomorrow and we have the team competition around the corner, so maybe a little celebration. “It’s hard to put words on it – maybe tomorrow when I’ve slept on it I will be able to. But it’s huge. For a para dressage rider, it’s the biggest goal to reach and it’s amazing.”

Thirteen not so unlucky after all

The first competition of the day saw The Netherlands’ Sanne Voets win her 13^th European, World and Paralympic individual or team gold medal in the Grade IV Individual test.

Riding Demantur RS2 N.O.P., she scored 76.750% to take the title in a blistering competition which saw her pushed by her new teammate, Demi Haerkens. She scored 76.000% on EHL Daula to take silver, with Tokyo 2020 silver medallist Rodolpho Riskalla from Brazil picking up the bronze medal, riding Don Henrico to score 74.925%.

“I’m just really pleased with how he felt,” she said. “He was really so soft and so focused. He always tries to give me the feeling of ’Hey, we got this. We’re a team, we did this before, we can do this again’.

After collecting her medal, she added: “It’s still special, and the horse is really special. It’s different every time and every championship has its own story, and every medal has its own story.

“When I got out of the arena I didn’t see any cheering like in Tokyo and I didn’t know they couldn’t see the live scoring so I was like ‘OK, I might be happier than the scores are but if that’s the case then that’s the case. And then the scores came up and I was like ‘Oh no, never mind’.”

Tomorrow will see the Grade III and Grade V athletes take to the arena in Herning. Denmark’s double European and Paralympic champion Tobias Thorning Joergensen will be the main attraction in the Grade III contest, while Grade V will see defending champion Sophie Wells (GBR) try to retain her titles against an increasingly competitive field.

FULL RESULTS HERE

It was a tale of two halves on the final day of the Mustang FEI Vaulting World Championships 2022, beginning so predictably and ending somewhat unexpectedly.

The Pas de Deux class began, the rising pressure clear to see. Austrian pair Dominik Eder and Theresa Thiel sat so close to the podium in the overnight standings, however a minor fall and a few incomplete exercises crushed their hopes of a medal. The bronze heading home to Italy with Rebecca Greggio and Davide Zanella. Their ‘House of Gucci’ inspired routine was crammed full of interesting positions and artistic impression earning them a final score of 8.178. 

Germany claimed both silver and gold, Diana Harwardt and Peter Kunne levelling up to win their first senior medal and finish second (8.665). However it was the 2019 FEI Vaulting European Champions, and runners up from last year - Chiara Congia and Justin van Gerven - who left both themselves and the audience speechless after performing a second seamless routine winning a 9.010. They become World Champions alongside their horse Highlight and lunger Alexandra Knauf.

It was all change in the Nations Team competition. With Aragorn 102 struggling with the building atmosphere Julian Wilfling could only post a 7.831 for Germany, not nearly enough to challenge for the gold. A display of experience, professionalism, and showmanship from Jannik Heiland pulled back the hopes of the nation and they sat in second after both individuals had competed, however it was not to be. In the squad freestyle Calidor 10 stepped in on the circle, dropping off the pace and causing an unplanned dismount leaving the horse empty. There was little the team could do to claw those points back, they finished in fourth.  An upsetting end for Germany to what had been a fabulous morning.

It was a different story for Austria. After disappointment in the Squad competition, they showed what they couldn’t on Monday and, alongside some big individual scores from Isabel Fiala and Dominik Eder, took every advantage to take home the bronze, a combined score of 8.383.

Denmark had the competition of their lives. Iben Dines Pedersen competed first and bettered her performance from the individual competition. Not to be outdone, Sheena Bendixen followed and raised her bar, scoring 9.127. It all came down to the score for the squad, 8.939, well above the Austrians, and easily enough to win the silver medal (8.669).

Of course, the French were untouchable. Even with some minor faults they took the lead from the start, and it grew and grew, finishing on a final team score of  9.146 with double World Champions Manon Moutinho and Lambert Leclezio winning the final gold of the championships along with their squad from France. 

It seemed only fitting after such a fine display across the competition, that the French vaulters would close out what has been an exhilarating and emotional World Championships (three gold and two silver medals), on the top of the podium.

