Tag Archives: Laura Collett

Olympic Medallist and YouTube Star to Headline London Int’l Masterclass Hosted by Richard Waygood

Photo: London International Horse Show

The organisers of The London International Horse Show have announced the next instalment of the LeMieux Masterclass Series.

Taking place on Sunday 17 December in the New Horizon Plastics London Arena, world-renowned coach Richard Waygood MBE will present Grassroots to Glory, starring Olympic medallist Laura Collett MBE and YouTube personality and equestrian Megan Elphick. The masterclass will be a 360-degree review of achieving competition success, aimed at both amateurs and experienced riders alike.

The 45-minute session will feature a demonstration of top-level techniques broken down into stepping-stone exercises for the audience to take home and put into action. Waygood will guide the audience through an exploration of producing a successful competition partnership all the way from establishing the essentials and improving technique, to making those all-important steps up the levels – illuminated by a few of his own tips and tricks learnt across his long and successful career.

Currently the British Equestrian Federation’s Technical Director and Eventing Performance Manager, Waygood has a string of achievements, including riding at Badminton and Burghley Horse Trials, his long tenure as Riding Master of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, and an MBE for services to equestrianism. Waygood will be joined by Laura Collett and Megan Elphick, who will be putting into action his words of wisdom.

Olympic medallist and multiple Champion Laura Collett is no stranger to the London International. Having previously starred in the Show’s Dressage Unwrapped Masterclass in 2022, Laura returns to the venue on a high following her brilliant win at the 5* Luhmühlen Horse Trials aboard London 52. The chance to learn from Laura – one of the brightest stars of international eventing – is sure to be a real treat for the Show’s audience.

YouTuber Megan Elphick joins the Masterclass following a popular appearance in last year’s Winter Survival Guide Masterclass with Pippa Funnell. Megan, who inspires a huge number of followers by sharing her grassroots journey in her vlogs, will be helping Richard and Laura demonstrate the essentials of good foundations to a horse’s education.

Waygood said, “I’m really pleased to be bringing this LeMieux Masterclass to the London International Horse Show this year. It has been brilliant to be so closely involved with the Show’s Masterclasses in previous years, and with the introduction of the New Horizon Plastics London Arena, it’s fantastic to be able to put these demos at the heart of the Show. Laura and Megan are great fun – and it’s looking to be a great line-up!”

Simon Brooks-Ward, Show Director, said, “We are delighted to be welcoming back Richard, Laura, and Megan to the London International. It’s a real pleasure to be able to put top-level riders in front of our keen audience to share their knowledge. We know there is a strong appetite to learn and the LeMieux Masterclass series will deliver in spades.”

More information about The London International Horse Show, including how to buy tickets, can be found here.

For more information, please contact:
Niki McEwen / rEvolution / nmcewen@revolutionworld.com

British Take Team Title and Krajewski Grabs Individual Gold for Germany

Julia Krajewski with Amande de B’Neville. (FEI/EFE)

Britain’s Oliver Townend, Laura Collett, and Tom McEwen were in a league of their own when cruising to Eventing team gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Baji Koen Equestrian Park. This was their country’s fourth team title, but it’s been a very long wait since Richard Meade, Mary Gordon-Watson, Bridget Parker, and Mark Phillips stood top of the podium a full 49 years ago in Munich in 1972. Australia took the silver, while the defending champions from France claimed the bronze.

Germany’s Julia Krajewski has entered the equestrian history books as the very first female athlete to take the Individual Olympic Eventing title. When the Games last took place in Tokyo back in 1964, the USA’s Lana du Pont was the first woman to compete in the three-day event, so female firsts and the Tokyo Olympics seem to be intrinsically linked.

In the battle for the remaining Individual podium places, it was Britain’s Tom McEwen who took the silver while Australia’s Andrew Hoy clinched the bronze. Hoy’s result is nothing short of sensational, because the three-time team gold medallist has a staggering record of participation at eight Olympic Games dating all the way back to Los Angeles in 1984. He was only 25 years old back then, and at the age of 62 now he’s as competitive as ever.

