FEI Driving European Youth Championship, Kisbér-Ászár (HUN): U25, Juniors & Children - P1, P2, H1

Host nation Hungary clinched two individual titles and team bronze at the FEI Driving European Youth Championship in Kisbér-Ászár, with brilliant brothers Bertold & Péter Juhász taking the Children P1 (12-14 years) and Junior P2 classes (14-18 years). 

Leading from the front after securing first place in the dressage, Péter became European Junior P2 (pony pair) Champion while Bertold held his nerve in a closely fought Children P1 (single pony) class to win by a mere one point ahead of Spain’s Daniel Pineda Andic. Both brothers kept their cool to produce double clear cones rounds on the final day, over designer Alexander Flocke’s (GER) course.

Their versatile ponies – Beniamin, Zsoldos, Holló & Black – multi-prize winners in various combinations, from singles to four-in-hands, rose to the occasion to help their young drivers win these coveted titles.

With a European Youth Championship only last year in Sélestat (FRA), a Covid-postponed event rolled over from 2020, many of the same athletes returned to this on-schedule fixture a year later. Retaining her title from 2021, Lisa Maria Tischer (GER) won the Under 25 P1 category with the consistent Great Dancer, sealing first places in the dressage and marathon, plus a clear in the cones, to take their top-of-the podium place by nearly 5 points. 

Improving on her silver medal from 2021, in the Junior P1 section Renate Provoost (NED) won gold with her New Forest pony Quibus. Stepping into the next age category to take silver was Ireland’s Kris Rohrssen, last year’s Children P1 winner, maintaining his great form with Checkmate, only 1.99 points behind.   

Another athlete accustomed to the podium, Jorn Van Olst (NED), only just secured the gold in the U25 P2 by a slither, 0.24 ahead of Maria Buchwald (DEN). Maria’s dressage test set her up well but she fell behind on the marathon, then both drivers produced faultless cones rounds. Yet it was Jorn’s quicker times through the obstacles which boosted his overall performance.

One of the clearest winning margins came from Ciara Schubert (GER) and the experienced campaigner Energy 19 to take the U25 H1 (single horse) win. Ahead of Sweden’s Linnea Kristiansen by nearly 7 points, Ciara didn’t lead in any phases but produced enough consistency to gain the gold.

With national team results swapping around from last summer, it was The Netherlands who took gold, ahead of last year’s winners Germany. Hungary nudged beyond Sweden by a mere 1.3 points to take bronze. With six athletes per team, selected from across the categories, and the three best scores per phase going into the mix, it was a hotly contested competition.

A warm Hungarian welcome was appreciated by the athletes, their families and supporters, many of them having travelled for some days over long distances to get to the popular event venue west of Budapest. The customary Nation’s Night kick-started the social side, ahead of the veterinary inspections then two days of dressage on Thursday and Friday. Saturday’s marathon ran to the newer FEI format of initial warm-up then Section B with six obstacles, the Children’s’ class having to negotiate fewer gates; they were also set a slightly shorter cones route on the final day. 

The organisers made everyone attending aware of the geo-political challenges facing the region and items such as fuel and electricity had to be rationed. But even the rain didn’t dampen spirits, despite making the going on the marathon slippery, and with such an array of talent amongst these youth drivers – 98 athletes from 17 countries – many of them from established driving families whose parents and grandparents also compete, the future of the sport is indeed a rosy one.

Full Results here

Caption:
Lisa Marie Tischer (GER) winner of the Under 25 P1 at the FEI Driving European Youth Championship 2022, Kisbér-Ászár (HUN)
Copyright ©FEI/Amy Mundell

It was tough to predict who the final winner would be throughout the sixth leg of the FEI Eventing Nations Cup™ in Arville (BEL). There was a leaderboard shake-up in each phase but eventually the home side saved the day with some masterful cross-country riding, to finish on a score of 131.2 ahead of Germany on 148.5. Italy finished in third place on 193.00 and Team GB, who had been in first place after the jumping phase but had a number of cross-country faults, had to settle for fourth. This was the second time in a row that Belgium claimed this prestigious Nations Cup prize in Arville.

