by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 19, 2022
It was an intensely exciting equestrian encounter that made history today: Ireland winning the Aga Khan trophy in a jump-off for its home Nations Cup at the Dublin Horse Show.
The crowd in the packed stands around the emerald grass arena at the Royal Dublin Society grounds was treated to an epic equestrian battle. Cian O’Connor, last to go for the Irish in the second round, put in a perfect trip aboard Kilkenny that tied the Irish with the French, each on 4 penalties. (The Irish had zero penalties in the first round, the French 4; in the second round, the scores were switched, leaving each nation on 4 total when taking into account the drop scores).
That necessitated a one-on-one tie-breaker, with France’s Marc Dilasser on Arioto de Gevres starting out first, putting in a clear round in 31.81 seconds.
Conor Swail was picked to represent Ireland in the jump-off. As he had been the first to go in the previous two rounds with Count Me In, it was judged that his horse was not only the most rested, but also fast enough to be equal to the task of breaking the tie. He lived up to chef d’equipe Michael Blake’s faith in him, taking the title with his perfect trip in 30.31 seconds as the crowd roared its approval.
This was the fourth time that Ireland had won the most prestigious trophy in the Nations Cup series, but the first time since 2015.
Conor Swail with the Aga Khan trophy.
Coming on the heels of Ireland qualifying last week for the 2024 Paris Olympics by finishing fourth in the Ecco FEI World Championships, it put an ecstatic Michael over the top.
“It was a lot of drama for me,” said the chef d’equipe, radiating joy.
“It was a good fight from Cian to keep us in the Games,” he continued, then added, “Wasn’t Conor just amazing?”
Comparing Count Me In to “just a big pony,” he cited all the winning that horse has done this year, and then praised his team.
“I can’t be thankful enough to be able to work with these guys. They were so good, so professional. When we had to fight back, we fought back. You have no idea how much this means to me, to get the Olympic Games qualification and the Aga Khan in seven days. That’s just the stuff of dreams.”
There’s one reason he’s dedicating himself to the team.
“I’m doing it because I love the sport. I breathe it. There’s no other feeling like it. Team jumping is just the most amazing thing. The excitement that was here today–where would you see that anywhere else? We’re jumping all day, and with a competition at the end between two horses.”
Chef D’Equipe Michel Blake hoists the Aga Khan trophy with his team, Cian O’Connor, Shane Sweetnam, Conor Swail and Max Wachman. (Photo courtesy FEI)
Dublin, which has been absent for two years in the wake of Covid, is the most amazing show. Those who haven’t been should go if they’re interested in the essence of international show jumping in a very special venue. The enthusiasm of fans is magnificent, and they were more avid than ever celebrating the show’s return.
“The crowd to get behind you, it does lift you,” said Michael.
Conor Swail greets the crowd after clinching the Irish Aga Khan victory.
“To see the crowd that were here today and how they appreciated that. They probably enjoyed having to go to a third round, but it wasn’t enjoyable for me,” he said, and with the tension the jump-off generated, that was understandable.
The U.S. finished sixth of seven teams, with only Laura Kraut (Confu) going double-clear over the brawny course.
Lillie Keenan (Queensland E) and Katherine Dinan (Brego R’N B) were fault-free in the second round after knockdowns in the first. Spencer Smith had nine penalties in the second round and 12 in the first with Untouchable 32 after he lost a stirrup.
Putting in three clears in the second round was “a tremendous comeback effort for our team,” said Coach Robert Ridland.
“We went over what didn’t work one-on-one and each combination had a different area to fix, but they were fixes that were easy for them to address. Each of them executed what we discussed in their second rounds.
“Laura just needed to do the same thing in the second round and it went to plan. The grit and the determination, and the ability to turn the switch, fix the problem, and not get down with the result or where we were, but to come back and fight was just amazing. It was a tremendous second- round effort on everyone’s part and it was great to see from this team.”
Click here for results
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 14, 2022
The U.S. is going home with some medals from the Ecco FEI World Championships after all.
Although the dressage and show jumping teams didn’t medal in Herning, Denmark, the Adequan Para Dressage Team took bronze, along with an individual silver and bronze in the Orifarm Health FEI Para Dressage World Championship. The team medal qualified the U.S. for the Paralympics in conjunction with the Paris Olympics in 2024.
The team had a total of 225.335 percent, behind silver medal Denmark (229.751) and the gold medal Netherlands (230.225).
“What we have done really affirms our position on the world stage,” said coach Michel Assouline.
“We got the bronze in Tokyo and to get this bronze again here means that it wasn’t a fluke, and the level of performance is great. I’m absolutely ecstatic with what they’ve done as a team here, and very proud of this team, and these girls.”
As competition wrapped up with the freestyles, the silver belonged to Kate Shoemaker and Quiana, who began the morning today with a personal best in the FEI Para Dressage Grade IV, receiving an 80.275 percent from the judging panel. Kate, who works as a veterinarian, had only acquired the Rhinelander mare late in 2021 and is already thrilled with the momentum they have built as a combination.
