You really can’t count on anything in life, and nowhere is that more true than in the cross-country phase of eventing.
Overnight leader Michael Jung of Germany, who has boatloads of world championships, European and Olympic medals, won’t be adding another to his collection after a freak fall Saturday during the FEI European Eventing Championships at Haras du Pin in France.
His reliable fisherChipmunk was only one minute and 33 seconds from making the finish line, as he focused on achieving the optimum time, when the horse went to his knees on a sandy slide after landing over a big log. Michi tumbled forward as the horse headed downward. He wound up in the water while Chipmunk galloped away. Happily, neither one was injured.
Here’s where fischerChipmunk lost his footing.
That was, of course, a major setback for the German team, which was second to the British squad after dressage. Who would have thought Michi would be the drop score?
The Brits widened their 9.2 penalty lead over Germany after dressage to 27.3 following cross-country. The Germans are a scant 0.2 penalties ahead of the home team, France.
With difficult footing conditions, only one rider, Britain’s 2018 world champion Ros Canter, finished within the optimum time of 8 minutes, 18 seconds. She is in first place individually on her dressage score of 21.3 penalties aboard Lordships Graffalo, better known as Walter.
Ros’s mount was unfazed by the troublesome surface.
“Machine is a very good word to describe Walter,” she said.
“He’s just an amazing horse to ride cross-country.”
Not only is he eminently adjustable, “he’s brave as well,” she noted.
Second place also belongs to Britain at the moment, with Kitty King and Vendredi Biats adding just 3.7 time penalties today to their dressage score of 27.2.
“I’m really chuffed with my horse, he really dug deep. He hated the ground from the second we set out, which for him [was hard] as he lives for cross-country and he didn’t enjoy himself as he normally would, which is a big shame,” said Kitty.
“The ground was hard work and he kept trying and jumping and was really straight and genuine, I couldn’t ask any more of him and I’m proud of how hard he tried for me. It’s a shame we were a little bit slow, but I rode the horse I had underneath me. He came home happy and sound, and that’s the most important thing – and we’ve got a good score on the door for the team.”
World Champion Yamin Ingham dropped from fifth in dressage to 25th after adding 32.4 cross-country penalties (20 plus 12.4 time) on Banzai du Loir.
After jumping two elements at fence 22, she missed the third, noting noted her mount “didn’t get off the bank on the right distance,” so he wasn’t in position to take the next obstacle. Aside from that, she said, “he went around the rest with absolute perfection. I’m so proud of him for giving me his all today.”
Laura Collett, the other member of the British team, dropped from fourth to 14th with London 52 after adding 24.2 penalties to her dressage score of 22.4. Her horse took a flag with him at the second element of Fence 20 (tents memorializing the stay of Napoleon at Haras du Pin) and she was charged with 15 penalties for that, in addition to 9.2 time.
“I couldn’t be prouder of him, he’s never had to dig as deep as that before and he kept trying and jumping – he’s just so honest. On good ground, that course would have felt fantastic on a horse like him,” Laura observed.
Tom McEwan, riding as an individual for Britain, dislodged a MIM clip at fence 22 with JL Dublin but continued until the water at fence 25. The horse jumped in well, then missed at the next part, a step over a rail to a skinny.When his horse jumped the rail awkwardly Tom couldn’t stay with him, which meant he was eliminated by the fall.
Britain’s other individual, Tom Jackson with Capels Hollow Drift, had a stop at the last element of fence 25, that difficult final water, and stands 32d of the 38 who completed today. Three from the original field of 56 retired, 13 were eliminated and two withdrew.
The footing was sticky after rains Friday, leading to a two-hour delay of the start time in at the venue in Normandy, (which I remember well from the footing situation at the 2014 FEI World Equestrian Games that also were held there.) Despite an extra dose of sunshine on the turf, the going was difficult. In the interests of safety, organizers wisely took a loop out of the course designed by Pierre Le Goupil and the optimum time was reduced.
Ros Canter of Great Britain and Lordships Graffalo (Walter) were perfect cross-country. (Photo by Les Garennes)
Germany’s Christoph Wahler, standing sixth on Carjatan X, noted, “It wasn’t the most pleasant round I’ve ever had.”
He found the striding changed before the fences due to the condition of the surface.
“With the ground being as it was, it was hard work, starting at fence one. It was hard work for us and even harder for the horses.”
While it was a “big, nicely built course,” after the rain came, “then the conditions changed everything and the way your horse can cope with the conditions again changes everything.”
Germany’s Christoph Wahler and Carjatan X at the keyhole. (Photo by Les Garennes)
Dickie Waygood, the British chef d’equipe, noted, “We saw today horses that had to work very hard; the ground was very energy-sapping. Horses didn’t always move toward the fences on the stride that they saw.”
At the same time, he called it, ” a fantastic championship track,” praising the designer for adapting to the weather.
The course designer is also laying out the cross-country for next year’s Paris Olympics. One might think that would give those riding in the Europeans an edge over those who weren’t there. But he is also handling the course for this autumn’s Pan American Games in Chile. so that takes care of the Western Hemisphere to make everything fair.
Click here for the team standings. Click on this link for individual standings.