FULL RESULTS HERE

The reigning Olympic champions from Sweden lived up to expectations when taking the early lead on the exciting first day of the Agria FEI World Jumping Championship 2022 presented by Helgstrand at the ECCO FEI World Championships in Herning, Denmark today. However Frenchman Julien Epaillard and 10-year-old mare Caracole de la Roque were quickest around the track in the opening Speed event, so go into tomorrow’s second competition at the top of the individual leaderboard.

Epaillard’s performance proved critical for France when their anchor partnership of Kevin Staut and Scuderia 1918 Viking d’la Rousserie parted company at the second element of the rustic double at fence five on the 14-obstacle track. Such was the solidity of their team effort however, with more great rides from both Simon Delestre partnering the fizzy Cayman Jolly Jumper and Gregory Cottard and the ever-reliable Bibici, that they lie just 1.75 points behind the Swedes and fractionally ahead of Team Belgium in third place.

After today’s results were converted into points, just over four points separate the top six teams - Sweden, France, Belgium, Great Britain, Switzerland and Germany in that order. And just over six points separate the top 10 nations, with Brazil lying seventh, The Netherlands in eighth, USA in ninth and Italy in tenth place.

On the individual leaderboard Tokyo 2020 individual Olympic champion, Great Britain’s Ben Maher, lies tenth with Faltic HB but only 1.72 points separate him from Epaillard at the head of affairs. A hair’s breadth separates all the major contenders at this early stage.

First out

Jens Fredricson and Markan Cosmopolit were first out for Sweden, posting a clear round in just over 84 seconds. The pair were 25th of the 103 starters from 34 nations to take on the 14-fence track set by The Netherlands’ Louis Konickx that included three doubles, the last of which proved one of the bogeys of the day as many horses clipped the first-element triple-bar when just three fences from home.

The second Swedish pair of Malin Baryard-Johnsson and H&M Indiana were one of the victims at this one, having already put a foot in the water two fences earlier. But fellow Tokyo gold medallists Henrik von Eckermann with King Edward and Peder Fredricson with H&M All In both flew around the track, Fredricson slotting into fourth and von Eckermann into fifth individually to give their country a marginal lead going into tomorrow’s next round.

It was a great opening run from Nicola Philippaerts and the always-speedy Katanga vh Dingeshof that set the Belgians up for the day. And when Jos Verlooy and Igor, Jerome Guery with Quel Homme de Hus and Gregory Wathelet with Nevados S each gave a good account of themselves they secured that third-place advantage over Britain’s Maher, Joseph Stockdale with Equine America Cacharel, Harry Charles and Romeo and Scott Brash with Hello Jefferson.

Super-fast

Brash was super-fast, slotting into runner-up spot behind Epaillard at the end of the day. The British rider has his eyes on the prize after his great start. “He has all the attributes to win, he’s in great shape, he was really good in Aachen (last month) and I feel he’s still on top of his game”, he said.

Switzerland’s Martin Fuchs lies individually third with Leone Jei, the horse he steered to individual silver and team gold at last year’s FEI European Championships. Fuchs, who has just been ousted from the world number one position by Sweden’s Henrik von Eckermann, won the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ title with Chaplin and The Sinner in April and he’s hungry to add the World Championship title to his long list of recent successes.

He clearly made a plan before coming to Herning with Leone Jei. “Sometimes he gets a bit over-motivated which is why I’ve been showing him so much in the last few weeks. I felt every Grand Prix this year when I had a rail down he was always a bit too fresh, so I had to do something different. I used to save him for this or that Grand Prix but now I said OK I must get going and we jumped Aachen (GER), Knokke (BEL) and Dinard (FRA) and he feels really good now”, the Swiss star said confidently.

Tour of the track

Fifth-placed von Eckermann reckoned he lost a half-second between the second and third fences on his tour of the track today, and he’s ambitious for King Edward this week. This is the horse that never touched a pole on the road to that team gold medal in Tokyo last summer.

“He’s the whole package, he’s so clever, he’s careful and so brave and such a sweet horse. I’m more used to the feisty mares but he’s a once-in-a-lifetime horse!”, he said today.

Overnight individual leader, Julien Epaillard, was modest in his appraisal of his own performance today with his brilliant mare. He said they were a bit lucky at that tricky triple bar.

“It’s a good way to start and I had a good feeling with my her, she was very focused. I hope I didn’t ask her for too much speed but she jumped really good until the end. I had a little bit of luck on the triple-bar where I took a little risk. I trusted her scope and it worked. I think I did my job today and I hope it will be the same tomorrow and on Friday for Team France”, he said.

