Tag Archives: David Will

Sweden Leads Team Ranking, but Germany and Switzerland Are Close Behind

Germany’s David Will and C Vier. (FEI/Christoph Taniere)

Team Sweden swept into the lead on the opening day of the Longines FEI Jumping European Championship 2021 at Riesenbeck, Germany, but the newly-crowned Olympic champions have only a narrow advantage over the host country, who in turn lie just ahead of Switzerland going into the first round of the team competition.

The beautiful big grass arena at the charming new venue created by multiple Olympian Ludger Beerbaum and his team provided the perfect backdrop to a great day of sport. And the hosts had plenty to cheer about when David Will was quickest around Frank Rothenberger’s 13-fence track for a German victory with C Vier in the opening Speed class.

Second-last to go, and chasing the target time set by Tokyo Olympic individual silver and team gold medallist Sweden’s Peder Fredricson riding Catch Me Not, Will shaved almost a second off that without seeming to turn a hair.

“My plan was not necessarily to win this class. I wanted to land a really good round and do everything right leading up to the next days, but of course winning is a very big plus so I couldn’t be happier for myself or my horse. His jumping was amazing; he made it easy for me, so the credit really belongs to him!” said the 33-year-old Will who is competing in his very first Championship.

Pathfinders

Swedish pathfinders, Angelica Augustsson Zanotelli and Kalinka van de Nachtegaele, had a clear but relatively slow tour of the track to come home in 80.92 seconds. But when Rolf-Goran Bengtsson and Ermindo W broke the beam in 75.58, Douglas Lindelow and Casquo Blue stormed home in 73.59, and then Peder Fredricson produced his country’s fourth clear of the competition in 72.58, they clinched pole position in the team rankings when the top three scores were counted.

On top of that, Fredricson lies second and Lindelow third individually, with Olivier Robert from France in fourth with Vivaldi des Meneaux and defending individual champion Martin Fuchs from Switzerland in fifth with Leone Jei.

The German team looked compromised when Maurice Tebbel’s Don Diarado was withdrawn. “Of course it was bad for us that Maurice couldn’t ride, but this decision had to be made for the horse. But if you have Marcus Ehning as the fifth you are still pretty OK! We have a good team and a good team spirit; we are working well together and we’ll see where this leads us. I think we can be very happy with this start,” Will said.

Christian Kukuk’s Mumbai and Andre Thieme’s DSP Chakaria are not long back from Tokyo, but both German horses were looking great when slotting into tenth and 17th individually. The Swedes will be under plenty of pressure if they are to stay ahead of the home contingent. Although the Swiss were a little unlucky.

On course

Anchorman Steve Guerdat looked on course for a really fast result with Albfuehren’s Maddox that could challenge for the lead but, coming down to the wall of planks at fence nine on a seven-stride distance, the stallion put down for an extra one at the last minute and ploughed through the timber. The pair cleared the finish in 71.96 which would have been the second-quickest time of the class, but the addition of four seconds for that mistake left them in 14th place instead, just behind Swiss team-mates Elian Baumann with Campari Z and Bryan Balsiger and AK’s Courage. Fuchs’ great fifth-place result was therefore pivotal at the end of the day.

The Netherlands lies fourth, France fifth, and the defending champions from Belgium are in sixth place. Belgian chances were undermined when, in what looked set to be another good round, Olivier Philippaerts’ Le Blue Diamond v’t Ruytershof did exactly the same thing as Guerdat’s stallion at the planks at fence nine.

At the post-competition press conference, Peder Fredricson said, “There was something about that fence that was a bit spooky. When my horse came in, he also had a little look at it – I showed it to him and he really didn’t like it but when he was up and going, he didn’t mind it!” he explained.

Commenting on the course in general, the Swedish star added, “It was really well built, quite welcoming for the horses – a nice start but with a few good questions, including the turn inside to the water and the two combinations at the end. He (Frank Rothenberger) did a really good job; most horses jumped well and confidently and still there were mistakes,” he pointed out.