Kate Shoemaker and Quiana. (Photo courtesy U.S. Equestrian)
“We had so many goals coming into this, and a lot of the goals are out of your control because it involves what other people do, but we really wanted this 80 and I’m just so ecstatic we got it,” said Kate, who led the way to team bronze earlier in the week with 75.415 percent.
“I have to give all of the credit to my horse and my team. Without them, I wouldn’t have the opportunity to sit up there and get to experience that. They all work so hard on my behalf, and we did it together.”
Roxanne Trunnell piloted Fortunato H20 to an excellent score in their first international championship together, earning 76.447 percent. The score is a personal best for the duo and as the youngest horse in the entire field, the 2016 Oldenburg stallion owned by Lehua Custer made an impressive debut with Roxie in Grade I competition. The stallion was bred by Kendra Hansis of Frenchtown, N.J.
“This is the first time he’s doing this at a show, so it’s all been new to him,” said Roxie. She noted coach Michel thought that her music, a mix of movie themes from Jurassic Park and Titanic, would suit Tuna well.
“He was a little more tense today, but we worked through it and I’m really proud,” she commented.
In Grade II, Beatrice de Lavalette and Sixth Sense overcame a few bobbles in their test to receive a 72.107 percent, good enough for fifth in the competitive division. The pair, who also are a first-time world championship combination, consistently improved throughout the week and will take what they’ve learned this week and apply it to their training and program looking ahead to an exciting two years before team selection begins for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
“He was a little frisky today and we had a few bobbles where he trotted when we weren’t supposed to, but overall, I’m still really happy with the ride,” said Bea.
“Obviously, I really am going to be focusing on Paris,” she explained, as she discussed her takeaways from this championship.
“It’s my hometown and one I don’t want to miss,” she said of the French capital.
“We’re going to take everything we learned from this week, our bobbles, some of our areas that could have been marked higher and focus on improving those parts of our partnership.”
As the last ride of the day, Rebecca Hart and El Corona Texel warmed up well before the atmosphere of the arena unsettled the 2009 KWPN gelding owned by Rowan O’Riley. Becca kept her composure and reassured Tex through some spooking to finish their test and nailed their finale salute. The pair received a 72.080 percent from the judges, but Becca is sure that the pair can nail their freestyle in the future.
“That was very disappointing, I’m going to be honest. He warmed up so well and felt so good and we got in there and things were waving and moving, and it just overwhelmed him, but it happens and that’s horses,” explained Becca. “I was happy that I was able to keep him relatively relaxed through that.
“Historically, through that I would have tightened up and shortened his neck, but I said to myself that we’re working on this new relaxation approach and I wanted him to have a good experience in there still. We can do better and I’m looking forward to getting to ride a freestyle with him again, though we may change our music after this,” she laughed.
Becca had plenty to smile about, though, because she took bronze in the Individual Grade III Championship presented by Elsass Fonden on Thursday.
The duo received a 73.147 percent for third, while Tobias Thorning Joergensen of Denmark on Jolene Hill took gold with a 78.676 percent and Natasha Baker (GBR) and Keystone Dawn Chorus earned silver on 73.970 percent.
Becca and Tex received strong marks in the trot work and bringing a relaxed and light presence to the BB Horse Arena. The pair is the most veteran combination on the team for this championships, and Becca was pleased with their overall performance on their first day of competition.
“I’m feeling really good about that test. Tex can be a little bit spicy sometimes and we’ve been working a lot on his relaxation and getting what we have in the warm-up and bringing that…into the competition arena,” said Becca.
“I really enjoyed the mediums and the comeback today. He stayed there and I took a breath in and he was right there and all of it I could really just enjoy and not micromanage things and it was a really nice feeling. He was so much happier out there and it’s nice to have a happy athlete and happy horse.”
The duo has been working at home on desensitization and finding a new training routine that best suits the needs of Tex, utilizing a relaxed balance with energy to bring to the arena from their warm-up and home training.
“We’ve been tweaking a few things at home and this is the first big championship environment we’ve been able to try it in and it’s worked really well. For me, we’ve found that doing a walk tour instead of a trot tour before we go into the ring actually works better for him.
“He can see everything, take a breath and focus. Earlier in our career, I never thought I would be able to do that because we would lose energy, but he’s with me even more now because he’s comfortable in his own space.”
Touting her incredible support team and reflecting on the past four years since her first individual medal in Tryon, Hart noted that her growth as an athlete and person and Tex’s growth as a horse has been immense and they continue to learn from each other.
“I am wildly excited to see our program growing like this. I am here with three amazing riders on new young, incredibly talented horses, and to have depth in our program where we’ve got riders with multiple horses and sponsors who are so strongly behind us, it’s just fantastic to see where we are now compared to twenty years ago and to consistently be in that medal hunt is the goal,” said Becca.
Herning marked the anniversary of a U.S. breakthrough, when it took its first world championships medals in Tryon four years ago.