But there’s a long way to go before the team medals are presented on Friday night and a new world champion is crowned next Sunday. As the Frenchman wisely pointed out,”this is only the beginning, the most difficult part is still to come…..”.

Today’s results here 

Tomorrow’s startlist here 

That sport should benefit the community and be sustainable, were the main takeaways from the tree planting ceremony that took place at the FEI World Championships Forest on Tuesday.

Created in cooperation with the host city, the FEI World Championships Forest is just one of many green initiatives by the Organising Committee of the ECCO FEI World Championships 2022 in Herning (DEN), demonstrating that the world of sport can get serious about implementing sustainable ideas.

“The forest is a key component of the Organising Committee’s work around the three sustainability principles which aim to encourage affordable and clean energy, responsible consumption and production, and partnerships to achieve these goals,” External Business Consultant Jasper Steinhausen said.

“I believe there is a real need to redefine sustainability and not think of it in terms of minimising our negative impact. Rather, the goal is to maximise a positive impact. It’s about creating and not minimising. And if you frame the task of sustainability in a positive manner, it unleashes a whole new world of possibilities and opens people’s minds to see new opportunities and solutions.

“By showing the world that sports events can naturally take care of their emissions, we aim to inspire future event organisers to do the same and show our guests that there are many ways of being sustainable.”

With knowledge transfer a key component of the Herning2022 Organising Committee’s sustainability plan, they have themselves adopted initiatives from the hosts of the 2018 Ice Hockey World Championship also held in Herning.

One of these initiatives has been the creation of onsite housing for the 900 volunteers who will be working at the ECCO FEI World Championships in Herning in different areas of the Event operations.

The Organisers have used an existing building to create accommodation for these volunteers onsite, and have also made a dedicated camping ground for volunteers in order to reduce travel times and carbon emissions during the Event.

To help offset carbon emissions, Herning2022 also invited the 50 participating National Federations to support a windfarm project chosen by the Organising Committee and its partner First Climate.

As part of its commitment to sustainability and the organisation of sustainable equestrian events, the Fédération Equestre International (FEI) will also contribute to the plan by fully offsetting the FEI Delegation’s carbon emissions.

“If we all do just a little, then together we do a lot,” Sustainability Coordinator for the Herning2022 Organising Committee Clara Lier Koppelhus said.

“The ECCO FEI World Championships 2022 in Herning is a one-off event, and while many believe that we cannot achieve 100% sustainability, we have nevertheless worked on creating as many sustainable solutions as possible.

“We have really tried to focus all our efforts on changing mindsets and inspiring others to also include initiatives to promote an environmentally sustainable lifestyle. Our hope now is that other Events will pick up on some of the things we’ve learnt here in Herning and continue the work from where we leave off.

“It’s great that our suppliers and the partners that we are reaching out to, are listening to our ambitions and thoughts and are really open minded,” Koppelhus said from Solution Square, an area at the venue dedicated to Danish environmental technology and circular economy initiatives. “We really appreciate that everyone has been positive. We have not experienced one supplier, partner or sponsor that has been negative about these arrangements.”

The Organising Committee’s sustainability ambitions, which were clearly laid out in a letter of intent sent to suppliers, created the foundation for their collaboration with MCH Messecenter Herning, the complex where the World Championships are being held.

“We worked closely with MCH for them to improve their waste management system along with their supplier, and we’re now pleased to see that the solutions offered here are marketed towards companies across Denmark,” Koppelhus explained. “And when MCH were made aware of our sustainability goals and aims, our conversations changed. We were more open about asking for more sustainable ideas and everyone spoke openly about potential solutions.

In order to ensure sustainable consumption and production, the Organisers have opted to rent or borrow instead of buying new, and whenever possible to ensure that products and materials purchased for the event can be reused.

To maximise the value of the products needed for the Event, the Organisers have already found alternate uses for the rubber mats, dressage fences, and medal podiums following the end of the FEI World Championships. The majority of plants that have been used around the arena will be replanted in the FEI World Championships Forest located on the outskirts of the city of Herning which was planted in cooperation with the Herning Municipality.

When asked what lessons can be learned from the Herning2022 experience, Koppelhus stressed the importance of first having a clear plan of action.

