Latest from Horse & Hound in Ingrid-klimke

‘I can honestly say it’s the worst grand prix we’ve done’: disappointment for Ingrid Klimke at European Dressage Championships

Martha Terry — Wed, 27 Aug 2025 11:43:34 +0000

Germany’s Ingrid Klimke had to use all her horsemanship skill in her grand prix test at the European Dressage Championships at Crozet, after an early spook unsettled her ride, Vayron NRW.

Ingrid rode a remarkably tactful test on this massive Westfalian stallion, a new ride this season, but ultimately couldn’t produce what they are undoubtedly capable of, scoring a below-par 69.35%.

Vayron, who won Olympic team silver in Paris with Daniel Bachmann Andersen, took issue with a tyre mark in the sand near the C marker, which put him on edge from the very first halt. Clearly rattled, he then tripped in the first extended trot – usually his party piece – and thereafter Ingrid rode him conservatively in the extensions.

“A lion at C!”: Ingrid Klimke at the European Dressage Championships

“I can honestly say it’s the worst grand prix we’ve done,” Ingrid said. “Vayron was so good in training and going through the test, and he felt so well — I just didn’t expect there would be a lion at C!

“It was a tiny mark from a tractor, which he suddenly saw when he came round the corner and said, ‘There’s a lion!’ So through the whole test, he was spooky and holding his breath, not showing what he is capable of. He can do it all, but if you are training like a world champion, no one can see it. You have to bring it into the ring.”

The horse has so much power and a ground-covering stride but despite Ingrid’s sympathetic touch, tension crept into any of the movements near C, which pegged their score below 70%. But there were still flashes of brilliance.

“I also had some good points, he did wonderful half passes and zigzag, he was really swinging,” Ingrid said. “He’s so tall that I was happy I had enough room for my changes. And while the piaffe used to be difficult for him, now he understands the rhythm, so there were many things that I thought ‘wow’, but then the pirouettes were awful!

“I hoped I’d got him back after the spook, but I could feel in the pirouettes, I was saying, ‘just listen to me, please?’ He’s 700kg, so pirouettes are naturally difficult for him to put the weight on the hind leg, so I encourage him to take smaller steps.”

Regardless of their result from the grand prix at the European Dressage Championships, there is undoubtedly much more to come as the partnership of Ingrid Klimke and Vayron grows.

“Daniel has done an amazing job with him, now I need to work on it,” said Ingrid, who typically rides him without stirrups at home to give him more support and security. “I’ve only had him since October, and he has to get used to me and my bodyweight, and build self-confidence. He’s a big horse with a small heart, so I am always trying to encourage him that he is the lion!”

“I’m disappointed, but I’m looking forward to the future.”

Insofar as it affects the team placings, Ingrid’s was the likely discard score, so Germany remains among the favourites in the battle for gold.

To stay up to date with all the breaking news from the European Dressage Championships, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also enjoy reading

(Image credit: Kevin Sparrow)

Britain’s pathfinder eliminated at the European Dressage Championships

(Image credit: Kevin Sparrow)

How to watch the European Dressage Championships via live streams wherever you are around the world

(Image credit: Kevin Sparrow)

How many medals are given, how are they decided, and more European Dressage Championships questions answered

(Image credit: Kevin Sparrow)

When do Brits and top contenders ride their Europeans grand prix tests for team glory?

(Image credit: Kevin Sparrow)

Who will win medals at the dressage Europeans? H&H’s Oscar Williams makes his predictions

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Dressage stallion bows out aged 16 after ‘emotional and unforgettable years’

Becky Murray — Thu, 12 Dec 2024 16:02:20 +0000

Germany’s Ingrid Klimke has announced the retirement of her top dressage horse Franziskus FRH, aged 16.

Ingrid and the Fidertanz 2 stallion were on the German team that won world bronze in 2022, and were twice in contention for an Olympic place.

“After 11 intense, emotional and unforgettable years, I am saying goodbye to major sport with Franziskus FRH,” Ingrid said today (12 December).

“Together with Wilhelm Holkenbrink and his family, we experienced many ups and downs and went the long way from the World Championships for young dressage horses to the Olympic squad.”

Ingrid took on the reins of Franziskus son in 2013, and the following year they competed at the young horse World Championships. They won their first CDI4* in 2017, and continued to post top results, resulting in selection for the German Olympic dressage squad.