This young Belgian team of Lara De Liedekerke-Meier, Jarno Verwimp, Julien Wergifosse and Maarten Boon, look exciting team prospects for the future - all four putting in strong cross-country performances. They were dressage leaders but after some mixed fortunes in the jumping (which took place on the second day), dropped down to third going into the final test; with Great Britain in front and Sweden in second. Yet the story was not over. The cross-country proved to be a tough track which required bold but accurate riding, as well as endurance to cope with the hilly terrain. There were five eliminations and a further eight retirements on the course.

Lara De Liedekerke-Meier who competed at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games last year, was best of the Belgians overall. She stormed around the cross-country on her 12 year old Hannoverian gelding Ducati d’Arville, to finish 4^th individually in this CCIO4*-S competition. Her final score helping the overall team score significantly. “It’s fantastic. Last year was a historical win for Belgium but to win the cup again and keep it here, was just fantastic. My horse was amazing. My teammates were a younger squad than before, so I had to be the anchor a little bit.”

Speaking on the cross-country track which caused the demise of the British and Swedish teams and many other individual riders, she said: “I had a wonderful round, the cross-country was really tough and hilly. My horse kept running until the end. This was a fantastic day for Belgium and a fantastic day for eventing and I am so proud of my team. Arville was a fantastic edition.”

Belgium's Jarno Verwimp was another rider to make his mark and finished 5^th individually in the CCIO4*-S on Kyba van de Jomaheide. The 22 year old rider was delighted with his selection and team win: “To be in the team for a Nations Cup is already a big honour but to take gold with the Belgian team makes it complete.”

The FEI Eventing Nations Cup™ action now moves to Ballindenisk (21-25 September). This will be the eighth and penultimate leg of the Series. Germany continue to lead with 380 points overall.

Final scores from Arville can be found here

FEI Eventing Nations Cup™ 2022 Calendar & Team standings can be found here

Provisional Report from Kisbér-Ászár

Host nation Hungary have clinched two of the individual titles on offer at the European Youth Championships while The Netherlands took the Junior class. 

Leading from the front after sealing first place in the dressage, 17 year old Péter Juhász (Hun) took the P2 (pony pair) title, ending on 122.87, ahead of Germany’s Max Andrew on 131.55 and Lea Schröder on 135.44. Team GB’s Harvey Clegram-Brown, winner of Saturday’s marathon in slippery conditions, had left himself too much to do after the dressage and remained 4th.

Places flipped between the phases and margins were paper thin in the Children (12-14 years) and Junior (14-18 years) classes. Bertold Juhász (HUN) kept his cool to finish the cones on a double clear to become the FEI Driving European Children’s Champion on 97.63, which put him one point ahead of Spain’s Daniel Pineda Andic, who ended a blink behind on 98.63, pushing Bice Castelli (ITA) into third on 101.19, just ahead of Phoebe Matthews (GBR) on 101.73.

Renate Provoost (NED), who had finished second in the dressage, was consistent throughout and won the Youth category on 123.37, pushing Ireland’s Kris Rohrssen into second (125.36). Italy’s Francesca Consolini sealed her bronze medal place only a fraction behind on 125.46 and Larissa Jansma (NED) was within breathing distance of the podium with a final tally of 125.61.

A full sports report to follow…

American riders showed formidable jumping performances to win the seventh leg of the FEI Eventing Nations Cup™, held in Bromont (CAN). With an experienced team of athletes most of whom had ridden at 5* level, three of the four riders jumped clear in both the jumping and cross-country tests. The American quartet was made up of Elisabeth Halliday-Sharp, Lillian Heard, Colleen Routledge and Andrew McCannon. They finished on a score of 138.6 ahead of the host nation, Canada on 158.3. Australia were the only other nation competing but had only one rider completing the competition. 

Bromont Horse Trials is one of the most important equestrian events in Canada and the only FEI Eventing Nations Cup™ leg in the Americas. Whilst riders faced a tough cross-country challenge, which saw a number of retirements, they were full of praise for the ground conditions. 