Team

Tom McEwen paved the path to Britain’s team victory with a superb round from Toledo de Kresker over the first of Santiago Varela’s beautifully decorated tracks. He was filled with confidence that his team-mates would do the rest of the work without difficulty.

A four-fence advantage and more after the previous day’s cross-country test had left his side sitting comfortably ahead, and as it turned out his confidence was not misplaced.

“He was incredible,” he said of his 14-year-old horse. “I just put him on the spot and he was up and away. Everyone that follows Eventing knows he’s a great jumper, so it’s just up to me on top,” he added.

However, team-mate Laura Collett had a scary moment when London 52 baulked at the water tray at fence four and scattered poles everywhere before regaining his equilibrium. “He started like his normal self, but just as I came around the corner, the light shone on the water and he suddenly started to draw back ,and I was quite far off it and he just went up and paddled. I was lucky he’s such a great jumper and it didn’t faze him, and he got it back together and finished really nicely. I’m gutted and it’s a shame, but I think it could have been a whole lot worse! I just hope I haven’t put too much pressure on Oliver,” she said.

Pressure

It’s difficult to put too much pressure on Oliver Townend, who was heading the Individual rankings going into the closing stages after a sensational run in both Dressage and Cross-Country with Ballaghmor Class. The first element of the double at fence nine, four fences from home, hit the floor, but that still left Team GB finishing on a score of 86.30 and under no threat from their closest rivals.

The real battle was played out between Australia and France, Kevin McNab opening the Aussie account with a foot-perfect run with Don Quidam, before Shane Rose’s Virgil also fell victim to the first element of fence nine. Meanwhile, Nicolas Touzaint and Absolut Gold, who were part of the gold medal winning French side at the Rio 2016 Games, returned with just 0.4 for time, while second-line rider Karim Florent Laghouag faulted only at the first element of the triple combination at fence five.

The two sides had the started the day with a hair’s breadth between them, and even though Frenchman Christopher Six was clear and clean with Totem de Brecey, Andrew Hoy made no mistake with Vassily de Lassos to bag the silver when last to go, the two sides separated by just 1.3 penalties.

IOC Vice-President and Chair of the Coordination Commission for Tokyo 2020 John Coates was on hand to see Australia take team silver and offered his congratulations to the three team members.

Individual

The Individual finale was truly gripping as the top 25 slogged it out. Japan’s Kazuma Tomoto collected just 0.4 penalties when seventh-last to go with the lovely Vinci de la Vigne, and when France’s Christopher Six faulted at the last of the triple combination on the new course, Tomoto began to move up the order.

Colletts’s bay gelding left the last two fences on the floor, but when Hoy followed with a clear the top three had absolutely no breathing space. McEwen didn’t need any when executing yet another regal tour of the track, but Townend’s luck ran out, his 4.8 penalties pushing him off the podium.

Last in, Krajewski could have been completely overwhelmed, but held her nerve to deliver a fabulous round from the mare she calls Mandy. She would take the top step of the podium and her place in equestrian history, ahead of McEwen and Hoy in silver and bronze.

The 32-year-old rider who is based in Warendorf, Germany has had a really tough year, beginning with the passing of her father, and then having to retire her top horse Samurai du Thot after he had his eye removed due to a lingering infection. The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games seemed an impossible target after that, but when the young mare she calls Mandy won the CCI4* in Saumur, France and the pair took bronze at the German Championships in the spring, suddenly the horizon was completely altered. And now she finds herself an Olympic champion.

A fairytale finish

“It’s the stuff that movies are made of, and yes I cried, because I was thinking of my family and my father and basically everyone who has been behind me. This is very much a fairytale finish for me!” she said.

Silver medallist McEwen is 30 years of age and looks set on a long road of further success, while Hoy was keen to declare that he’s not hanging up his boots anytime soon.