Franziskus was ruled out of Tokyo selection in 2021 when he picked up an injury, but the following year the pair flew the flag for Germany at the World Championships in Herning, where they were part of the team that won bronze. That November, they scored a personal best at the time, to win the Stuttgart World Cup qualifier with a +83% freestyle.

In June 2023 Franzikus sustained a hairline fracture when he overstepped on his way back to the stable from a training session. He underwent successful surgery, and came back in spring 2024 with the aim of selection for the Paris Olympics.

Ingrid and Franziskus competed successfully at the Aachen CDIO5* in early July, finishing second in the grand prix, fourth in the special, and third in the freestyle – and were named Germany’s alternate combination for the Paris Olympics. But on 18 July Ingrid announced that Franziskus had picked up an injury that “required immediate treatment”, ruling them out. Aachen was their final competition together.

“My dear Franz, you are an extraordinary horse and over the many years we have managed to grow together into a great team,” said Ingrid, describing their bronze medal at Herning as “one of our most beautiful successes”.

“Your charm and charisma have thrilled your fans. Our legendary Hulapalu ride in the Frankfurt Festival Arena, followed by an obedience jump, will never be forgotten.”

Ingrid added that Franzikus knew their freestyle “inside out” and the trot work was his favourite part.

“You always enjoyed travelling with us to the tournament and loved letting Carmen (Thiemann) pamper you all day long,” she said.

“We came pretty close to our dream of participating in the Olympics twice, but sometimes things turn out differently than you think. Thank you Franz, and thank you Holkenbrink family and team for the many unforgettable moments we were able to experience together.”

To stay up to date with all the breaking news throughout major shows such as London International and more, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Rider aims for Paris Olympics in two equestrian disciplines: ‘We’ll go for it’

Ingrid KLIMKE (GER) riding Franziskus 15 during the Grand Prix for the Blue Hors FEI World Dressage Team Championship at the ECCO FEI World Championships in Herning in Denmark between 6th - 14th August 2022 (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Five-time Olympian Ingrid Klimke ruled out of Paris Games

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Olympic event rider wins dressage World Cup leg

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

‘We will miss her very much’: top horse retires to join 32-year-old grandmother in family herd

Lucy Elder — Fri, 16 Aug 2024 16:32:33 +0000

SAP Asha P, the talented event mare piloted to success by Germany’s Ingrid Klimke, has retired aged 13 to become a broodmare.

The Askari 173 daughter, who Ingrid owned with Dr Andres Lauber, scored many international wins, including the Covid-postponed German Championship at Luhmühlen in 2020.

She was crowned seven-year-old world champion at Le Lion in 2018 and her phenomenal record featured 24 cross-country jumping clears from 25 starts. She only had five showjumping rails in her entire international career and finished on her dressage score on 14 occasions.

In 2021, she was ruled out of Olympic team contention owing to an injury and spent that year and 2022 away from the international stage. In 2023, she returned to competition with a second-place finish at Westergellersen CCI3*-S followed by victory at the same level at Strzegom the following month.

SAP Asha P finished third on the final international start of her career, in the CCI4*-L at Sopot in May this year.

Ingrid said that “earlier than expected” SAP Asha P will start her second career as a broodmare for health reasons.

“Asha is an absolutely exceptional horse that I could always rely on. We are very grateful that we were able to experience such special moments with her,” she said.

“Together with the co-owner, Dr Lauber, we have decided that Asha will go back to her breeders Andrea and Lutz Pietscher. She will stay with her 32-year-old grandmother and other relatives in the herd.

“Carmen [Thiemenn, Ingrid’s long-standing groom] and I brought Asha back to her old home on the large and lush pastures of the Pietscher couple with a very good feeling. It was nice for us to see how Asha felt very comfortable right away. We will miss her very much.”

To stay up to date with all the breaking news throughout the Paralympic Games, Burghley, HOYS and more, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

Five-time Olympian Ingrid Klimke ruled out of Paris Games

Becky Murray — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 16:11:44 +0000

Ingrid Klimke and Franziskus FRH have withdrawn from their reserve spot on the German dressage team at the Paris Olympics as the stallion has sustained an injury.

Ingrid, who is a five-time Olympian in eventing and was part of the bronze medal-winning team with Franziskus at the World Dressage Championships in 2022, said “I’m incredibly sad, and can’t believe it myself.”

The combination competed at CHIO Aachen this month, where they were second in the grand prix, fourth in the special and third in the freestyle.