The U.S. para bronze medal team: Roxie Trunnell, Kate Shoemaker, Becca Hart and Beatrice de Lavallette, with Michel Assouline behind them. (Photo courtesy U.S. Equestrian)
The British, who had long dominated para dressage, could not pass the Dutch in Denmark and would have settled for silver, as they had at the last world championships in Tryon, N.C., in 2018. That was the first time Britain hadn’t taken gold since 1996, but this is the first time they’ve been off the podium in nearly 30 years.
Several nations have improved so much in the sport that it is much more competitive than in the days when the Brits were a sure bet. Even finishing behind the Netherlands, Denmark and the USA, the team placing still qualified them for Paris.
They bounced back big time today, collecting four medals in the freestyle.
Click here for team results
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 14, 2022
Five tough rounds of show jumping over the last week were no match for Henrik von Eckermann and his barefoot King Edward, as the world’s number one ranked rider and team gold medalist for Sweden took the individual title at the Agria World Championships in Herning, Denmark, today.
King Edward was the only horse not to incur a single penalty in a competition that drew 102 starters. Despite his previous exertions, the 12-year-old Belgian warmblood gelding (Edward X Feo) looked fresh and fit for this afternoon’s two-round competition, which presented the usual amazing challenges by imaginative Dutch course designer Louis Konickx, who was the technical delegate at the Tokyo Olympics.
Henrik von Eckermann and King Edward. (Photo courtesy Herning 2022)
Henrik moved up individually from fifth after Wednesday’s speed round to fourth following the first team test on Thursday. After that, he was ranked number one and no competitor was able to displace him. As soon as he finished his final perfect round, Henrik saluted the crowd whipped off his helmet and hugged his horse.
The man who was just out of the individual medals in fourth place at the Tokyo Olympics last year smiled broadly as he waited to step onto the podium following the final 12-horse Agria competition at Stutteri Arena,. There were nearly 12,000 fans watching the finale of the world championships. Though not everyone in the audience was Swedish, of course, it certainly sounded as if they were, judging by the sound level and the abundance of blue and yellow in the stands.
“My horse jumps so many clear rounds, and he has done so many good things for me, it is a privilege and unbelievable,” said Henrik, cataloguing his feelings after the medal ceremony.
“At the moment, I am just a bit empty, I have tried to keep all those emotions down and tried to just get things done. And now we have pulled the plug and it is just pure happiness,” he said.
“Thank you, King Edward. I owe you for life.”
Although Henrik looks as if he has nerves of steel when he is riding even the most complicated course, he feels the tension beforehand.
“It is always the same with me,” revealed Henrik, who also won a team gold medal in Tokyo.
“Around two hours before my ride, I am so nervous, you know, like difficult to eat and stuff like that. But when I get up on my horse, it somehow changes to focus, and I am just trying to really do the best round for my horse.”
Henrik worked 12 years for German show jumping legend Ludger Beerbaum before starting is own stable in 2020.
Henrik von Eckermann thanks King Edward for making him the champion.
Silver medalist Jerome Guery of Belgium, whose horse, Quel Homme de Hus, came closest to King Edward’s achievement, was as effusive as Henrik.
“It feels amazing,” he said.
“My horse deserves it. It is nice to bring a medal home. It means a lot to get an individual medal, but my team deserved to get one too.”
At the same time, he acknowledged, “The Swedish are amazing, and we knew it before we came here.”
Jerome Guery of Belgium riding Quel Homme de Hus winning the silver medal. (Photo © FEI/Leanjo de Koster)
The Belgians were seventh in the team competition, behind the silver medal Dutch and the bronze medal British, as well as Ireland, Germany and France. They just missed by one place qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics, since the top five teams from the championships are qualified, excluding the host team, which is France.
Quel Homme de Hus, a 16-year-old Holsteiner stallion (Quidam de Revel X Candillo) accumulated only a single penalty throughout the competition, a time fault.
Dutch rider Maikel van der Vleutin, 34, is known as a can-do guy. The individual bronze medalist in Tokyo, he rode the same horse there as in Herning. That’s Beauville Z N.O.P., a 12-year-old Zangersheide gelding (Bustique X Jumpy des Fontaine), who earned him another bronze today.
The medalists: Jerome Guery, Henrik von Eckermann, Maikel van der Vleutin.
Recounting his time at the championships, Maikel said, “Friday (in the second team round), I made a little rider mistake. My horse deserves the medal, and I had two amazing rounds. It gives pressure on the last riders with my two clear rounds– and the luck was on my side today.”
Funny story. Someone asked Maikel’s teammate Harrie Smolders how he could be calmly eating his lunch during Maikel’s ride in the team competition. Why wasn’t he nervous? Harrie explained his calm demeanor this way, “It’s Maikel.” That’s a man in whom his team has confidence.
Maikel had the biggest jump up the standings in the top three; he was ninth after Friday’s test. Ben Maher of Great Britain, aboard Faltic HB, was fourth, less than a rail back of Maikel.
Views varied on the designer’s courses. Germany’s well-traveled Marcus Ehning, for instance, called the first round today “Not an easy course.” Harrie, however, saw it as “very gentle.”
But time definitely was not as much of an issue in the first round as on the previous days. The 87-second time allowed for 16 jumping efforts meant only five riders had time penalties, with 13 of the 21 starters free of jumping penalties. The course had some flow, with striding options.
