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The FEI Tribunal has issued a Consent Award in an equine anti-doping case involving a Banned Substance.
In this case, the horse Dactyle D’Aqui (FEI ID 106XH16/UAE), tested positive for the Banned Substance Testosterone, following samples taken at the CEI2* 120 – Bou Thib (UAE), 24-25 December 2021.
The athlete Muhammad Ali Fazal Amin (FEI ID 10103705/PAK (UAE)) and the trainer, Ahmed Ali Salman Hassan Al Sabri (FEI ID 10041041/UAE), both elected to admit the rule violation and accept the consequences in order to benefit from a six-month reduction of the otherwise applicable ineligibility period of 18 months.
In its final decision the FEI Tribunal disqualified the athlete and the horse from the event and imposed an 18-month ineligibility period on the athlete and the trainer; the provisional suspension each already served shall be credited against the imposed ineligibility period. The Horse was provisionally suspended for 2 months as of the date of the Notification Letter. The athlete and Trainer were also fined CHF 5,000 each and the trainer was asked to pay costs of CHF 1,000.
The full Decision for Muhammad Ali Fazal Amin is available here.
The full Decision for Ahmed Ali Salman Hassan Al Sabri is available here.
Separately, the FEI has announced two new adverse analytical findings (AAF) involving equine prohibited substances. Both cases involve *Banned Substances and a Controlled Medication Substance under the FEI’s Equine Anti-Doping and Controlled Medication Regulations (EADCMRs).
In the first Jumping case, the athlete has been provisionally suspended until the FEI Tribunal renders its decision. The horse has been provisionally suspended for two months from the date of notification.
Case 2022/BS05:
Horse: FULL OPTION DU BORGET (106UY09/NED)
Person Responsible: Agustin Covarrubias (10032966/CHI)
Event: CSIYH1* incl. 8yo - Opglabbeek (BEL), 15-18.06.2022
Prohibited Substance(s): O-Desmethylvenlafaxine
Date of notification: 25 July 2022
In the second Dressage case, the athlete has also been provisionally suspended until the FEI Tribunal renders its decision. The horse has been provisionally suspended for two months from the date of notification.
Case 2022/BS06:
Horse: AZIBO DE MORAN (107UB68/ESP)
Person Responsible: Maria De Las Mercedes Gonzalez Abad (10139475/ESP)
Event: CDIYH - Segovia (ESP) 07-10.07.2022,
Prohibited Substance(s): Reserpine, Altrenogest
Date of notification: 2 August 2022
Notes to Editors:
FEI Clean Sport - human athletes
The FEI is part of the collaborative worldwide movement for doping-free sport led by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). The aim of this movement is to protect fair competition as well as athlete health and welfare.
WADA’s Prohibited List identifies the substances and methods prohibited in- and out-of-competition, and in particular sports. The substances and methods on the List are classified by different categories (e.g., steroids, stimulants, gene doping).
As a WADA Code Signatory, the FEI runs a testing programme for human athletes based on WADA’s List of Prohibited List of Substances and Methods and on the Code-compliant FEI Anti-Doping Rules for Human Athletes (ADRHA).
For further information, please consult the Clean Sport section of the FEI website here.
FEI Equine Prohibited Substances
The FEI Prohibited Substances List is divided into two sections: Controlled Medication and *Banned Substances. Controlled Medication substances are medications that are regularly used to treat horses, but which must have been cleared from the horse’s system by the time of competition. Banned (doping) Substances should never be found in the body of the horse and are prohibited at all times.
In the case of an adverse analytical finding (AAF) for a Banned Substance, the Person Responsible (PR) is automatically provisionally suspended from the date of notification (with the exception of certain cases involving a Prohibited Substance which is also a **Specified Substance). The horse is provisionally suspended for two months.
Information on all substances is available on the searchable FEI Equine Prohibited Substances Database.
Following an update to the Longines Rankings published yesterday on 3 August 2022*, Sweden’s Olympic gold medallist Henrik Von Eckermann has been confirmed as the new world number one, taking the lead on the Longines Rankings with 3,119 points ahead of Martin Fuchs (SUI) on 3,081 and compatriot Peder Fredricson with 2,941 points.
Von Eckermann, member of the Swedish team winning the gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, has been in the top ten of the Longines Rankings for the past year and actively meddling in the top three for the past six months without having been able to claim the top spot until now. It is the first time in his career that the top-level athlete leads the Longines Rankings.
“It feels like a big relief. It’s been a long way and it’s something I have always dreamed of. I believe it’s the biggest achievement of my career, it is one thing to win a competition and be at a great level for a weekend. But to become world number one you need to be consistent in the long run and obtain 30 great results to reach more than 3,000 points.” Von Eckermann explains.
“It all started at the last Olympics in Tokyo where we had a fantastic performance. Since then, thanks to my horses, in particular King Edward and Glamour Girl, and my whole team, we have had a very consistent year. They have definitely played a huge role and have helped me become the new number one in the world.”