“When I started in the sport, I was really proud of being the youngest person in the team and now it’s just an absolute joy that I’m still here and so healthy. When people meet me in the Olympic Village they say, you are an official, are you? And they look a bit surprised when I say no, I’m an athlete!”

He has enjoyed these Games as much as any and was full of praise for the organisation. “Without doubt, the Japanese people, the country of Japan, and the city of Tokyo deserve the biggest gold medal for putting these Games on. The effort they’ve gone to is incredible, and it’s a privilege to be here,” he concluded.

Quotes:

Julia Krajewski GER: “I won my first Pony title 20 years ago and since then it’s been a roller-coaster really. It’s quite unreal.

“Going in last tonight, I wasn’t thinking about Olympic gold. I said we’re going to do a great round like jumping at home and that is all.”

Oliver Townend GBR, talking about winning team gold: “It’s very unreal and hasn’t sunk in yet, but at the same time we were three riders on exceptional horses and that’s what’s been so special. All three of us have been on horses of a lifetime and we knew that coming here we had a very good chance.

“Looking back at whole week, I feel relieved and very proud of the whole team, not just the people here, but the whole team at home, people who put in the hard graft every day – they deserve this as well.”

Laura Collett GBR, talking about winning team gold: “Being on the podium was a completely surreal experience. I’m a bit lost for words; just to be here at an Olympics is a dream come true let alone win a gold medal. It’s going to take a few days, weeks, months for this to actually sink in.”

Andrew Hoy AUS: “We’ve got the most wonderful relationship, this horse and me. He was so fresh, he was having a little buck in the warm-up; it’s as if I did a dressage schooling exercise with him yesterday. “We got the horse on 13th May 2017, the day Steffi and I got married, so an easy day to remember. Got him from Tom Carlile and for me it’s an absolute joy to work with him every day: every day he puts a smile on my face.”

Shane Rose AUS: “We’re all mates on this team, so you ride everyone’s highs and lows with them, but we obviously think team first in Australia and how you perform individually affects your team-mates, so you always want to give your best foot forward. So for me watching them do well is great, and if I or they has a bad moment, you feel that with them. In Eventing, we don’t get team opportunities very often. I’m based in Australia and these guys are based in Europe, so we only get to see each other every few years, and when we do come together, it’s amazing how quickly we bond.”

Karim Florent Laghouag FRA: “This team medal is very emotional. I miss having the public and would like to share this medal. All the team have received lots of messages and support, and we are very grateful for the support and want to thank all the people that encouraged us. This medal belongs to them too!”

by Louise Parkes

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Girl Power! British Brilliance from Start to Finish in the CCI5*-L

Laura Collett ©S. Bailly/Centaure Production.

After the dressage test and the cross-country course, the champions of international eventing had a final hurdle to jump at the Domaine de Sers in the show jumping competition. Despite a few twists in the plot among the Top 10 during the event, British rider Laura Collet didn’t put a foot wrong with London 52. Adding another flawless round after her brilliant cross-country ride, the horse-rider pair rode to victory in the only CCI5*-L competition this year. Close behind her, her fellow countrywoman Piggy March also rode a prefect show jumping round to finish second. In spite of a few time faults in the show jumping competition, Tim Price keeps his third place in the final ranking.

French riders Maxime Livio and Alexis Goury, on Vitorio du Montet and Trompe l’oeil d’Emery, respectively, rode two amazing clean rounds, after demonstrating their skills on the cross-country course, without a single penalty. Taking advantage of the twelve penalty points incurred by Rosalind Canter and the 9.2 points added to Mollie Summerland’s score, the two young French riders came in eighth and seventh in the final ranking.

Laura Collett: “It’s the stuff dreams are made of! I still don’t quite believe this is all really happening. This morning, I was saying to myself that if I had had the choice, I wouldn’t have wanted to ride any other horse than London 52 in this kind of competition! He’s a fantastic jumper. It was his first time competing at this level and I really wasn’t expecting this kind of result at the end of the competition.”