Temptation

Lindelow described his feeling after steering his 11-year-old gelding into third individually and helping to anchor his country’s team lead. He also talked about the temptation to try too hard where speed was so important. “It’s easy to get drawn in when the class is running so that you try to ride faster than you planned initially. But I think I stuck to my plan, and I’m very happy with the result, and with my horse,” he said.

He wasn’t the only one feeling pleased. “I’m pleased, relieved, a little bit proud, and a little bit honoured!” said event creator Ludger Beerbaum, who was anxious that everything went right at this first major fixture on his home turf. It’s less than a year since the Championship was allocated to his venue which has been rapidly developed since then.

“It’s my name up front but it’s definitely not all my achievement or glory; we have a great group of people: Karsten (Lütteken, Show Director) and the whole team at Riesenbeck International. You never really know when you do an event for the first time – are we really able to do this, are we competent enough, will the ground last, will we have a nice competition, especially in the speed class? You never know 100%. But I couldn’t be more pleased,” he said.

Results and startlists here.

by Louise Parkes

Media contact:

Shannon Gibbons
Manager, Media Relations & Media Operations
shannon.gibbons@fei.org
+41 78 750 61 46

David Will Scores Back-to-Back Victories at Royal Horse Show

David Will riding Calista. Photos by Ben Radvanyi Photography.

Toronto, Ontario – David Will of Germany scored his second victory in a row, winning the $50,000 Weston Canadian Open on Friday, November 11, at the CSI4*-W Royal Horse Show, held as part of the 94th Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto, ON.

Hot off his win in Thursday night’s $35,000 International Accumulator aboard Cento du Rouet, Will returned to the Ricoh Coliseum with Calista to top a 22-horse starting field.  Racing over the speed track, Will shaved more than two full seconds off the time posted by three-time Olympic medalist McLain Ward of the United States, stopping the clock in 51.20 seconds versus Ward’s time of 53.31 seconds aboard Malou.

“There were many, many options,” said Will of the track set by course designer Bernardo Cabral of Portugal.  “I decided into the second double to do five strides because she has a very big stride.  Then you could do an inside turn again to the next one.  The course designer asked everything from us – if we can leave out strides, if we can do short turns.  It was a very nice course.

“McLain was second today,” continued Will.  “It’s really, really hard to beat him, so it’s like a little plus, even.  It shows me that I’ve done well if I’m able to beat him.”

U.S. rider Jessica Springsteen finished close behind in third place with a time of 53.77 seconds riding Tiger Lily for owner Stone Hill Farm.  Ten-time Canadian Olympian Ian Millar was fourth in front of an appreciative home crowd, stopping the clock at 55.09 seconds riding Dixson, owned by Susan and Ariel Grange.  Ireland’s Darragh Kenny rounded out the top five riding Cassini Z, owned by 2008 Canadian Olympic team silver medalist Mac Cone’s Sothern Ways.

McLain Ward and Malou
McLain Ward and Malou

For Will, his first trip to Canada has been a winning one.  In addition to bringing two of his own horses from Europe, he was reunited with Calista, a horse he rode as a seven-year-old.  Now owned by fellow competitor Georgina Bloomberg’s Gotham Enterprizes, Bloomberg generously loaned her horse to Will for The Royal.

“It couldn’t be any better!” said Will of competing for the first time at The Royal.  “It’s a great show, especially for us riders.  There’s a really good crowd that pushes us to do our best performances.  You feel that all of the people are involved in horse sport, and they really know if you are doing good at what you have done.  It’s just great!”

Competition at the Royal Horse Show continues on Saturday with the crowd-favorite $15,000 Canine-Equine Challenge, presented by the Toronto Star, as the matinee performance, and the grand finale, the $75,000 GroupBy ‘Big Ben’ Challenge, to close out the international show jumping division.

Tickets for the Royal Horse Show can still be purchased by visiting royalfair.org or ticketmaster.ca.

For more information on the Royal Horse Show, the marquee event of The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, visit royalfair.org/horse-show.

