Tag Archives: Show Jumping

*Featured/Spotlights, Show Jumping

Spruce Meadows ‘Masters’ Tournament CSIO5* to Host the World’s Best Show Jumpers

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Olympic champion Steve Guerdat, shown here on Tresor V at Spruce Meadows, will compete with Nasa and Carpalo at this year’s ‘Masters.’ Photo © Spruce Meadows Media Services.

Skelton and Big Star to Contest Next Leg of Rolex Grand Slam of Jumping

Calgary, AB, Canada – August 27, 2013 – Spruce Meadows will host the world’s best show jumpers at the prestigious ‘Masters’ Tournament, held September 4-8, 2013, in Calgary. The ‘Masters’ is a CSIO 5* event and will award $2.115 million in prize money. Seven of the top 10 ranked show jumpers in the world plan to attend, including newly named European Champion, France’s Roger Yves Bost (ranked #9 in the world). Rolex Grand Slam of Jumping leaders Nick Skelton (ranked #11 in the world) and Big Star will compete as well, and competition at this year’s tournament will be electric. Along with top individuals, there are eight teams that will compete in the BMO Nations’ Cup.

The top 10 ranked riders (as of July 31, 2013) that plan to show at the ‘Masters’ include World Number One rider Christian Ahlmann (GER), Beezie Madden (2-USA), Kevin Staut (3-FRA), who is showing for the first time at Spruce Meadows, Gerco Schroeder (4-NED), Steve Guerdat (7-SUI), Kent Farrington (8-USA), and Bost.

Rolex Testimonee and current Olympic champion, Steve Guerdat, looks forward to competing at the ‘Masters.’ He pointed out, “The show itself is just a huge highlight. It’s very exciting to go to the ‘Masters,’ and we all look forward to the $1 Million International Grand Prix on Sunday, especially with the new Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping.”

Ranked #11 in the world is Great Britain’s Nick Skelton, who has set the circuit on fire this summer with his top horse, Big Star. The pair won the Rolex Grand Prix of Aachen, the first leg of the Rolex Grand Slam of Jumping. The ‘Masters’ CSIO 5* hosts the second leg of the competition, while the final leg is at the CHI Geneva in December.

Spruce Meadows President Linda Southern-Heathcott noted, “We are very excited to have such a strong line-up of riders competing at this year’s ‘Masters.’ With over two million dollars in prize money over five days, we are pleased to be able to attract the top names in the sport, and even more money is on the line with the $1 Million International Grand Prix and the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping. Every year we increase prize money and opportunities for riders, and every year they give us the best competition in the world.”

The Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping is the first global initiative to reward the outstanding rider who wins the Grand Prix at each tournament in succession. Any rider that wins the Grand Prix at each of the three tournaments consecutively will receive €1 million bonus on top of the prize money for each tournament’s Grand Prix. Moreover, any rider that wins two out of the three tournaments’ Grands Prix will also receive a bonus of €500,000 in succession or €250,000 for winning two out of three.

Skelton and Big Star will attempt to make history when they compete in the highlight event of the season, the $1 Million International Grand Prix, on Sunday, September 8. They will have tough competition from some of the best in the sport, along with last year’s winners, Olivier Philippaerts (BEL) and Cabrio van de Heffinck.

Last year's $1 Million International Grand Prix winners, Olivier Philippaerts (BEL) and Cabrio van de Heffinck. Photo © Cealy Tetley.
Last year’s $1 Million International Grand Prix winners, Olivier Philippaerts (BEL) and Cabrio van de Heffinck. Photo © Cealy Tetley.

“Winning the prestigious $1 Million International Grand Prix last year was something incredible for me,” Philippaerts expressed, “because I didn’t expect to win it. People remember me from winning that Grand Prix, and it gave myself a boost for the future!”

He added, “I think the Spruce Meadows ‘Masters’ is one of the world’s best show jumping events, and it is an honour just to compete there. The ‘Masters’ is so unique because of the crowd. They love the sport. That makes us European riders come over to Calgary.”

National pride will be on the line when eight countries line up teams to compete in the $350,000 BMO Nations’ Cup. In addition to teams from Canada and the USA, there will be squads from Germany (winners in 2012), France, Belgium, Switzerland, Great Britain, and Ireland.

Guerdat will be a member of the Swiss team in the BMO Nations Cup as well. 2013 European Champions Great Britain will have a team, including Team Gold and Individual Silver medalist, Ben Maher, and Team Gold medalist Michael Whitaker.

There is fantastic prize money on the line each day of the ‘Masters’ Tournament. Spruce Meadows increased the FEI prize money awarded from 2012 by $300,000, making it a total of $2,115,000 in prize money given in the five-day event (not including special prizes or series). Eight of the 10 major events have also increased their world ranking point level, giving riders even more opportunity to raise their ranking in the world.

The schedule includes these major classes:

  • Wednesday, September 4: $50,000 Akita Drilling Cup 1.50m and $85,000 Finning Cup 1.60m
  • Thursday, September 5: $50,000 ATCO Structures and Logistics Cup 1.50m and $125,000 CANA Cup 1.60m
  • Friday, September 6: The Mercedes-Benz “Evening of the Horse” featuring the $205,000 Encana Cup 1.60m and $75,000 ATCO Electric ‘Circuit’ Six Bar under the lights and concluding with the Band of the Irish Guards playing live music to the fireworks display
  • Saturday, September 7: $125,000 Suncor Winning Round 1.50m and $350,000 BMO Nations’ Cup
  • Sunday, September 8: $50,000 Telus Cup 1.50m and $1 Million International Grand Prix

Saturday’s BMO Nations’ Cup and Sunday’s $1 Million International Grand Prix will be televised live on the CBC.

Spruce Meadows looks forward to welcoming the world’s best to the ‘Masters’ Tournament next week and invites everyone to come and see the sport of show jumping at its best. For a full schedule and list of riders attending, please visit www.sprucemeadows.com/tournaments.

For further information on the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping, please visit www.rolexgrandslam.com.

Based in Calgary, Canada, Spruce Meadows is the brainchild of the Southern family who built a Show Jumping complex at the foothills of the Alberta Rocky Mountains. It was in 1976 that the first Spruce Tournaments were held, with annual spectator attendances reaching over 50,000 by the end of the decade. Today, Spruce Meadows boasts one of the greatest outdoor equestrian venues in the world and offers an incredible experience for riders and fans alike. Spruce Meadows focuses on the organization and hosting of show jumping tournaments of unmatched quality for junior, amateur and professional athletes in a manner that reflects basic family values in a clean, green and welcoming environment that celebrates the horse and encourages the breeding and training of quality sport horses and the teaching and development of athletes. For more information on Spruce Meadows, please visit www.sprucemeadows.com.

Jennifer Wood Media, Inc.
Equestrian Public Relations
info@jenniferwoodmedia.com

FEI, Show Jumping, USEF

USEF Names Horses for CSIO5* Gijon, U.S. Looks for Top Finishes in Spain

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Lexington, KY – The United States will look to secure another top finish in Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup competition this week at the CSIO5* Gijon. The future of American jumping will be on display as talented Young Riders along with team veterans riding up-and-coming horses are set to compete in Gijon, Spain, August 28 – September 2.

After making her Olympic debut last summer, 19-year-old Reed Kessler (Lexington, KY) continues to impress. The 2012 USEF National Show Jumping Champion has spent the second half of the summer competing in Europe at many of the most prestigious competitions including CSIO5* Hickstead, CSIO5* Dublin and various destinations on the Longines Global Champions Tour.

At the CSIO5* Gijon, Kessler will ride Iron Works Partners’ Wolf S, her own Ligist, and Kessler Show Stables’ Soraya De L’Obstination.

Wolf S is a 2003 Dutch Warmblood gelding.

Ligist is a 2000 Swedish Warmblood gelding.

Soraya De L’Obstination is 2002 Belgian Warmblood mare.

Lauren Hough (Wellington, FL) is among the most experienced riders on the U.S. jumping circuit, having represented the United States at the 2000 Olympic Games, 2003 Pan American Games and the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. In June, Hough was a member of the second placed U.S. team in the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup at CSIO5* Rotterdam.

At the CSIO5* Gijon, Hough will ride Nordic Lights Farm, LLC’s Tackeray, Laura and Meredith Mateo’s Reconnaissance, and Belle Grey Farm, LLC’s Every Way.

Tackeray is a 2000 Dutch Warmblood stallion.

Reconnaissance is a 2005 Swedish Warmblood mare.

Every Way is a 2004 Belgian Warmblood mare.