Elisabeth Halliday-Sharp, a stalwart of the US Team, was the overall winner of the CCI 4*-S on Miks Master C, after jumping a double clear and one of the fastest cross-country rounds of the day: "It was a proper course here but my horse was world class. Hopefully we will go to Boekelo for the final (Nations Cup)."

Teammate Lillian Heard who was recently married to Australian event rider Ryan Wood, has been to Bromont many times and cites it as her favourite event. Despite riding at 5* level, this was her first Nations Cup experience. 

“This is my first time being on a team since Young Riders 15 years ago, it was really cool and elevates the stakes by which you're playing. I am usually only competing for myself so it was cool to go out and think I’ve got to be good for me but I have to be good for other people which adds a different element and is good practice.

“The course was awesome, this event is never easy and you don’t come here thinking anything is a given. The footing is great but the courses are tough. This is my horse’s first run back and he’s quite experienced - this feels more like a championship competition which is good because when we go to the other events, it feels easy. I was the first out so I didn’t have any intel which worked out fine, because my horse doesn't always do what the others do. The waters were tough and almost 5* questions and my horse was really good. The jumps were big and technically hard and the terrain makes a difference here too, but it’s supposed to be getting us ready for the 5* level so it’s good.

Andrew McConnon was another rider on the USA team having his first Nations Cup experience and was happy with his double clear. “This was my first team challenge and it was great to work with these three experienced ladies (Halliday-Sharp, Heard and Routledge) who were very kind and giving with information. I love it (being part of teams) and would love to be a part of more.”

Germany now lead the overall standings on 290 points and the FEI Nations Cup™ competition moves to Arville (BEL) which concludes today (21 August).

Full results here

FEI Eventing Nations Cup™ 2022 Calendar & Team standings can be found here

Team Ireland rounded up the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ 2022 Europe Division 1 series with the perfect win in front of the home crowd at the Royal Dublin Society Showgrounds in Dublin (IRL) today. It was the 24th victory for the host nation in the long history of the Aga Khan Cup that dates all the way back to 1926 and which is the most coveted prize for every Irish jumping rider.

But Michael Blake’s side was pushed every inch of the way by a feisty French foursome who forced a jump-off to decide the result, and it came down to a duel between their Hickstead hero Marc Dilasser and Irish pathfinder Conor Swail who clinched it with a thrilling ride.

Extreme pressure

A total of seven nations lined out, and Team Norway were under extreme pressure as they were lying last on the Europe Division 1 leaderboard as the action began. Only the best seven of the nine countries competing in the Division 1 series are guaranteed a place at the Longines Final in Barcelona (ESP) at the end of the September, so for the Norwegians there was a great deal hanging in the balance. However it wasn’t to be their day. Tied on a 20-fault scoreline along with Team USA at the halfway stage they couldn’t recover and finished last behind the Americans who slotted into sixth place while Brazil finished fifth and The Netherlands completed in fourth.

The Swiss arrived with a strong side that included reigning Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ champion Martin Fuchs, whose father and team trainer, Thomas Fuchs, was a member of the last Swiss side to lift the Dublin honours back in 1983. However despite double-clears from both Fuchs Jnr. riding Conner Jei and 2012 Olympic champion Steve Guerdat with the exciting mare Dynamix de Belheme, Michel Sorg’s side had to settle for third place on their two-round tally of eight faults.

In the bag

The Irish looked to already have it in the bag when posting the only zero score of the first round, Max Wachman’s single error at the final fence providing the discard. But the French were close behind, counting only the foot in the open water at fence eight for Kevin Staut’s Visconti du Telman after clears from Dilasser (Arioto du Gevres) and Edward Levy (Uno de Cerisy) while Megane Moissonier (Cordial) provided their team discard when hitting both elements of the penultimate double.

As round two got underway the Irish still looked comfortable when Conor Swail’s Count Me In bounced around the track for his second clear of the day. But when Wachman’s Berlux Z clipped the last element of the triple combination and then Shane Sweetnam’s James Kaan Cruz kicked out the very last fence the home crowd were feeling nervous.