“We didn't really know where to start when we first started this World Championship venture, but our sustainability plans became stronger as we started to work through our CO2 emission calculations,” Koppelhus explained.

“These calculations helped us get an idea of the biggest emission factors which helped us narrow down our activities and concentrate on the ones with the most impact, instead of trying to do a lot of things at once.

“We were also very clear in our philosophy, which was that we wanted to engage people, and not force any initiatives on them. We wanted to tell them and show them that it is possible to do something to help the environment. Small steps are better than doing nothing at all.  

“Lastly we always tried to be transparent in our communications around our sustainability initiatives so that people are aware of the challenges that exist in this type of planning. It is important to be open about these problems while taking the time to share insights into what has worked, because this is the only way that solutions can continue to be found.” 

Photos: FEI President Ingmar De Vos, members of the Danish Dressage Team Nanna Merrald Rasmussen, Carina Cassøe Krüth, Daniel Bachmann Andersen and Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour made the trip to the FEI World Championships forest on the outskirts of the city of Herning during a break in the schedule to plant some trees.

Mexico’s Federico Fernandez will be first into the arena when the Agria FEI Jumping World Championship 2022 gets underway at the ECCO FEI World Championships in Herning, Denmark tomorrow. The horses were trotted up yesterday in front of the Ground Jury, and today with their riders onboard they familiarised themselves with the Stutteri Ask Stadium where spectacular sport will play out over the coming days.

A total of 103 athletes, including individuals, will go to post, and the order-of-go for the 22 nations fielding teams will be as follows:

1, Mexico; 2, Spain; 3, Ireland; 4, Belgium; 5, Australia; 6, Germany; 7, The Netherlands; 8, Colombia; 9, Norway; 10, Great Britain; 11, France; 12, Brazil; 13, Italy; 14, Canada; 15, Israel; 16, Austria; 17, Argentina: 18, Switzerland; 19, Japan; 20, Denmark; 21, USA; 22, Sweden.

Despite being drawn 15th, Team Israel’s first rider, Robin Muhr, will be 44th to go because there are only three team-members in the Israeli side.

Prime draw

It’s a prime draw for the reigning Olympic champions from Sweden, with Jens Fredricrison who finished third at the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final in Leipzig (GER) four months ago first into the ring for them in starting spot number 25, while his brother, Peder who is currently number three in the world rankings, last to go on the opening day.

Peder’s Tokyo team-mate Malin Baryard-Johnsson is drawn 52nd while Henrik von Eckermann, who moved into the the world number one slot last week for the first time in his sparkling career will go 81st.

That promotion to the number one spot is a great confidence-booster according to the Swedish star. “I’m really looking forward to this week, these Championships only come around every four years and competing in them is something very special”, von Eckermann says.

Some Facts and figures:

Stutteri Ask (MCH) football stadium capacity - 10,000 seated spectators and a large VIP lounge.

Herning 2022 hosts the 20th edition of the FEI Individual Jumping World Championship and the 12th edition of the FEI Team Jumping Championship.

USA took the team title in Tryon (USA) four years ago. Two athletes and one horse from that winning side are in the US team again. The riders are Adrienne Sternlicht and McLain Ward and the horse is Sternlicht’s Cristalline.

Sweden claimed team silver in 2018 and three members of that team are lining out again this year - Henrik von Eckermann, Malin Baryard-Johnsson and Peder Fredricson.

These three clinched team gold for Sweden at the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games last summer.

Germany’s Simone Blum claimed the 2018 Individual title with DSP Alice but is not competing at the 2022 Championships. However both the 2018 Individual silver and Individual bronze medallists, Switzerland’s Martin Fuchs and Steve Guerdat, will be in action.

The Swiss are reigning European team champions and German team member, Andre Thieme, is reigning European individual champion.

How it will play out…

The team competition will be decided over three days, maximum four team members with the best three scores taken into account.

All teams will compete in a Speed competition on Wednesday 10 August and again in the first round of the second competition (Table A not against the clock) on Thursday 11 August. The best 10 nations will qualify for the second round of the second competition which will take place on Friday 12 August with the possibility of a jump-off for medals in case of a tie.

After a rest day on Saturday the Individual championship will take place on Sunday August 14, open to the 25 best placed athletes and horses after the first and second competitions. Two rounds of jumping over two different courses with the top 12 coming back for the second round and the possibility of a jump-off for medals in case of a tie.

