by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 14, 2023
The USA’s Jessica Springsteen won her first 5-star show jumping competition with her Olympic team silver medal mount, Don Juan van de Donkhoeve, as the duo took the Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of London on Sunday.
Jessica Springsteen and Don Juan van de Donkhoeve are both all smiles after victory in the LGCT Grand Prix of London. (LGCT photo)
Olivier Philippaerts of Belgium was second for the second year in a row on H&M Miro. Picking up his 24th LGCT Grand Prix podium finish, Harrie Smolders of the Netherlands and Monaco N.O.P were third after a 10-horse jump-off, following a first round that drew 38 starters, five of whom retired on the course designed by Uliano Vezzani.
Against the backdrop of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, Jessie’s win also earned her the “golden ticket” to the LGCT Super Grand Prix in Prague this autumn.
“I’m so happy with Don today,” said Jessie.
“I took some risks but it paid off. I’m so excited, I’m honestly in shock. It means so much to win here, especially in front of this incredible atmosphere and crowd in London. It’s an incredible venue and an incredible crowd, they really give you the energy — they’re really cheering you on and I think you and your horse, they really feel that which is special.”
There were six double clears in the tiebreaker. When it was Jessie’s turn to go, she took off with a flying start and then made a risky, tight turn to the double, Jessie did just enough to take the top prize with a clocking of 43.01 seconds.
Olivier Philippaerts, astride the illustrious H&M Miro, gave it everything he could from start to finish, determined not to make the same mistake as last year adding an extra stride to the last that cost him the win. He couldn’t quite match Jessie’s pace, stopping the clock in 43.90 seconds.
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 13, 2023
Britain defended its 2021 FEI European Eventing Championships title and then some today at Haras du Pin, as it took not only team honors again, but also collected individual gold and silver with smooth performances by Ros Canter on Lordships Graffalo and Kitty King on Vendredi Biats.
Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo on their way to double gold. (Les Garennes photo)
The Brits, coached by Chris Bartles, will be looking for another triumph next year when they return to France for the Paris Olympics. Their 103.9 penalties final score at the Europeans gave them an enviable margin over runner-up Germany (131.2), which was without its top rider, as Michael Jung had a startling fall (read it here) on Saturday’s cross country when fischerChipmunk went to his knees after misjudging the landing at fence 24. (A real sportsman, Michi still showed up to stand on the podium with his teammates instead of going home in a wave of disappointment.)
The Germans were only 3 penalties ahead of the French, who took the bronze medal to the delight of the enthusiastic crowd that turned up for this afternoon’s show jumping.
The setting of the FEI European Eventing Championships, crowned by a chateau, is one of a kind. (Les Garennes photo)
The British team also included Laura Collett, ninth on London 52 (46.6) after a fault-free trip in show jumping, and world champion Yasmin Ingham on Banzai du Loir, 25th with the team’s drop score (59.8) after a rail in the final phase. Tom Jackson on Capels Hollow Drift competed as an individual for Britian and wound up 29th. Tom McEwen, also competing as an individual, was eliminated on cross-country after a fall from JL Dublin.
The show jumping course map for the FEI European Eventing Championships
Sticky ground for Saturday’s cross-country phase took its toll, as three from the original field of 56 retired, 13 were eliminated and two withdrew.
But for all that, the horses looked great in this morning’s trot-up, with everyone passing. (The very veteran Karin Donckers, who became the drop score of Belgian team, was the only absentee from the horse inspection when she left her Fletcha Van’t Verahof in the stables. That horse had competed at Haras in 2014 when it hosted the FEI World Equestrian Games.) At any rate, seventh-place Belgium, like the eighth-place Netherlands, achieved their goal here of qualifying for the Paris Olympics.
Dickie Waygood, the British team manager, breathed a sigh of relief once the medals were about to be distributed.
“We rode the dragon yesterday,” he said, referring to the difficult footing conditions.
“I think every team did. It was a tough old day in the office.”
Kitty left all the rails in place, but had 1.2 time penalties to finish on 32 penalties for her silver.
“I’m just so proud of my horse,” said Kitty, noting she “rode like an absolute idiot.”
But her horse came through for her.
“When I came out, I was so cross with myself… Now I’m beginning to realize it’s been a long time coming and he deserves it so much,” Kitty commented.
“I just didn’t give him a very easy job, I kept him guessing the whole way, I kicked when I should’ve pulled and I pulled when I should’ve kicked. But he was brilliant and he helped me out.”
The bronze went to 2014 world champion Sandra Auffarth of Germany, returning to the scene of her triumph from nine years ago. She had a perfect trip with Viamant du Matz, finishing on her cross-country total of 34.6.