The challenges included a rollback to a narrow vertical, a 1.65-meter high vertical final obstacle and difficult colors. The white standards that were replicas of Denmark’s Men at Sea monument were connected with red rails offering contrast on Friday. Today, that double had a grey top rail at A and yellow at B, which were not that easy for horses to see, especially coupled with the white standards.
Although that round was supposed to include 25 competitors, five riders withdrew in the interests of their horses’ welfare after a long week. Yuri Mansur of Brazil, who was seventh after Friday’s competition, did not ride because his horse, QH San Antonio, failed to pass the ground jury’s inspection this morning. Even though the list of those able to compete was expanded down to 30th place, but even so, there were still only 21 participating. They were, however, the cream of the original 102-rider starting list from every continent (except Antarctica, which didn’t field a team…).
The second round, for the top 12, had plenty of difficulty, up more than a notch from than the initial round. Among the tasks set for competitors were a first fence standing 1.6 meters, a double of liverpools with a vertical in and an oxer out set seven strides off a bend from a red and white oxer, and a triple combination of a triple bar to a vertical and an oxer that was 1.6 meters wide.
Maikel van der Vleuten on Beauville Z NOP at the liverpools.
Only one woman, Tiffany Foster of Canada, made it to the top 12, where just four riders jumped clear. Interestingly, the first woman ever to win the world championships, Gail Greenough in 1986, also was Canadian.
But Tiffany, who was tenth in the first round today, would not repeat that feat. In the second round, a rail in the middle of the triple combination, followed by another rail down at the ECCO vertical at fence seven, plus one time fault for exceeding the 77-second time allowed, added nine faults to Tiffany’s score, giving her a total of 17.95 penalties and 12th place in the final individual standings.
It actually was quite a good result at the level, and Tiffany had high praise for her mount, Figor, a 12-year-old Dutch warmblood (Zagreb X Indoctro).
“I’m thrilled with him,” said Tiffany, the highest-ranked female rider in the world at number 36.
Tiffany Foster and Figor. (Photo by Arnd Bronkhorst.)
“We’ve never been in this sort of situation before. I was too deep to the triple bar, and I think he was getting a little strong and I was thinking about the time.
“The jumps were big, and I have to learn how to give him more space as the jumps get going. This has been such a great experience and I’m so proud of him. I loved my horse before, but I love him even more now. Everything that he did for me this week and the feeling that he gave me; that’s my number one takeaway. I’m so thrilled.”
There was no U.S. representative in this class, as Brian Moggre did not qualify during Friday’s individual competition, while McLain Ward pulled up there after three fences down. The other two American riders, Adrienne Sternlicht and Lillie Keenan, did not qualify for the group of 60 who competed in that first individual competition. The U.S. was 11th in the team competition.
These Games were amazing. The talent we see in show jumping continues to improve, even when it has seemed to be at its pinnacle. There are always interesting horses and riders coming along.
In the former category, keep on eye on Cayman Jolly Jumper. He is a son of the great Hickstead, Eric Lamaze’s late 2008 Olympic individual gold medal and team silver mount. This 10-year-old gelding is registered as a Selle Francais out of a Quaprice Boimargot Quincy mare. Ridden by former world number one Simon Delestre of France, he seems to have inherited his sire’s athleticism and elasticity. Jolly Jumper (great name!) finished seventh.
And in the category of riders coming to our attention, Ioli Mytilineou of Greece certainly impressed, ending up 13th with L’Artiste de Toxandra265 an 11-year-old Belgian warmblood gelding (Toulon / Kashmir van Schuttershof ).
One of the many nice things about these championships was the recognition given to the grooms, who for too long have labored without acknowledgement to the public, in many cases. Their names were mentioned in conjunction with the announcement of the horses’ names, and they had their own lounge where they could relax and eat free of charge.
Click here for results.
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 12, 2022
It was an FEI world championships show jumping team medal finals to make your head spin, with reversals of fortune aplenty during this evening in Herning, Denmark.
But there were two things that didn’t change.
The Olympic champion Swedes, who had taken control of the leaderboard at the Agria title meet from the beginning, refused to give up their claim on the gold medal, though the silver and bronze were up for grabs until the end.
The sign says it all.
And the other thing? U.S. fortunes failed to improve. The country had only two people riding today, going for individual honors, as the team stood 11th yesterday, one place away from qualifying for the medal round.
McLain Ward, who has contributed to so many team medals, bowed out midway through the course after dropping three rails with Contagious. And Brian Moggre, at 21 the youngest competitor in the championships, had to cope when his mount, Balou du Reventon, reared several times approaching the fourth fence, topped by a plank.
Brian didn’t give up and continued the course as his horse shook off the momentary confusion and jumped the rest of the difficult route. He finished 52d in his first world championships.
Brian Moggre and Balou du Reventon. (Photo courtesy U.S. Equestrian)
“I don’t know what he saw,” said Brian of his stallion.