Contact: Jennifer Ward
Cell: 613 292-5439
www.jumpmediallc.com

David Will and Cento Du Rouet Claim $35k 1.45m Horseware Ireland Speed Stake CSI 5*

David Will and Cento Du Rouet. Photos ©Sportfot.

Liza Boyd and Brunello Lead the Way in $50,000 USHJA International Derby

Mill Spring, NC – October 21, 2016 – David Will (GER) and Cento Du Rouet took home top honors in the $35,000 1.45m Horseware® Ireland Speed Stake CSI 5* at the Tryon International Equestrian Center (TIEC) with a fault free round and a speedy time of 53.37 seconds. Just a single second separated first and second places, as Richie Moloney (IRL) and Slieveanorra crossed through the timers in 54.69 seconds, earning the red rosette. Third place honors were awarded to Laura Kraut (USA) and Andretti S with a time of 55.95 seconds.

David Will and Cento Du Rouet, a 2007 Oldenburger Springferd gelding (Chintan x Balou du Rouet), owned by Centin Güngor, set out to secure another victory, although Will was not sure of his plan after walking the course.

“There were a couple of lines that were really long and you could leave out in or that you could add one. I didn’t have a plan from the start, but then I watched the others go and I made my plan,” Will detailed, explaining his strategy regarding the track set by Anthony D’Ambrosio (USA).

Will knew that he wanted to win the class, saying, “I was planning on trying to win it. After yesterday, I had a few unlucky rails and then I thought today I wanted to do something good.”

The pair, who has accumulated top finishes in their two weeks at TIEC, made their mark once again. Will went on to describe Cento Du Rouet’s strengths and how they set them up to be successful specifically in the speed classes.

“Cento is always good for a win. He is naturally really fast and careful. He’s just a real fighter. He also really enjoys going quick.”

Will and Cento Du Rouet have been partners for just a few months, competing in Europe throughout the summer before traveling to New York, NY for the Rolex Central Park Horse CSI 3* and then ultimately adding a stop in Mill Spring, NC for both the FEI CSI 3* and FEI CSI 5* events. The duo will next travel to Washington International Horse Show (WIHS).

“Tryon is fantastic!” Will exclaimed. “This place is perfect for the riders and the horses. The organization is really good and it is just great for riders to be here.”

Fan Favorites Liza Boyd and Brunello Lead the Way in $50,000 USHJA International Derby

Liza Boyd of Camden, SC and Brunello, owned by Finally Farm, Inc., upheld their reputation as the pair to beat in the $50,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby, topping a field of nineteen entries in front of a supportive hometown crowd on The Grass Complex at the Tryon International Equestrian Center (TIEC). Moving into the handy round, Boyd and Brunello amassed a total first round score of 184, which placed them atop the leaderboard. The duo earned a total score of 192 in their handy round effort, adding up to a final score of 376. The final tally solidified the win, amassing another historic and impressive victory for the duo. Kelley Farmer of Wellington, FL and Kodachrome, owned by Nina Moore, finished in a close second place with a total score of 374 points, while Erica Quinn of Maineville, OH and Celtic Fire, owned by CF Partners, scored a total of 362 to take third place honors.

Liza Boyd and Brunello
Liza Boyd and Brunello

This was the second time that Boyd and Brunello have competed together this year. On a crisp fall day at TIEC accompanying a beautiful derby track set on the Grass Complex, Boyd was feeling positive about showing with her veteran partner and three-time USHJA International Hunter Derby Champion.

“Today I just had fun. I enjoyed every moment and I really just enjoyed this horse. I actually wasn’t really even nervous. I was also really pleased with how the footing held up,” said Boyd.

After the first round, Boyd held an 11-point lead ahead of Kelley Farmer, which she used to her advantage when deciding how to approach the challenging handy track. Knowing that Brunello always has a knack to win, Boyd cantered onto the field for her final round with a dedicated plan to take home the blue ribbon.