Together with his Olympic superstar King Edward, Von Eckermann is now aiming for the prestigious title of world champion, as he will be part of the team representing Sweden at the upcoming ECCO FEI World Championships in Herning (DEN).
“Going into the ECCO FEI World Championships in Herning as new World number one means that you want to prove that you are on the top of the ranking for a reason. It will be a very long and difficult week because so many things can go wrong… But overall I have an amazing feeling, King Edward is in great shape and me as well. I really look forward to compete at Herning.”
Ahead of the ECCO FEI World Championships in Herning, the new Longines Rankings also draw attention to Harrie Smolders (NED) and Julien Epaillard (FRA), who have made their entry to the top-ten, respectively on ranks eight and nine, and who will also be strong contenders for a spot on the world championship podium.
The full Longines Rankings list is published here.
* The Rankings published on 3 August initially presented Switzerland’s Martin Fuchs as the World number 1, however, it was revealed that the dates for Jumping events in Tokyo 2020 were not accurately represented in the FEI Calendar (as they encompassed all three disciplines), and therefor 25% of the points obtained by Jumping athletes at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games were not taken into account. The start date for Jumping at Tokyo 2020 has now been adjusted and the Longines Rankings have been recalculated and updated accordingly.
In a few days, the world will come together once again for the ECCO FEI World Championships 2022 in Jumping, Dressage, Vaulting, and Para-Dressage, in Herning, Denmark. Previous champions and new faces will step into the circle to battle it out to prove themselves top of the world at the Mustang FEI Vaulting World Championships 2022.
A reformed programme for Individual vaulters will see all competitors advance from the first round, the compulsories and technical test, into the final freestyle round.
As the only returning female medallist from the 2021 FEI Vaulting World Championships, there are high expectations for Austrian Eva Nagiller. She will face fierce competition from FEI Vaulting World Cup™ winner Manon Moutinho (FRA), who has been on top form this season and Sheena Bendixen (DEN), who hopes to improve on last year’s fourth place finish to win a medal for the host nation. The Germans field strong contenders in Alina Roß, Kathrin Meyer and Julia Wagner, however experienced competitors Nadja Buttiker (SUI) and Kimberly Palmer (USA) will also be looking for a top three finish.
Stalwart Lambert Leclezio (FRA) heads up the entries for the male Individual competition. He is planning to retire from individual competition after the event. Success in Herning would give him an incredible fourth successive World Championship title and further cement his legacy in the sport.
Attempting to thwart him are teammate Quentin Jabet, Italy’s Lorenzo Lupacchini, who is looking to repeat his win at the FEI Vaulting World Cup™ Final, and old rival Juan Martin Clavijo (COL).
There is a surprise entry from the young Dutch star Sam Dos Santos who decided to test his mettle at the Senior Championships instead of the Juniors after a brilliant competition at the CHIO in Aachen. The 16-year-old said “I think it is an honour to be able to compete alongside all the Seniors… The pressure to win will be less in Herning compared to the Junior Championships at Kaposvar, (HUN)”. Germany’s Thomas Brüsewitz, Jannik Heiland and Julian Wilfling will all be hoping to get their feet on the podium in a very strong class.
The Squad competition has also altered this year with only one freestyle test counting towards the result. The 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games™ gold medal squad representing Germany is back once again to thrill the audience and judges as they did in Tryon (USA). Both the Austrian and Swiss squads will be aiming to complete the podium.
It is the French, however, who enter as an unknown quantity with a lot of potential. Lambert Leclezio and Manon Moutinho will both compete as part of the squad and we know they will score highly in the compulsory test. It remains to be seen whether their freestyle, as yet unseen in international competition, will take them to the top.
Favourites in the Pas-De-Deux class, European Champions Chiara Congia & Justin van Gerven (GER) will be aiming for their first Pas-De-Deux World title. Compatriots, Diana Harwardt and Peter Künne hope to build on their junior successes and add a senior medal to their collection. Strong competition comes from Austrians, Romana Hintner and Eva Nagiller, and Theresa Thiel who has teamed up with a new partner, Dominik Eder for this Championship. With only seven starting pairs, there will be no margin for error for those aiming to make the podium. Italy, Denmark and the USA have one entry each, any of whom might break into the top three.
On the final day of Vaulting the highly anticipated Nations Team competition takes place. The top eight nations will challenge to become the champions. Having won a bronze at last year’s World Championships in Hungary (postponed from 2020), the Danish team would delight a home crowd by repeating that result. It will certainly be a challenge for them as last year’s winners Germany, alongside Austria and Switzerland will all present high-quality teams. The French possess the potential to run away with the gold if nerves are steady and the squad can perform. Let’s hope for a nail-biting finale!
There is no doubt the Mustang FEI Vaulting World Championships 2022 will be full of excitement, anticipation and nervous energy as the world’s best aim to put their stamp in the history books.