Cian O’Connor needed to jump his second clear of the day with Kilkenny if the hosts were to stay on level pegging with the French and force a jump-off. But this is a man well used to pressure. He knew what he had to do. “Kilkenny felt like he owned the ring today so it was on me not to make a mistake”, he said afterwards. And the grey, who drew gasps of delight from the crowd for his spectacular jumping over the water, returned with nothing to add so it was game-on against the French.

Dilasser set the target over Alan Wade’s jump-off course, leaving all the fences in place and breaking the beam in 31.81 seconds to throw it down to the Irishman. But Swail never looked in any doubt when shaving more than a second off that with a brilliant run from the 15-year-old horse that carried him to eighth place individually at this year’s Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final in Leipzig (GER) and helped him rocket up the world rankings to the number four spot.

No doubt, that was, until he galloped through the finish and looked up at the scoreboard. The time said 30.31 seconds but he had the number 2 beside his name on the graphics so he thought for a moment he hadn’t been fast enough after all. But the crowd knew better and it wasn’t long until he was celebrating the best possible result with them.

Quite some week

Irish Chef d’Equipe Michael Blake has had quite some week, his team earning Olympic qualification when finishing fourth, and just pipped for bronze, at the ECCO FEI World Championships in Herning, Denmark only seven days ago. To come home and then win the precious Aga Khan trophy as winners of the Dublin leg of the Longines series was quite some bonus.

But in the aftermath of that success in Denmark Blake had a health blip, and he was only discharged from St Vincent’s Hospital, just down the road from the Dublin show venue, on Tuesday. “I almost made a deal with god for this one!”, he said this evening with a laugh. But he had been confident of victory, and his team didn’t let him down.

At just 18 years old Wachman was by far the youngest team-member. Grandson of John and Sue Magnier from the world-famous Coolmore Stud, the world’s largest breeding operation of racehorses, he hasn’t even graduated from school yet and is awaiting the results of his final-year examinations.

In 2019 he won double-gold at the FEI European Pony Championships in Strzegom (POL) and he finished fifth individually at this summer’s Young Riders Europeans in Oliva (ESP). Trained by team-mate O’Connor and riding the horse that carried French star Simon Delestre at last summer’s Tokyo Olympic Games he gave a great account of himself today. “It’s a dream come true to be on this team!”, he said tonight.

Annoyed

Shane Sweetnam was annoyed with himself for the last-fence error with James Kann Cruz second time out but he acknowledged that he is riding one of the most exciting horses to come out of Ireland for a very long time. The nine-year-old was formerly ridden by multiple Irish national champion Francis Connors, and Sweetnam said he fell in love with the grey gelding the moment he sat on him. “He’s a fantastic horse!”, he said.

And Irish breeders have plenty to celebrate tonight because O’Connor’s ride, Kilkenny, was also bred on the Emerald Isle. The bronze medallist from the London 2012 Olympic Games is a real Nations Cup veteran with almost 140 caps under his belt and this was his sixteenth appearance in a team at Dublin Horse Show and the fourth Dublin victory of his career. “I’m thrilled for Kilkenny, this was a big day for him!”, O’Connor said.

Meanwhile the man of the moment, Conor Swail, reflected on the fact that he has competed at the Royal Dublin Society showgrounds since he was a very small child. “The first time I rode here was in the 128cms ponies and I fell off at the third fence!”, he said with a giggle. It was a very different story today.

“This was amazing for me, my third time to compete for the Aga Khan Cup and it’s fantastic - it’s a lifetime goal and it’s an incredible achievement to be Irish and to win the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup of Ireland”, he said. But he wasn’t surprised when the appropriately-named Count Me in helped clinched it for him. “He’s a really special horse and he’s so fast - I knew him long before I got him and always thought he was wonderful”, he pointed out.

Course designer Alan Wade said “the French and Swiss pushed Ireland to do their best today and we saw good sport - no, we saw top sport!”, and nobody was arguing with that.