Ingrid said 16-year-old “Franz” had a “well-deserved break” following Aachen and when she rode him on Thursday (18 July) she “didn’t have a good feeling”.

“We examined him and discovered an injury that required immediate treatment. Unfortunately, this means we are cancelled for Paris,” she said.

“The Holkenbrink family, my entire team, and I are very sad because we would have loved to experience our first Olympic Games in dressage as a live reserve.

“I wish the entire German team much success and unforgettable days. The Olympic Games are something very special and the biggest dream for us athletes.”

Ingrid Klimke and Franziskus made their championship debut together at the World Championships in 2022. Last summer Franziskus underwent surgery for a hairline fracture sustained while walking back to his stable following training, and he returned to competition at the Aachen CDI3* March with Paris the aim. They were named the alternate combination for the German team, which features Jessica von Bredow-Werndl with Dalera BB, Frederic Wandres and Bluetooth OLD, and Isabell Werth with Wendy De Fontaine. Isabell’s reserve horse is DSP Quantaz.

It is understood that Sönke Rothenberger and Fendi will replace Ingrid and Franziskus as the alternate combination, with Katharina Hemmer and Denoix also travelling to the Olympic training camp.

Other Paris Olympics team changes

The Belgian federation has announced that its eventing team alternate combination, Cyril Gavrilovic and Elmundo De Gasco, have been withdrawn for “veterinary reasons”. Maarten Boon and Gravin Van Cantos replace them and the “necessary adjustments will be made so that Maarten can travel to Paris in time”.

Battlecry, the ride of Canadian showjumping team alternate Tiffany Foster, has been replaced by Tiffany’s reserve horse Figor.

You might also be interested in:

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

‘I don’t think about the records’: Charlotte Dujardin on her priorities and preparations for Paris

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Paris Olympic dressage teams: find out who will ride at the Games

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Subscribe today and enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus unlimited website access and digital versions of the magazine dating back to September 2012.

Horses’ instincts, saddles and cooling down: 13 training tips from Ingrid Klimke

Pippa Roome — Sat, 16 Mar 2024 08:30:25 +0000

Want some training tips from Ingrid Klimke? The eventing and dressage championship medallist shared some pearls of wisdom at Wellington Riding earlier this month…

1. Horse should go out every day: “Sometimes an owner will bring a horse who’s 10 and say she’s not allowed to go out and I’ll say leave her here two weeks and I’ll send you a video of her grazing, going for a hack!”

2. Variety is key in training. Even Ingrid’s dressage horses will train over cavaletti and go up the racetrack.

3. Don’t change the routine before a big event: “Over the years I’ve learnt things happen in the lorry, in the stable – if they are going to happen, they will happen. You have to keep horses as much like horses as you can and hope they have the instincts to stay alive.”

4. Be mindful about what order you ride horses and whether they go out before or after work. “I ride the ones who need all their energy for training first.”

5. Be flexible about competition plans – you will have to make changes according to the weather and ground and how the horses are going. “We have one mare who is sensitive and she needs more time to recover after competitions. If you have 10 horses, you will have 10 schedules in mind.”

6. Horses need a break of seven or eight weeks after a long format three-day event and still only do one or two long formats a year at the top level. Young horses compete more often to gain experience.

7. Try to see a cross-country course through the horse’s eyes when you first walk it – and then remember you are coming in canter.

8. As a coach, don’t try to change more than three things at once. And remember how difficult it is to change a habit.

9. If you rush the basics and miss out steps on the ladder, you’ll have to go back and fill them in one day. Take it step by step, be patient.

10. Don’t try to train something difficult three days in a row – it won’t be any better on the third day. Lunge the horse on the third day, let them stretch forward and down as much as they want, then start again the next day.

11. Cooling down is really important after a test, whether the horse comes out tense or has done a good test, and after cross-country too. Stretch them in trot and sometimes even in canter in a light seat.

12. It’s important the saddle is comfortable for the rider as well as the horse: “I prefer saddles that don’t have huge knee rolls, so I can shorten the stirrups and go for a hack or do a jump after dressage.”

13. Work hard on yourself. Always ask yourself what you can do to be better. And treat the horse as your best friend.

You might also be interested in:

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

12 training principles from Olympic medallist and former European champion Tina Cook

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Fitness, polework and details: six training tips from double Olympic medallist Tom McEwen

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Nine secrets of successful cross-country from Tim and Jonelle Price

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

‘You can self coach’ – how to improve your riding without lots of lessons

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Olympic rider speaks up on public acceptance: ‘We have to explain we give the horses a good life’

Pippa Roome — Fri, 08 Mar 2024 12:15:53 +0000

Ingrid Klimke has explained that she holds a monthly open training session at her yard to help equestrian sport’s social licence.