“I think in these derbies you really have to strategize the final round and know what you have to do. I thought the handy rode quite nice and presented us with some really good options. I knew I could take one low option and I knew there was one inside turn I didn’t have to do,” Boyd added.

With another successful handy round under her belt, Boyd shared her tricks of the trade, opening up about her competition routine with derby mounts, who she competes in the jumper classes ahead of the highlighted hunter class.

“I do it for the horses but I also do it for myself as a rider,” Boyd explained. “It just gets me back in the groove of bending lines and turning, instead of the typical hunter round of inside, outside, inside, outside. Doing the jumper classes with the more technical and advanced tracks sharpens me up, as well as sharpens the horses.”

Boyd was thrilled with the opportunity to compete on the grass field with Brunello and her second mount, Shamrock, who earned tenth place honors on in the $50,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby. Boyd continued on to thank the Bellissimo family and Tryon Equestrian Partners (TEP) for allowing hunter riders and horses the opportunity to show on the new Grass Complex.

“If this class hadn’t been on the grass field, Brunello probably would not have shown. It’s really great for our sport and our industry. It was so much fun riding out there and it felt really special” she elaborated.

Receiving the loudest of cheers throughout the day, Boyd talked about riding Brunello in front of his home crowd, commenting, “Janet Peterson, Brunello’s owner, lives here and the Breyer celebration that was held in his honor took place here. He has a lot fans at TIEC and this class was calling his name.”

Boyd mentioned the talk surrounding Brunello’s retirement, but said, “I selfishly cannot retire him yet. Brunello makes me feel like a really, really, really good rider,” she smiled. “He makes it so easy; nothing ever looks big or hard when I am riding Brunello.”

The 2016 Tryon Fall Series presented by Greenville-Spartanburg Airport District offers six weeks of hunter and jumper competition, including three weeks of internationally recognized FEI show jumping featuring two FEI CSI 3* weeks and an FEI CSI 5*. For more information on Tryon International Equestrian Center (TIEC) and surrounding amenities, please visit www.tryon.com.

David Will and Cento Du Rouet Win $35k Horseware Ireland 1.45m Opener CSI 3* at Tryon

David Will and Cento Du Rouet. Photos ©Sportfot.

Mill Spring, NC – October 12, 2016 – David Will (GER) and Cento Du Rouet earned a major victory in the $35,000 Horseware® Ireland 1.45m Opener CSI 3* at Tryon International Equestrian Center (TIEC), taking their first career win at the venue. Will and Cento Du Rouet crossed through the timers in 63.12 seconds for first place ahead of Shane Sweetnam (IRL) and Cornwall who collected second place honors with a time of 63.86 seconds. Will piloted his second mount, Monodie H, to third place after narrowly edging the pursuing field with a time of 64.47 seconds.

Will and Cento Du Rouet, owned by Centin Gungor, took advantage of the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the George H. Morris Arena. Will first guided Monodie H, owned by Dietmar Gugler, around the course set by Michel Vaillancourt (CAN) and felt he better understood the direct routes to take on Cento Du Rouet, which would ultimately secure the pair’s victory.

“With Monodie I took a couple of long ways and I wanted to turn tight with her but not gallop too much. She still went very well, enough to get third,” he said. “I’m very happy with her. With Cento, I wanted to try a little bit more and the course really got better towards the end. He did very well and the win gives me confidence for the rest of the week.”

Will is looking forward to competing in the remainder of FEI classes during Tryon Fall IV and will return with both mounts next week to contest the second FEI CSI 5* of the season at the venue. Off to a strong start, he hopes to continue his success from the first day of competition throughout the rest of the week with both horses.

“I will keep showing both Monodie and Cento in the FEI classes. Both horses will go tomorrow in the Suncast® class and then hopefully I will get to ride both in the bigger class on Saturday,” he said. “This is a really nice place for the horses and it’s very impressive. We’re very excited to be here.”

The partnership with Cento has been fruitful for Will, who took over the ride on the 2007 Oldenburg Springpferd gelding (Chintan x Balou Du Rouet) in early spring. The pair has amassed seven top ten finishes together at the FEI level in Europe so far this year and seems fit for top competition over the course of the next two weeks at TIEC.