Show Director Pat Hanly agreed. “We couldn’t have imagined a better result and it was so fantastic to have such an enthusiastic crowd.  It was a super day with an amazing winning team who are great ambassadors for the sport!”

Result

Standings 

Jack D. Pemberton, well-known and greatly respected member of the Driving community, sadly passed away on 16 August 2022, at the age of 99.

© Horse Network

Throughout his career, Pemberton was an influential character who dedicated his time and energy to the development of equestrian sport in Canada, especially when it comes to Driving, where one of his first endeavours was the creation of the Carriage Association of America in 1960. Since 1968 he has been actively involved with of the FEI in various different roles such as Driving Judge and Chair of the FEI Driving Committee from 1995-2004. He was also a very much appreciated FEI Bureau member during the administration of former FEI President H.R.H. the Infanta Doña Pilar de Borbòn, and honorary member of the FEI Board since 2004.

Pemberton was awarded the prestigious Equine Canada Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007 for his exceptional contribution and commitment to the Canadian Equestrian industry.

"The FEI Driving community lost a real Friend and horseman. Jack was an iconic person, not only for Driving, but for the whole equestrian sport. We will sadly miss him", Chair of the FEI Driving Committee Karoly Fugly said.

The FEI expresses its sincere condolences to Jack D. Pemberton’s family and friends, the Canadian Equestrian Federation (EC) and the global equestrian and driving communities.

The FEI Tribunal has issued its Final Decision in the matter of FEI Official Veterinarian Mr Marc Juul H. Schelkens (FEI ID 10050129/BEL).

In November 2021, it was brought to the attention of the FEI that Mr Schelkens failed to implement the biosecurity measures as required by the FEI Veterinary Regulations and the EHV-1 By-Laws while officiating in his capacity as Veterinary Delegate at the Bonheiden and Lier (BEL) Events in the second half of 2021. Among others, at the Lier Event in November 2021, no rectal temperature check was performed on the horses at the Examination on Arrival and falsified rectal temperature data was inserted into the HorseApp by Mr Schelkens. At the Bonheiden Events, the temperature check was not performed rectally as required and was conducted during the Horse Inspection, enabling non-examined horses mixing with already examined horses, thus in breach of the FEI Veterinary Regulations and the EHV-1 By-Laws.  

Following the outbreak of the neurological form of EHV-1 in February 2021, to ensure a safe return to competition, the FEI Veterinary Regulations and the EHV-1 By-Laws require that at the start of an FEI Event, all participating horses must be examined upon arrival in a designated Examination on Arrival Area with registration of horses’ rectal temperatures via the FEI HorseApp.

In its Final decision, the FEI Tribunal suspended Mr Schelkens for a period of three years. The period of provisional suspension, which came into effect on 11 November 2021, is credited against this period of suspension, meaning he is ineligible to officiate until 10 November 2024. Mr Schelkens is also fined CHF 2,000 and asked to pay costs of CHF 1,000.

The parties can appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) within 21 days of receipt of the decision.

The full Decision is available here.  

For some, it was about retaining the title, for others it was about reclaiming it and for a select few, it was a whole new experience with the added bonus of their home nation cheering them on.

Retaining the title…

Sanne Voets (NED) and Sara Morganti (ITA) both retained their Para Dressage Freestyle World titles in Grades I and IV respectively for the third successive time at the Orifarm Healthcare FEI Para Dressage World Championship 2022, in Herning (DEN) today. They did so in the same venue at which they both won their first major international titles nine years ago, at the FEI European Championships of 2013, at which Voets won the silver in the Individual test, and gold in the Freestyle, while Morganti secured the bronze medals in both those tests.

On Royal Delight, Italy’s Freestyle queen Sara Morganti danced to a score of 80.653% to take gold in Grade I ahead of Latvia’s Rihards Snikus with 78.400% on King of the Dance. Just a whisker away from that, by 0.013%, was Ireland’s Michael Murphy, who was able to finally put the lid on a disappointing Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games with another bronze in Herning, on Cleverboy, with 78.387%.