It’s been a long wait for Team France, a total of 24 years since they last succeeded, but today they once again lifted the coveted Edward Prince of Wales Cup at Hickstead (GBR) when winning the penultimate leg of the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ 2022 Europe Division 1 series.
And hero of the day was 44-year-old Marc Dilasser who, in a competition with some extraordinary highs and lows, recovered from a disappointing 12-fault second round to clinch victory for his country in a three-way jump-off against the clock.
It came down to an act of faith in the end, Chef d’Equipe Henk Nooren never flinching from the decision to send Dilasser and his 12-year-old gelding Arioto du Gevres into battle when it came to the crunch. He suspected it would come down to that as the competition progressed.
“Everything was so close and stayed so tight, nobody was staying ahead in the second round so it was very exciting. Already halfway through the second round I was telling Marc’s groom “it smells like a jump-off!”, Nooren said.
Eight-fault tally
It was Germany and Brazil who found themselves in the showdown with the eventual winners when all three sides finished the first two rounds on an eight-fault tally. Belgium, Ireland and the hosts from Great Britain had each racked up 12 faults apiece and were separated only by time when slotting into fourth, fifth and sixth places while Team Sweden had a difficult day and never posed a threat, finishing seventh on a big score of 36.
The Brazilians, who posted an historic win at the British venue in 2017, found themselves right in the thick of it thanks to a superb double-clear from their opening partnership of Joao Victor Castro whose fabulous nine-year-old Dispo Cece however was jumping with such enthusiasm that he very nearly dislodged his rider a couple of times in the first round.
Luiz Felipe Cortizo Gonçalves de Azevedo Filho and Hermes van de Vrombautshoeve made their single mistake of the day when lowering the influential Longines vertical at fence 10 first time out, while Marlon Modolo Zanotelli’s Harwich VDL hit the first element of the triple combination at fence four but likewise was clear on his second tour of Kelvin Bywater’s 12-fence track..
It was second-line rider Francisco Jose Mesquita Musa and his handsome chestnut mare Alea Marathon, who posted single errors in both rounds, that Chef d’Equipe Pedro Paulo Lacerda selected for the jump-off however.
Opted
Meanwhile Otto Becker opted for Tobias Meyer and Greatest Boy H who were foot-perfect all day. The legendary Ludger Beerbaum, who announced his retirement from team competition six years ago, made a welcome return at the British fixture posting a clear and four faults when German pathfinder with his grey mare Mila, while Marcus Ehning and A La Carte NRW clipped the white gate at fence six first time out on the iconic Hickstead track before producing a brilliant second-round clear. Anchorman Philip Weishaupt retired with Asathir after hitting fence five in round one, and it might well have been a different story if he could have stayed clear second time out because that would have left Team Germany as clear winners with just four faults on the board. But a mistake at the penultimate oxer moved the German scoreline to eight.
The French were sharing the lead with them at the halfway stage with just four faults on the board after clears from both Dilasser and team openers Olivier Robert and Vivaldi des Meneaux. Edward Levy’s first round with Uno de Cerisy fell apart after hitting the second element of the double at fence seven and they crossed the finish line with 16 on the board while anchorman Kevin Staut and Visconti du Telman hit the notorious Hickstead planks at fence nine.
But they added only four more from Olivier in round two when Levy redeemed himself with a lovely clear while Staut was also faultless. Meanwhile though, Dilasser had three fences down at his second attempt.
He seemed an unlikely contender for the jump-off, but not in French minds. “I talked a lot with Kevin and we both agreed that it should be him”, Nooren said afterwards. And they both obviously knew exactly what they were doing.
Wide open
Brazil’s Mesquita Musa was first against the clock but left the door wide open when hitting the second fence, but Meyer punched the air with delight after racing through the finish without touching a pole in 42.89 seconds. Last to go, Dilasser wasn’t a bit intimidated, just filled with determination to make up for his second-round run, and he delivered. Setting off like lightning he jumped the final two oxers on the new twisting track at an acute angle and raced down to the last to shave almost a full second off Meyer’s target time. Team France went wild.
Dilasser blamed himself for his second-round result. “I was too confident and we didn’t have the best canter and tension. He’s a small horse and you need to be riding like you’re going to war! He didn’t feel the fire, and like me he is best when he is under pressure!”, the Frenchman explained.
And talking about the brave Arioto du Gevres he said, “his owner is his breeder and they are a super nice family. He won the 4-Star Grand Prix in Gorla Minore (ITA) and ten days ago he was clear in the Grand Prix of Falsterbo (SWE). Last year he jumped double-clear in Aachen, Rome (ITA) and the Longines Final in Barcelona (ESP) so he is a fantastic horse and very clever, although he never wants to work at home!”
Edward Levy said he was very disappointed after his first round “but the team really motivated me so I stayed focused for the second round and my horse is very generous. The Nations Cup is magical with two rounds”, he pointed out.