“Cento is a real fighter. He always wants to work. He really enjoys it and hates it when he has to stay in the stall. He is always very excited to go in the ring and do his job well,” added Will.

The 2016 Tryon Fall Series presented by Greenville-Spartanburg Airport District offers six weeks of hunter and jumper competition, including three weeks of internationally recognized FEI show jumping featuring two FEI CSI 3* weeks and an FEI CSI 5*. For more information on Tryon International Equestrian Center (TIEC) and surrounding amenities, please visit www.tryon.com.

Wonderful Will Takes Everyone by Surprise with Super Victory in Last Rolex Qualifier of the Season at Den Bosch

David Will won today’s pivotal final leg with Colorit at ‘s-Hertogenbosch. Photo: FEI/Dirk Caremans.

‘s-Hertogenbosch (NED), 17 March 2013 – When David Will wakes up on the morning of his 25th birthday next Thursday, he may still be scratching his head about what happened in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands this afternoon.  Because although he is well-known on his national circuit in Germany, and contributed to his country’s victories in the FEI Nations Cup at Linz, Austria in 2011 and at Wellington, Florida last year, not even he could have expected to leave the elite of the sport floundering in his wake as he galloped to victory in the last qualifying leg of the Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping 2012/2013 Western European League series today.

Following a nonchalant first-round performance he went through to the nine-horse jump-off in which he crushed his considerably more-experienced opponents with another superb cruise around the track.  He has just one top horse, the grey stallion Colorit which owner Klaus Isaak has entrusted to him for the past year, but this bright new star rider has broken into the big league after today’s result which left Australia’s Edwina Tops-Alexander and the brilliant Itot du Chateau having to settle for runner-up spot while three-time Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping champion, Germany’s Marcus Ehning, finished third with Copin van de Broy.

Ehning remarked afterwards that he wasn’t entirely taken aback by Wills’ winning performance. “I know David; he is a very fast rider and he has beaten me already a few times, so this is not the first!” he insisted.  Will couldn’t hide his delight however, hardly daring to believe in what he had achieved. His expression of pure amazement as, one by one, his former superiors all fell short of his extraordinary target-time in the jump-off said it all.  “I wasn’t sure I was going to win until the very end,” said the rider whose career now looks set on a whole new trajectory.

Very Clever

Ehning describing the first-round course set by Dutchman Louis Konickx as “very clever”.  He said, “It was really fair, with great distances, but horses had to be really under control, and the last fence was a bit of a joker.”  It was no laughing matter for the two who made it all the way there only to put it on the floor however – Finland’s Maiju Mallat with Urleven van de Helle and reigning FEI European Champion Rolf-Goran Bengtsson from Sweden with Quintero la Silla who both seemed destined to make the cut into the timed round.

Konickx set them questions from outset, with the snaking line from the triple bar at three to the vertical at four and the oxer at five requiring a good eye and absolute accuracy. This was followed by a right-hand sweep to the narrow FEI vertical at six which was followed on four easy strides by the triple combination with a tight inside distance between the first two elements and a much longer stretch to the oxer on the way out. There was little time to prepare for the oxer at nine following the vertical at eight, and fence 10 hit the floor regularly as balance on approach became an issue.  The double at fence eleven came up quickly off the following left-hand turn and the long five strides to the penultimate oxer at 12 was the undoing of many.  But the bogey final vertical was always going to prove problematic, located just past the entrance to the arena and curving away at an uninviting angle. Time and again horses hung back on the approach and didn’t have enough jump left to clear it.  Germany’s Ludger Beerbaum and his promising nine-year-old, Zinedine, however were foot-perfect all the way only to fall foul of the 71 seconds time-allowed to pick up a single penalty and this proved good enough for tenth place in the final analysis.