Kirsten Coe (Royal Palm Beach, FL) heads into CSIO5* Gijon competition looking to showcase the top form she has displayed throughout 2013. At the beginning of August, Coe was a member of the winning U.S. team at the CSIO3* Bratislava Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup. She also cruised to a third-place finish in the feature Grand Prix in Bratislava.

At the CSIO5* Gijon, Coe will ride Ilan Ferder’s Calypso and S.A.R.L. Equart’s Heros de Papignies Z.

Calypso is a 2002 Belgain Warmblood gelding.

Heros de Papignies Z is a 2004 Zangersheide stallion.

Saer Coulter (San Francisco, CA) has also spent the summer honing her skills in Europe jumping to a number of top finishes. The two-time Adequan/FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North Team medalist was awarded the Maxine Beard Show Jumping Rider Award for her competitive record and potential to represent the U.S. in international competition.

At the CSIO5* Gijon, Coulter will ride Copernicus Stables, LLC’s Springtime and Don VHP Z.

Springtime is a 1999 Dutch Warmblood gelding.

Don VHP is a 2004 Zangersheide stallion.

Rounding out the U.S. effort in Gijon is Lucy Davis (Los Angeles, CA). The 20-year-old made her Rolex/FEI World Cup Final debut in April and has consistently earned strong results throughout 2013. At CSIO5* Rotterdam, Davis produced a double clear effort in Nations Cup competition to receive the Furusiyya Leading Rider of the Day Award and earned an eighth-place finish in the Longines Grand Prix of Rotterdam.

At the CSIO5* Gijon, Davis will ride Old Oak Farm’s Barron and Nemo 119.

Barron is a 2004 Belgian Warmblood gelding.

Nemo 119 is a 1999 Holsteiner gelding.

The U.S. will compete against 11 other countries in the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup on August 31.

Katie Prudent will serve as Chef d’Equipe.

To learn more about the CSIO5* Gijon, visit: http://hipico.gijon.es/.

Follow the 2013 U.S. Jumping Team here.

Phelps Media Group, Show Jumping

Ward Heads to Hampton Classic – $200,000 Triple Crown Challenge within Reach

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McLain Ward and Rothchild won the first leg of the THIS Triple Crown Challenge at the Devon Horse Show – photo by The Book LLC.

For the second consecutive year, two-time Olympic gold medalist McLain Ward of Brewster, NY, finds himself going into the $250,000 FTI Hampton Classic Grand Prix with the potential of winning the Taylor Harris Triple Crown Challenge. This unique challenge awards riders a $200,000 bonus should the same horse-and-rider combination win three of the country’s best grand prix events in the same year.

The first event was the $100,000 Wells Fargo Grand Prix of Devon held on May 30th. It was there that Ward won the first leg on Rothchild and now stands to take home the bonus should the pair win the remaining two events in the Challenge.  The second event, the $250,000 FTI Hampton Classic Grand Prix, will take place on September 1st at the Hampton Classic Horse Show in Bridgehampton, NY. Having won the Hampton Classic Grand Prix a record six times in his career it will be an exciting moment as Ward and Rothchild enter the grass arena.

Ward has been in this position before. Just last year, during the inaugural year of the Challenge, Ward had one leg of the challenge in the record books after collecting the blue at Devon on Antares F. But the pair couldn’t pull off the win at the Hampton Classic when Kent Farrington of Chicago, IL, came in on Voyeur and shut down Ward’s streak.

Although Ward didn’t lead the victory gallop in the $250,000 class he did win four major jumper classes in 2012.

If Ward can pull off a win and get another step closer to taking home the bonus, the final leg of the challenge will be the $250,000 Alltech Grand Prix, held on November 2nd at the Alltech National Horse Show in Lexington, KY.

“It’s exciting to watch someone like McLain Ward head into the second leg of the Challenge,” said Michael Taylor, the President of Taylor Harris Insurance Services. “Knowing he’s won the Hampton Classic Grand Prix six times in his career makes it all that much more possible to have him grab another leg of the Challenge. Taylor Harris Insurance is a proud supporter of equestrian sport and the excellence it requires to walk out with the blue ribbon. We are excited at the possibility of McLain emerging victorious in South Hampton and heading to the Alltech National Horse Show having won two legs of the Challenge.”

Taylor Harris Insurance Services (THIS) was founded in 1987 to provide specialized insurance for all types of equine risk including property and casualty. Taylor Harris works with their clients to ensure they are equipped with the insurance coverage that’s right for each individual case. THIS places all policies with the highest rated and most secure insurance carriers, which are also selected for their prompt and reliable claims settlement. Their goal is providing insurance protection for all personal and professional equestrian related risk and delivering peace of mind for their clients.

For further details, visit www.taylorharris.com, like the Taylor Harris Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/TaylorHarrisInsuranceServices), or call 1.800.291.4774

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Championships, Competitions, FEI, Show Jumping

Flying Frenchman Bost Claims Individual Jumping Title in Tense Thriller

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(L to R): silver medallist Ben Maher (GBR), gold medallist Roger Yves Bost (FRA) and bronze medallist Scott Brash (GBR).

Herning (DEN), 22 August 2013 – Roger Yves Bost became only the fifth French rider to claim Individual European gold when galloping to victory in the PSI FEI European Jumping Individual Championship final at Herning in Denmark this afternoon.  Great Britain’s Ben Maher went into the final competition with the narrowest of leads, but a fence down in this afternoon’s opening round saw him having to settle for silver ahead of team-mate Scott Brash who rose from overnight tenth place to take bronze when producing the only double-clear performance of the day.

Bost follows in famous footsteps, as the list of previous French champions is an impressive one.  Pierre Durand and the legendary Jappeloup first topped the podium for France at St Gallen, Switzerland in 1987, Eric Navet reigned supreme on home turf at La Baule, France in 1991, Alexandra Ledermann and Rochet M – the first woman ever to take the title – topped the line-up in Hickstead, Great Britain in 1999 and Kevin Staut and Kraque Boom were winners in Windsor, Great Britain in 2009.

Lived Up to Expectations

The Individual Final more than lived up to expectations, with course-designer, Frank Rothenberger, setting two more super-tough tests.  The first-round track was serious from the outset, and there were plenty of splashes in the open water at fence three which proved more difficult when approached, as it was earlier in the week, from left to right.  A roll-back from the following oxer at four to the vertical at five led, on a left-hand bend, to an oxer at six with its narrow black planks, but it was the latter part of the track that proved most influential.  The triple combination of oxer, vertical, oxer at fence seven looked uncomplicated without any filling material, and the middle element was the tallest at 1.55m.  But riders who faltered in any way at this one very often found themselves on a difficult distance to the following water-tray vertical.  Many went on four strides here rather than taking the option of five, but in both cases caution was required.

Having tackled that question it was then on to the narrow orange wall at nine which stood a massive 1.65m tall, before galloping down to the 1.55m drunken oxer that stretched them out with a 1.90m spread.  Just two fences left to go, and the test was still relentless, as the penultimate 1.55m oxer was followed by a very difficult double of verticals.  The choice here was to approach on a normal six strides or chip in one more to get horses a little higher at the opening element.  The two-stride distance between the two elements was very tight, and of the 25 horse-and-rider combinations who went through to this final day, 15 of them hit at least one element of this.

Fault-Free

Italy’s Luca Moneta was first to go and was clear with Neptune Brecourt until lowering the very last.  He was so quick in achieving his four-fault result however that Rothenberger and the Ground Jury decided to reduce the time-allowed by a significant five seconds, from 80 to 75.  As the course designer admitted afterwards, “Maybe that was two seconds too much.”  Only two riders managed to come home with a completely clean sheet, and the eventual champion wasn’t one of them as Bost and Castle Forbes Myrtille Paulois picked up a single time fault in one of their trademark thrilling tours of the track.

The first of the clear rounds came from Brash and his London 2012 Olympic team gold medal winning ride Hello Sanctos who made the whole thing look very easy, but with a little luck on their side as they survived a little tap at the second element of the final double, with the top pole rolling forward and then gently back into position.  That was always going to be a critical round, and when The Netherlands’ Jur Vrieling and VDL Bubalu put a foot in the water, hit the final element of the triple combination and dropped both elements of the final double and Frenchman Patrice Delaveau steered Orient Express home with eight additional penalties collected at the open water and the middle of the triple combination the British rider was rocketing up the order.