Olivier Robert said “when Henk told me I could come to Hickstead I was so happy. This was a super day for us!”, and Dilasser agreed. “I did my best and when I jumped the last fence all my friends were shouting so I knew I’d done it! It’s magic…winning the Nations Cup here is a dream for any rider!”, he said.
Today’s result has moved France up from sixth to fourth and Germany into pole position on the Europe Division 1 League table with just one last leg left to run.
Only the best seven nations will make the cut to the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ Final 2022 in October which not only offers one of the sport’s most prestigious titles but also a single qualifying opportunity for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. So there’s a lot to play for when the Royal Dublin Society opens its doors in Ireland’s capital city in three weeks’ time…..
Less than two weeks ahead of the ECCO FEI World Championships 2022 the tension is rising and speculation is rife about the fate of Jumping gold. And possibly the biggest question is whether Team Sweden can follow through on their historic Olympic victory in Tokyo last summer.
The publication this week of definite entries for the Agria FEI Jumping World Championship shows that the same three riders and the same three horses who claimed the Team title for their country for the first time in 97 years are selected once again.
Henrik von Eckermann with King Edward, Malin Baryard-Johnson with H&M Indiana and Peder Fredricson with H&M All In - who also claimed individual silver - put Swedish showjumping right back onto centre stage with that success 12 months ago. And they are joined on their country’s five-strong side for the World Championship by Peder’s brother Jens Fredricson riding Markan Cosmopolit who finished third at the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final 2022 just three months ago and multiple Olympian Rolf-Göran Bengtsson with Ermindo W.
Together they make quite some team.
Thrilling jump-off
The big wins rarely come easy, and they had to battle it out in a thrilling jump-off against Team USA to clinch that Olympic gold, Fredricson settling it with his last-to-go ride that denied the Americans the title by the narrowest of margins.
It was the direct opposite of the result of the showdown between these same two nations at the FEI World Equestrian Games™ in Tryon, USA three years earlier where McLain Ward wrapped it up with his last-to-go ride on Clinta.
Ward is back in the US side in the battle for the 2022 world titles, this time riding the super-competitive Contagious, and is joined by Adrienne Sternlicht and Cristalline who were also members of that 2018 winning team. Completing the American selection are Lillie Keenan (Argan de Beliard), Brian Moggre (Balou du Reventon) and Ward’s Tokyo 2020 silver-medal-winning team-mate Jessica Springsteen (RMF Zecilie). There may be a score to settle here between the Americans and the Swedes…
Fear
However of the 22 teams in contention it is Belgium they may most have to fear. Peter Weinberg’s side had already settled comfortably into bronze medal position in Tokyo before the final battle for the other two medals began, and on current form Niels Bruynseels (Delux van T&L), Jérôme Guery (Quel Homme de Hus), Nicola Philippaerts (Katanga v/h Dingeshof), Jos Verlooy (Igor) and Gregory Wathelet (Nevados S) could prove tough nuts to crack.
The Netherlands, winners at the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ Final 2021, also look strong with Harrie Smolders (Monaco), Sanne Thijssen (Con Quidam RB), Maikel van der Vleuten (Beauville Z) and Jur Vrieling (Long John Silver 3) joined by Hessel Hoekstra (Icoon VDL). And the French quintet of Mathieu Billot (Quel Filou 13), Gregory Cottard (Bibici), Simon Delestre (Cayman Jolly Jumper), Julien Epaillard (Caracole de la Roque) and Kevin Staut (Scuderia 1918 Viking d’La Rousserie) have a mountain of talent and experience between them.
When it comes to experience however perhaps the man with the most this time around is Great Britain’s John Whitaker. He won the first of four World Championship team medals in Dublin (IRL) in 1982 and individual silver with the great Milton at Stockholm (SWE) in 1990. Riding Equine America Unick du Francport he is listed alongside London Olympic gold medallist Scott Brash (Hello Jefferson), Harry Charles (Romeo 88), Joseph Stockdale (Equine America Cacharel) and the partnership that claimed individual Jumping gold in Tokyo, Ben Maher and Explosion W.
Best record
Germany has the best record in the individual championship with seven golds from 19 editions, and with the reigning European champions Andre Thieme and DSP Chakaria in their side along with Christian Ahlmann (Dominator 2000 Z), Marcus Ehning (Stargold), Janne Friederike Meyer-Zimmermann (Messi van’t Ruytershof) and Jana Wargers (Limbridge) they are, as always, a serious force to be reckoned with.
Thieme pipped Switzerland’s Martin Fuchs for that European individual title last September where Sweden’s Peder Fredricson took individual bronze, and these three will again be vying for individual glory when the action gets underway in Denmark in 10 days time.
