Six Super Seasons

When the Samsung Super League with FEI series arrived on the international scene back in 2003, few could have imagined the effect it would have on the sport of show jumping. Nations' Cup competition had been around a very long time but it had become somewhat jaded, with the growing number of big-money events overshadowing the concept of pride in competing as part of a national team for limited financial reward. 

In the turn of one season however, from May to September 2003, all that would change and the sport, at every level, would benefit greatly. The Super League formula - eight top teams, eight prestigious venues, a thrilling finale with double-points on offer and relegation for the country finishing bottom of the leaderboard - gripped the imagination and enthusiasm of riders, organisers and the public alike and, quite suddenly, the battle for world dominance took centre stage once again.

The support of the Korean giant, Samsung, ensured maximum exposure and, in the opening season, the line-up of nations included Germany, The Netherlands, Sweden, Italy, Ireland, Belgium, France and Great Britain. The French were on the crest of the wave that saw them soar to victory at the World Equestrian Games in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain the previous summer and during the first two seasons they were the force to be reckoned with. "In this format, the Super League is similar to the Six-Nations Rugby tournament and it is easier to understand," pointed out the then French Chef d'Equipe Jean Maurice Bonneau prior to the inaugural round. "I believe that it will seriously increase the visibility of our sport," he added - and he would be proven right.

FRENCH FLAIR

The French stormed to victory at the first two legs in La Baule and Rome, Bruno Broucqsault and Dileme de Cephe playing an important role, but the Irish came out on top in St Gallen following a third-round jump-off between the non-Super League Swiss side's Markus Fuchs and Robert Splaine, who would later go on to become Irish team manager. Like the French, the Irish were enjoying something of a purple patch at the time having secured the European team title at Arnhem, Holland in 2001 and the individual world title in Jerez in 2002 where Dermott Lennon reigned supreme and when they won again at the fourth leg of the new series in Aachen they were only 0.5 points behind the French at the halfway stage. 

Outspoken Irish team manager, Tommy Wade, was super-confident. "We've got a lot of good riders and horses out there now - enough to field two top teams at any competition in the world," he said. That situation would not last much longer however, as Trevor Coyle's world-class partnership with the great stallion Cruising would come to an end and Lennon's mare would suffer an injury from which she would not recover, while other changes were also afoot.

The British were clear winners at Hickstead, Nick Skelton stealing the national headlines with his double-clear performance with Arko just two years after suffering a life-threatening neck injury. Ireland and France shared runner-up spot this time out, but in Dublin two weeks later the French forged ahead again while the Irish spectators fell in love with two very special stallions of contrasting proportions - the dynamic little French-bred Flipper d'Elle ridden by Lauren Goffinet, and the powerful and spectacular Cumano with Belgium's Jos Lansink on board. The "ooohs" and "aaahs" of sheer delight, as Flipper ferociously attacked his fences and Cumano left so much daylight below him it seemed he might never come back to earth, could be heard all around the showground.

The penultimate leg in Rotterdam was a bizarre occasion. Heavy rain and poor ground conditions led to a reduced-height 1.40m course of fences and the home side came out on top while the Italians and Swedes, weak in previous legs, shared runner-up spot with France. Double-clear performances are normally something of a rarity in Nations' Cup classes but a total of 11 were recorded on this odd afternoon when nothing seemed to make very much sense. But with the Irish finishing equal-seventh alongside Germany, the French advantage was improved ahead of the final in Barcelona and Jean Maurice Bonneau said, "yes - I'm feeling confident now".

That confidence took a bit of a rattle at the Spanish fixture where the leaders finished a miserable last as the Germans suddenly got serious and, sending out their big guns, clinched victory in convincing style with a zero score. As the Irish failed to capitalise on the French blunder however it was "Vive la France" as they took the title by a 10-point margin. Sweden took the tumble into the lower-division Nations' Cup series.