Another Spectacular Exhibition

Switzerland’s Jessica Sprunger and Palloubet D’Halong put in another spectacular exhibition but fell foul of the front element of the last, while Olympic individual champion, Steve Guerdat, was faultless with Nino des Buissonnets to put pressure on the remaining five.  All jumping in order of merit and with less than a fence between them, none could afford the slightest mistake.  So when Germany’s Ludger Beerbaum and Chiara hit the second element of the final double and fellow-countryman Daniel Deusser’s Cornet D’Amour hit the water-tray vertical at eight the tension was rising by the minute.  Like so many others, defending Individual champion, Sweden’s Rolf-Goran Bengtsson, was clear to the very last with Casall Ask.  “On that last line he came back to me great, and I felt I did not want to do too much, but we had faults anyway,” he said afterwards.

Bost’s single time penalty moved him onto a scoreline of just 1.58 penalty points, so nothing but a clear would keep Britain’s Ben Maher out in front.  It wasn’t the dreaded final double that penalised him however.  It was his run from the narrow wall to the drunken oxer.  Moving his mare up a gear to ensure his time was good he arrived on a long stride, and as Cella became airborne it was clear she wouldn’t leave the fence intact.  “It was a silly fence to have down, but it was wide and it was there to be jumped – she was little careful and I was maybe a little too far away,” the British rider said afterwards.

Less Complicated

The new second-round track looked less complicated, but the ten fences would take their toll, particularly the final triple combination.  Only 19 returned to do battle in this round, and nine of them ran into trouble here including Switzerland’s Guerdat whose chances were completely dashed when Nino stopped at the second element and then hit it at his second attempt.

There were four clears this time out, the first registered by Frenchman Aymeric de Ponnat and Armitages Boy. They were lying well down the order in 16th place and it promoted them all the way up to 11th in the final analysis.

Now lying fifth, Brash really piled the pressure on those ahead of him with another amazing tour of the track, with Hello Sanctos looking as fresh as he did when the jumping action began five days ago.  Bengtsson hit the same second element of the triple combination that put paid to Guerdat’s chances just a few minutes later, but Maher wasn’t giving up without a fight and, despite a loud rattle at the oxer at five, the mare returned another fabulous foot-perfect run to throw down the gauntlet.  Bost could afford a time-fault or two, but a pole down would hand the gold medal back to his British rival.  It was all down to this one last effort.

And the man they call Bosty grabbed both the opportunity and the mare who perfectly matches her rider’s unorthodox style, with both hands, steering her through the course and arriving to the last line without incident.  As he headed for the triple combination there was an intake of breath around the stadium, but there was no need to worry.  The 13-year-old mare who he calls “my Princess” or “my Poupee” (my doll) was never going to let him down. The roar from the crowd said it all as one of the most popular competitors in the sport had the gold in his grasp.

First Individual Medal

“This is my first Senior Individual gold medal; I have some Team Championship medals, but never an Individual one!” he said excitedly afterwards.  Talking about his great mare, he said, “She was very relaxed here; she didn’t want to touch one fence,” and when asked about if her feisty temperament makes her difficult to ride, he replied, “No, she’s not so difficult – I can manage, this is my job!”

Silver medallist Maher was very happy with his result.  “Cella was amazing today.  We had a great second round and I put as much pressure as I could on Roger today but he did too good a job!” he said.  The British rider described his mare as “more of a machine than a horse!  She can be temperamental sometimes but this is her first Championship and I couldn’t be more happy.  I was concerned that she might get tired, but she jumped very well in the last round.  There has been a lot for her to learn from these Championships and I’ve a lot of people to thank including her owner Jane Clark and the British Equestrian Federation for their fantastic support.”

Jane Clark may not yet know of her horse’s fantastic result today because the American horse-owner is currently holidaying in the wilds of Alaska and has been difficult to contact.  Maher eventually got through to her to tell her about Cella’s Team gold medal winning performance on Thursday, but he said today that it could take some time to let her know what happened today.

Came across Their Horses

The gold and silver medallists talked about how they each came across the horses that earned them medals this afternoon.  Bost explained, “I was already riding some of Lady Forbes’ young horses when she asked me to ride Myrtille Paulois,” while Maher said, “I had a meeting with Jane Clark towards the end of the last year because she was looking for a rider for her horses and it was lucky for me that I was the one she chose.  I now have her fantastic string to add to the horses I already had in my stable.”

There was plenty of friendly banter between the medal-winners at the post-competition press conference.  Maher pointed out that “Roger [Yves Bost] said on Tuesday (after the opening speed competition), ‘If I lost a few kilos I could have caught you’ – so I wonder what diet he’s been on for the last few days!”  He congratulated the Frenchman: “Roger rode the round of a lifetime today and he’s the well-deserved winner,” Maher said.

Today’s new champion is 20 years older than 27-year-old Brash who said this evening, “The beauty of our sport is that hopefully we will still be riding past Bosty’s age.  Michel Robert for example looks fit and young and rides as good as ever. I’m looking forward to a long career and I’m looking forward to sitting here one day in Bosty’s seat!”

Knows More Than Most

One man who knows more than most about the joy of wearing an individual European gold medal around his neck is Germany’s Paul Schockemohle, triple-champion with the great Deister at Munich (GER) in 1981, Hickstead (GBR) in 1983 and Dinard (FRA) in 1985.  He continues to be a major influence in the sport, and took up title sponsorship of the PSI FEI European Jumping Championship in Herning.  He said today, “My expectations were not so high but there has been a super atmosphere and everything at the show was good. Frank [Rothenberger, course designer] did a good job and the riders did a good job too.”

He pointed out the vital role of those who support the sport through horse-ownership. He said that at these Championships, “Three owners who are a very, very long time in the sport have been rewarded – Lady Georgina Forbes (Castle Forbes Myrtille Paulois) who sponsored Jessica Kuerten before and now sponsors Bosty, and Jane Clark (Cella) who 35 years ago bought a horse from me!  And Phil Harris (Hello Sanctos) who also sponsored David Broome.  These are three owners who bought into the sport and stayed in the sport, and I want to congratulate them and their riders.”

Wonderful Championships

FEI Secretary General, Ingmar de Vos, concluded the press conference, saying, “On behalf of the FEI I would like to congratulate the riders and also the Organising Committee and the Danish Equestrian Federation for wonderful Championships and a very high-class venue.  This stadium is fantastic for our sport and I’d like to say a special thanks to Jens Trabjerg (Event President) and Bo Kristoffersen (Sport Director).  It has been a pleasure for the FEI to work with such a professional team.  Thanks to ECCO and to Paul Schockemohle’s PSI for their support – but of course these Championships are not over yet and we are looking forward to another great day tomorrow.”

Tomorrow brings the Blue Hors Dressage Individual Freestyle that brings the ECCO FEI European Championships to a close.

Today however the glory belongs to a much-admired Frenchman who never hides his great fondness for his horses.  “There are days like this in which nothing bad can happen and everything goes just right,” he said, “but this was really Myrtille’s day.  I took the week class by class, course by course, without watching what the other riders were doing.  I really tried to do my best.  I have been riding Myrtille now for two years and it hasn’t always been easy.  This arena suited her because it is like an indoor arena so she was more focussed and concentrated on what she was doing.  The first thing I thought when we crossed the finish line today was how much I love my princess!” said the new champion.

Result, PSI FEI European Jumping Individual Championship 2013 – here.

Facts and Figures:

47-year-old Frenchman, Roger Yves Bost, won the PSI FEI European Jumping Individual Championship final at Herning in Denmark today riding Lady Georgina Forbes’ mare, Castle Forbes Myrtille Paulois.

Bost is the fifth Frenchman to win the Individual title in the history of the FEI European Jumping Championship which first took place in Rotterdam (NED) in 1957.

The first French rider to win the Individual title was Pierre Durand riding the legendary Jappeloup.

25 riders started in the first round of the PSI FEI European Jumping Individual Final today.

The first-round course had 12 fences, with the final double of verticals proving the most problematic.

19 returned for the second round over a new 10-fence track.  Again the last fence was the bogey, the triple combination.

British riders Ben Maher (Cella) and Scott Brash (Hello Sanctos) claimed Individual silver and bronze.

Brash produced the only double-clear performance in today’s Individual final with his Olympic team gold medal winning ride, Hello Sanctos.

Winning rider, Roger Yves Bost from France, received an additional prize alongside the Individual trophy – a filly foal by the stallion Casall Ask who was ridden into fourth place today by Sweden’s defending champion Rolf-Goran Bengtsson.

Quotes:

Scott Brash GBR, bronze medallist today – “My horse has been fantastic all week; he got better and better each day and only there are only so many top horses who can do that.  He was a joy to ride today, and he made my life easy!”

