Karin Donckers. Photo: Katarzyna Boryna/Strzegom Horse Trials.
Strzegom, 20.05.2017 – If you ever had a busy day, we know exactly what you mean. It was full speed ahead as we had everything from horse inspections to show jumping to cross country planned ahead. That meant it would be horses and riders all over the place.
We woke up this morning to what probably was perfect weather for the horses entering the XC course. Cloudy with a bit of a breeze, yet no more than 14 degrees. A quick change of gear and almost everybody entering the horse inspection where set with boots, hoodies, gloves and winter jackets. Of course; nothing does the trick as the occasional horse blanket around your shoulders so all set for a full day of action.
Speaking of horse inspection, we got off to an early start with horse inspection for both the CIC1* and CIC2*. With only two horses withdrawn and one horse not accepted in both classes it seemed a good indicator that the horses were still in good condition. The breeze hitting the side of the trot up probably added an additional “freshness” to some horses, giving their riders a bit of struggle to hold on. Overall a good morning entering the show jumping for these two classes.
The CIC1* showjumping started almost just after the CIC2* trot up and honestly, it was just a lovely contest. Noora Cederberg/Tilda V – the overnight leader – had one tiny fence down the last line leaving her in 2nd position, closely followed by Julia Elzanowska/Lucky Comeback in 3rd. Julia rode a clear round both in the XC and show jumping but nothing could touch the winner of the day Janet Wiesner on her 16-year-old horse FST Golden Joy. Janet had a great start in the dressage and clear rounds in both XC and Showjumping made her the winner of the day. Janet is just back in the saddle after she gave birth to a marvelous little daughter only seven weeks ago. What an amazing star.
A big congratulation to the Wiesner family to both the new born daughter that of course was with her mother here in Strzegom and to a great win in CIC1*.
CIC2* was almost all about the German riders from start to finish. The only riders who had a chance to beat the Germans riders out of a victory in the showjumping was Jan Kaminski/Senior and Merel Blom/The Quizmaster. Unfortunately Jan got one fence down and Merel two fences, leaving the German team with a complete top three starring Rebecca-Juana Gerken/Scipio S in 3rd , Elmar Lesch/Lanzelot 113 in 2nd, and the unstoppable Kai Rüder in both 1st and 4th place. What a super day for the German team.
After the horse inspections and CIC1* and CIC2*, the XC for the CCI1* started at 9.am. Julia Gillmaier riding Quinton 14 was the overnight leader continue to have super day leaving her still in 1st position after XC. For most riders the XC seemed quite a test so lots of changes in the top ten. Both Sandra Auffarth and Therse Viklund (top 2nd and 3rd) had a bit of a rough day and the new top 2nd Miloslav Prihoda JR/Ferreolus Lat and 3rd Lina Forsberg/Caloj.
Coming in after the lunch break we opened up the FEI Nations Cup, the 1st leg being started here in Strzegom. Honestly, the only thing that was not a surprise was the German riders. Having a mix of new and less experienced horses and riders opened up the competition a great deal and we got same real ups and downs during the day. The course had some fences we knew would prove hard (the line after the second water complex for example) and then there were some other fences that caught both us and riders by surprise (the checkered yellow and black fences on the small hills for example). Quite a few riders had problems with runouts and the time – only one rider, Alexander Bragg, inside the time. Having one rider jumping the wrong fence at the end of the course gave the Netherlands a less fun day as they were up there competing about the top three positions. The XC truly proved itself as being technical and seemed to tear a bit mentally both on horses on riders. Germany is still in the lead with almost 30 points.
1. Germany 2. Sweden 3. Great Britain 4. Netherlands 5. Italy. 6. Poland
Having a look at the individual scores on the FEI Nations Cup, Kai Rüder continues to have a field trip here in Strzegom, being in 1st position followed by three other German riders. Without ruining the fun for show jumping; we dare to predict Germany is going to be very hard to beat.
Last but not least, the CCI3* where Karin Donckers had a great day with two horses in the top ten (1st and 8th). Also in this class, we could see a lot of changes in the top ten, where we had refusals and time penalties changing the scoreboard. The XC continued to be a mentally tough and really demanded of the riders to keep the rhythm, good lines and balance. The CCI3* leaves us with Karin Donckers/Fletcha van’t Verahof in 1st, Merel Blom/Rumor Has it N.O.P in 2nd, and Eveline Bodenmüller/Waldmann in 3rd.
Still in our winter jackets and hoodies, we have had a bit of a cold day but lots of heartwarming rides and lots of great sport as we completed this year’s XC. We have had the opportunity to get to know new team members in the FEI Nations Cup and now we will take a well-deserved break for the evening and get ready for the final day with showjumping.
If you cannot make it, don’t worry. You can join Strzegom Horse Trials live via our web site: http://www.strzegomhorsetrials.pl/pl/galeria/strzegom-tv.html.
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