“We came out of the corner and the fences come up fast and something happened. Show jumping is such an unpredictable sport. I think the first three fences, I might have put a little bit too much pressure on him, thinking about the time allowed, and came around to fence four and in that turn, he didn’t like so much pressure, and there was a miscommunication. But after that he just jumped incredible,” Brian continued, unfazed by what happened.
“I’d go as far to say it felt like one of the best rounds he’s ever jumped after that, so I was pleased that he finished well and we had a nice ending to the course and the week.”
McLain acknowledged it was “a rough week, but we will survive.”
He retired with Contagious because “This horse has given so much over the last several seasons in making it to Tokyo last year and pulling off being a part of that (Olympic) medal-winning team, and I said afterwards that was really an incredible feat. After weeks like this, you realize truly how hard it is to win those medals.”
McLain was on the USA’s 2018 world championships team that took gold in Tryon, N.C., as was Adrienne Sternlicht, who rode Cristalline in that competition and also in Herning, where she was 68th and thus not in the top 60 that competed today. The team’s other rider, Lillie Keenan, notched her first senior championships to finish 69th with Argan de Beliard.
“It was a disappointing week of results for sure, and we can’t duck that, but the young riders who were here gained a lot of miles and that will pay back for us down the road,” contended McLain.
U.S. Coach Robert Ridland is in agreement. He always puts younger riders on the team, trying to develop them for the future. But they are usually paired with several more experienced competitors. This time, McLain was the lone ranger in that regard. Horse injuries mandated that the team evolved the way it did.
“The five horse/rider combinations we have here are the best we have. Simple as that,” said Robert. (The fifth horse was Jessica Springsteen’s RMF Zecilie, who was withdrawn after being turned down in the first horse inspection)
“Reality is, as in any sport, the ups and downs of injuries plays a role. We unfortunately had the injury bug early on and lost two of three from our silver medal (Olympic) team (Laura Kraut’s Balontinue and Jessica Springsteen’s Don Juan).
Robert noted those horses sustained relatively minor injuries and both are in work again.
“We’re going to have them back in the fold,” he said.
In the raucous, packed Stutteri Arena, where Swedish fans clad in blue and yellow chanted their support for their team, the U.S was “up against veteran teams,” most particularly Sweden, “our arch rival that we went neck and neck with in Tryon, and neck and neck with in Tokyo,” Robert said.
After chatting with Sweden’s chef d’equpe, Henrik Ankarcrona, he noted, “they did a very good job with their veteran team, keeping intact every horse/rider combination that won gold in Tokyo.”
On the other hand, Henrik told Robert, “You guys have involved the next generation of riders in all your championships over the last 10 years. I’ve got the oldest team in Europe and you have the youngest team. Come Monday, reality sets in.”
Robert mentioned, “That was an interesting perspective. His four riders, the average age is 48-49. Three of our four are in their 20s, have been tested under fire and did a great job here. We didn’t miss by much. We had to be realistic about who we are competing against. The depth and quality of the top 10 teams are something like I’ve never seen before.”
The golden oldies Swedish team collected a total of a mere 7.69 penalties, though Peder Fredricson, the man who is usually rock solid, wound up as the drop score today with the generally reliable H&M All In. But no matter. The Swedes were miles ahead of the Dutch, who claimed silver as anchor Harrie Smolders put in a clear round with Monaco N.O.P. to make the team’s total 19.31.
Great Britain’s anchor Scott Brash dropped an uncharacteristic two rails with Hello Jefferson. However Harry Charles, who had two knockdowns yesterday, came back on Romeo 88 with the squad’s only clear trip of the day, making the team total 22.66 to stay ahead of Ireland (23.15) and earn its first world championships medal in 24 years. Those four teams and fifth-place Germany are now qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics, which had been the USA’s goal, though there is still time to achieve that in other competitions. France, which was sixth, is automatically qualified for its home Games.
World Number One Henrik von Eckermann of Sweden on the aptly named King Edward at the weird wall. (Photo courtesy Herning 2022)
Peder proudly pointed out that his older brother, Jens, was also on the squad.
“It’s our first championship together, I think we’re going to keep doing a few more. It was a good start,” Peder said with a grin. Jens, it should be mentioned, was fault-free. Actually, he was also fault-free yesterday, as was teammate Henrik von Eckermann. Sweden was the only team to have riders fault-free on both days.
Dutch course designer Louis Konickx outdid himself with a course that twisted and turned in a serpentine pattern, requiring the utmost focus from the riders and their horses.
It had a green theme (sustainability is a big deal for these games) with a weird wingless wall as the second fence showing off a green map of the world. The standards of the final obstacle depicted wind turbines. In between were other challenges, including a vertical that stood 1.65 meters over a liverpool.
But the piece de resistance was the 13th of 14 fences, a triple combination of red rails comprising a vertical two strides from another vertical, which was one stride from an oxer, and six strides from the final fence. Few competitors came away unscathed, whether they toppled a rail or exceeded the 83-second time allowed in the process of completing the route.
Among those who had problems there was French rider Julien Epaillard, who has a reputation for speed He had no time penalties, but his mount, Caracole de la Roque, toppled both the A and B elements of the triple. That also toppled Julien from the top of the standings, where he had been situated through two rounds, putting him down to 12th on 8 penalties.
