Great Britain established a significant lead on the opening day of Dressage at the FEI Eventing European Championships 2021 in Avenches, Switzerland today when the first two of their four team members produced superb tests to take the two leading spots. 

At this halfway stage of the Dressage phase they head the team leaderboard with a running score of 44.20, stalked by France with 56.00 and the defending champions from Germany close behind on 57.10. Italy, The Netherlands, Austria, Belgium and Ireland fill the next five places, followed by Russia, Sweden, Spain and Switzerland. Only one member of the three-man team from the Czech Republic competed, so for the moment they lie last of the 13 competing nations.

The British already look formidable. Piggy March threw down a super score of 23.3 with Brookfield Inocent to take the lead when last to go of the first group of riders this morning. And then, seventh-last of today’s 34-strong contingent into the ring, Nicola Wilson pushed her compatriot off pole position with a beautiful performance from JL Dublin that earned 20.9. 

The British are chasing European team gold for the 23rd time in the 68-year history of these Championships, and by the end of the week could hold the Olympic, World and European titles. However there is still a long way to go before the medals are handed out next Sunday afternoon, and the defending European champions from Germany certainly won’t just sit back and let it happen. The competition is already building into an almighty battle.

A good sign

“It was a great test, he was as good as he could be and a swear word never entered my mind and that’s always a really good sign!”, laughed March when she rocketed to the top of the leaderboard. 

“The consistency of his work and his mind all the way through - I could give him another 10 goes and I don’t think he could do better, he gave me his all, and that’s all you can ask for. I’m over the moon, what a good boy!”, said the 41-year-old athlete who was on the silver medal winning team at the last European Championships in Luhmuehlen, Germany in 2019 and Britain’s gold medal winning side at the FEI World Equestrian Games in Tryon, USA a year earlier.

Wilson’s smile was even bigger when she saw her result. “I’m so so delighted, he’s a fab horse and he’s really come of age this year”, she said of her handsome 10-year-old gelding. 

“He’s still young and relatively inexperienced. I had a neck injury (in June 2019) so he missed half a year and then Covid happened. So even though he’s not been on the competition field he was still trained and got more established in his mind. But we’re only in phase one and there’s an awful lot more to go….”, she pointed out wisely.

All the riders today were keen to talk about Mike Etherington-Smith’s cross-country course which is set to challenge the very best on Saturday.

Demanding

“It’s demanding all the way and it gets very intense towards the end as well with twists and turns. The questions come thick and fast right to the last fence which still isn’t an easy fence - it’s a big old table. There’s a great deal to jump out there but I look forward to the challenge and hope that both of us are up to it!”, Wilson said.

German veteran, Andreas Dibowski, is lying third individually with his 2019 European team medal-winning partner FRH Corrida who was reserve at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games this summer. “After Tokyo she was so fit and motivated, in training she had a good feeling and here after arrival also. I expected a good result today, I was hopeful for under 30, and I was really happy the judges saw what I felt”, he said after putting 25.6 on the board.

Fourth place is also in German hands this evening after individual competitor Christoph Wahler posted 26.0 with Carjatan S. But the 27-year-old rider doesn’t think the cross-country track will suit his 12-year-old gelding. “It won’t ride soft and easy with so many turns and changes of direction, so it wouldn’t ideally suit a very big horse like mine”, he pointed out. 

Dibowski’s team-mate Anna Siemer thinks the opposite however. She slotted into 17th place with FRH Butts Avondale today and is rearing to go on Saturday. She says she and her 14-year-old mare jumped clear cross-country for over two years and that contributed to their selection for this crack German side. “She’s a fast horse and good in this long format, she’s a thoroughbred so that is an advantage”, Siemer explained. 

And she’s thrilled to have been selected. “It’s unbelievable to be in a team with your super-heroes. My horse and I are a small team - but to be in a big team is really cool. And they all watched my dressage!”, she said, overwhelmed by the enormity of the moment.

Top nine

But it is France who currently sit in silver medal spot after both Jen Lou Bigot with Utrillo du Halage and Gwendolen Fer and Romantic Love finished today in the top nine, Fer’s 26.5 leaving her in overnight sixth place and setting it up nicely for compatriots Stanislaus de Zuchowicz (Covadys de Triaval) and Maxime Livio (Api du Libaire) when the action resumes tomorrow. “I was particularly delighted with how my horse went - he was wonderful today!”, Fer said. 

The last tranche of riders tomorrow afternoon will be a fascinating bunch, because Livio will be immediately followed by Germany’s Ingrid Klimke who can be expected to seriously challenge for the lead with SAP Hale Bob OLD while Britain’s Ros Canter and Allstar B are the penultimate partnership into the ring. Only then will the stage be set for Saturday’s cross-country phase which, by all accounts, is going to be hugely influential. 

Great Britain’s Piggy March said today, “I’m going to have to walk the course a lot of times because there’s great potential for getting lost. It’s very technical and the single fences are big enough as well, a lot of twists and turns so we are going to have to be on our A-game, but it’s a proper Championship track for sure. This is not going to be a dressage competition!”, she added.

Up to the plate

If that’s how it plays out there are plenty ready to step up to the plate, and amongst the ones to watch may be Italy’s Evelina Bertoli and her 15-year-old gelding Seashore Spring who lie tenth this evening. The 35-year-old rider from Rome competed at the FEI World Equestrian Games 2014 in Caen, France. “I was there just to be there back then, but here I’m with the team to do my best”, she said with conviction today after helping boost Italy to fourth place. 

It’s hardly surprising she’s feeling gung-ho, because her horse has some pedigree. “He is great cross-country and his father won the Pardubice so I’m very confident in him!”, she said, referring to the formidable steeplechase course jumped annually in the Czech Republic. She should have an enjoyable day on Saturday in that case.

