Germany’s Alex Ripper riding Wild at the Bar took individual gold at the last FEI European Reining Championships in 2013. (Art&Light/FEI)

Aachen (GER), 13 August 2015 – Europe’s best reiners are in Aachen, Germany for the FEI European Reining Championships 2015, nine years after the hugely successful competitions were held in the framework of the FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2006.

Athletes representing 10 nations – Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Great Britain, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Switzerland and Sweden – will be vying for the coveted FEI medals.

Some 40 horse-and-rider combinations will enter the arena when the team competition and the first individual qualifier kicks off on Friday, 14 August, at 10.00 CEST.

All the nations, with the exception of Austria, will be competing with full teams including the defending champions from Germany who took team gold on home ground in Augsburg in 2013.

On Saturday 15 August, the second individual qualifier will begin at 18.15 CEST.

The second qualifier will give riders who did not make it in the first qualifier a chance to participate in the individual competition.

Closing the Championships will be the individual finals on Sunday, 16 August at 10.00 CEST, when the Individual FEI medals will be awarded.

Champions past and present

Europe’s best horses and riders have qualified to represent their country in this year’s FEI European Reining Championships. In the last held two years ago, team Germany, composed of Alexander Ripper/Wild at the Bar; Grisha Ludwig/Custom Del Cielo; Volker Schmitt/Smokin Mifillena; Sylvia Rzepka/Hot Smokin Chex, took the gold. Grisha Ludwig and Volker Schmitt will be back next week to defend the title riding their 2013 mounts.

Team Italy, consisting of Massimiliano Ruggeri/Spat Split and White; Pierluigi Fabbri/Rooster Nic; Giuseppe Prevosti/Chic Magnetic; and Mirko Piazzi/Cody Glo Phoebes, claimed the silver. Fabbri will be back riding Broadway Jaba.

Team Austria – Rudi Kronsteiner/Whizoom; Tina Kuenstner-Mantl/Heza Sure Whiz; Martin Muhlstatter/Chic N Roost – completed the podium claiming the bronze. Returning for Austria is Tina Kuestner Mantl who will be competing as an individual riding Nu Chexomatic. She will be joined by fellow countryman Klaus Lechner, also competing individually aboard Cody Rooster Delmaso.

Alex Ripper of Germany riding Wild at the Bar took individual gold in 2013. Belgium’s Cira Baeck aboard Colonels Shining Gun were runners up.

In 2013, bronze medal honors went to Germany’s Grisha Ludwig and Custom del Cielo.

Joining Europe’s best reiners will be Dutch Dressage great Anky van Grunsven who will be on team Netherlands riding her own Whizashinningwalla BB.

For more information on the FEI European Championships 2015 in Aachen, visit www.aachen2015.de.

FEI European Championships Aachen 2015 results are here.

By Simona Diale

Media Contacts:

At Aachen:

Niels Knippertz
Press Officer
nielsknippertz@chioaachen.de
+49 (0) 241 9171 182

At FEI:

Grania Willis
Director Media Relations
Grania.willis@fei.org
+41 78 750 61 42

Ruth Grundy
Manager Press Relations
Email: ruth.grundy@fei.org
Tel: +41 787 506 145