Scott Brash GBR, talking about the first-round course – “Today was very hard; the time was very tight but it worked in my favour.”

Ben Maher GBR, silver medallist – “It was always going to be big today.  Frank has set every test possible this week. In the end the time factor today helped both me and Scott because we both ride fast horses.”

Ben Maher GBR, talking about the difficult final double of verticals in today’s first round – “I did it on six strides (from the previous fence) and Roger did that also. My original plan was to do it in seven but I changed my mind.”

Ben Maher GBR – “I’ve never done a World Games yet and I’m looking forward to trying to get on the team next year.”

Gold medallist Roger Yves Bost FRA – “I’ve been riding a long time and I like to have a lot of contact with my horses, but my training is no different to any of the other riders.”

For further information on the ECCO FEI European Championships 2013, go to website: http://european-herning.dk/GB.aspx.

FEI Online Press kits

Extensive information on the P.S.I. FEI European Jumping Championships, Blue Hors FEI European Dressage Championships and JYSK FEI European Para-Dressage Championships, can be found in the FEI’s Online Press Kit Zone: www.feipresskits.org. Each press kit includes an event preview, athlete biographies, competition timetable, Championships history and key contact details.

FEI TV

The P.S.I. FEI European Jumping Championships and Blue Hors FEI European Dressage Championships will be live on FEI TV, the FEI’s official online video platform, starting on 20 August at 16.45 local time – see the complete live schedule here: www.feitv.org/live. Key performances and interviews with medal winners will be available as video-on-demand from the JYSK FEI European Para-Dressage Championships.

By Louise Parkes

Media Contacts:

At Herning:

Britt Carlsen
Press Officer
bc@wiegaarden.dk
+45 96 570 580

At FEI:

Ruth Grundy
Manager Press Relations
ruth.grundy@fei.org
+41 78 750 61 45

Grania Willis
Director Press Relations
Email: grania.willis@fei.org
Tel: +41 787 506 142

*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, FEI, Show Jumping

All Presented Horses Pass Inspection Ahead of Individual Jumping Final

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Germany’s Daniel Deusser and Cornet D’Amour are lying fourth, and less than a fence behind Britain’s Ben Maher and Cella at the top of the leaderboard, going into tomorrow’s Top-25 Individual Final of the PSI FEI European Jumping Championship at Herning in Denmark. Photo: FEI/Kit Houghton.

Herning (DEN), 23 August 2013 – The 25 horses who will battle it out for the PSI FEI European Individual Jumping Championship title tomorrow afternoon were confirmed tonight following the Second Horse Inspection.  All the horses presented were given the thumbs-up, and the stage is now set for a thrilling finale to a memorable week in the history of the sport.

There were three withdrawals before the inspection. They were Carsten-Otto Nagel’s Corradina (GER) lying in 25th place, Henrik von Eckermann’s Gotha FRH lying 20th for Sweden and Emanuele Gaudiano’s Cocoshynsky, lying 14th place for Italy.  A total of 30 horses came before the veterinary panel, and the withdrawals allowed the next three to move up into a top-25 starting spot, so Italy’s Luca Moneta and Neptune Brecourt have made the cut along with Denmark’s Andreas Schou (Vivaldi K) and The Netherlands’ Maikel van der Vleuten (VDL Groep Verdi).

Head the Leaderboard

Great Britain’s Ben Maher and Cella head the leaderboard on a zero score going into the first of two rounds of jumping, but they can’t afford to blink because Frenchman Roger Yves Bost and Castle Forbes Myrtille Paulois are only fractionally behind carrying just 0.58 points while defending Individual European champion, Rolf-Goran Bengtsson from Sweden, is only slightly further adrift in third with Casall Ask on 1.63 points.

It promises to be a mammoth battle, with Germany’s Daniel Deusser (Cornet D’Amour) and Ludger Beerbaum (Chiara) in fourth and fifth places ahead of reigning Olympic champions, Steve Guerdat and Nino des Buissonnets who are lying sixth and just over a fence off gold medal position.  And there are just two fences between Maher and Germany’s Christian Ahlmann (Codex One) who has held the No. 1 spot in the Longines rankings for the last eight months and who goes into tomorrow’s final tussle in 11th position.

Italy’s Moneta will be first into the ring when the action kicks off at 13.15 local time.

Flawless Rounds

Maher needs another two flawless rounds from Jane Clark’s wonderful 13-year-old grey mare if he is to become the first British rider to take the Individual European title since John Whitaker who came out on top with the great Milton in Rotterdam (NED) in 1989.

And it would be quite a coincidence if he could do it, because that would make it a British double of team and Individual titles, just as it was 24 years ago when Michael Whitaker, a member of yesterday’s historic British team gold medal winning side, finished close behind his older brother in individual silver spot.

Strong History

The British have a strong history in the FEI European Championships, with six individual and four team titles to their credit, but as Chef d’Equipe Rob Hoekstra pointed out after their long-awaited team victory yesterday their Championships record has not been impressive in the modern era.  Team gold at the London 2012 Olympic Games seems to have changed all that however and, 24 years after he clinched that individual silver, Michael Whitaker is still as competitive as ever and goes into the ring tomorrow with Viking in 18th place and just over two fences off his team-mate Maher at the head of affairs.

Germany holds the record for most wins in the Individual Championship with 14 to their credit since the legendary Hans Gunther Winkler came out on top at the inaugural fixture in Rotterdam (NED) in 1957.  Only eight riders competed that year, but a total of 92 athletes from 22 countries contested the Jumping medals at this week’s ECCO FEI European Championships which, for the first time, have brought together the three disciplines of Jumping, Dressage and Para-Dressage.

Provisional Startlist for Day 4, Third Competition, First Round PSI FEI European Jumping Individual Final – here.

Facts and Figures:

3 horses were withdrawn before this evening’s Second Horse Inspection for the PSI FEI European Jumping Championships 2013 in Herning, Denmark.

That moved the next three horses up into the Top-25 who will battle it out for the Individual title tomorrow afternoon.

The withdrawn horses were Carsten-Otto Nagel’s Corradina (GER) who was lying in 25th place, Henrik von Eckermann’s Gotha FRH who was lying 20th for Sweden and Emanuele Gaudiano’s Cocoshynsky, lying in 14th place for Italy.

The top-30 horses went before the veterinary panel, and when all the presented horses passed inspection that brought Italy’s Luca Moneta and Neptune Brecourt onto the start-list along with Denmark’s Andreas Schou and Vivaldi K and The Netherlands’ Maikel van der Vleuten with VDL Groep Verdi.

Moneta will be first into the ring when the action gets underway at 13.15 local time.

Great Britain’s Ben Maher and Cella head the leaderboard on a zero score going into tomorrow’s first of two rounds of jumping. However Roger Yves Bost and Castle Forbes Myrtille Paulois are only fractionally behind carrying just 0.58 points while defending Individual champion, Rolf-Goran Bengtsson from Sweden, is only slightly further adrift in third with Casall Ask on 1.63 points.

Germany’s Daniel Deusser (Cornet D’Amour) and Ludger Beerbaum (Chiara) are in fourth and fifth places ahead of reigning Olympic champions, Steve Guerdat and Nino des Buissonnets, in sixth place and just over a fence off gold medal position.

For further information on the ECCO FEI European Championships 2013, go to website: http://european-herning.dk/GB.aspx.

FEI Online Press kits

Extensive information on the P.S.I. FEI European Jumping Championships, Blue Hors FEI European Dressage Championships and JYSK FEI European Para-Dressage Championships, can be found in the FEI’s Online Press Kit Zone: www.feipresskits.org. Each press kit includes an event preview, athlete biographies, competition timetable, Championships history and key contact details.

FEI TV

The P.S.I. FEI European Jumping Championships and Blue Hors FEI European Dressage Championships will be live on FEI TV, the FEI’s official online video platform, starting on 20 August at 16.45 local time – see the complete live schedule here: www.feitv.org/live. Key performances and interviews with medal winners will be available as video-on-demand from the JYSK FEI European Para-Dressage Championships.

By Louise Parkes

Media Contacts:

At Herning:

Britt Carlsen
Press Officer
bc@wiegaarden.dk
+45 96 570 580

At FEI:

Ruth Grundy
Manager Press Relations
ruth.grundy@fei.org
+41 78 750 61 45

Grania Willis
Director Press Relations
Email: grania.willis@fei.org
Tel: +41 787 506 142

FEI, Show Jumping, USEF

USEF Names Team for 2013 Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup Jumping Final at CSIO5* Barcelona

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Lexington, KY – The following horse-and-rider combinations have been named by the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) to represent the U.S. at CSIO5* Barcelona in the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup Jumping Final in Barcelona, Spain, September 26-29, 2013.