Piggy March: “As I said yesterday, my horse was competing in his first five-star competition. I’m just so delighted with his performance this week. I have great hopes for him in the future. I’d also like to thank the organisation team for the exceptional work they did to make this happen. I’m really grateful for the incredible opportunity we’ve had to be able to come and compete here this week, in such exceptional conditions. So, a really big thank you to everyone.”

Tim Price: “Well of course third place doesn’t have quite the same feel as a victory… But I’m really happy to finish the weekend without any penalties. Wesko is old, but he’s a great horse and I’m enjoying riding him for as long as I can at this level. I’ve also made amazing progress since I first competed in this event in Pau!”

Alexis Goury: “I’m really happy with the progress Trompe l’oeil and I have made since we first competed here in 2018. Our score in the dressage test is much better than two years ago. He rode an amazing cross-country course and jumped wonderfully today. But in this 5* star event in Pau, there were two British Olympic teams to compete against. So, the competition was fierce (laughs)! Trompe l’oeil proved once again that he’s a brilliant horse. I’m really delighted.”

Pascal Sayous: “I’m really proud of everyone who made this event possible. Thank you to the spectators who followed the rules, thank you to all the volunteers at Pau Events, and thank you to all my teams at Centaure Production. We’ve been through a lot of times where we thought that none of this would have been possible, but the team kept on working. Congratulations to the riders and drivers – without them this competition would never have happened. I’m feeling proud, very emotional and tired, but I’m already thinking ahead to 2021 to start over again!”

Find the results here.
You can follow the live stream here.

The starting lists, results, maps, practical information, and ticket office are available on the mobile App “Les 5 Étoiles de Pau” or on the website for the event:  www.event-pau.fr.

Juliette Feytout – E-mail: juliette@blizko-communication.com

After Cross-Country, British Women Take the Lead and France Moves Back Up

Laura Collett ©S. Bailly/Centaure Production.

Once again this year, the cross-country event at the 5 Étoiles de Pau staged a magnificent show for its spectators. Thirty-one combinations and forty-five efforts to be negotiated along the 6.3-km course, and all in just 11.08 minutes. That was the challenge that French course designer Pierre Michelet set the forty-five competitors on the start list for the only 5*-L cross-country event this year.

Ten horse-rider pairs completed a flawless round, riding home without a single obstacle penalty and within the time limit imposed. Among them was British rider Laura Collett with London 52, who stays in pole position. Her fellow countrywoman Piggy March, riding Brookfield Inocent, took advantage of the few difficulties encountered by Christopher Burton to take second place on the provisional podium. New Zealand rider Tim Price also climbed up one place after the cross-country event, despite being just a second over the time limit, riding home in third place on Wesko. The French riders ended the day with three flawless rides. Jean-Lou Bigot climbs up to eighth place with Utrillo du Halage. Alexis Goury and Trompe l’Oeil d’Emery got into the Top 10, while Maxime Livio and Vitorio du Montet, thirty-first after the dressage test, now lie in twelfth place before the final show-jumping test. Another wonderful day for equestrian sport, and some splendid French performances as two of these three horses were competing for the first time at five-star level.

Laura Collett: “It really picks you up to hear the encouragements from spectators along the course! The public here in Pau is really amazing. So, a big thank you to them all and to the organisation team to have made it possible to run the cross-country course in these conditions. After his first round with Mr Bass, I knew I had to be very careful with London 52 on the combinations. He’s a very careful horse and always jumps a bit bigger too. So, I stayed very concentrated and he was just perfect. It’s the first time he’s ridden an eleven-minute cross-country course, so I’ll see how things go tomorrow in the show-jumping event, but whatever happens, I’m just really proud of him this evening!”

Piggy March: “We’re really lucky to be here in Pau. For me it was a golden opportunity to prepare Brookfield Inocent for the Olympic Games in Tokyo next year. I’ve never been to Pau before, but I more or less expected the kind of course that we rode today: a course that encouraged forward, brave, attacking riding but with the odd sneaky thing put in. I’m really proud of my horse who was competing in his first 5* cross-country event today. I think he’s one of the best horses I’ve ever had.”