Just after her score was announced, Sara said: “I can’t believe it, it’s just too beautiful to be true. I am delighted for three times in a row with Royal Delight. It really felt good with the music for the whole of the time. I couldn’t have wanted more from this performance in this moment.

Having first won the title at the FEI World Equestrian Games^TM in Caen (FRA) in 2014, Voets rode Demantur RS2 N.O.P. to score 82.485% in this year’s Grade IV competition.

The silver medal went to a delighted Kate Shoemaker (USA), on Quiana with 80.275% while Brazil’s Rodolpho Riskalla edged the bronze medal on Don Henrico, with 78.385%. His medal had extra emotion being his last ride on the soon to retire Don Henrico after a partnership which saw them pick up two World and a Paralympic silver medal, and two further bronzes here.

“Usually I think of something to say when I get off the horse and come here but I’m pretty much speechless today,” Sanne said.

“There are a few moments in your career where you just enter the arena and raise your hand and from that moment on you are just in another dimension and don’t really experience what’s going on in that moment. Today was one of those days.”

Denmark celebrates home successes

Katrine Kristensen and Tobias Thorning Joergensen (DEN) delighted their home fans by taking the Freestyle titles in Grades II and III, prompting a sea of red and white Danish flags to be waved around the arena in celebration.

Katrine set the ball rolling by winning the Grade II Freestyle riding Goerklintgaards Quater to music dominated by Queen songs, and scoring 80.354%. Great Britain’s Lee Pearson and Breezer took the silver with 77.860%, while his teammate Georgia Wilson won a delightful but surprise bronze medal with Sakura, and 75.834%.

Speaking after her win was confirmed, Katrine said:

“It’s very exciting and I’m so, so happy with my second gold medal. It’s fantastic. It has been an amazing experience for me with this new horse and he has developed through the days of the championships. I’m so, so proud.”

In the Grade III contest, a world record 86.513%, on Joline Hill, put Tobias nearly 10 points clear of the silver medal, which went to The Netherlands’ Lotte Krijnsen, on Rosenstolz with 76.673%. And breaking her World Freestyle jinx, Great Britain’s Natasha Baker took the bronze, on Keystone Dawn Chorus, with 76.620%

“It was amazing,” Tobias said.

“Pretty much everything just worked out as it should and I’m just so happy. It was a personal best by two points and it was amazing to do that. Everything worked as I wanted.”

George seals third world title to round off magical day

Belgium’s Michèle George reclaimed the Grade V Freestyle title she last won at the FEI World Equestrian Games™ in 2014. On her amazing mare, Best of 8, she scored 82.860% for gold. Frank Hosmar (NED) once again performed to a medley of 80s pop classics to take the silver, on Alphaville N.O.P. with 80.775% - his best score at a World, European, or Paralympic competition - while Great Britain’s Sophie Wells was third, on Don Cara with 79.255%.

“I think it’s a personal best with the mare. I am so proud of her,” said Michèle.

“She behaved like a queen and it was very difficult to ride but I managed it and it was really dancing. And that’s why we ride horses, to become two in one and to feel the harmony, and I tried to convince the judges and apparently it worked.”

This was her ninth World or Paralympic title. “I’m so happy I can do this again with another horse,” she added, “because it’s not always easy. It’s not easy to get to the top, and it’s more difficult to stay there. But I’m back, and this is only the start.”

Denmark tops the Para Dressage medals table!

At the end of a brilliant World Championship week for Para Dressage, Denmark has topped the medal’s table with four golds and a silver. The Netherlands are second, with three golds, three silvers and a bronze, with Belgium in third place securing two golds.

Bettina De Rham, the FEI’s Director of Dressage, Para Dressage and Vaulting summed up the week and said:

“I think it’s been a very special event. Some athletes said the Team medal ceremony in the main stadium was the best moment of their Para Dressage life, so we’re very happy about that. And today we saw some amazing Freestyles, the level is really going up and we can be very proud of our athletes and look forward to the future.”