The following combinations will represent the U.S. in the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup Final in Barcelona at the CSIO5* Barcelona:

Beezie Madden (Cazenovia, NY) will ride Abigail Wexner’s Cortes ‘C’ and Simon
Cortes ‘C’ is a 2002 Belgian Warmblood gelding
Simon is a 1999 Dutch Warmblood gelding

Reed Kessler (Lexington, KY) on her own Cylana
Cylana is a 2002 Belgian Warmblood mare

McLain Ward (Brewster, NY) will ride Sagamore Farms’ Rothchild
Rothchild is 2001 Warmblood gelding

Laura Kraut (Royal Palm Beach, FL) on Cherry Knoll Farm, Inc.’s Cedric
Cedric is a 1998 Holsteiner gelding

Lucy Davis (Los Angeles, CA) will ride Old Oak Farm’s Barron
Barron is a 2004 Belgian Warmblood gelding

Robert Ridland will serve as Chef d’Equipe for the U.S. team at the CSIO5* Barcelona.

The Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup Jumping Final is an inaugural event where the best 19 Teams in the world will compete. The U.S. qualified by winning the North American League.

To learn more about the CSIO5* Barcelona, visit: http://www.csiobarcelona.com/esp/index.asp.

To learn more about the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup Jumping Series, visit: http://fei.org/fei/events/fei-nations-cup-series/furusiyya.

Follow the 2013 U.S. Jumping Team here.

Community/Charity, Dressage, Driving, Endurance Riding, Eventing/H.T., Para-Equestrian, Show Jumping, Vaulting, Western/Reining, World Equestrian Games

One Year to Go to Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2014 in Normandy

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Lausanne (SUI), 23 August 2013 – Today (23 August 2013) marks the one-year countdown to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2014 in Normandy. In just 12 months, some 900 riders, drivers and vaulters and their horses from over 60 countries, 500,000 visitors, at least 1,500 media representatives, and thousands of volunteers will gather in Normandy for the world’s greatest equestrian event and the largest sporting event in France in 2014.

World championships in Jumping, Dressage and Para-Dressage, Eventing, Driving, Vaulting, Endurance and Reining will be held from 23 August to 7 September 2014 at venues in Caen, the prefecture of the Calvados department in north-western France, the country’s oldest national stud farm at Haras du Pin, and the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Mont Saint-Michel.

To celebrate the one-year countdown, the FEI has today launched an online history hub dedicated to the FEI World Equestrian Games which contains detailed information about each of the previous Games, starting with the inaugural edition in Stockholm in 1990, through to Kentucky 2010 and looking forward to 2014. Along with a summary of the Games’ most memorable moments, the website features key facts and figures, complete results, and extensive photo galleries.

“The FEI is working very closely with the Organising Committee of the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2014 in Normandy to ensure the best possible conditions for the athletes – both human and equine – the officials, numerous spectators, volunteers, and the media,” FEI Secretary General Ingmar De Vos said.

“Two successful test events in Endurance and Eventing were organised just last week, and there is another one in Driving currently being held, followed by a chef de mission meeting next week. Preparations are on track as we enter the last organisational phase. We are confident that France, one of the world’s leading equestrian nations, will stage truly memorable Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2014 in Normandy.”

Media contacts:

Grania Willis
Director Press Relations
Email: grania.willis@fei.org
Tel: +41 787 506 142

Malina Gueorguiev
Manager Media Relations
Email: malina.gueorguiev@fei.org
Tel: +41 787 506 133

Championships, Competitions, FEI, Show Jumping

Olympic Champions from Great Britain Claim European Team Title in Thrilling Cliff-Hanger

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(L to R): Scott Brash, Will Funnell, Chef d’Equipe Rob Hoekstra, Michael Whitaker and Ben Maher.  Photo: FEI/Kit Houghton.

Herning (DEN), 22 August 2013 – In a thrilling final showdown, the Olympic gold medalllists from Great Britain added the PSI FEI European Team Jumping Championship title to their honours list when pipping the defending champions from Germany in Herning, Denmark tonight. And a gutsy Swedish side battled through to snatch the bronze in a competition that kept spectators on the edges of their seats.

It could hardly have been better scripted, with last-man-in, Britain’s Scott Brash, using up all his luck before finally clinching the result.  He had one fence in hand going into the arena, and when the first element of the triple combination fell he couldn’t even afford a single time penalty if his side was to stay out in front. He joked afterwards that his team-mates had provided him with some leeway by their great performances: “These are fantastic lads to ride with, and they gave me a window of one fence down so I thought I’d make it even more exciting and use it!”

But he managed to leave the rest of the course intact to bring the title back to Britain for the first time in 24 years.

Team-mate, Michael Whitaker, was on that winning side in Rotterdam in 1989 alongside his older brother John, Nick Skelton and the late Joe Turi. “Was it really that long ago?” asked Michael Whitaker when he was reminded of that achievement this evening.

Final Round

There were 13 clear rounds over Frank Rothenberger’s new track, and only the top ten teams went into this final round of the Team competition. There was plenty for them to think about, all the way from the opening triple bar to the final massive oxer.  The bending line from the vertical at two to the oxer at three had to be accurately ridden, and the open water at fence four came up very quickly after a left-handed turn.  There was little time to adjust for the following vertical at five, and even if they made it clear to there, several horse-and-rider combinations made a mistake at the offset vertical at fence six.

Now it was right-handed to the difficult line that included the oxer at seven and triple combination – vertical, oxer, oxer – at eight.  This claimed a large number of victims and had a long two-stride stretch to the third element.  The vertical at night and oxer at ten led on to the double of oxer to vertical at 11 before a long gallop across the middle of the arena to the penultimate wall.  And then it was down the long side and back towards the ingate over the final oxer.

Wheel of Fortune

It was like a wheel of fortune as the competition played itself out, the advantage swinging wildly in one direction and then another.  The real battle was fought between the leading five teams, and with three clear rounds each the fifth-placed Swedes and fourth-placed Germans held their ground.  Sweden’s Jens Fredricsson had a bad day with the normally reliable Lunatic yesterday but he bounced back with a vengeance tonight while those who saw Angelica Augustsson’s elimination on Tuesday and yesterday’s wilder-than-wild ride with the mare Mic Mac du Tillard could hardly believe their superb improvement for a clear round today.  The rider confirmed a change of bit had done the trick, and the difference was more than remarkable.  Henrik von Eckermann and Gotha were one of the many victims of the triple combination so it was Rolf-Goran Bengtsson’s clear with Casall Ask that kept the Swedish side so competitive.

But it looked at one stage as if Germany, lying fourth overnight, might just clinch it.  Carsten-Otto Nagel and Corradina were the only ones to fault as Daniel Deusser (Cornet Amour), Christian Ahlmann (Codex One) and Ludger Beerbaum (Chiara) were all foot-perfect to keep them on their second-day running tally of 12.77.

By now the third-placed French had already fallen by the wayside. Despite clears from Patrice Delaveau (Orient Express HDC) and Roger Yves Bost (Castle Forbes Myrtille Paulois) they were obliged to add the four faults collected by Aymeric de Ponnat and Armitages Boy when anchorman Kevin Staut ran into trouble toward the end of the track with Silvana HDC, lowering both the second element of the double at 11 and the final oxer.

And the second-placed Swiss were out of it too, with single mistakes from Pius Schwizer (Picsou de Chene) at the oxer at seven, for Paul Estermann (Castlefield Eclipse) at the oxer at 10 and for Steve Guerdat whose Olympic ride Nino des Buissonnets put a foot in the water.  Janika Sprunger and Palloubet D’Halong were yet again sensational, but their single time fault had to be into account and when they finished with a total of 17.85 the Swiss slotted into fifth behind France in the final analysis.

Hanging in the Balance

It was all hanging in the balance as Scott Brash entered the ring with his Olympic team gold medal winning ride Hello Sanctos.  Michael Whitaker was the only member of the British team to fault today when Viking hit the vertical after the water but Will Funnell galloped to the rescue with a clear that more than made up for his three fences down yesterday with Billy Congo.  As Funnell said tonight it was just the right time for him to produce his best work: “Tomorrow would have been too late, wouldn’t it?” he said with a smile.  With their nearest rivals slipping down the order, and Maher having set them up with yet another pathfinding clear from Cella, Brash had that fence in hand as he set off on his mission, but he admitted afterwards that he was taken aback when he heard the first element of the triple combination hit the dirt.