Meanwhile however there’s more Dressage to be done tomorrow, and first into the arena at 10.00 local time will be German individual Dirk Schrade with Casino 80.

Don’t miss a hoofbeat…..

Starlists and results here 

 

The Netherlands got the number one slot when the draw for order-of-go was made at the FEI Eventing European Championships 2021 in Avenches, Switzerland today.

Horse and athlete combinations from 17 nations will line out at this 35th edition which will take place at the Institut Equestre National d’Avenches, with Dressage getting the action underway tomorrow morning.

A total of 67 combinations will compete for the team and individual medals, with a powerful German contingent lining out as defending champions in both categories.

Dressage 

First of the 34 starters to come before the Ground Jury panel of Andrew Bennie (NZL), Christian Steiner (AUT) and Christian Landolt (SUI) in the Dressage phase will be the Dutch duo of Jordy Wilken and Burry Spirit, and they will be followed by Belgium’s Kris Vervaecke (Guantanamo van Alsingen) and Ireland’s Sam Watson (Ballybolger Talisman). 

Riders from Sweden, Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Austria, Russia and Great Britain will then take their turn before the morning interval, and when the action restarts it will be Czech Republic’s Miroslav Trunda (Tmka-Ruf) who enters the arena. Poland’s Malgorzata Korycka (Canvalencia) and Belgium’s Julia Schmitz (Lady Like) will bring Day 1 action to a close.

Another 33 pairs will take their turn on Friday when individuals from Denmark, Lithuania and Finland will also compete. Switzerland’s Felix Vogg and Cartania will be last to go on Friday, but all eyes will be on Germany’s Ingrid Klimke who will line out a little earlier in the day with the 17-year-old SAP Hale Bob, because this fabulous pair are going for individual gold for a record-breaking third consecutive time, and they will be key players in defence of the team title.

They stepped it out in style at today’s first Horse Inspection in which all of the 67 horses presented were passed fit to compete.

Cross-Country

Saturday brings the exciting cross-country phase, and horses have absolute priority for course designer Mike Etherington-Smith from Great Britain.

For him, one simple principle is at the heart of it all. As he said in an interview earlier this year, “I’m 100% on the side of the horse, and their safety and welfare has to be top of the list!”

The venue at IENA (Institut Equestre National d’Avenches) was only confirmed in March 2021, so the lead-in has been short and intense. But this is a man who has put his stamp on many of the world’s greatest events and tracks, including the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games and the FEI World Equestrian Games in Kentucky (USA) in 2010. 

Speaking this afternoon he described Avenches as “a largely flat venue, but it’s been my job to make it interesting! It’s a racing venue for steeplechasing and trotting, and they’ve done a fantastic job to put it together in a very short time. It’s been hectic but full credit to everyone here.” 

The time set for his course which consists of 40 jumping efforts and 32 jumps is 10 minutes 7 seconds. As he said earlier in the year his trademark style is “no tricks, and no surprises…..fences need definition and contrast so the horse knows exactly what it is being asked to do”. But there is sure to be plenty of drama as cross-country day plays out. 

Medals will be awarded after Sunday’s final Jumping phase, and you can keep up with all the action and excitement as the 35th FEI Eventing European Championships kicks off tomorrow at 10.00 local time.

Don’t miss a hoofbeat….

Startlists and Results here….https://www.rechenstelle.de/de/veranstaltungen/2021/avenches-2/

The FEI has set in motion the Time To Beat campaign which highlights the hard work, dedication and perseverance of equestrian athletes who dedicate their lives to reaching World level sporting success.

Launched at the start of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ 2021-2022 season, the cross-media campaign brings together the FEI, its Top Partner Longines and the Organising Committees of the North American League and Western European League to celebrate the human and equine athlete journey to the elite levels of the sport.

“The Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ competitions are full of edge-of-your-seat moments where winners can be determined by fractions of a second and it is this sporting drama which engages fans and keeps them coming back for more each season,” FEI Commercial Director Ralph Straus said.

“But these moments of brilliance are the culmination of years of hard work, patience and endless repetition. And when it comes down to that critical moment in a competition, it is the communication between the athlete and horse that is often the determining factor for a win. This horse-human connection takes years to create and it is this journey in time that we want to celebrate through the Time To Beat campaign.”

The video, released to mark the start of the campaign, connects the in-competition performance of the human and equine athletes with powerful images of the daily dedication and perseverance that athletes need to cultivate over time to reach their sporting goals.  

“The values of the Time To Beat campaign resonate strongly with Longines as we know from first-hand experience that excellence can only come from years of commitment,” Longines Vice President Marketing Matthieu Baumgartner said.

“Perfection does take time and with our experience in creating digital engagement campaigns with the FEI over the past year, we can now tell this story in a more authentic way and deliver a message that people from diverse backgrounds, not just equestrian, can identify with.

“The Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ has inspired large numbers of fans and we believe that by adding powerful initiatives like the Time To Beat campaign we can take equestrian sport to another level.”

The FEI’s partnership with Longines has come a long way since it became the International Federation’s Top Partner in 2012. The initial collaboration included a number of major rights packages including the Longines Jumping Rankings, the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™, FEI World Equestrian Games™ and the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™.

Over the years the partnership has grown to include Longines as Partner of the FEI Solidarity project on the retraining of racehorses as well as Title Partner of the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ series and Presenting Partner of the FEI Awards Gala. In early 2019, Longines extended its agreement as Title Partner of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup North American League series.

The Time to Beat campaign has found strong support with the Organising Committees of the North American League and Western European League where Longines is the Title Partner. The first leg of the North American League for the 2021-2022 season will kick off in Langley, British Columbia (CAN) on 26 September while Oslo (NOR) will host the first leg of the Western European League on 17 October.