Results here

Last Friday night they helped Team Sweden to victory in the Team event, and today Henrik von Eckermann and his brilliant chestnut gelding King Edward added Individual gold to their haul of loot with another extraordinary performance at the Agria FEI Jumping World Championship 2022 in Herning, Denmark.

The dynamic duo were under the ultimate pressure, out in front on the final day with two rounds of jumping still to do and less than a fence separating them from the four combinations chasing them on the Individual leaderboard.

But this is a horse whose belief in himself and in his rider is second to none. The pair never dropped a pole on the way to helping clinch the Olympic Team title in Tokyo  last summer. And this week they did it all again, flawless from start to finish.

Belgium’s Jérôme Guery took the Individual silver medal and The Netherlands’ Maikel van der Vleuten claimed the bronze.

Different story

A total of 21 combinations tackled the first round and 14 jumped clear, but it was a very different story second time out. Course designer, Dutchman Louis Konickx, explained his thinking about how to let a champion shine. “The first course was fluent and big enough but not too complicated. For the second round we built it up and it was more technical. The time (87 seconds) was short. It was great to see King Edward win, he was clear every day and he has so much scope. I think we have seen wonderful sport!”, he said.

Just 12 came back in the second round and this time only four left all the poles in place. Germany’s Marcus Ehning and Stargold kept themselves in the running with a clear when first into the ring this time out, but another five faulted before van der Vleuten and his individual Olympic bronze medal winning ride Beauville Z NOP followed suit.

Lying fifth in the closing stages, Great Britain’s Ben Maher dropped out of contention when Faltic HB clipped the 1.65m vertical at fence seven, and when Austria’s Max Kuhner and Elektric Blue P kicked out the second element of the spooky water-tray double at fence ten, and added two time faults, there were only three left to go and van der Vleuten was moving rapidly up the scoreboard.

Didn’t buckle

Lying in bronze medal spot Belgium’s Jerome Guery and Quel Homme de Hus didn’t buckle under the pressure however, and when the 16-year-old stallion and his 42-year-old rider raced through the finish there were already ecstatic scenes in the Kiss and Cry because the pair were now definitely destined for a place on the podium.

Second-last to go however, von Eckermann’s team-mate Jens Fredricson saw silver slip from his grasp when Markan Cosmopolit left three fences on the floor and the only question now left was whether von Eckermann could hold his nerve. He said this evening that he was very grateful to the many Swedish supporters for not going wild when he entered the ring because King Edward is such a sensitive horse.

And setting off with complete focus the pair delivered a copybook tour of this final 12-fence track to put the result beyond doubt. He could hardly believe he had precious gold in his grasp. In the 69-year history of the Jumping World Championship no Swedish rider had ever taken an Individual medal, and to make the first one a golden one was all the more special.

Talking about King Edward, he said, “he has jumped so many clear rounds and done so many good things, it’s just a privilege to ride him. I knew Jerome was clear so I could have no mistakes….I had a really good feeling from the first round so that gave me confidence and the horse felt as fresh as he was the first day.

I knew before I went in a fence down can happen so easily, but if I ride well and have a fault I can live with it. But I didn’t want to go in there and not go by my plan, so I stuck to it and it worked!”, said the 41-year-old Swede.

Mistake

Van der Vleuten jumped clear on the first two days of competition this week but dropped from seventh to ninth place with a mistake on Friday. “So I tried to keep my focus, I knew Beauville was in the right shape to do it, and I tried to believe in it and follow my own plan. I knew I needed two clear rounds today, but King Edward is unbeatable at the moment, he’s on a whole other level and all credit to Henrik to make it come true and to Jerome too!”, he said this evening.

Meanwhile Guery reflected on his silver medal. “It’s like a victory for us, not only for me but all my team and supporters, my owner, my country and of course for my horse - he deserves this medal! He’s been so good for the last three years and in Tokyo he was amazing. When I ride him well he always does the job, when you are here it’s not just because you are a good rider, it’s because you have a fantastic horse! I’m so lucky to have the chance to ride him”, he said with emotion in his voice.