Tim Price: “2020 has been a strange year for everyone. If there was only to be one 5* competition this year, the Pau five star is a pretty good representation. So, a big thank you to the organisation team and course designer Pierre Michelet for the quality of the course today. It was a course that encouraged bravery but also demanded us as riders to be on our toes, take the brilliance of some of the big jumps and do something with it. For me, that’s exactly how a cross-country course should be at this level.”

Jean-Lou Bigot: “When I walked the course, I loved it already even before riding it! Pierre Michelet gave use a wonderfully balanced and technical course to work with. Congratulations and a big thank you to him! All the same, I can’t say that it was an easy ride for me. Since the European Championships, Utrillo du Halage has made a lot of progress and I’m really pleased with his performance in both the dressage test and the cross-country event today, but I’ve still got a lot of work to do to compete at the same level as Tim Price (laughs)!”

Find the results here.
You can follow the live stream here.

The starting lists, results, maps, practical information, and ticket office are available on the mobile App “Les 5 Étoiles de Pau” or on the website for the event:  www.event-pau.fr.

Juliette Feytout – E-mail: juliette@blizko-communication.com

Great Britain Takes the Lead in Dressage Competition

Laura Collett ©S. Bailly/Centaure Production.

The World’s top riders and their mounts are all at the Domaine de Sers in Pau, Southwest France until this Sunday to battle it out in the 5* (the highest level eventing competition in equestrian sports). The first event in the competition, dressage, ended with the victory of British rider Laura Collett on her mount London 52.

Australian Christopher Burton (22pts) was in the lead of the provisional ranking, but in the end it was the 2015 young horses World Champion, Laura Collett, who won the competition. With a brilliant score of 78.70% she finishes the event with 21.3 penalty points. Laura Collett is currently forty-ninth in the world ranking, but she also took tenth place in the event with 26.2pts on Mr Bass. Close behind, Christopher Burton (22pts) and Piggy March (22.2pts) remain in second and third place, respectively. Although six of the ten top scores were taken by British riders, Tim Price (NZL), who ranks 2nd in the world, took fourth place with a dressage score of 77.04%, earning him 23 penalty points with Wesko.

German rider Christopher Wahler (25.6 pts) also made it to the top 10 with Carjatan S.

The last French rider to take off, Maxime Livio scored 67.65%, finishing thirty-first, with 32.4 penalty points.

“I am very happy with both my horses! This is the first CCI5* eventing competition for London 52.  He was a bit nervous when he entered the track but then he was well focused throughout the test. Of course, the event is not over yet and the cross-country tomorrow will undoubtedly shake up the ranking, but I have confidence in my horses. Mr Bass is experienced at this level of competition and is a very good cross-country horse. London is less experienced, but he is in great shape this weekend and I can’t wait to see how he will perform tomorrow! We are very lucky to be here this weekend and I am very happy to be able to compete with these two outstanding horses,” commented Laura Collett at the end of the event.

Find the results here.
You can follow the live stream here.

The starting lists, results, maps, practical information, and ticket office are available on the mobile App “Les 5 Étoiles de Pau” or on the website for the event:  www.event-pau.fr.

Juliette Feytout – E-mail: juliette@blizko-communication.com

London Calls for Laura Collett

Laura Collett riding London 52. (FEI/Oliver Hardt for Getty images)

Belgium leads the team standings at this early stage, with Britain’s Laura Collett holding the individual top spot after the first day of Dressage at the Longines FEI Eventing European Championships Luhmühlen 2019.

Laura Collett (30) competing as an individual for Great Britain, produced some stunning work to take the lead at the end of the first day of Dressage, but it looks as though the door has been left open for a potential new order.

The graceful Collett, a neat rider known for her prowess in this phase, scored 25.5 on the German-bred 10-year-old London 52, a runner-up at Boekelo CCI4*-L last year and winner of the Chatsworth CCI4*-S this year, but only one of the three judges placed her first.