Speaking at an event at Wellington Riding last Friday (1 March), in response to a question about convincing the general public that what riders do is acceptable and positive, the German Olympic gold medallist said: “Once a month, I have open training. It means people can sign up and come to my barn. I show them the horses in the barn in the field and do a bit of varied training, with different horses. I teach a bit and we have coffee where they can ask questions.”

Ingrid added that she grew up riding in a club and that her father Reiner Klimke’s riding arena was in an open environment.

“He knew any time someone could pedal by and watch,” she said. “The best thing is if you know the door is open, someone can come by and watch and if someone asks why you are doing something, you can explain it. It was always open.

“We’ve been having this open training day about 15 years or so and you never know who will come. Sometimes it works well, sometimes there are mistakes and the horses take off or buck or stop at a fence. We say this is real life, how can we explain so our horses understand us, how can we communicate what we want them to do?”

Ingrid added that she was asked by the German federation to host some people from Greenpeace, who were “very against riding”.

She said: “They came to an open training day and were very critical. I worked through their questions, explained we try to let the horses out as much as possible. I said that if they have hind shoes on they go out side by side so they can put their heads together [without kicking each other]. In an ideal world I’d have more room, more pasture, but this what I have and I try my best. We have to explain horses love work, they are excited to go out.”

Ingrid explained that the lorry was on the yard during the visit and one young mare was trying to get on it, which the visitors could not believe.

“I said, yes, she’s ready for her next adventure, she wants to join us. We really have to try to explain that we try to give the horses a good life,” she said.

Rider aims for Paris Olympics in two equestrian disciplines: ‘We’ll go for it’

Pippa Roome — Wed, 06 Mar 2024 11:12:32 +0000

Germany’s Ingrid Klimke is targeting the Olympics in Paris this summer in both eventing and dressage, with SAP Asha P her possible eventing ride.

Speaking during a talk at Wellington Riding last Friday (1 March), Ingrid said team trainer Peter Thomsen had asked her to do the initial accreditation paperwork for SAP Asha P, explaining: “She was injured the year before last and last year I was injured, but we have a plan for how she could make the qualifications theoretically, so we’ll go for it and see how it works.”

The now 13-year-old mare SAP Asha P did not compete internationally in 2021 or 2022. In 2023, she was first and second in CCI3*-S events in the spring, but Ingrid broke her collarbone in June in a fall from Equistros Siena Just Do It.

To be eligible to compete at the Paris Olympics, Ingrid Klimke and SAP Asha P would have to achieve a qualifying result at either a CCI5-L or a CCI4-L and a CCI4*-S, plus another qualifying result at a competition at one of those three levels, before 24 June. As the mare has never competed at five-star, it’s likely she would take the four-star route.

If she was selected, this would be a first championship for SAP Asha P, but Ingrid has a wealth of experience, including five Olympic appearances, which have yielded two team golds (2008 and 2012 on FRH Butts Abraxxas) and a team silver (2016 SAP Hale Bob OLD).

Ingrid will aim to make her Olympic dressage debut this year with Franziskus, her ride on the bronze medal-winning team at the 2022 World Championships.

What you can compromise on – and what you can’t: Ingrid Klimke on choosing young horses

Pippa Roome — Tue, 05 Mar 2024 08:30:21 +0000

Ingrid Klimke says “character is the most important thing” when choosing young horses.

“I like to sit on a horse and feel if he has the character to say, ‘What are we doing today?’” said the German dressage and eventing championship medallist in a talk at Wellington Riding earlier this month (1 March).

She continued: “If he’s a bit lazy and needs to think twice about things, you must know training him will take longer.

“I trust my feeling – it doesn’t matter if it’s a mare or gelding or stallion or bred by someone famous or a full brother to a top horse, you must feel the horse. I like to have the horse in my barn, ride him a few times and get to know him. If you just see on video or hop on him once, it’d hard to know what is behind them.

“I always say for a good horse I always have an empty stall and luckily the good ones keep coming.”

Ingrid says she also prioritises physical health and strength these days, having been caught out in her earlier years by hoping for the best with horses with small health issues.