“I was surprised when he had it (hit the fence) but looking back on it now, I came down on six strides and was a bit off it.  I knew before I started I had to be careful of the time so I wasn’t really worried about the clock,” he explained.  And as he galloped through the finish the crowd roared their approval for the British success.

British Chef d’Equipe, Rob Hoekstra, said afterward, “Obviously I’m delighted; it was 60 years since we won Olympic gold last year.  We’ve been making an effort to win a Championship title for a long time, but the Germans have been fantastic at Championship level. Now we want to be as good as them or to overtake them!  Congratulations to Sweden for making a great comeback today by the way,” he added.

German Chef d’Equipe, Otto Becker, was gracious in defeat. “We could win or be sixth until the end; it was very close; we had to wait to see how it would be.  My team really fought and I’m totally happy with silver.  Congratulations to the English for this win, they deserved it, and to Sweden too.  This was great advertising for showjumping today – everyone enjoyed it!”

Fantastic

Looking back on how things had unfolded, Funnell said, “I had two bad rounds and then jumped clear.  To be part of a gold medal team is fantastic.  I didn’t know it had been such a long time since we won the last one and I hope we won’t leave it so long the next time!”

Ben Maher admitted he had been unsure about the end result.  “I didn’t know if we could hang on today because the other teams came back so strong.  I was glad to give the team a good start.  Scott had us a bit worried having that fence down but he came through when it mattered; he’s a great guy to have on our team,” Maher said.

With Olympic and now European team gold already ticked off his wish-list, Brash joked tonight that when it comes to medals he’s a bit spoiled.  “I’m used to gold, so any other colour wouldn’t be as good now!”

Maher goes into Saturday’s Top-25 Individual Final still at the top of the leaderboard but with only the smallest advantage. When asked what he thought of his chances, he replied, “European Championships in my eyes are more difficult to win than Olympics because every round counts.  But Cella is an unbelievable horse to ride; she has her own style and she’s wonderful.  There’s still a long way to go and a lot of riders close together, but if I have two more clear rounds that will be enough….”

Result after Second Competition – First round of Team Final and second Individual – here.

Facts and Figures:

10 teams qualified for today’s deciding round of the PSI FEI European Jumping Championship in Herning, Denmark.

Great Britain took gold ahead of Germany in silver and Sweden in bronze medal position.

It is 24 years since Great Britain last won European Jumping team gold at Rotterdam, Netherlands in 1989.

Michael Whitaker was also on that team 24 years ago along with his brother John, Nick Skelton and Joe Turi.

13 horse-and-rider combinations jumped clear today.

There was one elimination: Italy’s Piergiorgio Bucci and Casallo Z for two refusals.

Britain’s Ben Maher remains in the lead going into Saturday’s Top-25 Individual Final with Roger Yves Bost from France now lying second ahead of defending European individual champion Rolf-Goran Bengtsson from Sweden in third, Germany’s Daniel Deusser and Ludger Beerbaum in fourth and fifth and Olympic individual champion Steve Guerdat from Switzerland in sixth place.

There is less than a fence between the top five riders.

Quotes:

Jens Fredricsson SWE, talking about his much better ride with Lunatic today that helped Sweden to bronze medal position – “Everything that wasn’t there yesterday was there today!”

Angelica Augustsson SWE – “It was a good feeling today.  Yesterday she ran, but today she was better and sharper – she was really great.  Yesterday and today we just gave our everything!”

Michael Whitaker GBR, after returning a five-fault result tonight – “I think he (Viking) was a bit shocked by the light – it was not really dark or light it was somewhere in between.  He was not as certain today, but he settled down.  I am disappointed but not with the horse; he jumped well.  It was a big course.”

Swedish team manager Sylve Soderstrand – “We are very happy to be so close and it doesn’t happen so often.  Rolf (Goran-Bengtsson) did very well at the last European Championship, but this year it has been good for all our riders.”

Angelica Augustsson SWE – “We tried a different bit today; we got it this morning from Henk Nooren.  I was really happy with the result and really happy with the horse.”

Michael Whitaker GBR – “Coming here I thought we could get a medal but I didn’t think it would be a gold one! You have to have horses on form at the right time.  Viking used to be difficult but he’s getting much more consistent; I was very pleased with him here. Will really pulled it out when we really needed it today.”

For further information on the ECCO FEI European Championships 2013, go to website: http://european-herning.dk/GB.aspx.

FEI Online Press kits

Extensive information on the P.S.I. FEI European Jumping Championships, Blue Hors FEI European Dressage Championships and JYSK FEI European Para-Dressage Championships, can be found in the FEI’s Online Press Kit Zone: www.feipresskits.org. Each press kit includes an event preview, athlete biographies, competition timetable, Championships history and key contact details.

FEI TV

The P.S.I. FEI European Jumping Championships and Blue Hors FEI European Dressage Championships will be live on FEI TV, the FEI’s official online video platform, starting on 20 August at 16.45 local time – see the complete live schedule here: www.feitv.org/live. Key performances and interviews with medal winners will be available as video-on-demand from the JYSK FEI European Para-Dressage Championships.

By Louise Parkes

Media Contacts:

At Herning:

Britt Carlsen
Press Officer
bc@wiegaarden.dk
+45 96 570 580

At FEI:

Ruth Grundy
Manager Press Relations
ruth.grundy@fei.org
+41 78 750 61 45

Grania Willis
Director Press Relations
Email: grania.willis@fei.org
Tel: +41 787 506 142

*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, FEI, Show Jumping

British Snatch the Lead as Team Jumping Competition Goes into Overdrive

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A clear round from Scott Brash and Hello Sanctos secured the lead for Great Britain in the PSI FEI European Team Jumping Championship at Herning in Denmark today. Photo: FEI/Kit Houghton.

Herning (DEN), 21 August 2013 – The reigning Olympic champions from Great Britain snatched the lead in the PSI FEI European Team Jumping Championship in Herning, Denmark today when the French lost their grip on pole position.  Lying second overnight, the British produced three fabulous clear rounds over the super-tough track designed by Frank Rothenberger and Bo Bak Andersen that really separated the best from the rest. And when the Swiss were the only other team to produce a hat-trick of fault-free efforts they were promoted from bronze to silver medal spot ahead of tomorrow’s last round of the Team competition.

The British advantage is minimal however, with just 0.27 points separating them from their Swiss rivals while the French are 2.69 points further adrift in third.  The defending European champions from Germany remain in fourth while the Swedish team has risen from seventh to fifth following brilliant performances from Henrik von Eckermann (Gotha) and defending Individual champion Rolf-Goran Bengtsson (Casall Ask).

It was clear from the outset that the 13-fence course was in a different league to that set for yesterday’s opener by the master German course-builder and his Danish counterpart.  Many of the riders pointed out this afternoon that yesterday’s Speed track had seemed quite modest when they walked it, but that it turned out to be a lot more difficult when they rode it.  There was nothing in the least bit modest about today’s test however, with big and wide oxers, tall verticals, and numerous difficult questions about judgement of pace and distance from the very start to the finish-line.

Consistent Mistakes

The opening vertical was followed by an oxer at fence two, but problems began with consistent mistakes on the approach to the PSI vertical at fence three.  Riders were already preparing for a right-handed turn to the oxer at four, located near the in-gate, which was quickly followed, but on a snaking line, by a gate-style upright at fence five.

From there on the pressure increased with every stride, the double of vertical to oxer at fence six seemingly catching many of the earlier combinations off guard, while the ride down to the open water at seven proved a bit of a conundrum.  Defending champion Bengtsson explained afterwards that the choice here was six long, or seven holding strides, “but it was easy to make a mistake,” he said.  “The six strides had to be very forward, and if you decided to go for that then you took the risk of not getting high enough over the water,” which was how it turned out for quite a few, but not for his brilliant stallion Casall Ask.

The biggest challenge of all came at the triple combination at fence eight which opened with a massive triple bar.  The second element, a very tall oxer, fell time and again when riders couldn’t collect their horses again quickly enough, while the one-stride distance to the vertical on the way out also demanded balance and control.

Bengtsson said, “It was a case of push (to the triple bar) and hold (for the oxer) and hope the fence stays up, and it was very short going out.” And, as if that wasn’t enough, it was essential to re-organise on landing as the super-wide oxer at fence nine, mostly ridden off a seven-stride pattern with a check for balance, was unforgiving.