The Italians won the dog-fight with the Swedes at the bottom of the 2003 leaderboard, but in 2004 they just couldn't hold on. The French won through again thanks to sheer consistency, regularly finishing in the leading bunch but only heading the scoreboard once - on the visit to Rotterdam. The Dutch were impressive with successes in both Rome and Lucerne, and the Belgians held their own, while the Germans scored a hat-trick at La Baule, Aachen and Barcelona but were hampered by some poor placings in between. The Olympic year was filled with turmoil for the Irish, and their Super League campaign was badly affected as a result. However they followed the British victory in Hickstead with success on their home turf in Dublin and survived to go through to the 2005 season as the Italians took the dive.

AMERICAN IDOLS

The Americans really stole the show in the third season, kicking off with a superb all-girl victory in La Baule and never looking back. Their arrival into the series the previous year, following Sweden's departure, had lifted spirits and they continued to inject their unique blend of professionalism which includes a gift for working with the media. Gone were the days of the mono-syllabic and disinterested replies so often doled out to those whose job it is to encourage interest in the sport. Approachable and eloquent, they frankly analysed and commented on their own performances, and at the French fixture Laura Kraut said their win marked "the beginning of a new era for American show jumping". Spurred on by team manager George Morris they would achieve great things over the following seasons.

Runners-up in La Baule, the British took the honours at the second leg in Rome thanks to double-clears from Skelton and Arko and Michael Whitaker with Portofino. French Chef d'Equipe Bonneau was under unenviable pressure after his first two successful Super League seasons so he breathed a sigh of relief when they came out to win in St Gallen, new stars Eugenie Angot and Cigale du Taillis on top of their form as they enjoyed a fault-free day. The newly-promoted Swiss reigned supreme in Rotterdam, snatching victory despite a dramatic round for anchorman Pius Schwizer in the closing stages.

If it's drama you want, there is no better place to find it than at Hickstead where America's McLain Ward broke his collarbone in a fall from Sapphire at the formidable double of ditches. Switzerland's Hansueli Sprunger was unseated here and French pathfinder Philippe Rozier was eliminated at the same fence before the French team withdrew. Germany won with a total of 27 faults, the USA recovering to slot into second but, a week later, the much-fancied US side fell foul of another double of ditches, this time in Dublin where Kimberley Prince and Marlou ran into trouble. The British recorded their second win of the season at the Irish fixture, Skelton and Arko once again copybook, but the Americans rallied in Aachen a few weeks later and Ward was the hero when his double-clear clinched it. 

At the tense final won by The Netherlands, the Americans held their nerve to clinch the series when finishing second. "I helped to make the league exciting by almost killing myself in Hickstead!" Ward joked. "This is huge for us, and we are a long way from home, but we learned at Aachen that George is a psychic - he knew we could do it!" he added. It was Belgium's turn to move down into the second division.

And Samsung confirmed its commitment to the series for another three years.

GERMANS TO THE FORE

Once the Germans decided to really commit themselves to the Samsung Super League with FEI challenge and to take it seriously they proved unbeatable as they recorded a three-in-a-row hat-trick, and in 2007 they won by a massive 30-point margin. Their strength in depth gave them a colossal advantage and, whenever they saw danger lurking on the horizon, they just called up their never-ending pool of super-stars and battened down the hatches again.

As French fortunes faded they dropped out in 2007, but the Swedes and Belgians both made their way back as did the Irish who returned in 2008 after a year out. Such was the lure of the series that it seemed impossible to maintain a high profile on the international stage without Super League status.

The significance of the Samsung Super League with FEI was highlighted by Ludger Beerbaum's obvious relief when Germany won that third title just over a week ago. Bruised by their Olympic experience in Hong Kong where an under-estimation of the significance of the opening competition left it near-impossible to make up lost ground and by disappointing performances from Beerbaum and All Inclusive NRW and Marco Kutscher with Cornet Obolensky, they came to Barcelona hungry for success, and as a result it was all the sweete