“Things can happen anyway, but now if my trusted vet says there is a problem which in the future could come out earlier than 14 or 16, I don’t compromise,” she said, explaining it takes six years to produce a horse to the top level at 10 and you don’t want that career to be over at 12. “It is heart-breaking to have a superstar who isn’t strong enough, isn’t healthy enough.”

For dressage horses, Ingrid recommends looking closely at the hindlegs and the energy a horse has behind, as horses need a very good hindleg for piaffe, passage and pirouettes.

“I would say three good gaits and you always wish to have everything, but I learnt from my father that we make the horse over many years and we have to make compromises,” she said, giving the example of a horse she had who did not have a giant walk, so would never score more than seven in that pace, but excelled in trot.

Ingrid Klimke’s young horses have an all-round education until the end of their six-year-old year, when they start to specialise in either eventing or dressage. After that point, the dressage horses still hack and do small jumps and cavaletti, but they don’t do dedicated conditioning work on hills or cross-country fences.

“You need them to focus – it takes another three years so you hope that when they are nine, they have all the grand prix movements,” she said.

Top horse returns from injury to target Paris Olympics: ‘He’s full of himself’

Pippa Roome — Mon, 04 Mar 2024 14:48:54 +0000

Franziskus FRH will make a comeback this year, having had surgery for a hairline fracture last summer. Ingrid Klimke will target her dressage world team bronze medallist at selection for the German team for the Paris Olympics.

“Franziskus is back, he’s in good shape and full of himself. He did cavaletti and jumps the other day and he was fresh, bucking in a nice way and showed he’s ready to perform again” said Ingrid at a talk at Wellington Riding on Friday (1 March).

The German rider’s competition comeback plans for Franziskus FRH include Aachen, at the end of March, and Hagen.

“I hope he’ll be the same as he always is and I’m really looking forward to it,” she said.

Ingrid said she had suggested to the 16-year-old’s owner Wilhelm Holkenbrink that he is not used for breeding until after selection this year, but he said that he is a breeding stallion first and a sport horse second, so will continue his breeding duties.

Ingrid said Franziskus is “real macho” in his character.

“As soon as there are other stallions in the barn, he makes sure they are far away from him. He puts his ears back in his mane to demonstrate he’s the only one, the others are really afraid of him,” she said.

She said that as a young horse he was “quite a wild man”.

“I only got him at the age of five and everyone was a bit afraid of him – me too!” she admitted. “I saw him once with the girl who rode him before me, he entered a dressage ring for young horses. She had to salute and go right-handed, but he trotted out of the ring and off to where his horsebox was. She tried to stop, turn and he was totally doing his thing, what he wanted.

“To begin with it was hard for me to explain what I wanted and there were moments when I said, ‘Do I want to keep going? Is there any chance he’ll respect me or listen to my aids?’ That went on until he was nine or 10, but by the time he was 13 I thought he’d make it, but it was a long journey.”

Ingrid said she realised the most important thing was always to be thinking five or six seconds ahead and predicting what might distract Franziskus.

She explained her tactics: “If he took off and was bucking, it was too late, I couldn’t stop him, but if I felt it, I could go the other direction or send him forward when he thought he could take off.

“If I feel he’s in that mood I’ll do things that relax him, mediums or changes, and try to make him a bit proud of himself.”

Ingrid Klimke’s top dressage horse undergoes surgery for hairline fracture

Becky Murray — Fri, 07 Jul 2023 11:58:06 +0000

Franziskus FRH, the 2022 World Dressage Championships ride of Ingrid Klimke, has undergone surgery for a hairline fracture.

Olympic eventer and top dressage rider Ingrid had been due to compete the 15-year-old Fidertanz stallion on the German Nations Cup team at CHIO Aachen, but withdrew on 27 June when Franzikus overstepped on his way back to the stable following training.

Yesterday (7 July) Ingrid said a “hairline crack” was found, and it had been “successfully” operated on at a vet clinic in Telgte, Germany.

“The surgery went well and I’ve already seen him. Now Franz gets the time he needs,” she said.

“I’m already looking forward to my next dance with Franz.”

Ingrid and Franziskus made their championship debut at the World Championships last summer, where they scored a then personal best of 75.68% in the grand prix and helped Germany secure team bronze. Since then the pair have won three World Cup legs, including scoring a freestyle personal best of 84.96% at the Amsterdam leg in January, where they were fourth. They were fourth in the final in Omaha in April, Franziskus’ last international outing.