Competitive Pathfinding Round

Sweden’s Malin Baryard-Johnsson set the pace against the clock with a competitive pathfinding round from H&M Tornesch who left all the poles intact in 36.68 seconds. The first three fences remained the same, but the triple bar was followed by a long run to the narrow vertical at fence six which was now jumped in the opposite direction before riders turned across the top of the arena to tackle the double and then cut sharply back to the new vertical at fence 16.  From there there was a formidably long gallop down the full length of the arena to the final Rolex oxer, and, second to go, Will never flinched, looking the quintessential professional as he shaved over a second off Baryard-Johnsson’s time when clocking 35.73 to the undeniable amazement of the crowd.

Two horses later the super-speedy partnership of Edwina Tops-Alexander and Itot du Chateau looked set to relegate the young pretender as they curved closer on every turn-back and angled the penultimate vertical.  But the clock showed 35.84 seconds as they crossed the line, so Will was still out in front when Dutchmen Jur Vrieling (VDL Bubalu) and Marc Houtzager (Sterrehof’s Uppity) each collected four faults. There were still three to go as Ehning set sail on one of his classically smooth runs, but again he was 0.95 seconds slower than Will, and when Silvana HDC and Frenchman Kevin Staut hit the first element of the double and last man in, the home side’s Gerco Schroder, didn’t push New Orleans out of his comfort zone it was all over.  Will would be the man taking centre stage.

Unassuming

The unassuming 24-year-old, whose parents Sonja and Martin run a riding school at Chiemgau in Bavaria, trains and works with Dietmar Gugler who coaches young riders and produces horses from his equestrian centre near Frankfurt. Will has had Colorit for just over a year. “I got him last February and our biggest win before this was in the Grand Prix at Munich last year,” he explained.  “We were also third in the Riders Tour and he is a great horse, very consistent, and he places in nearly every Grand Prix he competes in,” the rider added.

When asked about his plan in today’s jump-off, he said, “I just tried to be as fast as I could. I wasn’t sure I was going to win until the very end with all the big names coming after me, especially Edwina – in the end the difference was just the blink of an eye!” he pointed out. And his plans for the future after his sensational result today?  “I’m going to Japan to compete there next week,” he explained, “and my ambition is to go as fifth rider to some of the Super League shows so that I can prove myself and get more experience,” he added.  He has little to prove after today however having beaten so many of the best in the game, fair and square.

Very Satisfied

Talking about the show, Gert Jan Swinkels, President of Indoor Brabant, said, “The organisers are very satisfied and we would like to thank Rolex who have been with us for a lot of years.  We have had 64,000 spectators this year and a really good atmosphere so it was a perfect show.  We said goodbye to Salinero here yesterday but Anky (van Grunsven) has decided to become a member of our Board of Directors so we are very pleased and can expect a lot of good things to come from that.”

FEI Commercial Manager, Frederique Martin-Baste, confirmed the result of the Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping 2012/2013 Western European League qualifying series, pointing out that although he finished in 19th position, Rolf-Goran Bengtsson will join his Swedish counterparts Malin Baryard-Johnsson, Henrik von Eckermann and Jens Fredricson at the Rolex FEI World Cup Final in Gothenburg in a few weeks’ time because Australia’s Edwina Tops-Alexander, who holds 18th place, qualifies from her own region.

The stage is set for a fantastic end to a brilliant series, but this evening was all about the emergence of a new German star in the shape of David Will who once again demonstrated the unpredictable nature of the great sport of Jumping.

For further information on round 12 of the Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping 2012/2013 series at ‘s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands, go to website www.indoorbrabant.com or contact Press Officer Denise van der Net, Email info@denisevandernet.nl or Tel +47 959 26 347.  The Rolex FEI World Cup Final 2012/2013 will take place in Gothenburg, Sweden from 24 to 28 April 2013.  For all information on the Swedish fixture, check out www.gothenburghorseshow.com or contact Press Officer Mayvor Thorin, Email mayvor.thorin@gotevent.se, Tel +46 31 368 43 49.