Julien was replaced in the number one spot by the world’s number one rider, Henrik von Eckermann on King Edward.
Henrik noted the arena was “more hectic today.” That affected his horse.
“The applause and the light when entering made him turn”
He added “I was really lucky on the triple” when he brushed the B element and it didn’t fall down. The World Championship is difficult, but my horse is really great.”
The world championships medalists on the podium from left: the Dutch silver medal team, the gold medal Swedish team and the bronze medal British team. (Photo courtesy FEI)
The individual final will be held on Sunday, with the top 25 competing.
Henrik has 0.58 penalties as teammate Jens Pederson stands second with Markan Cosmopolit on 2.71, followed by Belgium’s Jerome Guery on Quel Homme de Hus (3.35), world number two Markus Fuchs of Switzerland with Leone Jei (4.36), Max Kuhner, Austria, Electric Blue (4.49) and Israel’s Daniel Bluman, Ladriano Z (5.14).
Canada, which finished 10th, has one rider going Sunday. That’s Tiffany Foster with Figor, who stands 15th.
New coach Eric Lamaze the 2008 Olympic individual gold medalist, stated, “I take full responsibility for my riders not being on top of their game. They got out-ridden. Not necessarily in the skill department, but in the international mileage department. It’s not easy to jump three days in a row. They rode their hearts out yesterday and they needed to do that again today.
Tiffany Foster and Figor. (Photo by Arnd Bronkhorst)
“We started off well and our plan was good – our second day proves that – but they didn’t finish the job. That’s why we need to be in Europe as much as we can, to help them learn how to ride in a tough second round.
“We need to work on the mental part of the game. We got to the second round and some people might call that a win but that’s not what I’m about and this was not a way to finish a championship. If you get that close, you don’t let it slip away.”
Click here to see the individual standings. Click on this link to see the team medals.
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 11, 2022
It was bad news for the U.S. show jumping team today at the Agria FEI World Championships, as it finished just one place out from qualifying for tomorrow’s final round of Nations Cup competition. But it gets worse.
The goal for the show jumping team in these championships, as it was for dressage, involved a high-enough finish to qualify the country for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Dressage made the cut; show jumping did not.
Ten nations will go through to the team finals at these championships in Herning, Denmark. The U.S. finished 11th this evening in the first round of the Nations Cup. When the team jumping competition presented by Helgstrand wraps up Friday evening, the five highest-placing countries in the finals will qualify for Paris.
This autumn’s Nations Cup final in Barcelona also offers a chance for a spot in Paris, but the U.S. did not qualify for that competition due to complications involving the pandemic. The 2023 edition of the final does the same, so the U.S. will try to qualify for that.
The other alternative for a Paris ticket is next year’s Pan American Games in Chile, where three slots will be available to the highest-ranking countries which did not qualify previously. So all is not lost, but there’s work to do and plans to make for an important trip to South America in 2023.
Sweden, the Tokyo Olympic gold medal squad, is at the top of the team leaderboard in Herning, to the delight of its vocal fans dressed in the country’s yellow and blue colors.
One of Sweden’s equestrian heroes, Peder Fredricson with H&M All In. (Photo courtesy FEI)
It is followed in the standings by, as one might expect, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Great Britain and Switzerland, the western European countries that often dominate the sport. But Canada also made it (nice to know a North American flag is in the mix), with Ireland and Brazil wrapping up the top 10.
“Being one spot off is tough. It didn’t go our way today,” said Lizzy Chesson, the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s managing director of show jumping,
“It was just one of those years. If you look at the record since 2014, this jumping team has had an incredible record.”
True enough. The U.S. was the defending titleist of the world championships, having won gold in its last edition in 2018.
Lizzy noted two thirds of the Tokyo Olympic silver medal team, Laura Kraut’s ride Baloutinue and Jessica Springsteen’s Don Juan, are still recovering from injuries.
“They’re going to be back,” said Lizzy, but it didn’t happen soon enough for a trip to Denmark.
That meant there wasn’t as much choice of top horse and rider combinations as usual, so less-experienced riders needed to step up.
“At this level of the sport, you can’t afford to have two top horses not in the game,” Lizzy pointed out.
“We had a younger group here that really fought hard to get it done. They tried. No one had any major disasters, it was just minor things. Our younger athletes got great experience building for the future,” she pointed out.
McLain Ward, the U.S. four-time Olympic medalist, performed as expected in the Stuttari Ask Stadium with his usual textbook clear trip on Contagious today after a rail down in the speed opener yesterday.
Noting he had a long night trying to analyze what went wrong on Wednesday, McLain switched the time of when he would jump so he could have firmer ground for his horse. And it worked.
“After the third jump, I felt he was in different form than yesterday,” McLain said.
He is 12th individually and will compete with others in the top 60 for the individual medals to be awarded on Sunday.