Tomorrow’s first competition begins at 11.00 local time, so don’t miss a hoofbeat….

Starting Order here

Tobias Thorning Joergensen (DEN) will be the hot favourite to bring home the gold medals for the host team at this year’s Orifarm Healthcare FEI Para Dressage World Championship 2022 Herning, Denmark. If he does, the Grade III athlete will continue his habit of winning his debut global tournaments, having done so at his first European Championships in 2019, and his first Paralympic Games in 2021.

Tobias will face competition, however, from the likes of Great Britain’s Natasha Baker, the USA’s Rebecca Hart, and Canada’s Roberta Sheffield. Baker, the two-time double-Paralympic champion will be especially keen to break her World Championships jinx, it’s the only individual gold medal she is yet to win.

Herning will see 83 athletes from 28 different countries compete across five days of Individual, Team and Freestyle competition, starting on Wednesday 10 August. And in a sport which constantly grows in skill and achievement, the battle for the medals will be tougher than ever.

At last year’s delayed Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, the Grade I competition was dominated by the record breaking US athlete Roxanne Trunnell, riding Dolton. In Herning, however, Trunnell will be riding her new horse, Fortunato H20 and competition will again be fierce.

Italy’s Sara Morganti is the defending champion and often rises to the challenge of the big global stage, as does serial podium placer Laurentia Tan from Singapore and Norway’s Jens Lasser Dokkan, the current European Champion and the oldest competitor in the field. Look out too for Ireland’s Michael Murphy and the deejaying Latvian, Rihards Snikus, the current world number one in the Grade.

Grade II will see a new champion crowned, following the retirement of the current title holder, Stinna Tange (DEN). Great Britain’s Sir Lee Pearson, the current Paralympic champion and world number one will want to regain the title he last won in 2014.

The Grade is dominated historically by Pearson, Austria’s Pepo Puch, and Stinna. There are new faces to look out for too though, including another rising Danish athlete Katrine bjelke Kristensen. She made her major debut in Tokyo last year, and could benefit from the lift a home crowd gives any athlete. “I feel that the pressure is a bit higher this time,” she said, “especially to give a good result for the team test. But, in a good way, I feel much more grown up now (after Tokyo).”

Pearson’s team mate, Georgia Wilson, is also a podium prospect after her two bronze medals in Tokyo, and look out too for the USA’s rising star, Beatrice de Lavalette.

The Netherlands Sanne Voets and Brazil’s Rodolpho Riskalla will renew their rivalry in the Grade IV competition. Voets is looking to defend her two World Championship titles from Tryon (USA) in 2018 while the two-time world and one-time Paralympic silver medal winning Brazilian will be looking for his first major title.

The Dutch and Brazilian pair’s plans for glory could, however, be interrupted by Kate Shoemaker from the USA. She is the current world number two in the grade, between Voets and Riskalla, but has had a succession of rising scores coming into the competition on her new horse, Quiana.

Grade V has, for so long now, been dominated by the trio of Belgium’s reigning double Paralympic champion, Michele George, Great Britain’s reigning double World champion, Sophie Wells, and The Netherlands’ reigning double European champion Frank Hosmar. That, however, could change in Herning as World and Paralympic bronze medallist Regine Mispelkamp progresses up the rankings in the grade, as does George’s team mate, Kevin Van Ham.

The overall Team placings have extra weight this year, as the top seven ranked teams will be the first to book their place for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. The Netherlands are the defending champions and will want to avenge their close defeat by Great Britain at the Tokyo Games. However, a stronger Danish team could use its home advantage to take a spot too, while the USA will always be a threat. Germany can’t be underestimated either, and Belgium have a chance too.

Alongside the European and regular global teams, Herning will also welcome athletes from Greece, Mexico, Hong Kong, and the US Virgin Islands.

Competition starts with the Orifarm Healthcare FEI World Para Dressage Individual Championship presented by Elsass Fonden on Wednesday 10 and Thursday 11 August. The Orifarm Healthcare FEI World Para Dressage Team Championship presented by Pressalit takes place on Friday and Saturday 12 and 13 August, with the championship culminating in the Orifarm Healthcare FEI World Para Dressage Individual Freestyle Championship presented by Jysk on Sunday 14 August.