The Swiss claimed the 2021 European team title, and with Fuchs and Steve Guerdat who earned individual silver and bronze at the FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2018 lining out with Edouard Schmitz, Pius Schwizer and Elin Ott then Team Switzerland looks bound to feature prominently. Fuchs in particular has been like an unstoppable train in recent times, filling number 1 spot in the world rankings for months and adding the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ 2022 title to his long list of recent successes last April.
Of course in the sport of Jumping you never know exactly what is coming down the line and surprises are the order of the day. Nothing is for sure, except that the Agria FEI Jumping World Championship should provide a gripping week of top sport. So don’t miss a hoofbeat…
Some history
While the Individual title has been up for grabs since the inaugural Championships in Paris (FRA) in 1953 where Spain’s Francico Goyoago came out on top, the team Championship was only established in 1978 in Aachen (GER) where the British side of Derek Ricketts, Caroline Bradley, Malcolm Pyrah and David Broome pinned The Netherlands and USA into silver and bronze.
There have only been 11 World Championship Team contests, and the countries with the greatest success have been Germany and France with three wins each.
When it comes to individual glory Germany stands head-and-shoulders above all the rest with seven victories from 19 editions, beginning with the legendary partnership of Hans Gunther Winkler and Halla in 1954 and concluding with Simone Blum and DSP Alice in 2018.
Facts and Figures:
Course designer is The Netherlands’ Louis Konickx with America’s Anthony D’Ambrosio in the role of Technical Delegate.
Venue is the Stutteri Ask Stadium.
34 nations will be represented, 22 with a team, 19 with 5 athletes entered, 12 with individual athletes.
Nations with teams: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden and USA.
Nations with individuals: China (1), Czech Republic (2), Egypt (2), Greece (1), Jordan (1), Latvia (1), Lebanon (1), Lithuania (1), Poland (2), Slovakia (1), South Africa (1) and Turkey (2).
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 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. There will be 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.
With a tide of change once again sweeping through the sport of international Dressage, it seems very possible that the host nation will shine when the ECCO FEI World Championships 2022 gets underway in 10 days time. With a mighty show of strength over the last year, and impressive results at the premier showcase in Aachen (GER) just a few short weeks ago, Team Denmark is in great shape right now.
Leading the charge is world no 2, Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour, who partnered Bohemian in the team that finished fourth at the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games last summer. They then went on to win team bronze at the European Championships in Hagen (GER) a few weeks later where Dufour also claimed individual bronze in the Grand Prix Special and silver in the Freestyle.
Major stir
Roll on 2022 and the Danes caused another major stir when swamping the leaderboard at the fifth leg of the FEI Dressage World Cup™ 2021/2022 Western European League in Neumunster (GER) in February. World no. 1, Germany’s Jessica von Bredow-Werndl, claimed pole position with her Tokyo Olympic champion TSF Dalera BB but, in a field filled with class, Laudrup-Dufour - this time riding the younger Vamos Amigos - finished second ahead of compatriots Nanna Skodborg Merrald (Atterupgaards Orthilia) and Carina Cassøe Krüth (Heiline’s Danciera) in third and fourth. German legend Isabell Werth had to settle for fifth place with her relatively new ride, DSP Qantaz.
Then at the FEI Dressage World Cup™ Final in Leipzig (GER) in April, Laudrup-Dufour and Vamos Amigos finished second in the Short Grand Prix and Grand Prix Freestyle, each time sharing the podium with von Bredow-Werndl and Werth. And in Aachen earlier this month she was joined by Skodborg Merrald, Cassøe Krüth and Daniel Bachmann Andersen (Marshall-Bell) to post victory in the penultimate leg of the FEI Dressage Nations Cup™ 2022 series before going on to win both the Grand Prix Special and Grand Prix Freestyle with Vamos Amigos.
It’s no wonder that this is the team now selected to represent the host country when the action kicks off in just over a weeks’ time.
History
The history of the FEI Dressage World Championships dates back to 1966 when the first edition was staged at the Swiss Cavalry School in Bern (SUI) with a starting field of just 24 competitors. Germany has been the dominant force since then, claiming the team title for the twelfth time at the FEI World Equestrian Games™ in Tryon (USA) in 2018.
Running on a four-year cycle. half-way between each Olympic Games, Denmark has only once made it onto the Team podium when taking bronze at the fifth edition in Lausanne (SUI) in 1982.
However the Danish team finished fourth and Andreas Helgstrand really put his country on the map when clinching Freestyle silver and Grand Prix Special bronze in Aachen in 2006 partnering Blue Hors Matine. The pair were in the best of company, with superstars Isabell Werth and Satchmo and The Netherlands’ Anky van Grunsven and Salinero filling the other two podium places on each occasion.
And now Team Denmark are a real force to be reckoned with.
Paris 2024
The Blue Hors FEI Dressage World Championships 2022 provides the first qualification opportunity for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games so there’s a lot hanging in the balance. The top six teams, excluding the hosts, will make the cut from the long list of 20 competing nations that includes Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and USA.