That is because he owes so much to his friend and the horse’s former rider, Gaetan Decroix, who gave Jérôme the opportunity to compete the stallion when he became ill some years ago. The new partnership simply blossomed, and now both of Quel Homme’s riders share in the joy of his success.

Von Eckermann admitted he feels nervous before a big competition. ’It’s always the same with me, two hours before I’m really nervous, can’t eat or anything, but when I get up on my horse that turns somehow into focus and concentration and just trying to stay focused and to do the best round for my horse”, he explained.

And how does it feel to be the new world champion? It’s clearly taking some time to process that…

“For the moment I’m empty - you try to keep emotion pushed down so you can focus, and when it’s done it’s like pulling the plug out a bit. But it’s just happiness I think, and this is a day to remember!”, he said with a big smile.

Result 

A German team made up of fresh talent, dominated the French edition of the FEI Eventing Nations Cup™. This was the fifth leg of this popular series which took place at Le Pin au Haras, in Normandy from 11-14 August. Their overall score of 94.4 put them ahead of home nation France who completed on 98.5. Third place went to Great Britain who finished on 100.5. 

Impressive dressage and cross-country performances from the German team put them in a strong position going into the final jumping phase. It was Alina Dibowski’s fabulous clear on Barbados 26, finishing on her dressage score, that secured the victory and also helped her achieve individual third place. The 22 year old rider was competing in her very first Nations Cup and is the daughter of Andreas Dibowski, who won a gold medal in team eventing for Germany at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. 

Speaking after her clear jumping round, Alina said: 

“My horse gives me the most confident feeling because I have had him since he was five (years old) and we grew up together and now at this level together. Also my parents who have supported me at every moment of my career. The Europeans is a goal for me now, especially after this event but every year it is getting tougher (to make the team) so we will just hope for the best.”

Malin Hansen-Hotopp describes herself as a ‘semi-professional rider. “I was on the Young rider teams and was champion in 1996 and 1997 and afterwards we became farmers and I got three kids so we build up a farm and I rode young horses. Now the kids have grown up and I have trained young horses and now I have two 4 star horses. The Germans have a second team and we are that today. We are really pleased that the second team could do a good job as three of us were on the long-list for the World Championships. In Germany it is really hard to get on the team, we have really strong riders.”

Discussing the cross-country track, riders were full of praise. Hansen-Hotopp summed it up: 

“This is a really great place- I loved the cross-country, it is up and down hill and with the castle in the background, it was a great view. The cross-country was tough but good and the ground was fabulous.”

France, the home nation finished a close second. Gaspard Maksud, who finished best of the French quartet summed up the cross-country and his performance:

“The cross-country was a proper 4* track. It was big enough and technical enough and the time was tight enough but not impossible. My horse was just super, she tried so hard for me. She is only nine years old and she is already competitive and she just wants to please. All week everything was so good.”

It was one of the most hotly contested legs of the FEI Eventing Nations Cup™ so far, with 12 teams coming forwards. There were a number of leading riders, including New Zealand’s team stalwarts Tim and Jonelle Price, as well as Mollie Summerland on her 2021 Luhmuhlen 5* winner, Charley Van Ter Heiden. In addition there were a number of promising young and lesser known riders, looking to gain experience and make their mark on Senior teams, which this 4* Series is perfect for. The event was also a final run for several combinations heading for the FEI Eventing World Championship 2022, which takes place in Pratoni del Vivaro (ITA) from 15-18 September.

Le Pin au Haras is a venue of great significance in French equestrian sport, and hosted the eventing competition for FEI World Equestrian Games 2014 in Caen. It will also be host to the next FEI Eventing European Championships which take place in 2023.  

The FEI Eventing Nations Cup™ action moves to Belgium and Canada next, with the sixth and seventh legs of the series taking place simultaneously in Arville and Bromont respectively from 18-21 August. That leaves just Ballindenisk (IRL) in September prior to the ninth and final leg of the series in Boekelo (NED) from 6-9 October. 

Full results can be found here

The FEI standings so far can be found here