And they were still a long way from home.  There were only two real opportunities to save important fractions of seconds in order to make the 87-seconds time-allowed, and the second of these came on the turn down the final line.  Horses had sight of the arena gateway and might well have been looking forward to going through it at this stage, but the most competitive riders turned them short to the narrow vertical along the arena perimeter which was followed by two great oxers at 11 and 12, the latter with a water-tray, before turning left down to the final vertical which brought them through the finish.

Brilliant Individual Performances

As the top 10 of the 19 competing nations battled it out there were some brilliant individual performances, and the quality of horsemanship shone through with a particularly brilliant exhibition from the youngest athlete in the Jumping Championships, Jos Verlooy, whose light-footed 10-year-old gelding, Domino, made the formidable track look like a walk in the park. The 17-year-old son of Belgian rider Axel Verlooy trains with The Netherlands‘ Harrie Smolders and oozes talent.  Unsurprisingly, Verlooy Jnr said today, “From the first fence my horse felt super. I found the course very smooth to jump and I did not at all feel nervous.”  A rider for the future for sure.

The Belgian team was lying tenth as the day began, but when the Irish and Spanish slipped they improved to eighth place, and just 0.04 points separating them from Italy in seventh and trailing the sixth-placed Dutch by just 0.27 points so there is little or nothing between these teams.  The fifth-placed Swedes go into tomorrow’s decider just over a fence off the leading British while Germany added just four faults to their tally today to hold onto fourth spot.  Pathfinder Daniel Deusser produced a classic clear from Cornet d’Amour and anchorman Ludger Beerbaum followed suit with Chiara, but both Carsten-Otto Nagel and Corradina, silver medallists at the last two European Championships in Madrid, Spain in 2011 and Windsor, Great Britain in 2009, and Christian Ahlmann with Codex One fell victim to the middle element of the triple combination for four faults each.

Real Battle

The real battle was played out between the French, British and Swiss, the latter really applying the pressure when the only penalty they collected today was the discard single time-fault of Pius Schwizer and Picsou du Chene.  Paul Estermann’s Irish mare, Castlefield Eclipse, breezed home while Janika Sprunger’s Palloubet d’Halong looked every bit the offspring of the legendary Baloubet du Rouet when making almost every fence look like it should be a metre higher.  And with anchorman Steve Guerdat’s Olympic gold medal winning ride, Nino des Buissonets, simply jumping for fun the Swiss look set to pounce if the British can’t hold it together tomorrow.  The difference of 0.27 points leaves no room for a whisper of a mistake.

But the Olympic team gold medallists were superb, pathfinder Ben Maher producing yet another stunning performance from Cella.  He asked her for some long shots including a big stand-off at the formidable oxer at fence nine, but it seems her answer is always a positive one.  Michael Whitaker rode one of the great rounds of his long and successful career with the 11-year-old Viking.  The Yorkshire-born rider has many reasons to be in celebratory mood, particularly following his marriage, just last week, to long-time partner Melissa Braybrooke and today put another big smile on his face.  It wasn’t completely plain sailing for the British quartet however as William Funnell’s home-bred 12-year-old stallion, Billy Congo, left three fences on the floor so it was up to Scott Brash to stay clear and pile the pressure on French anchorman Kevin Staut as the day came to a close.

Brash is no shrinking violet however, and with the quality of jumping from Hello Sanctos that helped earn that historic Olympic team gold at Greenwich Park in London last summer he ensured his side had nothing to add to yesterday’s scoreline.

French prospects were already threatened by four-fault efforts from opener Patrice Delaveau with Orient Expresss HDC and second-line rider Aymeric de Ponnat and Armitages Boy – yet another victim of the middle element of the triple combination.  But when Roger-Yves Bost steadied the ship with a great clear from Castle Forbes Myrtille Paulois they might still finish with just four faults and maintain the lead they established yesterday.  Anchorman Staut made it to the open water before making his first mistake with Silvana HDC, and when the final vertical was also dislodged their eight faults ensured that both Deleaveau and de Ponnat’s single errors would have to be counted.  So they dropped to third as the action drew to a close.

Narrow Lead

Nothing has changed at the very top of the Individual rankings, with Maher still holding a narrow lead over Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat in second and Frenchman, Bost in third.  Fourth-placed Bengtsson is followed by Portugal’s Luciana Diniz who produced another fantastic round from Winningmood for just a single time fault today while Germany’s Daniel Deusser is in sixth ahead of Brash in seventh place.  History shows that it is difficult to be in the race for the Individual medals when lying much further down the line as the top-25 carry their penalty points into Saturday’s finale, but Spain’s Sergio Alvarez Moya (Carlo), Belgium’s Ludo Phillippaerts (Challenge V. Begijnakker) and Switzerland’s Janika Sprunger (Palloubet d’Halong) may have some ideas about that.

Maher said today, “So far, so good!” but he knows there is still a long way to go before the medals are awarded.  “There is always drama as the week goes on at these kind of Championships but I will continue to do my best; Cella is great and I just need to trust her.  She’s learned so much this summer; she’s a dream ride with a lot of attitude – that’s what makes her so great!”

Brash’s anchor ride was pivotal to the British rise to the top of the team rankings.  When asked how he felt under today’s pressure, he replied, “For sure we needed a clear, but when it’s like that then you’ve just got to do what you’ve got to do.” And he did it.

Tomorrow he and his team-mates will need to do it all over again if the British are to add the PSI FEI European Team Jumping Championship medals to their golden collection.  The action resumes at 18.00 tomorrow evening.

Result after Second Competition – First round of Team Final and second Individual – here.

Facts and Figures:

19 teams competed in today’s first round of the Team Final at the PSI FEI European Jumping Championships 2013 in Herning, Denmark.

18 horse-and-rider combinations jumped clear over today’s 13-fence course.

Lying second overnight, Great Britain snatched the lead from France, and go into tomorrow’s second and last leg of the Team Competition with a narrow advantage of just 0.27 points over Switzerland in silver medal position while France lie in bronze medal spot.

The top three in the Individual rankings remain the same after clear rounds from leader Ben Maher from Great Britain, second-placed Steve Guerdat from Switzerland and third-placed Roger Yves Bost from France.

Defending Individual champion, Rolf-Goran Bengtsson from Sweden, has improved from seventh place to fourth.

The youngest rider in the PSI FEI European Jumping Championships 2013 is 17-year-old Jos Verlooy from Belgium who steered the 10-year-old gelding Domino to a superb clear round over today’s tough track.

Quotes:

Scott Brash GBR – “Yesterday I didn’t think the course was massive but it jumped harder than it looked.  Today was hard; the combination was really difficult and the last line was very tough.”

Scott Brash GBR, talking about his horse Hello Sanctos in the lead-up to these Championships – “He jumped double-clear in Dublin and he’s in great form right now.  I’m careful what I do with him, and his next show will be in Barcelona (Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup Jumping Final).”

Henrick von Eckerman SWE, talking about the mare Gotha who jumped clear today – “I was there for her today but yesterday I wasn’t there for her when she really needed it.  When we are a team together then it is great – you can’t struggle against her; she’s a very gentle woman!”

Michael Whitaker GBR – “I had a great ride today.  He (Viking) didn’t touch a fence and was really steady. I am really happy with him today and with the ride.”

Ludger Beerbaum GER – “I am really pleased – she (Chiara) could not have jumped better.  I changed a lot of things during the ride but she responded really well.”

For further information on the ECCO FEI European Championships 2013, go to website: http://european-herning.dk/GB.aspx.

FEI Online Press kits

Extensive information on the P.S.I. FEI European Jumping Championships, Blue Hors FEI European Dressage Championships and JYSK FEI European Para-Dressage Championships, can be found in the FEI’s Online Press Kit Zone: www.feipresskits.org. Each press kit includes an event preview, athlete biographies, competition timetable, Championships history and key contact details.

FEI TV

The P.S.I. FEI European Jumping Championships and Blue Hors FEI European Dressage Championships will be live on FEI TV, the FEI’s official online video platform, starting on 20 August at 16.45 local time – see the complete live schedule here: www.feitv.org/live. Key performances and interviews with medal winners will be available as video-on-demand from the JYSK FEI European Para-Dressage Championships.

By Louise Parkes

Media Contacts:

At Herning:

Britt Carlsen
Press Officer
bc@wiegaarden.dk
+45 96 570 580

At FEI:

Ruth Grundy
Manager Press Relations
ruth.grundy@fei.org
+41 78 750 61 45

Grania Willis
Director Press Relations
Email: grania.willis@fei.org
Tel: +41 787 506 142

Championships, Competitions, FEI, Show Jumping

French Head Team Ranking While Britain’s Ben Maher Tops Individual Leaderboard after Opening Speed Leg

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Ben Maher and Cella won tonight’s first leg of the PSI FEI European Jumping Championship 2013 at Herning, Denmark. Photo: FEI/Kit Houghton.