“The pandemic situation has brought home to the sports world that our lives can also change dramatically from one minute to the next,” said Chris Pack, President and Operations Director at the Thunderbird Show Park in Langley.

“While this campaign is meant to highlight the hard work that goes into the making of a sports star, it is also a celebration for our community who have worked hard to find solutions and ways to ensure that our athletes and fans have the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ competitions to enjoy.

“The Time to Beat campaign messages of persistence, tenacity and dedication are universal and we are looking forward to communicating these values to our local communities to bring them closer to the action and emotion that the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ competitions have to offer.”

Time to Beat will be a three-year campaign that will see a number of activations around the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ competitions to boost fan engagement and involvement.

“We are looking forward to working on this campaign, not just to increase the visibility of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ series but also to create a meaningful conversation around the power of equestrian sport,” said Tomas Torgersen, Show Director Gothenburg Horse Show.

“Both the human and equine athlete require a strong mental connection and it is this special bond that always shines through during the Longines FEI World Cup competitions. It’s always a magical moment when an athlete gets the best out of their horse at that crucial moment of the competition. It’s in those few seconds that World champions are created and we want the world to see and experience this with us.”

The Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ was created in 1978 and is currently made up of 12 leagues across all continents. The top placed athlete-horse combinations from all Leagues are invited to attend the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup Final™ which will be held in Leipzig (GER) in April 2022.

 

All eyes in the sport of Eventing turn to Avenches in Switzerland this week where the FEI Eventing European Championships 2021 get underway on Wednesday (22 September). 

This will be only the third time for Switzerland to host these Championships since they were first staged in Badminton (GBR) in 1953. The second edition was held in Basel, Switzerland in 1954 when Great Britain’s Frank Weldon (Kilbarry), Bertie Hill (Crispin), Laurence Rook (Starlight) and Diana Mason (Tramella) took the team title as well as all the individual medals. 

When they revisited Switzerland in 1983 it was Sweden’s Christian Persson (Joel), Göran Breisner (Ultimus), Sven Ingvarsson (Doledo) and Jeanette Ullsten (Noir) who were team champions, while Persson claimed individual bronze behind Britain’s Rachel Bayliss (Mystic Minstrel) in gold and Lucinda Prior-Palmer (Regal Realm) in silver medal spot.

This time around it will be Germany’s Ingrid Klimke who will be under the microscope as she hunts down a new record. Only two other riders have won the Individual title three times in succession. Great Britain’s Ginny Elliott in 1985, 1987, and 1989 and Klimke’s compatriot, Michael Jung in 2011, 2013 and 2015. 

Three-in-a-row

Klimke is going for three-in-a-row after standing top of the podium in Strzegom (POL) in 2017 and on home ground at Luhmuehlen (GER) in 2019. However what sets her apart from the rest is the fact that the defending Team and Individual champion will be partnering the same horse that has already brought her double Individual European glory - the awesome SAP Hale Bob. The 17-year-old gelding’s extraordinary career record also includes European team gold at Blair Castle (GBR) in 2015 and Olympic team silver in Rio de Janeiro (BRA) a year later. 

Success again this time around will be all the more special for the 53-year-old rider because she’s had a very difficult year. She was on target for her sixth Olympic Games in Tokyo this summer before a nasty fall from her mare, Cascamara, while competing at Baborowko (POL) in May, left her with a broken sternum and smashed collarbone. 

However she immediately reset her focus on this week’s European Championships, partnering her great old friend “Bobby” who was the first horse she sat on during her recovery. She joins the crack side of Jung (Fischerwild Wave), Andreas Dibowski (FRH Corrida), Dirk Schrade (Casino), Anna Siemer (FRH Butt’s Avondale) and Christoph Wahler (Carjatan S) in defence of the Team title.

Phenomenal record

Great Britain has a phenomenal record at these Championships, with 18 Individual gold medals and 22 team victories under their belt. In total, British riders have claimed 40 gold medals during the 68-year history of the event, and reigning world champions, Ros Canter and Allstar B, headline their strong contingent.

The pair claimed double-gold at the FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2018 in Tryon, USA and although Canter says the 16-year-old gelding “hasn’t done anything of real significance” since then, she hopes that he’ll just “click into gear”, when he arrives at the Championship. 

Speaking at Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials where she finished second in the CCI4-L* yesterday, Canter pointed out that the British team of Sarah Bullimore (Corouet), Kitty King (Vendredi Biats), Piggy March (Brookfield Innocent), Izzy Taylor (Monkeying Around) and Nicola Wilson (JL Dublin) is a strong one. “I’m delighted to have all these girls out there with me. We’ll be a great support to each other and hopefully we’ll come back with the gold medal!”, she said. 

Teams

A total of 13 nations - Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Russian Federation, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland - are fielding teams for the Championship and there will also be Individuals in action from Denmark, Finland, Lithuania and Poland. 

The Swedish side will be led by 2012 Olympic Individual silver medallist Sarah Algotsson Ostholt (Chicuelo), the Belgian selection includes Karin Donckers (Leipheimer van’t Verahof) and Lara de Liedekerke-Meier (Ducati d’Arville) while the Dutch side includes Merel Blom (The Quizmaster) and Sanne de Jong (Enjoy). Amongst the listed Irish runners are 2019 Individual bronze medallist Cathal Daniels (LEG Lias Jewel) and WEG 2018 double-silver medallist Padraig McCarthy who will compete Leonidas ll, the 17-year-old former ride of Kiwi legend Sir Mark Todd.

Meanwhile the Swiss squad of Eveline Bodenmuller (Violine de la Brasserie), Beat Danner (London Blue), Robin Godel (Grandeur de Lully CH), Patrick Ruegg (Fifty Fifty) and Felix Vogg (Cartania) have been benefiting from the expertise of Todd’s former team-mate and their new cross-country trainer, Olympic champion and five-time Burghley winner Andrew Nicholson. 