An overview of the scene at the awards ceremony.
Ros, this year’s Badminton winner, came into the show jumping with two rails in hand. She only needed a margin of one over the route designed by Quentin Perney and Jean-Pierre Meneau. Aside from toppling that single pole, Walter, as she calls her horse, flowed along effortlessly.
Being in the lead, even with a comfortable margin, put pressure on Ros due to the expectations of fans and supporters.
“It almost makes it worse, because there’s longer to fall,” she explained.
A lot of people held their breath at fence 4, the triple combination, when the A element, a vertical came down as Walter tipped it. But there were no more mistakes.
“I had to keep myself in my little bubble,” said Ros, explaining how she coped coming into today.
“For me, the team always comes first. It’s what I dream of doing, it always has been.”
As usual, just before receiving her medals, she gave deserved kudos to her wise and patient mount.
“I’ve got Walter to thank for it. He’s just an unbelievable horse. He’s what dreams are made of.”
Lots of history at this site.We already mentioned the 2014 FEI World Equestrian Games. But the last time the Europeans were held at Haras, Great Britain mirrored today in taking team and individual gold and individual silver. The winners were Mary Gordon-Watson, Richard Walker, Derek Allhusen, Polly Hey-Hutchinson and Reuben Jones. Remembering is always nice for perspective.
Click here for individual results. Click here for team results.
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 14, 2023
You have until Aug.16 to comment on the FEI’s draft of proposed changes to its statutes, and one in particular is worth more than a look.
While the list includes everything from restricting the tightness of nosebands to banning grooming and tacking up in stable aisles at shows, one that could affect every athlete involves serious sanctions in connection with use of social media.
Warnings, fines, suspension or provisional suspension could be the punishment for violations of a new policy that strives “to provide accurate and reliable information on social media platforms.”
Athletes should “fact-check before sharing or commenting on news or events related to their sport. Sharing false information or spreading rumours can have a detrimental effect on the sport and its shareholders,” states the draft.
But who determines whether something is “false information’? We have seen a lot of that in the U.S.–for example, the Hunter Biden laptop was deemed to be “Russian information” before it was determined to be real. And also in the U.S., we’ve had a lot of discussion about the first amendment and free speech being controlled by social media companies.
While it certainly is important to check facts and not repeat rumors, what about an opinion on something, anything, with which the FEI might disagree?
“It’s absolutely detrimental to the progress of equestrian sports,” believes Olympic eventer Doug Payne, a frequent poster online.
“Without dissent, you have a very, very small group of people guiding you with their perception of what the sport should be. I hope people are aware and see this is a precursor to something far worse. I feel it’s the tip of the iceberg; it’s going to put a significant amount of negative pressure on the sport in general.”
There’s also a question of who will set the standard about what can go on social media.
“Every once in a while, you’re going to make your point about something and who knows who’s going to be offended? That’s really scary,” mused dressage rider Kim Herslow.
Other riders from whom comment was requested did not respond, which might be considered evidence of the chilling effect the proposed rule could have.
A final draft of the changes to the FEI statutes will be presented Oct. 24. The rules will be discussed and voted on at the FEI General Assembly this November in Mexico City.
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 6, 2023
The only U.S.-bred seven-year-old in the FEI WBFSH Dressage World Breeding Championship for Young Horses finished a very credible 10th of 40 starters during the competition at Ermelo in the Netherlands on Sunday.
Vianne, ridden by Hope Beerling of Australia, earned 80.6 percent for quality, with a technical mark of 69.644 percent. Three of five judges marked her at 8 or more, contributing to a total of 75.122 percent for the Hanoverian mare (Vitalis/Ramiro’s Bube). Owned by NorCordia USA (click here for a story on that enterprise) the mare was bred by Catherine Haddad Staller, based in Califon, N.J., and Wellington, Fla. Hope is her student.
Hope Beerling and Vianne carried the flag for the U.S. at the Young Horse Championships at Ermelo. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
Catherine said she was “absolutely thrilled to have my horse and rider show such good training and presentation on a world class stage.”
The competitors included top-class riders, among them World Cup Finals winners Isabell Werth of Germany (the Olympic multi-gold medalist was fifth on the Hanoverian stallion Valdiviani) and Hans Peter Minderhoud of the Netherlands, ninth with the Dutch Stallion Las Vegas.
As Catherine pointed out, “That’s a tough arena to enter on an unknown horse without a big name. Hope and Vianne left a serious business card on that centerline in Ermelo. As both breeder of the horse and trainer of this pair, I’m honored and proud to watch them reach the top 10 in the world.”