A total of 95 athletes from 34 countries will line out, and there will be individual representatives from another 14 countries; Armenia, Canada, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Estonia, Hungary, India, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Morocco, Moldova, Palestine, Singapore and South Africa.
The defending Team champions from Germany will of course be determined to uphold their incredible record despite the absence of von Bredow-Werndl and her lovely mare TSF Dalera BB who have been all but unbeatable for some time now. With a new baby on the way very shortly the Olympic, European and World Cup champion is sidelined for the moment, so her country’s four-strong side consists of Werth (DSP Quantaz), Frederic Wandres (Duke of Britain FRH), Benjamin Werndl (Famoso OLD) and the extraordinary Ingrid Klimke (Franziskus 15), a multiple champion in the sport of Eventing whose father, Reiner Klimke, was a double world champion in Dressage and one of the great horsemen of all time.
German party
Only a narrow defeat by the Soviet Union in 1970 and a bronze medal finish behind the winning Dutch in 2010 have spoiled the German team party down the years. Great Britain took bronze and the USA slotted into silver medal spot in 2018, and this year’s American side is headed up by Steffen Peters (Suppenkasper) who will be joined by Katie Duerhammer (Quartett), Ashley Holzer (Valentine) and Adrienne Lyle (Salvino). Meanwhile putting their best feet forward for Britain will be Richard Davison (Bubblingh), Charlotte Dujardin (Imhotep), Charlotte Fry (Glamourdale) and Gareth Hughes (Classic Briolinca).
Team Sweden’s Jeanna Hogbeg (Astoria), Patrik Kittel (Touchdown), Therese Nilshagen (Dante Weltino OLD) and Juliette Ramel (Buriel KH) can be relied upon to give a good account of themselves as can the Dutch foursome of Emmelie Scholtens (Indian Rock), Marieke van der Putten (Torveslettens Titanium), Dinja van Liere (Hermes) and Thamar Zweistra (Hexagon’s Ich Weiss). But if the Danes continue to fire on all cylinders then the rest are going to have to be at their very best to keep them in check.
It’s all to play for with three sets of medals on offer in the Team event, the individual Grand Prix Special and Grand Prix Freestyle. The Grand Prix, which will run over two days - Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 August - will decide the result of the Team competition and the top 30 finishers will qualify for the Grand Prix Special on Monday 8. The top 15 here will then go through to the Grand Prix Freestyle in which a maximum of three athletes per country are permitted to participate on Wednesday 10 August.
The exceptional Isabell Werth, who won the first of her five World Championship Team gold medals at The Hague (NED) in 1994, was on the victorious 2018 German team and also won the Grand Prix Special with the now-retired mare Bella Rose and will be looking to defend that title too. The Freestyle competition did not take place in Tryon due to a forecast for extreme weather conditions, so the last Freestyle world champion was Great Britain’s Charlotte Dujardin who swept all before her with the amazing Valegro in Caen (FRA) in 2014.
More classic Dressage history is about to be made, so don’t miss a hoofbeat….
A compact but accomplished field lined up for the finale of the 2022 FEI Dressage Nations Cup™ series at Falsterbo (SWE), including the top two teams in the standings, but that didn't stop Denmark from running away with the competition. The win marked a second straight victory for the Danish squad after triumphing in Aachen two weeks ago.
The four-rider team of Nanna Skodborg Merrald (Blue Hors. St. Schufro), Nadja Aaboe Sloth (Favour Gersdorf), Anna Kasprzak (Addict de Massa) and Daniel Bachmann Andersen (Zippo M.I.) impressed with their consistent excellence across the Grand Prix, Grand Prix Special and Grand Prix Freestyle tests. The group finished on a total of just 14 points, well ahead of The Netherlands (30 points) and Sweden (31).
"There has not been one ride we came away [feeling poorly about]. Everyone really delivered. I'm so proud to be a part of this team."
Daniel Bachmann Andersen (DEN)
Sweden's Patrik Kittel shined individually aboard the 14-year-old Oldenburg gelding Blue Hors Zepter, winning the Grand Prix (75.261%) and finishing second in the Freestyle (80.865%), but it was not enough to hold off Denmark. In fact, Danish riders took up two-thirds of the podium in every test.
They shared the wealth. Bachmann Andersen performed best for his team in the Grand Prix, finishing second with Zippo M.I. on a score of 75.043% before topping the Special on 73.723%. Both scores were personal bests for him and his 10-year-old mount.
"He's quite a green horse. This was just his sixth show at the Grand Prix level," Bachmann Andersen said. "He's shown a lot of quality, and and he's improved since his last show. Overall, I'm happy with his development. He has had a good experience here. It's all a part of the journey."
Nanna Skodborg Merrald stole the spotlight in the Freestyle, taking the win with 11-year-old Blue Hors St. Schufro in what was the stallion's debut in the test. Inexperience did not prove to be a hindrance, as the pair received a top score of 81.080%.