Venue

The venue at IENA - the Institut Equestre National d'Avenches - which embraces a racecourse and lies on more than 142 hectares, has staged a wide variety of equestrian events down the years including the FEI European Pony Championships for Dressage, Eventing and Jumping in 2008. Avenches, the former capital of Roman Helvetia, lies on top of a hill just over 3 kilometres away, and is considered one of the most beautiful villages in Switzerland. It’s likely to attract plenty of equestrian visitors over the coming week.

However the business of European medals will be the athlete’s main priority, and the horses and riders will be on their toes when the first horse inspection gets underway on Wednesday (22 September) followed by Dressage on Thursday and Friday, Cross-Country on Saturday and the final Jumping phase on Sunday (26 September).

Don’t miss a hoofbeat…..

Masterlist here 

Website here 

The FEI Tribunal has issued its Final Decisions in two equine anti-doping case involving a Banned Substance and a Controlled Medication.

The horse Ger Ashir (FEI ID 103UH98 /KSA), ridden by Odai Alqurashi (FEI ID 10203848/KSA), tested positive for the Banned Substance Diisopropylamine following samples taken at the CEI1*100 - Riyadh (KSA), on 6-7 November 2020.

The athlete did not provide any explanation as to how the banned Substances entered the horse’s system.

In its Final Decision, the FEI Tribunal disqualified the horse and athlete from the event, and imposed a two-year suspension on the athlete. The period of the provisional suspension of the athlete, which came into effect on 9 December 2020, shall be credited against the period of ineligibility, meaning he will be ineligible until 8 December 2022. The athlete was also fined CHF 7,500 and asked to pay costs of CHF 2,000.

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. 

 

The horses Ger Ashir (FEI ID 103UH98 /KSA) and Takada Prince (FEI ID 104PB34/KSA), both trained by Munair Alfaqeih (FEI ID 10062545/KSA), respectively tested positive for the Banned Substance Diisopropylamine and the Controlled Medication Flunixin following samples taken at the CEI1*100 - Riyadh (KSA), on 6-7 November 2020.  

The trainer did not provide any explanation as to how the substances entered the horse’s systems.

Since the two Rule Violations arose from the same Event the FEI was not able to notify the Trainer of the first Rule Violation before the second Rule Violation was committed, therefore the violations were considered together as one single first violation.

In its Final Decision, the FEI Tribunal imposed a two-year suspension on the trainer. The period of the provisional suspension the trainer, which came into effect on 9 December 2020, shall be credited against the period of ineligibility, meaning he will be ineligible until 8 December 2022. The trainer was also fined CHF 7,500 and asked to pay costs of CHF 2,000.

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. 

The FEI has received confirmation that all human and equine samples taken during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games have returned negative.

“I am very proud to be able to confirm that, for the third Games in succession, all human and equine samples taken during the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games have returned negative”, FEI President Ingmar De Vos said.

“This should of course be business as usual, but it would be naïve to think that clean Games are guaranteed in any sport. Of course, as with all sports in the Olympic Movement, the samples – including the equine ones – will be kept in storage for up to 10 years for potential retesting as improved processes are developed to test for substances that were not reliably detectable at the time of sampling.

“But, for now, this result validates all the work that has gone into the FEI Clean Sport educational campaign over the years, the buy-in of our National Federations and the uptake of equine pre-arrival testing and elective testing to ensure our horses would compete clean at the Games.”

The FEI President also reflected on phenomenal sport in Tokyo. “We can look back on incredible sport at Tokyo 2020, with truly great Olympic champions in all three disciplines and in the five Paralympic Grades – across both the team and individual competitions”, he said. “We are blessed with sensational athletes, both equine and human.

“All our medallists deserve huge congratulations, but not just the winners, as even getting to the Games was worthy of a medal. Athletes across all sports had to perform without the support of loved ones and fans, but at our two superb venues at Baji Koen and Sea Forest, the teams and their entourage generated a great buzz.

“There is no doubt that, despite the challenges, our sport triumphed in Tokyo and we received lots of very positive feedback. But, as always, there are plenty of lessons learnt and key takeaways. There will be a full debrief, which will of course include a comprehensive review of the formats. Part of that process will be taking into account the feedback we have already received and we are also proactively reaching out to our community to ensure we get extensive input. And we will use the learnings from these Games to take forward to Paris 2024.

"But, in the meantime, we all owe a huge debt of thanks to our Japanese hosts in Tokyo, and especially to the unbelievably hard-working and dedicated Organising Committee and the wonderful volunteers. Nothing was too much trouble for them and, while we couldn’t see the smiles behind the mandatory masks, we could feel the warmth in their hearts.

“Arigatōgozaimasu Tokyo, arigatōgozaimasu Japan!”

Clean Sport in Tokyo

Equine testing

Equine testing was conducted by the FEI at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games under the FEI Equine Anti-Doping and Controlled Medication Regulations (EADCMRs) and FEI Veterinary Regulations.

At the Olympic Games, a total of 38 tests were carried out on 24 different horses, including all individual medallists and fourth-placed horses, plus at least one horse from medal-winning and fourth-placed teams. Random testing was also carried out, with horses selected by a random number generator app, and there was also targeted testing.

A total of 38 tests were carried out at the Paralympic Games on medal-winning horses, plus random and targeted testing.

Human testing

For Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) delegated the management of its entire anti-doping programme to the International Testing Agency (ITA).

The ITA is an independent not-for-profit anti-doping organisation. The FEI has a long-term agreement with the ITA, and delegates parts of its human anti-doping programme to the Agency, including testing coordination.

Human testing at the Paralympic Games was conducted by Tokyo 2020 on behalf of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).