The victorious seven-year-old was Germany’s Danciero (Dancier/Fuechtel’s Floriscount), ridden by Anna Kasprzak of Denmark. The Hanoverian gelding received a quality score of 96.800 percent, a technical mark of 76.858 and a total of 86.829.
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 3, 2023
Olympic show jumping medalist Anne Kursinski will be offering training insights at a mini-Emerging Athletes Program clinic Aug. 14 at the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation in Gladstone, N.J.
Participants at a variety of levels, from 2-foot fences to 3-6, are going to learn both over fences and on the flat from the assistant U.S. show jumping coach. The stable management portion of the day, always an important part of EAP, will be presented by Kirsten Cowan.
The public is invited to audit at no charge, but those who wish to participate must enter by Aug. 10. Their horses will spend the night before the clinic in stalls at the foundation’s historic stable.
The clinic is presented by the Metropolitan Equestrian Team, which is also hosting a charity show that includes Outreach classes at the USET Foundation Aug. 15 and 16. For more information, go to the website at metropolitanequestrian.org.
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 1, 2023
The World Equestrian Center in Ocala has been named as one of four venues for the new Longines League of Nations that gets under way next year. The allocations, which run through 2027, were also made for Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, St. Gallen Switzerland and Rotterdam in the Netherlands.
Teams from 10 countries must appear for all four CSIO 5-stars in the unfortunately named League of Nations (click here to read my opinion about the name that was chosen for this initiative.) There was also supposed to be a fifth venue, but because of logistics involving the 2024 Paris Olympics, the qualifier sites were kept to four.
The final of the series, featuring the eight best teams, will remain in Barcelona as it has for 10 years.
“We have made a historic decision for the future of equestrian sport,” FEI President Ingmar De Vos said.
“This series is about inspiring individuals and nations around the core values of our sport -– camaraderie, team spirit, horsemanship and excellence — and for over a century, it has played an invaluable role in the development of equestrian globally.”
Roby Roberts, WEC CEO, said, “We are grateful to the FEI for choosing World Equestrian Center Ocala to host this prestigious event and thank U.S. Equestrian for its support through the bid process.
“World Equestrian Center was built on our three core values of quality, class and distinction, and hosting a qualifier for the Longines League of Nations embodies these values, as well as achieves a long-held goal of welcoming the best equestrians in the world to our facility.”
The stadium at WEC will be a great showcase for the new series. (Photo © by Nancy Jaffer)
While the other shows named as hosts have some history behind them, WEC is only three years old. The 378-acre WEC complex, set in the midst of nearly 4,000 acres, offers a 248-room, 5-star hotel. Grooms will stay in the Home-Away-From-Home manufactured homes. The competition likely will be held in March, which was the date WEC requested.
“I think it will be great exposure to WEC. We’re super-excited about it,” said Christy Baxter, WEC’s director of equestrian operations.
WEC always does things on a grand scale, so there are plans for an equine expo during the competition week, and discussion is getting under way about production thoughts for entertainment and other attractions.
“This is definitely something that will put us a little bit bigger on the map and more exposure, a lot more people to come and visit,” said Christy.
“I know everybody reads about us on line, but to actually come and see it in person is another thing. We’re hoping everyone comes and has a good time during that week.”
The FEI president said, “We were very pleased with the large number of organizers eager to host a Longines League of Nations event in the coming seasons. We undertook the task of selecting the events with great responsibility and I believe we have made a difficult but fair choice, striking a good balance between continuity and evolution.
“This fresh and exciting series gives us the opportunity to display the very best of team equestrian sport to large audiences in key territories and we are looking forward to working closely with these organizers to continue the Nations Cup legacy and inspire future generations of equestrians.”
The League was created following a six-month consultation phase with a dedicated task force, which was set up to review and redefine the iconic Nations Cup series and included all the key equestrian stakeholders. It was designed to “give a fresh start for the century-old equestrian team series” and will see a full makeover starting in 2024.
The format, which was approved unanimously by the FEI Jumping Committee, will be unique to the Longines League of Nations. In the first of two rounds, all four athletes from all 10 teams (and potentially the host nation) participate with the three best scores to count, followed by a second round where the best eight teams compete in reverse order, carrying forward their penalties from the first round. In that round, however, only three athletes per team will ride, so there will be no drop score for that segment.
Other Nations Cups, such as Spruce Meadows, Aachen and the one at the Winter Equestrian Festival that are not part of the new league will continue under the same rules they are using in 2023, but they will not be called FEI Nations Cup and will not be part of a series or lead up to a final.
There have always been many CSIOs on the FEI calendar outside of the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™. There are 48 CSIOs ranging from 1* to 5* level on the FEI calendar for 2023. Only 11 of those (10 qualifiers and one Final) are part of the the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ 2023.