Result:  1, Colorit (David Will) GER 0/0 35.73; 2, Cevo Itot du Chateau (Edwina Alexander) AUS 0/0 35.84; 3, Copin van de Broy (Marcus Ehning) GER 0/0 36.68; 4, H&M Tornesch (Malin Baryard-Johnsson) SWE 0/0 36.78; 5, New Orleans (Gerco Schroder) NED 0/0 38.41; 6, Silvana HDC (Kevin Staut) FRA 0/4 36.31; 7, Steffehof’s Uppity (Marc Houtzager) NED 0/4 37.35; 8, VDL Bubalu (Jur Vrieling) NED 0/4 40.50; 9, Challenge V. Begijnakker (Ludo Philippaerts) BEL 0/8 36.34; 10, Zinedine (Ludger Beerbaum) GER 1 fault in first round. Full result here.

Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping 2012/2013 – Standings after Round 12 at ‘s-Hertogenbosch (NED):

  1. Sergio Alvarez Moya ESP – 75
  2. Christian Ahlmann GER – 72
  3. Kevin Staut FRA – 72
  4. Pius Schwizer SUI – 70
  5. Luciana Diniz POR – 61
  6. Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum GER – 60
  7. Marcus Ehning GER – 59
  8. Edwina Tops-Alexander AUS – 54
  9. Malin Baryard-Johnsson SWE – 53
  10. Denis Lynch IRL – 53
  11. Marc Houtzager NED – 51
  12. Henrik von Eckermann SWE – 50
  13. Jens Fredricson SWE – 48
  14. Gerco Schroder NED – 48
  15. Penelope Leprevost FRA – 48
  16. Roger-Yves Bost FRA – 47
  17. Hans-Dieter Dreher GER – 46
  18. Steve Guerdat SUI – 44
  19. Rolf-Goran Bengtsson SWE – 43
  20. Nick Skelton GBR – 37

Facts and Figures:

‘s-Hertogenbosch in The Netherlands presented the last opportunity for riders in the Western European League to collect points towards qualification for the Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping Final which wlll take place in Gothenburg, Sweden from 24-28 April.

38 horse-and-rider combinations, representing 15 nations, started in today’s competition.

Course designer was The Netherlands’ Louis Konickx.

13 fences in first round with four verticals standing at maximum 1.60m – fences 4, 8, 10 and 13.

Youngest horses in today’s competition were both nine-year-olds – the KWPN bay gelding Glock’s Zaranza (Karandasj x Heartbreaker) ridden by Austria’s Robert Puck and the KWPN chestnut stallion Zinedine (Guidam x Heartbreaker) competed by Germany’s Ludger Beerbaum.

The oldest horse in the competition was Cevo Itot du Chateau, the 17-year-old Selle Francais chestnut gelding (Le Tot de Semilly x Galoubet A) ridden by the lady holding No. 5 position on the current Longines Jumping rankings, Australia’s Edwina Alexander.

10 mares, 13 stallions and 15 geldings competed in today’s class.

9 horse-and-rider combinations qualified for the second-round jump-off against the clock.

Just one rider picked up a single time fault – Germany’s Ludger Beerbaum who slotted into tenth place with Zinedine.

Quotes:

David Will – “This was not my first World Cup Grand Prix; I was allowed to ride in Stuttgart last year and had one down. It is a very different experience at this level if you come from 3 or even 4-star shows.”

Edwina Tops-Alexander, talking about today’s jump-off – “I had a great shot from fence one to two and three, to the next fence, the FEI fence it was a long 8; I almost thought I could do it on 7 but it was quite long. I got a good shot to the double and vertical – David did 6 there and I did 7 – but I was not quite good enough on the turn to the last – that’s where I lost it and he won it!”

To view the complete FEI World Cup Jumping Calendar, please click here.

To view the Longines World Rankings, please click here.

FEI TV: Review all the action at www.feitv.org

FEI YouTube: http://youtu.be/7pt2punY84I

by Louise Parkes

Media Contacts:

At ‘s-Hertogenbosch
Press Officer: Denise van der Net
Email: info@denisevandernet.nl
Tel: +47 959 26 347

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

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