Notes to Editors:

FEI Clean Sport

The FEI’s Clean Sport campaign, started in 2010, is part of an ongoing educational outreach programme designed to simplify the FEI anti-doping regulations, which are based on World Anti-Doping Authority (WADA) principles.

This online communication campaign, which is available in eight languages (English, French, Chinese, German, Arabic, Russian, Spanish and Portuguese), is aimed at athletes, grooms, team and personal veterinarians, and other support personnel and includes key information on prohibited substances, the Equine Anti-Doping and Controlled Medication Regulations, the testing process, and all related resources.

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.

Information on all substances is available on the searchable FEI Equine Prohibited Substances Database.

About Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) www.fei.org

The FEI is the world governing body for horse sport recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and was founded in 1921. Equestrian sport has been part of the Olympic movement since the 1912 Games in Stockholm.

The FEI is the sole controlling authority for all international events in the Olympic sports of Jumping, Dressage and Eventing, as well as Driving, Endurance, Vaulting and Reining.

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

German U25 riders matched their Senior counterparts when claiming all the gold medals in the FEI Dressage European Championship U25 at Hagen (GER) where a new Dutch star was born.

Semmieke Rothenberger (Flanell), Raphael Netz (Elastico), Ellen Richter (Vinay NRW) and Ann-Kathrin Lindner (FBW Sunfire) grabbed Team gold on Wednesday, pinning The Netherlands’ Devendra Dijkstra (Hero), Febe van Zwambagt (Edson), Jessica Poelman (Chocolate Cookie RDP) and Jasmien de Koeyer (Esperanza) into silver medal spot. 

Sweden took the bronze when Nathalie Wahlund (Cerano Gold), Jennifer Lindvall (Midt West Casino), Elin Mattson (Beckham) and Lina Dolk (Languedoc) pipped Denmark for bronze by a narrow margin.

Germany’s Rothenberger and Netz and The Netherlands’ Poelman posted the three highest scores in the team competition and continued to be locked in battle for the individual and Freestyle titles over the last two days.

Grand Prix

In Saturday’s Grand Prix which decided the Individual medals, Netz squeezed Rothenberger off the top step of the podium by just 0.052%. This a young man with a remarkable story. His family had no connection with horses, but he was born with a passion to ride.

“When I was four I was allowed to get on a horse for lunging lessons, they lunged me for over one year and then my father said if he’s tough enough to do it for a year without reins then he really wants to do it! So we rented horses a lot and when I was nine they bought me my first pony. They had no idea what they were doing and neither did I, so they bought a three-year-old Haflinger! We grew together, we learned together, and then when he was seven and I was 13 we did our first Small Tour together and got our first Prix St George placement”, Netz explained. 

He was talent-spotted by Germany’s Jessica von Bredow-Werndl when he was just 17. “She sent me an email asking if I wanted to ride for her  - I thought it was a fake! But we ended up having a call and I took the train to Bavaria and stayed there for four days. And I just fitted in perfectly. So I finished school, packed my things and moved”, said the young rider who has been working for the German star for the last five years.

Partnered with Elastico, who is owned by Japanese rider Akane Kuroki, Netz’ career is blossoming. He describes the stallion as “a cool dude! It’s a great feeling just to enter the arena on a beautiful horse like this. Growing together with him wasn’t that easy because he was used to different training, but we did our first competition one year ago and we finished third”, he explained. Kuroki saw the special relationship the young German was building with her horse and generously offered to let him ride it.  “I’m very thankful to her. She said go for it and we went for it and here we are!”, Netz said.

Freestyle

Rothenberger had to settle for silver yesterday, but today was her day to shine when taking Freestyle gold. 

The piaffe work that had come off so nicely for Netz yesterday didn’t quite happen today, and the end result was a score of 81.210 while Rothenberger’s mare Flannell posted 81.955 for a brilliant performance.

This 22-year-old rider, who hails from a family steeped in the Dressage world, already has a lifetime of Championship experience, winning multiple titles over the last decade at Pony, Junior and Young Rider level and she is continuing in the same vein in U25. 

“This has been such a perfect Championship, it’s super organised here and the Kasselmann family did an amazing job!”, Rothenberger said today. 

And she was thrilled with her mare. “I’ve always believed that Flanell has no limits and I still do. This horse is absolutely incredible, I’ve never had anything like her and it’s such a blessing to go in there with such a horse knowing that as long as I, the rider, don’t make a mistake this horse can go for it. She’s shown it in this Championship, yesterday we had a rider mistake but I’m incredibly happy with how she’s done at her first European Championship. 

“I got her in May last year and due to Corona we had a lot of time to get to know each other. But the show season didn’t quite get going, so this is only her fourth competition with me and she just keeps getting better!”, she added.

Bronze both yesterday and again today went to Poelman whose Freestyle ride was a pleasure to watch, filled with lightness and harmony. 

A big surprise

“I never expected a medal - it’s a big surprise even to ride here!”, said the 20-year-old who hails from close to Amsterdam. “I have this horse only since November last year and we only went to one international show together before. I rode international in Ponies and Juniors but never at a really high level, this is my very first Championship”, Poelman explained.  

She says her sudden rise to stardom is all due to the lovely gelding Chocolate Cookie RDP which was previously competed by Dutch counterpart Dana van Lierop. Poelman’s trainer Lotje Schoots put the pair together and it’s clearly the perfect partnership.

“He is really nice and very easy to ride and I have a great connection with him. He is always very willing”, said the young rider who produced wonderful piaffe and passage from the 14-year-old gelding. 

She only competed for fun until last year when she was invited to ride in an observation trial by Chef d’Equipe Monique Peutz. “We had winter training for riders and Jessica told me she had Chocolate Cookie and I said bring him along and it looked so nice. First she was thinking she’d start slowly but I said no, there’s an international competition in Exloo so just give it a try, and she did and she did very well - now she has one silver and two bronze European U25 medals!”, said the Dutch team manager.