“He’s still a bit green and shy,” explained a delighted Collett of London 52, who made only small errors in the second flying-change and with a misstep in the canter work. “He saw the grandstand and was a little overwhelmed. He’s never been in a situation like this before, but he listened to me and kept his head.

“He knows all the moves and trusts me so much. If I keep riding and hold his hand, he’s all right. I’m obviously delighted with his score and it’s exciting for the future.”

The former Junior and Young Rider European Champion is a mere 0.3 ahead of Germany’s second team rider Kai Rüder on Colani Sunrise and France’s 2015 European team and individual bronze medallists Lt Col Thibaut Vallette on the elastic moving Qing de Briot ENE HN.

Both the French army rider, a member of the 2016 Olympic gold medal team, and Rüder are reliably elegant in the Dressage arena and the pair is in joint second place on 25.8 penalties.

“It was a super dressage test with lots of highlights,” commented Rüder. “Colani was very relaxed, with good half-passes and the extended canter was just brilliant. It’s wonderful to see how much he improves from test to test. He’s a very strong character and you have to respect him – then he’ll do anything to please.”

The Ground Jury – Martin Plewa (GER, President), Anne-Mette Binder (DEN), and Peter Andrew Shaw (AUS) – awarded sub 30 marks to seven of 35 riders, including the first two for the Belgian team, Laura Loge (Absolut Allegro) and the hugely experienced Karin Donckers (Fletcha van’t Verahof).

The Belgian pair is in equal fourth place on 28.8 penalties which gives the nation, in search of qualification for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, a boost in first place in the team competition at this stage.

Germany, the host nation, is second – their pathfinder, Andreas Dibowski (FRH Corrida), scored 34.6 – and France is third. Defending champions Great Britain are fifth.

Pippa Funnell (GBR), who won the European title at Luhmühlen 20 years ago, was a late call up to the team on Monday and is taking the pathfinder role on Majas Hope, currently 17th individually on 35.4. Second to go, Piggy French (GBR) and Quarrycrest Echo, members of the winning team at the FEI World Equestrian Games™ Tryon (USA) last year, are in seventh place on 29.8.

“This is no dressage competition,” pointed out French. “I’ve walked the cross-country course once and my first impression is that it’s a proper championship course. You have to think really hard about which lines you choose. It’s a quick track with decent waters.”

Follow the action on FEI TV and with live results on www.rechenstelle.de.

Click here for the full results.

Watch highlights here.

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Shannon Gibbons
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Collett and Jung Take Young Horse Eventing Gold at Le Lion

Great Britain’s Laura Collett steered the Holsteiner gelding, Mr Bass, to win the Seven-Year-Old title at the FEI World Breeding Eventing Championships for Young Horses 2015 at Le Lion d’Angers, France. (FEI/Eric Knoll)

ISH Studbook claims overall title

Le Lion d’Angers (FRA), 20 October 2015 – German superstar, Michael Jung, steered Fischerincantas to victory in the 6-year-old division while Great Britain’s Laura Collett clinched the 7-year-old title with Mr Bass at the FEI World Breeding Federation Eventing Championships for Young Horses 2015 at Le Lion d’Angers, France at the weekend.

These Championships have been staged annually since 1992, and the 30th edition of the French fixture at the lovely Haras National at l‘Isle de Briand once again highlighted new and exciting talent in both age categories, and attracted a total of 103 horses representing a wide range of studbooks. The two new champions were both Holsteiners, while the KWPN and ISH studbooks filled silver and bronze in the 6-year-olds and the AA and Trekehner registers did likewise in the 7-year-old division.

The ISH Studbook claimed the overall Studbook title with a score of 151 points ahead of the German Holsteiner in second on 153 and the Dutch KWPN a close third on 153.2 when the results of both age categories were analysed.

Six-Year-Olds

The Ground Jury for the 6-year-olds consisted of Great Britain’s Sandy Philips, Pascal Laurencon from France and South Africa’s Lesley Mawhinney, and, from the field of 34 starters, they placed Germany’s Ingrid Klimke and the grey Holsteiner mare Weisse Duene (Clarimo/Esprit V/Romino) in pole position on a score of 38.6 after dressage.

