Germans Continue to Dominate in Luhmühlen

Great Britain had moved up from fifth to second place on the second day of Dressage, standing on 85.7 points, with Belgium still in reach of the podium in third on 90.9 points.

The next five teams in the rankings were all closely spaced in their points. Not only are they competing for Longines FEI Eventing European Championship medals, there are two tickets to the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games to be won as well by teams who have not yet qualified.

In Individual Eventing action, Germany’s Michael Jung, three times past European champion, and his mount fischerChipmunk FRH were in first place on 22.9 points. Countryman and defending European champion Ingrid Klimke and SAP Hale Bob OLD were in second place with 22.2 points. The bronze medal position was held by Laura Collett of Great Britain, who led the Dressage element on Day 1, with 25.5 points aboard London 52.

A challenging course...

Mike Etherington-Smith’s course looked not to be for the faint of heart, and many of the top-ranked athletes commented on it after their first walkthrough. Jung said: “The Cross Country course is brilliant--so many interesting, challenging, but clear questions. It’ll be difficult to stay within the time allowed, so the direct routes are very appealing.”

Vallette thought the second water obstacle after the arena could be problematic, whilst Belgian rider Karin Donckers, who helped propel Belgium into a top slot, said of the questions: “There’s always a plan B or C. So, if things go wrong, you can’t blame the course. Use your brain and ride the course.”

Indeed, Etherington-Smith’s design proved to be as arduous as many predicted. Time penalties abounded, and only the top six riders of the day managed to go clear within the time limit. By the end of the day there was a 62% jumping clear rate - similar to last time Europeans were held here in Luhmuhlen 2011. Some 31 of competitors made the time, which is the second highest of the last seven Europeans.

The water elements didn’t do most riders any favours either, and there were 11 eliminations overall, many after falls where horse and rider wound up soaked.

However, some riders succeeded in judging the course brilliantly, and their mounts were equally adept at reading the obstacles and making clever decisions. In addition to Jung, Klimke, and Vallette going clear, Tim Lips of the Netherlands (currently in fourth place), Oliver Townend of Great Britain (fifth), and Cathal Daniels of Ireland (sixth) picked up no penalty points.

Leader Jung was thrilled with his ride on Saturday.

He said: “FishcherChipmunk is fantastic! Today was a great feeling. I went a bit fast at the beginning and slowed down, but he was always ahead of the time and gave me a really great feeling.

“I had a terrible jump into the water, but the crowd were saying, “Go forward, go forward!”, and the horse helped me so much.”

Townend was just as pleased with Cooley Master Class’ performance. “He was very special, and he answered every question,” he said. “He had very little prep for these big events. It was a very special feeling--huge credit to the whole team behind him.”

With regard to nerves on the course, he added: “I’m a bit strange. It doesn’t worry me too much, and I know what I have to do. I’m very relaxed, but as soon as I cross the finish line, I either laugh or cry!”

Rounding out the top 10 Individual performances were Christopher Six of France, Pietro Roman of Italy, and Piggy French and Kitty King, both representing Great Britain. With scores bunched together at the top end of the pack, Sunday’s Jumping phase is sure to be a battle to the end for podium positions.