Ingrid has had a difficult few weeks; she was injured in a cross-country fall from Equistros Siena Just Do it in the Luhmühlen CCI4*-S on 17 June. She had surgery to repair a broken collarbone and returned to the saddle just days later, with the aim of still riding at CHIO Aachen, but was replaced by Sönke Rothenberger in the team competition following her withdrawal. CHIO Aachen was the final German selection trial for the 2023 European Dressage Championships in September.

The German entries for the Europeans have since been revealed. The “longlist” features Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and TSF Dalera BB, Sönke Rothenberger and Fendi, Frederic Wandres and Bluetooth OLD or his reserve horse Duke of Britain FRH, and Isabell Werth and DSP Quantaz. Matthias Alexander Rath and Thiago GS, Katharina Hemmer and Denoix PCH, and Bianca Nowag-Aulenbrock and Florine OLD, are the reserves.

Ingrid Klimke out of CHIO Aachen days after being declared fit following surgery

Becky Murray — Tue, 27 Jun 2023 13:43:49 +0000

German championship eventing and dressage rider Ingrid Klimke’s remarkable efforts to be fit to compete at CHIO Aachen this week have come to nought after Franziskus picked up an injury.

Ingrid’s Aachen appearance was put in doubt when she broke her collarbone in a cross-country fall from Equistros Siena Just Do it in the Luhmuhlen CCI4*-S on 17 June. Ingrid had surgery, and returned to the saddle just days later, and at the end of last week she was declared fit.

Ingrid and her 2022 World Dressage Championship ride had been due to ride on the German Nations Cup team, alongside Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and TSF Dalera BB, Isabell Werth and DSP Quantaz, and Frederik Wandres and Bluetooth OLD.

Today (27 June) Ingrid confirmed she had withdrawn Franziskus from the competition.

“I worked Franziskus this morning with our national coaches and he was fresh and motivated,” said Ingrid, who added that on the way back to the stable the 15-year-old Fidertanz son must have taken an incorrect step and it “clearly showed”.

“The wellbeing of Franz comes first and we have cancelled our participation in the Nations Cup team for Germany, in consultation with the team vet and national coaches.”

Olympic rider Sönke Rothenberger will now ride in the team competition on nine-year-old stallion Fendi. The pair won their last international at the Hagen CDI4* in April, scoring 78.34% in the grand prix and 77.15% in the grand prix special.

Britain will be represented by Charlotte Dujardin and Imhotep, Lottie Fry and Everdale, Laura Tomlinson and DSP Rose of Bavaria, and Annabella Pidgley and Vamos Amigos. The first team test gets under way at Aachen on Thursday (29 June).

You might also be interested in:

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Five-time Olympic eventer injured in cross-country fall

Olympic eventer hopes for competition return a week after collarbone surgery

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade your subscription to access our online service that brings you breaking news and reports as well as other benefits.

Olympic eventer hopes for competition return a week after collarbone surgery

Becky Murray — Wed, 21 Jun 2023 13:05:11 +0000

German Olympic eventer and championship dressage rider Ingrid Klimke has undergone successful surgery on her collarbone – with hopes to return in time for CHIO Aachen next week.

The 55-year-old sustained an injury on 17 June when she had a fall in the cross-country from her 11-year-old mare Equistros Siena Just Do It in the CCI4*-S at Luhmühlen Horse Trials.

Ingrid said “Siena” went a “bit off the ideal line” jumping into a combination angled brush fence, and the mare “lost her balance”.

In an update yesterday (20 June) Ingrid said she had undergone surgery to repair her broken collarbone.

“Dear friends, a huge thank you for your lovely messages on all channels. That feels so good and inspires me a lot,” she said, adding that the surgery “went great” and her first action would be to go to the stables.

Ingrid and her 2022 World Dressage Championships ride Franziskus are scheduled to compete on the German Nations Cup team at CHIO Aachen (23 June to 2 July) with Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and TSF Dalera BB, Isabell Werth and DSP Quantaz, and Frederik Wandres and Bluetooth OLD. The dressage competitions starts on 28 June, with the CDIO5* Nations Cup grand prix on 29 June.

Ingrid said she will sit on Franziskus tomorrow (22 June) and “test how it feels”.

“Then we’ll see,” she said. “A lot of sleep and a wellness programme for a quick recovery is now the top priority.”

Germany will be hoping to do one better in Aachen, having settled for second in last year’s Nations Cup event behind Denmark. The British team were sixth in 2022, and this year will be represented by Charlotte Dujardin and Imhotep, Lottie Fry and Everdale, Laura Tomlinson and DSP Rose of Bavaria, and Annabella Pidgley and Vamos Amigos.