Jung and Fischerincantas (Ibisco/Ressina/Coriano), however, were just 0.5 points behind in second place followed by the Selle Francais gelding Vingt Vingt (Rubins des Bruyeres SF/Chana du Gwern SF/Robin des Pres), ridden by Frenchman Stanislas de Zuchowicz, in third on 44.1. Dutch rider, Merel Blom, was next in line with the KWPN The Quizmaster (Albaran XX/Zarah Maro/Casco) followed by Poland’s Kamil Rajnert and the BRAND mare, Libertina, in fifth, Sweden’s Christoffer Forsberg and the Oldenburg gelding, Quinn, in sixth and the ISH gelding SRS Adventure, ridden by Ireland’s Sophie Richards, in seventh spot.

Only seven horse-and-rider combinations encountered problems over Pierre Michelet’s cross-country track, and amongst them were Klimke and Weisse Duene whose 20 penalties for a refusal at fence 15c was compounded by an additional 5.2 for exceeding the optimum time of 8.54 minutes to drop them well out of contention. So Jung moved into the driving seat when producing one of the 21 clear rounds recorded, with de Zuchowicz, Blom, Rajnert, Forsberg and Richards lining right up behind him after the second phase.

Jung had just over a fence in hand going into yesterday’s final Jumping round, but the reigning Olympic, World and European champion and World No. 1 knows how to keep a cool head under pressure, and secured the gold despite leaving one on the floor. De Zuchowicz, however, paid the price for two mistakes, which saw Blom and Quizmaster claim the silver while Richards rocketed up to bronze medal position with SRS Adventure (Newmarket Venture/Newmarket Dato Two/Aldato) when Rajnert had one down and Forsberg collected eight faults.

Horses from the KWPN Studbook filled two of the top four places, silver medallist The Quizmaster flying the flag along with the grey mare Enjoy (Cartano/next Joey/Haarlem) who finished fourth for The Netherlands‘ Sanne de Jong. When it came to sheer consistency, however, the Irish Sport Horses held the whip hand, with three finishing in the top nine and six in the top 18 in this category.

Seven-Year-Olds

It seemed quite possible that Jung could emulate the historic double recorded by Frenchman Thomas Carlile in 2013 when the German ace also took the early lead with the Hannoverian gelding, Lennox, in the 7-year-old championship.

Ground Jury members Janis Linnan from the USA, Nathalie Carriere from France and Great Britain’s Harry Payne rewarded Jung with a mark of 38.0 for the top spot after dressage, with fellow-German Julia Krajewski holding second spot on 41.1 with another Hannoverian, Chipmunk FRH, at this early stage and Great Britain’s William Fox-Pitt in third with the Irish Sport Horse, Reinstated.

Australia’s Emma Dougall slotted into fourth with another Irish-bred, Fernhill Tabasco, ahead of Britain’s Noah Brook and the KWPN Deo Volente in fifth, while Christopher Burton held sixth spot for Australia with the ISH, Cooley Lands, ahead of the eventual champions Laura Collett and Mr Bass in seventh. The cross-country track was more testing for these older horses, but there were still plenty of clear rounds, 34 of the 67 starters adding nothing to their dressage scores, while two riders opted to retire on course and 12 were eliminated.

Amongst the latter was Fox-Pitt who had already steered the Soapdodger, lying 11th after dressage, home with nothing to add, before taking a fall with Reinstated at fence 20, the Owl Hole, when second-last to go out on the course. The multiple champion and current World No. 3 rider was taken to Angers Hospital where his condition continues to be reported as “stable” today.

Proved influential

The Jumping phase for the 7-year-olds proved influential, with 12 faults sending Jung and Lennox plummeting down the order, while five faults for Dougall and a single mistake for Burton also proved expensive. In the absence of the leading three who had also toured the cross-country track without penalty the previous afternoon, Collett took full advantage when moving up from overnight fourth to pole position with a foot-perfect performance from Mr Bass (Carrico/K-Jeunesse/Exorbitant).

