Ros Canter and Izilot DHI are among the Longines Luhmühlen Horse Trials entries (18-21 June), as the pair look to defend their CCI5* title.
Ros could be on track for history to repeat itself; last year she won Badminton with Lordships Graffalo in May then Luhmühlen five-star with Izilot DHI in June. She showed she is in phenomenal form at this year’s Badminton when Lordships Graffalo won his history-making third title. She is also entered with Lady Milnes Coates and Deirdre Johnston’s MHS Seventeen, who finished 19th in the German five-star last year.
This year’s Luhmühlen Horse Trials takes place just eight weeks before the World Eventing Championships in Aachen (13-16 August) and only 30 are entered in the five-star class, of which 13 are British combinations. Fiona Kashel and Monbeg Cazador are on the list and would make 31 entries, but the pair are already shown as withdrawn.
Pau five-star 2024 winners Caroline Harris and D Day (owned by Lucy Matthews, Fiona Olivier and Marie Anne Richardson and Heather Royle) will make the trip to Luhmühlen; Laura Collett will bring forward Lucy Nelson’s Hester, who finished seventh here last year, and Harry Meade is entered with 11-year-old five-star first-timer Jet Fighter, owned by Abigail Bernard. Sam Ecroyd will ride Mister Big Ears (owned by Julie and Michael Hall and Penelope Ecroyd), who is also making his top-level debut.
There are two home-side riders in the CCI5*; Heike Jahncke and Mighty Spring FRH (owned by Carsten Küst and rider) and Katharina Meyer and Aspen T (owned by Monika Tietz and rider). Jonelle Price will ride her own and the Grape Syndicate’s Grappa Nera and Tim Price is entered with Susan Lamb, Therese Miller and his own Happy Boy. Last year’s Luhmühlen five-star runner-up Samantha Lissington will ride Delarado, a five-star first-timer owned by Rachel Bessell, Ella and Magnus McGrigor, Kate Maitland, Braydon Lissington and Samantha.
Luhmühlen Horse Trials entries for the CCI4*-S
The CCI4*-S Meßmer Trophy, which incorporates the German national championship, has 63 entered, including Emily King and Valmy Biats, who finished 39th at Badminton following some miscommunications across country. The other Brits are Gordon Murphy with Kevin McNab’s Highmoon and John Tilley and his own Licence to Cooley.
Among the 18 German entries are last year’s champions Julia Krajewski and Uelzener’s Nickel (owned by Bernd Heicke), Christoph Wahler and Stefan Haupt and Hendrik von Paepcke’s D’Accord FRH and Calvin Bockmann with his family-owned Altair de la Cense.
Course designer Mike Etherington-Smith has introduced “several tweaks” to this year’s tracks.
“It’s a privilege to design at events like this. Luhmühlen is a top-class event and that’s exactly why riders enjoy competing here. All the fences are now in place and we are working on the final details,” he said.
“It’s fantastic to work alongside Kai-Steffen Meyer, who brings a great deal of experience and is an excellent sounding board for ideas.
“The course is just that little bit more demanding this year to ensure riders stay focused and continue making decisions all the way round depending on how their horses are feeling. We are also using more frangible fences throughout the course to further enhance safety.”
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