"I'm really happy and really proud of [my horse]," Merrald said. "He's still very green, and this was his first Grand Prix Freestyle ever. It's not a freestyle I've made for him, so there was a little bit of improvising. In the end, he did really well. There were some small misunderstandings, but overall, I had a clean test without big mistakes, and I'm really happy with that."
The win leaves the squad feeling confident as they make their final preparations for the upcoming FEI World Dressage Championships on home soil in Hernig (DEN).
"It's always fantastic to have a Nations Cup, where you can come out and train to be a team and compete as a team before going out for a World Championship," Bachmann Andersen said. "It's always bigger pressure riding for an entire team, and it's good to be trying out different combinations and see how everyone is riding on a team."
Although finishing third, Sweden still came away with a victory, having secured the 2022 FEI Dressage Nations Cup™ series title before competition began. With less than four teams competing at Falsterbo, the event did not count for series points. Sweden, also finishing on the podium at Compiègne (FRA), Rotterdam (NED) and Aachen (GER), completed the season with 37 points. The Netherlands finished second on 24 points, with Spain third (20 points).
"We were very strong from the beginning. At every show, we had a different team, and that is a strength of the country to have four different teams and be on the podium every time," said Sweden's chef d'equipe Bo Jena. "The experience we get from Nations Cup competitions are [ones] we take with us to the next show, the next year and for the future."
In a competition containing all the ingredients that make this particular equestrian team sport stand out from all the rest, Belgium won through at the fourth leg of the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ 2022 Europe Division 1 series at Falsterbo in Sweden today.
Few could have predicted that the hosts and reigning Olympic champions from Sweden would finish seventh of the eight competing nations, and that last place would go to the reigning European champions from Switzerland. And even fewer would have expected that Great Britain would lose out on the opportunity to jump off against the eventual winners because their anchor rider didn’t hear the second-round start bell.
But Nations Cup Jumping is all about unpredictability, tension and excitement, and the spectators at Falsterbo today enjoyed all of that, and more, despite the unexpected result for the home side.
Any course designed by Germany’s Frank Rothenberger is always to be taken seriously, but with 15 fault-free efforts in the first round his 12-fence track seemed very jumpable. Second time out however it was a different story.
Halfway stage
Great Britain and Norway had the whip hand with zero scores at the halfway stage while the Belgians carried four faults into round two as did the Swiss. The Dutch were close behind with just five on the board while Team Italy had eight and both Sweden and Denmark already had 12 on the board.
However the Danes rallied brilliantly with double-clears from both Linnea Ericsson-Carey (Skorphults Baloutendro) and Andreas Schou (Independent) which moved them up the leaderboard to fifth in the final analysis. On the other hand the addition of 20 penalties saw the Swiss plummet to last place as they struggled against the track that had been significantly raised second time out. Meanwhile the Belgians really stood their ground and piled all the pressure on the leaders.
Pieter Clemens and Koen Vereecke both posted double-clears, and when 24-year-old Gilles Thomas, who left two on the floor first time out, also returned with nothing to add at his second attempt then the Belgian scoreline remained intact at four faults and was now the one to beat.
Because when Norwegian pathfinder Marie Valder Longem (Echo de Virton) landed in the open water at fence six, Marit Haarr Skollerud (Nelson van’t Roosakker) racked up eight faults and Benedikte Endresen (Stenhaga Tulip Tattoo) collected five, then not even the brilliant double-clear from the legendary Geir Gulliksen (Equine America Grandino H) could prevent the Norwegian tally from rising to nine faults.
Still in contention
The British however still looked well in contention when Jessica Mendoza’s eight faults with Play were followed by just a single error from Joseph Stockdale and Equine America Cacharel and then a brilliant second clear from Jodie Hall McAteer with Salt’N Peppa. If the anchor partnership of Ellen Whitaker and Equine America Spacecake could follow suit then Mendoza’s eight could be dropped and the British would carry only Stockdale’s four and would jump off against the Belgians to decide the result.
And it seemed to be all about to happen until, to her utter disbelief, Whitaker saw four time faults going up on the board after she completed her otherwise copybook round. On a final scoreline of eight faults the British would have to settle for third place at the end of the day because the rock-solid Dutch foursome of Jur Vrieling (Long John Silver 3), Johnny Pals (Charley), Patrick Lemmen (Exit Remo) and Harrie Smolders (Darry Lou) added absolutely nothing to their five-fault first-round tally to slot into runner-up spot.
Very happy
“I was very happy that we won but I felt very sorry for Ellen - I don’t think she heard the bell!”, said winning team rider Pieter Clemens afterwards.
Of course he was delighted with the foot-perfect performance of his mare, Hulde G, who helped clinch this important victory. “She’s only nine years old and so far one of best horses I’ve ever had - she’s a real fighter, she tries to give everything to you and she has a great mentality”, he said.