And the 2013 double-champion and winner of the 6-year-old division in 2014, Frenchman Thomas Carlile who was lying sixth after the tour of the fixed fences, also jumped into the medals when coasting home with nothing to add to the dressage mark he had established with the AA stallion, Upsilon (Canturo Bois Margot/O Vivee/Fusain du Defey). His final scoreline of 46.5 left him just 1.3 penalty points behind Collett and 2.4 ahead of bronze medallist Vincent Martens who had every reason to be particularly pleased with his result.

Last year at the same fixture the Belgian rider was poised in gold medal position after dressage in the 6-year-old championship with the Trekehner stallion Eiskonig (Songline/Eiskonigin/Trocadero), but following two cross-country refusals he wisely decided to call it a day. On Sunday the horse demonstrated the very essence of these championships which are designed to help identify and develop potential when, with 12 months more experience under his belt, he rose from eighth place after cross-country to earn the bronze medal in the 7-year-old category when finishing on his dressage mark.

Full results here: http://www.mondialdulion.com/.

By Louise Parkes

Media Contacts:

At Le Lion d’Angers:

Robert Adenot
Press Officer
robert.adenot@ifce.fr
+33 62295 6617

At FEI:

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

Shannon Gibbons
Manager Press Relations
shannon.gibbons@fei.org
+41 78 750 61 46

British Trio Have the Edge after Dressage at Badminton

Ruth Edge (GBR) on Two Thyme takes the lead on Day 2 of Dressage at Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials 2011 – first leg of the HSBC FEI Classics 2011 © Kit Houghton/FEI

Lausanne (SUI), 23 April 2011 – A trio of British girls head the leaderboard after the Dressage phase at the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials (GBR), the first leg of the HSBC FEI Classics 2011.

Ruth Edge (GBR), in pole position with the excellent score of 33.3 penalties on the 17-year-old Two Thyme, winner at Luhmühlen in 2007, is no stranger to the limelight in this phase – indeed, she regularly wins national titles in this discipline.

“There’s always a lot of pressure on me here and I’m anxious not to let anyone down because it’s a lot of work to get this horse here,’ she said. “But he was awesome today and belied his age. As he’s older, I hadn’t done much work with him this week and, as a result, he felt physically fresh.”

Piggy French (GBR), second, had the distinction of scoring the only 10 of the competition, awarded by Ground Jury President Anne-Mette Binder (DEN) for her halt on Jakata, and it was greeted by a deafening roar of approval from the packed stands.

Continue reading British Trio Have the Edge after Dressage at Badminton

Dream Start for Young Laura Collett at Badminton – Opener for HSBC FEI Classics

Laura Collett (GBR) on Rayef in the lead after Day 1 of Dressage at Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials 2011 - opener for the HSBC FEI Classics 2011 © Kit Houghton/FEI

Lausanne (SUI), 22 April 2011 – Laura Collett (GBR) made a dream start to her debut at the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials (GBR), the first leg of the HSBC FEI Classics, when heading several more experienced riders at the end of the first day of Dressage.

Collett, 21, is renowned for having a cool head and a tidy style – she was a successful rider of show ponies as a child – and she presented a neat and pleasing picture on the 12-year-old Dutch-bred Rayef, the horse on which she won Junior and Young Rider European titles in 2007 and 2009.

“That’s his best test ever,” said a delighted Collett on learning of her score of 36.5 penalties, which gives her a 3.3 lead over Germany’s Marina Köhncke. “Yogi Briesner (trainer) told me to ride as if I was at home. Rayef didn’t make any mistakes and he was soft and attentive. It was nice to sit on.

“My whole life has been about getting to Badminton, so to be here for the first time on such a good horse feels amazing.”

Continue reading Dream Start for Young Laura Collett at Badminton – Opener for HSBC FEI Classics