Brian Moggre, at 21 the youngest competitor among the 103 who started in this competition, put in an amazing clear trip yesterday on Balou du Revonton but had a rail today. He stands 26th individually. I expected nothing less than a stellar effort from Brian despite his inexperience in senior international championships, because he has distinguished himself all along the line.
The other two members of the team did not qualify for the individual medal contest, finishing 68th and 69th respectively.
Adreinne Sternlicht, a member of the 2018 world championships gold medal team anchored by McLain, had a rail and time faults yesterday with Cristalline, and two rails today.
“My plan was to ride a bit more aggressive than yesterday,” said Adrienne.
About her mare, the rider commented, “She has not been at this level for a while, but she was fantastic today. We are both getting used to the level again. She has been out with an injury, so all has been about her well-being, she is more than just a horse to me. I feel blessed having this opportunity again after four years out.”
The other team member, Lillie Keenan, had two rails today with Argan de Beliard and three penalties for going over the 86-second time allowed for the 17 jumping efforts.
“My horse jumped really well today,” commented Lillie, who like Brian, is in her first senior team championship.
“For myself, I expected him to be more green. For the team. it was not what I needed to do. Next time, I need to believe in him more. It is my first championships, and not the last, I hope.”
The highly skilled Julien Epaillard of France kept his top placing in the individual standings with Caracole de la Roque.
France’s Julien Epaillard has ranked number one two days in a row at the championships. (Photo courtesy FEI)
“My horse was so fresh this morning, so I wasn’t in 100 percent control despite a small jog and some flatwork this morning,” said Julien, who warms up his horse in a pelham bit but competes in a hackamore.
Second in the standings is Scott Brash of Great Britain with Hello Jefferson, a horse on which he has spent a lot of time, being patient to develop a partner he can trust. The class took six hours to run, including breaks, as he pointed out.
“It’s quite a long time. We walked the course at midday, and, to remember what I walked at the end, you watch a lot of different horses and riders and they have bigger strides and smaller strides, but then you have to remember that the way you walked is focused on what suits your horse, so you have to remember that plan.”
He characterized his horse as, “a bit sharper today, a bit more tense, not just as smooth as yesterday, I didn’t think, but he was jumping great and I think he’ll be good tomorrow.”
Peder Fredricson, a pillar of the Swedish team, was fault-free on H&M All In and stands third.“I had a good plan after the course walk and I kept it,” said Peder, whose brother, Jens, number 10 in the rankings, also was fault-free with Markan Cosmopolit.
“When I am in there, I have to get the feeling of my horse and have the highest focus on the task,” Peder commented.
“I really have to concentrate the whole time and take one thing at a time. Jens and I had the same plan. He did seven strides to (fence) eight I kept the plan and did six. Our team spirit is great, and we are there for each other. Everything can happen and we have to take 1 day at a time and really do the best we possibly can. Tomorrow will be a long day.”
World number one Henrik von Eckermann of Sweden is fourth with King Edward, while the only woman among the top 17, Tiffany Foster, couldn’t talk enough about her ride, Figor.
Tiffany Foster and Figor.
“My horse is a bit sensitive and tends to get stressed, so it could go either way, but he was so cool in this atmosphere with the audience close by. He saved me on fence number four, after that I thought ‘Let’s do this for him’ and went for it. With a double clear, this is the first time on this level I dare to think we might have a shot against the big names.”
Every rider in the first five is carrying less than one penalty.
It was nice to see some competitors who are not big names and don’t come from show jumping powerhouse countries distinguish themselves. One was Roger Chammas of Lebanon, who missed the cut for the individual competition by finishing 62d. He had just a single time penalty this afternoon for a memorable round on Humphrey G today, and I was impressed.
“Today was just amazing,” he agreed.
“Yesterday, we had a tough time because it’s the first time on the course, and it is the first time my horse competes at this level,” said Roger, who had three knockdowns.
“I wanted to do good, and the horse is ready for it so I know the result will be good if I ride properly.” And that’s how he left the poles in place today.
It certainly wasn’t easy. Dutch courses designer Louis Konickx upped the ante without making the route too hard. He had varying levels of riders competing, and the challenges were appropriate.
Brian Moggre and a view of the “houses.”
He didn’t overdecorate the interesting fences, which had a bit of local color. The next-to-last obstacle was flanked by statues of legendary Danish writer Hans Christian Anderson and one of his creations, the little mermaid.
From the 4-meter water jump, it was eight strides to Hans Christian and then five to the final vertical (though a few ambitious riders with long-strided horses did it in four). That segment at the end had plenty of heart-breaker knockdowns.
Another interesting fence featured mischievous Danish trolls. The focal point of the ring, though, had to be the triple combination, two strides from an oxer to a vertical and one stride to another vertical. There was an expression I used to hear from riders walking a course when they saw big fences—“They’ve built houses out there,” and so it was with the triple. Really. The first part had houses as its standards, the B element had two lighthouses on either side and the C element repeated the houses.
For team standings, click here. For individual standings, click this link
by Nancy Jaffer | Aug 10, 2022
Brian Moggre, only 21 and riding in his first international senior championships, made his mark as the top American finisher today in the Ecco FEI World Championships, not far behind some of the greatest names in the sport of show jumping.