Talking about the course he explained that when the vertical at fence two was raised for the second round along with the second two elements of the triple combination at fence nine and the following oxer, then it increased the degree of difficulty significantly. “And the water (at fence 6) was early enough - after that some horses lost control a bit and I struggled there in first round”, he pointed out.
He was full of praise for the Falsterbo Horse Show organising team, and for the Swedish spectators. “This is an amazing venue and the surface in the arena is good for our horses. They do a great show here and the spectators are fantastic!”, he said.
Reflected
Meanwhile team-mate Koen Vereecke reflected on a superb return to the Swedish fixture. “Last time I was here was in 2016, and what a comeback it is today by winning the Nations Cup!”, he said.
His Chef d’Equipe, Peter Weinberg, had plenty of reasons to be happy too. “My team was brilliant in round one and even better in the second round! We have lots of Nations Cups happening at the moment so we have different riders here and for Gilles (Thomas) this was his first 5* Nations Cup and he was great!”, he said. Thomas, double European Champion at Junior level and team silver medallist at the FEI European Young Riders Championship in 2019, is yet another blossoming Belgian talent.
Weinberg is already planning for Belgium’s final outing in the Europe Division 1 series in which all of the nine teams have been allocated four events from the six qualifiers which conclude in Dublin (IRL) in mid-August. Only seven of the nine competing nations will make the cut to the Longines series Final in Barcelona (ESP) in late September, and Belgium lies fourth on the league table after today’s result.
“In two weeks we will have the next round at Hickstead (GBR) and the team will be the same except for the fifth rider. We will try to get some more points there to ensure our participation in Barcelona and I am quite confident that we will make it”, he said.
Team Switzerland are proving to be ‘the ones to watch’, in this year’s FEI Eventing Nations Cup™, after winning both their appearances in the Series. On both occasions the Swiss riders have won both team and individual prizes in the CCIO4*-NC-S. After winning the opening leg in Pratoni (ITA) back in May, this time they delighted their home crowd in Avenches. This promising quartet - three of whom competed in Pratoni, all showed strong two-phase jumping performances, to finish on a score of 127.7.
Just as they had in Pratoni, France had to settle for second spot in Avenches - this time scoring 134.9. There were just four teams competing in this fourth leg of the Nations Cup, and after a disappointing team performance on the cross-country, Germany lagged behind on 216.1 and Italy on 256.4.
A superb double clear in the cross-country and Jumping phases was achieved by Robin Godel, who rode the fastest cross-country clear of the day, adding just 0.4 of a time penalty to his good dressage score. This meant the 23 year old rider, was also a deserving individual winner of the CCIO4*-NC-S. He was also crowned the winner of the Swiss National Championships. Fittingly, he was riding the Swiss-bred horse, Grandeur de Lully CH. The ever-consistent pair climbed from fourth place after the dressage to first after the cross-country. Speaking after the prize-giving he said:
“I can’t be more happy right now. I am happy we have another win for the team. Grandeur was great from start to finish. We managed to handle the pressure here at home. In the individual category, I had no choice- I had to make a clean sweep.”
Also contributing significantly to the team victory and proving that age is irrelevant to eventing success, were 20 year old Nadja Minder and 52 year old Patrik Rüegg, who said “the atmosphere is very special. There were a lot of people on the cross-country. I am proud of our performance today”.
Making up the quartet was 38 year old Mélody Johner who rode her Tokyo Olympic team horse Toubleu de Rueire, to finish fourth individually. She has been riding ‘Toubleu’ since 2020 and describes the 15 year old Selle-Francais gelding as “a very generous and experienced horse”. Johner hopes good results here will put the pair in contention for the FEI Eventing World Championships which will be held in Pratoni from 15-18 September. “I am moved and happy. The cross-country was quite technical. The requirements we have set ourselves up to have now been met. Now we have to continue working”, she said.
The French team led after the dressage phase but lost their edge over the Swiss in the cross-country phase on the basis of time faults. World-renowned course designer, Mike Etherington-Smith built a strong cross-country test which made the most of the natural features and topography, with no riders making the time and only 19 riders out of a total of 36 jumping clear.
Six-time Olympian Andrew Nicholson has been coaching the Swiss team for several years and summed up the competition.
“I am very pleased with my team’s performance. The course was a proper four star and used a lot of the same track at the Europeans last year. We are now focusing on the World Championships.
The event took place at the Institut Equestre National d'Avenches (IENA) - also the site for last year’s FEI Eventing European Championships as well as the FEI European Pony Championships for Dressage, Eventing and Jumping in 2008. It is on the outskirts of Avenches, the former capital of Roman Helvetia, and is considered one of the most beautiful villages in Switzerland.
The overall result means that Italy, who have attended all four legs of the Series are now leading on 245 points, whilst Sweden are in second on 220. Switzerland who have now won both of their appearances are on 200 points which puts them in third place at this early stage of the Nations Cup Series. Le Pin au Haras (FRA) will host the fifth leg which runs from 11-14 August.
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