Results here 

Germany’s Jessica von Bredow-Werndl was filled with emotion after clinching her third gold medal of the week when topping the Freestyle at the FEI Dressage European Championship 2021 in Hagen (GER) this afternoon. 

“It’s like a fairytale, the ride today was the best I ever felt!”, said the 35-year-old athlete who also swept all before her at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games this summer. “It may not have been the highest points ever, but for me it was the best feeling I ever had with Dalera. I was very emotional after finishing. No matter what points or what place I got I was so happy!”, she added.

Scoring 91.021 when third-last to go, she finished almost three percentage points ahead of Denmark’s Cathrine Dufour who took silver with Bohemian, and it was Great Britain’s Charlotte Dujardin and Gio who grabbed the bronze. 

Going fifth from last, Dujardin put 87.246 on the board, and she might have expected that would not be enough for a podium placing with the final German partnership of Isabell Werth and Weihegold OLD still to come. But, second-last into the arena, Werth’s multiple medal-winning mare was clearly lacking energy and power, and their score of 84.896 left them in fourth place.

Pleased

Dujardin was hugely pleased with her result. At only 10 years of age Gio is still very much on a learning curve, with little exposure to top sport other than his sensational results at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games where he was won double-bronze. Today’s performance was even more impressive. 

“I’m so proud of him, it’s only his second time through that music and as you could see the degree of difficulty is immense. The Olympics was the first time I rode it and it was mistake-free there, unfortunately I made a mistake in the ones on the centre line today, rider error not horse error, and I thought that would have cost me a medal. It’s still frustrating that I made that mistake and I’m so cross with myself because he tried so hard - but obviously we have medalled!”, said the 35-year-old athlete. 

She really pulled out all the stops today, including taking all the risk in extended canter. “All week I hadn’t pushed him full out because he is a young horse and I want him for the future and he did the Olympics. He tried for me every day here, he did a great Special (on Thursday where the pair finished fourth), I was so proud of him, and we just missed out on a medal. So I thought today - I’ll just put that extra bit in”, she said.

Competitiveness is in Dujardin’s DNA. “I went in there wanting a medal for sure, I wasn’t going down without a fight! And being the first of the last five combinations you know you have to give it a good go, set the standard. I felt we did that, even with a mistake. We got 87 percent with those mistakes, without those mistakes who knows what it might have been - I asked him to step up and he sure did!”, she added.

And having finished his test, the little horse, whose rider calls him Pumpkin, was completely relaxed as he left the ring. 

“That’s the thing with him, he just gets more and more confident and that’s his first time in an arena with that atmosphere, he’s not used to crowds. He’s just brilliant, he switches on and does his job, and then he switches off and off he goes home!”, she pointed out.

A joy

Dufour was equally pleased with Bohemian whose test was a joy to watch, filled with energy and power.  

‘I’m really happy, first because I had a super ride - almost flawless - we had a tiny mistake in the ones at the end and that was totally my mistake. We have grown a lot since Wednesday this week and today he felt so happy, so ready to deliver. It was just so super-easy going. I was back to no pushing, no forcing, just enjoying and dancing with him!”, said the dynamic 29-year-old Dane.

Her emotional music from Les Miserables added a poignancy to her performance. “It expresses something about where I am in my life. It delivers a kind of message - that I’m really enjoying life and I’m in a good place now and that my horse and I have found our path together. I feel really comfortable with what I’m doing with my team, with the people I have around me, I have a super family, an extra family and it feels fantastic!”, she pointed out. 

But the new European Freestyle gold medallist was happiest of all. 

Talking about Dalera’s magical Freestyle performance, von Bredow-Werndl said “she was 100 percent focused, she was light, she was on fire but not too much. Two days ago (in the Grand Prix Special) she was a bit too hot so I couldn’t ride for example the extensions fully, and then it looked a little bit tense sometimes, but today it was a perfect, perfect kind of energy. 

“She loves what she does, and I feel it in every second and every movement. Even my collected walk felt super today. The feeling was the best I’ve ever had so far, in my whole life, on any horse! That’s why I was pretty emotional when I finished because this is not normal - that a horse improves during a competition. Today she had no wet hair (sweat), either in the warm-up or after the competition and that’s crazy!”, she said. 

Atmosphere

The spectators at Hagen certainly added to the great atmosphere today and the new European triple champion, who also has two Olympic gold medals in her trophy cabinet after this extraordinary summer, commented on the difference it makes to have them there. 

“It’s so great to ride in front of an audience again, it feels completely different, we were carried by them I think, and they were so supportive of all the riders during the week. I hope it will stay like this, it’s so good to have this back!” 

Von Bredow-Werndl has led Germany to a glorious summer of gold, and now has next year’s FEI World Equestrian Games in her sights. However Dufour gave her fair warning that she and her Danish compatriots will be ready and waiting when the action begins on their home ground in front of their home crowd in Herning next August.

She intends narrowing the gap between herself and the German star over the next 11 months.

“Right now we can only aim at Jessica’s marks, and congratulations to her on a great season this year. It’s exciting with the WEG next year in Denmark, I’m sure the Danish audience will put pressure on the Germans!” 

For now however, the Hagen hosts can continue to bask in a golden glow….

Results here 

Germany’s Jessica von Bredow-Werndl scooped her second gold medal of the week when coming out on top with TSF Dalera BB in tonight’s Grand Prix Special at the FEI Dressage European Championships 2021 in Hagen (GER). 