Five-time Olympic eventer injured in cross-country fall

Becky Murray — Mon, 19 Jun 2023 16:58:01 +0000

German Olympic eventer – and World Championship dressage rider – Ingrid Klimke is recovering from a broken collarbone sustained in a fall at Luhmühlen Horse Trials.

The 55-year-old multiple medallist was competing in the CCI4*-S on her 11-year-old mare Equistros Siena Just Do It when they had a fall in the cross-country. The pair had been lying in third after the dressage on a score of 28.3.

Ingrid bought Westphalian “Siena” as a five-year-old direct from her breeder Anke Just, and has brought her up the levels. They made their four-star debut together at Luhmühlen in 2020, where they were fifth. Most recently the pair were 12th in the Barboroko CCI4*-S in Poland.

Ingrid said Siena had been “so great” during the cross-country on Saturday (17 June), but at 14c, the angled brush fences in the main arena, they went a “bit off the ideal line” jumping in.

“Siena lost her balance, and I didn’t have a chance to sit it out,” she said, adding that she had been diagnosed with a broken collarbone.

“Such a pity, I would have loved to have ridden this great cross-country course to the end. The doctors are confident that I will soon be back in the saddle.”

Alongside eventing, Ingrid has been paving a successful dressage career. She made her championship debut at the 2022 World Dressage Championships in Herning, where she was part of the bronze medal-winning team. The pair won three World Cup legs last year, and ultimately finished fourth at the Final in April.

Ingrid Klimke and Franzikus were recently named as part of the German dressage team, alongside Jessica von Bredow-Werndl, Isabell Werth, and Frederik Wandres, to compete at CHIO Aachen 23 June to 2 July.

Medals, memories and incredible bonds: two greats to bow out at major show

Lucy Elder — Sun, 11 Jun 2023 19:52:19 +0000

Two sporting superstars will bow out at CHIO Aachen as eventing legend SAP Hale Bob OLD and former world showjumping champion DSP Alice will officially retire.

Ingrid Klimke’s double European champion and five-star winner was a stalwart of German championship teams, winning a total of seven medals.

Ingrid partnered the now 19-year-old Helikon gelding to her first CCI5* win, at Pau in 2014. The pair were second at Badminton the following spring and also finished ninth at the Gloucestershire event in 2017.

Their weighty medal haul features the 2017 and 2019 European individual gold medals, plus 2018 individual world bronze, Rio Olympic team silver, European team gold medals in 2015 and 2019 and 2021 European team silver.

Ingrid announced “Bobby” was retiring from eventing last year, after he sustained an injury at the World Eventing Championships test event in Pratoni in May 2022.

He will return to Aachen, where he has twice won the CCIO3*-S, one last time for an official retirement ceremony at midday on 1 July.

Simone Blum will retire her 2018 individual world showjumping gold medallist DSP Alice in Aachen’s main arena in the break between the two rounds of the Nations Cup on 29 June.

The exact details of the 16-year-old mare’s farewell ceremony are being kept as a surprise, but organisers added that “everyone should have a handkerchief ready to hand”.

Simone became the first woman to take the world individual title for more than 30 years when the pair took victory in Tryon, where they also helped Germany to team bronze.

Simone recalled the first time she sat on the now 16-year-old mare in 2014.

“I looked her in the eyes and thought: What type of a wonderful horse are you?” said Simone.

Their other achievements include the Halla challenge trophy for the most successful horse at CHIO Aachen in 2019 and securing team silver at the European Championships in Rotterdam the same year, finishing fourth individually. It would turn out to be their last championships together, as the mare sustained an injury, although she did return to lower-level international competition.

“I wouldn’t be where I am now without Alice. She has always been my soul mate. Because she is so unique, we have a very special connection,” said Simone, adding that Alice “loves Aachen”.

“I am very much looking forward to letting Alice revel in the applause of her favourite crowd.”

What are your favourite memories of these special horses? Send your thoughts to hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and country, for a chance for your letter to appear in a forthcoming issue of the magazine

World Cup Final field depleted after further shock withdrawals

Polly Bryan — Sat, 08 Apr 2023 12:40:38 +0000

Just 13 horses contested the freestyle at the FEI Dressage World Cup Final in Omaha, USA, making it the smallest field at a final since 2009. It followed the unfortunate withdrawals of three high-profile combinations.