The results of the speed class that kicked off four days of the discipline in Herning, Denmark, are led by distinguished French rider Julien Epaillard, 45. He was clocked in 79.48 seconds on Caracole de la Roque over the course of 17 jumping efforts designed by Louis Konickx of the Netherlands, under a format that adds 4 seconds for each knockdown.
“I had a good start and my horse felt relaxed today. I had my plan and followed it,” Julien said after his ride.
Commenting about his horse, he noted, “She jumps everything with a great scope but can sometimes react to the public.”
Julien Epaillard of France and Caracol de la Roque at the triple bar.
Even so, the rider who is ranked number nine in the world was able to keep everything under control with his mare, who is shoeless like the Swedish horses that excelled in the Tokyo Olympics.
Julien has 402 wins in 3,431 starts, and is known for his ability to ride fast, as demonstrated this morning. He has won gold, silver and bronze medals in both the Olympics and previous world championships.
In contrast, Brian has 27 victories in 404 starts, which have never included a competition on the magnitude of this one. But his performance did not reflect his lack of experience.
Riding Balou du Reventon, his fault-free round finished in 83.89 seconds. He now ranks 19th among 99 competitors, finishing 10 places ahead of U.S anchorman McLain Ward, who has four Olympic team medals and led the U.S. squad to gold in the last world championships, held in 2018 in Tryon, N.C. Brian understandably was overjoyed with his mount.
Brian Moggre and Balou du Reventon. (Photo courtesy of U.S.. Equestrian)
“He was fantastic. I am so, so happy. My plan after watching the first two riders from my team go (was) giving it a shot,” said Brian, who trains with Laura Kraut and her partner, British Olympic gold medalist Nick Skelton.
“I was going for it and to finish like this is a very great start of the weekend. My horse is such a gentle stallion outside the ring, but inside, he is such a powerhouse. He is fantastic, and has such a nice temperament.”
The first American to ride, Adrienne Sternlicht on Cristalline, had a knockdown that added 4 seconds to give her a time of 93.07. The veteran of the USA’s 2018 championships gold medal team stands 69th. Her teammate, Lillie Keenan, was fault-free but relatively slow on Argan de Beliard, 38th with a time of 87.23 seconds.
The U.S. is in ninth place on 9.6 penalties as Tokyo Olympic champs Sweden took the lead with 3.69. France is second on 5.44, even though anchor Kevin Staut had a fall when his horse looked down over an oxer. Belgium is a very close third with four strong performances and 5.49 penalties.
McLain said of his trip that included a knockdown, “It wasn’t the starting round I wanted to have, but Contagious dug in and we kept it on a good score.”
McLain Ward and Contagious. (Photo courtesy U.S. Equestrian)
Now the team faces a challenge.
“‘We have to jump some clear rounds. We’re sitting on a mediocre position…all the riders and horses are capable of it, but we certainly have to step up our game,” said McLain, who blamed a miscalculation on his part for the error in his trip. Contagious, he noted, “is afraid of everything but brave when he has to do his job.”
McLain called having mentored Adrienne and now working with Lille “an incredible source of pride.”
The course was just testing enough as a prelude to the Nations Cup that will decide the team medals tomorrow and Friday. There were faults around the course, but if you wanted to say there was a bogey fence, it was the triple bar one stride from a vertical in a double combination.
The ring is not perfectly flat, it is a bit elevated where the double stood, and that made it hard for some riders to judge the triple bar early in the going. By the end of the class, they tended to figure out what to do there. Meanwhile, a flat and narrow Longines wall, that I thought would cause problems, was handled easily by most horses.
Right behind Julian in the standings
The British, who stand fourth on 6.66 penalties, had a good day. Their two most experienced riders, Scott Brash and Ben Maher, were second and 10th respectively. Scott was on Hello Jefferson and Ben, the Olympic individual gold medalist from the Tokyo Games, left Explosion W at home and rode Faltic B instead.
“I am used to bigger horses, Faltic is smaller, but very athletic and I tried to ride as fast as I felt possible,” said Ben, who mentioned the question was deciding how much he would risk for a fast time.
Scott and Ben are the two most experienced British competitors in Herning. The other half of the team is composed of younger, up-and-coming sons of two well-known riders.
Harry Charles, who rode in the Tokyo Olympics, said Scott Brash is his idol, but he works closely with his own father, longtime team member Peter Charles. Romeo88 and Harry are 48th with a knockdown.
Joseph Stockdale, 65th on Equine America Cacherel, was a cricket player who had to make a choice whether to pursue that sport or ride full-time. He decided on the latter when his father, Tim, was dying, so he could continue working with the horse the family bought as a 3-year-old.
The rest of the top six is Switzerland’s Martin Fuchs, the world number 2, standing third with Leoni Jei, followed by Sweden’s Peter Fredericson and H&M All In. His teammate, world number one Henrik von Eckermann and King Edward, is fifth. The highest-placed North American is Canada’s Tiffany Foster with Figor, in sixth place,
Click here for the individual standings.
Click on this link for team standings.