Firm favourites after their spectacular performances at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games this summer, the 35-year-old rider and her 14-year-old mare produced the highest score to help their country claim the team title for the 25th time yesterday. And tonight they won again, this time pinning team-mates Isabell Werth and Weihegold into silver while Denmark’s Cathrine Dufour and Bohemian took the bronze.

Team silver medallist yesterday, Britain’s Carl Hester, set the early target score when posting 77.310 with En Vogue. “That was as good as Tokyo if not maybe a little bit better - I got the ride I really wanted to get”, said the man who took team bronze in Japan a few weeks ago. 

“He was steady, relaxed and calm. I always know that if he’s going to be funny it will be in the piaffes. That’s what he did yesterday (in the team competition) and he gets wilder and wilder. But tonight he was fine. All you want in a championship really is for the horse to grow. I don’t expect to win when he’s this young, but I do it in the hope that he gets better every day.

“The changes tonight were spot on, the piaffes were showing the future of what he can do because I think there’s a 10 in there for those - not tonight but they were going the right way, so I was just pleased they are progressing. And the pirouettes,”, he pointed out. 

In front

He was still in front when Werth set off with her mare, fifth-last to go. It was clear from the outset that the German pair who took European Special and Freestyle gold in Gothenburg (SWE) four years ago meant business again this evening. Before starting, Werth made sure Weihegold was listening, practically galloping down the long side of the arena before beginning her test.

“It gives her the fire, and me too!”, she said. “I knew I had to fight and take all the risk I could, she’s so experienced in this business, more in the Freestyle than the Special, but this was one of her best Specials, no big mistakes, and I’m very happy with her”, said the lady who won her first European Grand Prix Special title with the great Gigolo back in 1991 in Donaueschingen (GER). 

Big marks for piaffe, passage and pirouettes put her on a score of 81.702 for a strong lead going into the closing stages. 

Great Britain’s Charlotte Dujardin followed with 79.787 from her sweet little 10-year-old chestnut Gio, slotting temporarily into bronze medal spot. “It’s only his third Special and I couldn’t ask for much more. He needs more time to strengthen up, he’s getting better and better at every show and he went in there and tried and did his best, and that’s enough for me”, said the rider who took all the European Individual titles in both 2013 and 2015 with the record-breaking Valegro. However Denmark’s Cathrine Dufour immediately overtook her with a cracking test from Bohemian that was filled with power, energy and excitement.

Dufour looked well set to oust Werth from pole position but, although quickly rectified, a mistake on the final centreline proved costly. The quality of the performance was so strong however it still earned a healthy mark of 81.079. 

Reflecting

The 29-year-old Dane has been reflecting over the last few weeks. “What I felt in the last few tests was that I had to push him a bit too much in Tokyo, and that’s not at all the way I want to ride him. Today I wanted to build more trust so he doesn’t feel that I push him one thousand percent every time he goes in the ring, because I had the feeling he might not continue to perform with me if I continue to ask for more. But today he was so confident. I could have asked for more but I want to rebuild that trust and show him that it’s super-nice to be in the ring.

“What Tokyo has taught me is that less is more”, Dufour said. “He will give me the moon as long as I offer trust and space for him to grow, which I feel I forgot the last few times. Yesterday I had a nice feeling but today was even better”, she added. 

Britain’s Charlotte Fry was second-last to go with Everdale whose 78.146 slotted them in behind Dujardin, and then only von Bredow-Werndl and Dalera stood between Werth and the tenth Individual European title of her long and illustrious career. But the new world number one was placed first by all seven judges. With marks ranging from 81.277 to 86.596 their final tally was 84.271 for victory.

“Winning in front of the home crowd was great, we’re not used to it anymore. When we entered the arena Dalera became even bigger, put her ears up, she was really excited and when I did the trot extensions I tried not to move because it could have brought her out of balance because she was so on fire! It’s a great feeling, especially after the Olympics, that she’s so fit and so happy again”, said von Bredow-Werndl who seems to have the world at her feet right now.

Leading combinations

While the leading 15 horse/athlete combinations go through to Saturday’s Freestyle, only three can represent each country. However the new Grand Prix Special champion certainly won’t miss the cut. Von Bredow-Werndl looks set to make it a golden hat-trick, with Werth chasing her all the way.

Tonight however Werth admitted that the last couple of days have been a huge strain for a different reason entirely. Her beloved mare, Bella Rose who took triple-gold at the European Championships in Rotterdam two years ago, took ill yesterday. But fortunately there was good news tonight.  

“I’m glad to say she’s fine”, Werth said when asked about the mare who was due to be officially retired at the CHIO Aachen next week. “Yesterday I got a call from my vet to say she had a colic so I was really worried. Yesterday evening we had to take her to the clinic because this kind of colic meant you have to operate because something is in the wrong position. It’s just bad luck, it’s not a typical colic situation. So I’m really happy and very thankful to the vets. She woke up yesterday evening and this morning she ate some grass and looked really good and like normal. She will stay at the clinic a few days and if everything is normal we will then bring her home. I didn’t get much sleep last night!”, Werth admitted. 

She should rest well tonight however in the knowledge that Bella is fine. And she and Weihegold are likely to come out with all guns blazing when Saturday’s Freestyle begins.

Result here 

In the history of the FEI Dressage European Championships, Team Germany has a formidable record. There have been 29 editions, and today they clinched the team title for the 25th time. 

Dorothee Schneider (Faustus), Helen Langehanenberg (Annabelle), Isabell Werth (Weihegold OLD) and Jessica von Bredow-Werndl (TSF Dalera BB) joined forces to pin Great Britain into silver and Denmark into bronze. It was the same side that took team gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games less than two months ago, but Langehanenberg was an alternate there and didn’t get to compete. Only von Bredow-Werndl was riding the same horse, and she posted the biggest mark in today’s Grand Prix to put the result beyond doubt.