Herning (DEN), 20 August 2013 – The PSI FEI European Jumping Championship 2013 got off to a great start in Herning, Denmark tonight with a thrilling victory for Great Britain’s Ben Maher and Cella, while the French quartet of Aymeric de Ponnat, Roger Yves Bost, Patrice Delaveau and Kevin Staut head the team standings.

The British lie second going into tomorrow’s first round of the Nations Cup-style team competition, with Switzerland in third ahead of the defending champions from Germany in fourth place.  A total of 19 teams lined out in tonight’s opening Speed class in which four seconds were added for each fence down, and, with results converted into points, just two fences separate the top seven nations as the action resumes tomorrow (Wednesday) morning.

Maher, a member of Great Britain’s London 2012 Olympic Games gold-medal-winning team, is followed closely on the individual leaderboard by individual Olympic champion Steve Guerdat from Switzerland, while French rider Roger Yves Bost is in third ahead of Portugal’s Luciana Diniz in fourth place.  Kevin Staut’s fifth-place finish helped to anchor the French advantage in the team rankings. But despite the fact that Jens Fredricson and defending European individual champion Rolf-Goran Bengtsson filled the next two places tonight, the Swedish team could only manage to slot into seventh place as the course designed by Germany’s Frank Rothenberger took its toll.

The Track

From a starting field of 78 runners there were 21 clear rounds over the 13-fence track. The opening vertical was the only obstacle to remain intact throughout the competition, and the faults began in earnest at the double – oxer to water-tray vertical – at fence five which was followed by a vertical at six before a sweeping turn to the oxers at fences seven and eight.  The rollback to the vertical at fence nine provided an opportunity to shave off valuable fractions of seconds, but some paid the price at the following vertical at 10 before turning down the most difficult line of all.

Just three fences from home, Rothenberger set them an airy liverpool oxer framed by brightly-coloured pencil poles, and this proved very influential indeed.  However it was the following triple combination that claimed the maximum number of victims, with over 30 horse-and-rider combinations faulting here before turning right-handed to the final oxer.

First to Go

Ireland’s Shane Sweetnam and the ever-reliable Amaretto Darco were first to go, and their effortless clear in 81.08 seconds left them out in front for some considerable time.  But they would have to settle for twelfth place in the final analysis and it was Jens Fredricson’s brilliant gelding, Lunatic, who was quickest around the track when breaking the beam in 74.90 seconds only to leave the very last fence on the floor for an additional four-second penalty.

Team-mate Bengtsson produced a cool clear from Casall Ask, and in seventh spot is well-situated to defend his title over the coming days.  It was Bost’s time of 77.47 seconds that set the first major target however.  The Frenchman’s super rollback to the vertical at nine and the extraordinary pace of his brilliant mare, Castle Forbes Myrtille Paulois, really put it up to the rest of them.

But Maher has built an exceptional relationship with the grey mare Cella which he has only been riding since the beginning of the year.  They have honed themselves into a formidable partnership, and as the British rider dared her to down to her fences today she seemed to relish the challenge, storming home in the winning time of 76.31 seconds.

Determined Run

Guerdat and his Olympic gold medal winning ride, Nino des Buissonnets, set off on their determined run in the closing stages.  The 12-year-old gelding always likes to go like the wind, but their time of 76.89 seconds wouldn’t be quite quick enough.  He said afterwards, “At the combination I maybe got a little chicken! But I thought of the days that are coming and I took my horse back a bit there.  I’m very happy with the way my horse jumped, and I don’t think I took too much out of him today,” he explained.

Calculating just how much to ask of horses over the early days of these Championships is key to success, and tonight’s winning rider, Maher, understood that too.  “From experience I know it’s important to be good again the following day… so I didn’t take every single risk.  In the end one fence down and fast is better than clear and slow.  Cella is naturally a fast horse so I just let her run and jump, and she did most of the work for me!” he insisted.

Maher said he believed his winning edge may have been achieved by his gallop down the last tricky line of fences. “The liverpool to the triple combination… was eight or nine strides.  I did eight and she (Cella) jumped the combination very well,” he explained.  Now it’s a matter of looking forward and staying out in front.  “It’s always good to be ahead on the first day so that if I jump more clear rounds the other riders still can’t catch me,” he said tonight, adding that Championship titles “can be lost on Day 1, but they can’t be won” (on the first day).

In His Sights

Guerdat however clearly has individual victory also in his sights.  Talking about his Olympic gold medal winning ride, Nine des Buissonnets, he mentioned this evening that his preparation for these Championships have been carefully managed. “I did a national show with him jumping 1.35/1.40m and a 1.50m Grand Prix but didn’t do the jump-off.  I try to save him because I want to have him as long as possible and to bring him out for the big competitions.  He feels good,” said the Olympic champion ominously.

Some more clean jumping over the remaining two rounds of the Team competition will leave him well-positioned to challenge for the European title as the top-25 go through to Saturday’s Individual Final.

Firstly however, it’s still all to play for in the Team Championship, with the British trailing the French leaders by just 5.04 points as the action gets underway again on Wednesday morning.  And with the Swiss only another 0.27 points further behind in third place followed closely by Germany, Italy, Ireland and then Sweden it promises to be a right royal battle for the PSI FEI European Team Jumping Championship 2013 title over the next two days.

Result after First Competition – Individual and Team – here.

Facts and Figures:

Course designer for PSI FEI European Jumping Championships 2013 is Germany’s Frank Rothenberger.

13 fences in opening Speed competition in which four seconds was added for each fence down.

This class counts towards both the Team and Individual standings.

Today’s results have been converted into points which are carried through to tomorrow.

78 starters and 21 clear rounds.

2 eliminations, Angelica Augustsson (Mic Mac du Tillard) from Sweden who jumped fence 9 instead of fence six on her tour of the track and Russia’s Natalia Simonia (Kilar) who was unseated at the second fence.

Teams from 19 countries – Belarus, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Sweden, Spain and Switzerland.

France holds the lead in the team competition ahead of the reigning Olympic champions from Great Britain in second while Switzerland lies third going into tomorrow’s first round of the Nations Cup.

Individual leader is Great Britain’s Ben Maher, a member of the London 2012 Olympic Games gold medal winning team.

Reigning individual Olympic champion, Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat, lies second with Nino des Buissonnets ahead of Roger-Yves Bost and Castle Forbes Myrtille Paulois in third for France.

Quotes:

Course designer Frank Rothenberger – “I wasn’t surprised about (the difficulties encountered at) the liverpool near the entrance. The wings on this jump were 3m high at the side and the liverpool was dug into the ground so the horses were more spooky.  Normally (a liverpool) is on top of the surface, and there was also some grass decorating the edge which made it a bit spooky.”

Steve Guerdat (SUI) – “Always when you have a course with a lot of gallop to open up the horses, even if it didn’t look difficult, if you have an easy start and it builds towards the end, they course they feel it, and they get a bit lower.”

Ben Maher (GBR) – “Cella came to me since Christmas and had no experience on the European circuit.  Dublin was her last show, and I hadn’t intended jumping her in the Grand Prix but she needed the rounds and I’m very happy with her.”

FEI YouTube: http://youtu.be/5MAFZrO0DGQ

For further information on the ECCO FEI European Championships 2013, go to website: http://european-herning.dk/GB.aspx.

FEI Online Press kits

Extensive information on the P.S.I. FEI European Jumping Championships, Blue Hors FEI European Dressage Championships and JYSK FEI European Para-Dressage Championships, can be found in the FEI’s Online Press Kit Zone: www.feipresskits.org. Each press kit includes an event preview, athlete biographies, competition timetable, Championships history and key contact details.

FEI TV

The P.S.I. FEI European Jumping Championships and Blue Hors FEI European Dressage Championships will be live on FEI TV, the FEI’s official online video platform, starting on 20 August at 16.45 local time – see the complete live schedule here: www.feitv.org/live. Key performances and interviews with medal winners will be available as video-on-demand from the JYSK FEI European Para-Dressage Championships.

By Louise Parkes

Media Contacts:

At Herning:

Britt Carlsen
Press Officer
bc@wiegaarden.dk
+45 96 570 580

At FEI:

Ruth Grundy
Manager Press Relations
ruth.grundy@fei.org
+41 78 750 61 45

Grania Willis
Director Press Relations
Email: grania.willis@fei.org
Tel: +41 787 506 142