The British were in the lead as the action resumed this morning, and Carl Hester was first into the ring for them, partnering En Vogue who earned a score of 74.845. 

Brilliant in parts

“The test was brilliant in parts and disappointing in others”, he said. “Last night (leading the scoreboard) it actually looked quite exciting! That horse gets very big scores so we did think it would be good to have a really good shot at it, it doesn’t always work like that and it didn’t work like that today but he’s come right back from the Games where he did three amazing tests with no experience. Some of the things he does are so brilliant that he makes himself a bit nervous”, the British rider explained.

“I didn’t deserve more points, there were too many mistakes, and I’m just disappointed I made mistakes because they weren’t huge mistakes”, he added, but he sees great development in the 12-year-old bay gelding now that he is getting more competition exposure. “What he’s done in one year - he’d never have gone into that arena a year ago!”, he pointed out.

It might have been a nervous night for some teams in Germany’s situation, lying third after Schneider and Langehanenberg took their turn yesterday when Denmark slotted into silver medal spot. Daniel Bachmann Andersen was the first Dane to go today, producing a lovely test for a score of 76.366 with the gelding Marshall-Bell who is only nine years old. 

But then Werth and her mare Weihegold came into the ring and you could feel the changing tide even though the German legend clearly wasn’t happy with her score. She had ridden a technically brilliant test for a mark of 79.860.

Superb

“We had just a little mistake at the end of the two-tempis where she was bit quick at the end, but the last centreline was superb so I was really happy. But a score under 80 percent. In the last three years I had just one competition with her under 80 percent and that was in Paris at the World Cup Final. But of course you have to take it sportingly….”, she pointed out.

Denmark’s Cathrin Dufour and Bohemian came really close to Werth’s leading score, always forward and brave and chasing every mark. A blip in the first canter pirouette held them back from an even bigger result however. 

Dufour was a bit like Britain’s Hester, happy and frustrated all at the same time. “It might be the best warm-up I’ve ever had, he felt fantastic, and it was almost hotter than Tokyo, but he felt really super!” she said. Several riders commented on the incredible heat that descended on the showgrounds at Hof Kasselmann today.

“We had a little misunderstanding earlier and I just managed to save it and then in the canter pirouette left he wanted to turn a tiny bit too much and I tried to correct him, maybe a little bit too roughly - he’s a hot horse so he reacts really quickly but I think I managed to sort it quickly and we had a really nice second pirouette”, she explained. The mark for the first was 3.6 but she was awarded a whopping 8.9 when the second pirouette came off really nicely. 

“Overall I’m really happy, of course a bit annoyed with that big mistake but we always have to try something new every time we go into the ring because we always want to develop. If you do the same you get the same so we have to try to push ourselves,” she pointed out wisely, adding, “my team-mates have been great here, it’s been a pleasure to watch them and it’s a pleasure to have three of our riders above 75 percent - I can’t remember when that happened last time for Denmark!”

Brilliant mark

Germany’s von Bredow-Werndl was fourth-last to go in the final group and sealed the German deal with a brilliant mark of 84.099 for a test that oozed the kind of class that spectators have come to expect from her 14-year-old Olympic double-gold mare.  

“She is amazing! She was on fire but still so focused and concentrated that I couldn’t have asked for more. From the very first second to the very last second she didn’t give me any doubt!”, said the lady who has recently been named world number one. 

Asked if she felt under pressure because her team really needed a good score, especially with Britain’s Charlotte Dujardin yet to start, she admitted she did, because the margins were still a little too close for comfort.  

“It was not as easy as it was in Tokyo because in Tokyo I only had to achieve 72 percent to win gold for the team. Today was a little bit more but anyway I’m always giving my best and so is Dalera!”, she said.

Like so many of the other horses competing at the Championships this week, Dalera returned from Tokyo full of beans and still rearing to go. So much so that von Bredow-Werndl had to sit tight when starting her back in work after a short break.

“I had to make her keep walking for a few days because she was really bucking when we were hacking out!”, she said. As Hester explained earlier in the day the trip to Japan certainly didn’t seem to take much out of the Tokyo equine athletes. Peden International got permission for the horses to fly over Russia so their travel time was reduced by almost seven hours. “It made it so much easier for them”, he said.

A huge pleasure

Last of the British to go, Charlotte Dujardin and her supersweet little 10-year-old, Gio, produced a lovely test that put 79.829 on the board. It slotted her into third individually, behind Werth in second and von Bredow-Werndl at the top of the order. Germany finished on a final tally of 238.944 and Britain’s closing score was 232.345 while Denmark finished a very close third in bronze on 231.165.

Britain’s Hester insisted today’s silver medal finish was “a huge pleasure for all of us. Last night Charlotte did talk about the gold and hopefully it will happen again one day, but looking at the top you can see how experience carries the horses. Our team (of horses) at this age - we are thinking of the World Games in 2022 and Paris (Olympics in 2024) and we are just feeling so lucky to be winning medals!” he said.

With the team medals now out of the way, attention turns to tomorrow’s Grand Prix Special. The rivalry is going to be really intense again, especially since the horses are now much more familiar with the lovely Hagen arena. There’s lots more history to be made, and while von Bredow-Werndl and Dalera look set to sweep all before them over the coming days you could sense her senior compatriot’s trademark determination to continue in her role as the Queen of international Dressage. 

Isabell Werth doesn’t like being second to anyone, so maybe she might try a change of boots for tomorrow. In Tokyo where she won team gold and individual silver she sported a pair she has been wearing for 35 years - her “lucky boots”. Asked today if the ones she was wearing were new, she said “no, they are my normal boots but not my lucky boots. So maybe that was the problem today!” 

Time will tell, and the excitement will continue when the Grand Prix Special gets underway tomorrow evening at 17.00.

Don’t miss a hoofbeat…..

Results here