The Netherlands’ Dinja van Liere, who was widely expected to give eventual winner Jessica von Bredow-Werndl a run for her money, withdrew just minutes before she and Hermes NOP were due to enter the arena for their grand prix on Wednesday (5 April). It was later revealed by the Dutch federation that the Easy Game stallion “was not fit to compete”.

German pair Ingrid Klimke and Franziskus FRH finished fourth in the grand prix, but then withdrew ahead of Friday night’s freestyle, to the disappointment of fans who had hoped to see Ingrid bid for glory, 21 years after last riding in the Dressage World Cup Final.

There had already been question marks over the Fidertanz stallion’s soundness after he appeared slightly unlevel in his extended trot during the grand prix test. No bell was rung, however, and the movement received marks ranging from 6.5 to 8.5.

The following day it was announced that “Franz” had suffered a “misstep”, and would no longer be presented for the freestyle.

“I’m sad that we can’t compete in the freestyle here so unexpectedly. Franz’s well-being comes first and we have withdrawn him in view of the coming outdoor season,” said Ingrid.

Also scratching ahead of the freestyle was Dutch rider Marieke van der Putten and the Totilas son Titanium RS2. The pair had finished down the order with a disappointing 70.77% in the grand prix, and Marieke reported that the 11-year-old gelding has been “overwhelmed by the amazing arena”.

The day of the freestyle, the Dutch federation announced the pair’s withdrawal: “Titanium is showing mild colic signs, something he’s never had before. It’s a big blow for the entire team surrounding the combination, but it’s the right decision to pull the horse from competition.”

‘He gives me an incredible feeling’: Lottie Fry and Glamourdale punch in big score to win London grand prix

Pippa Roome — Thu, 15 Dec 2022 18:21:34 +0000

Lottie Fry won the opening grand prix class of the London Horse Show dressage competition this afternoon by more than 5% on her world champion, Glamourdale.

The British pair scored 84.03% in the FEI World Cup short grand prix, supported by Horse & Hound. Their impressive test brimmed with controlled power as Van Olst Horses’ black stallion showed off throughout his virtually flawless performance.

“He had a bit of a holiday after the dressage World Championships and suddenly became even more popular for breeding, so he’s been busy with that,” said Lottie.

“Then the last month or so we started to play around with the work again. A couple of weeks ago we realised how well he was going at home and thought how amazing it would be to bring him to London – and that’s how we ended up coming.”

Lottie said she is still “living on a cloud” and her success this year – double individual gold plus team silver at the World Championships in Herning – hasn’t really sunk in.

“I guess there probably was quite a lot of pressure coming here, considering how well the World Championships went, but I know he loves these atmospheres and the arena here is incredible,” she said.

“There was a lot of excitement about coming to show him in England for the first time and we both loved it. When he goes in there he lifts up and gives more and I’ve not had that feeling since Herning – it’s an incredible feeling.”

Lottie Fry and Glamourdale celebrate a grand prix win at the London International Horse Show. (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Gareth Hughes made it a British one-two when he piloted his world team silver medallist Classic Briolinca to second on 78.26%. The 16-year-old mare belongs to Gareth, his wife Rebecca and daughter Ruby, plus Julia Hornig.

“I thought I did a good job until Lottie rode in!” joked Gareth. “I’ve been doing this a long time and what Lottie’s achieved, what Charlotte [Dujardin] has achieved – those two are going to be the centre of our team for years to come.

“This was my mare’s first indoor show – she holds a lot of nerve, but she’s getting older, so we thought as she feels really good we’d come here. I’m really proud of her efforts here today.”

Gareth Hughes and Classic Briolinca finish second in the grand prix at the London International Horse Show 2022. (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Germany’s Ingrid Klimke – who combines riding in eventing and dressage at championship level – finished third on her London Horse Show dressage debut with Wilhelm Holkenbrink’s Franziskus FRH, scoring 75.42%.

“He was really listening and very fresh,” said Ingrid, who was kicking herself for doing 13 one tempi changes instead of 11. “That was a big mistake from me – I wasn’t sure if I was missing one and then I did too many, but he did lovely pirouettes, a super zigzag, nice two-time changes, so there were many good points.”

Ingrid said she was glad she had arrived early, on Tuesday, to give the 14-year-old stallion time to soak up the atmosphere, but she still had to sit a big leap as she warmed down after her test.

“He’s full of himself! I’m really looking forward to tomorrow night,” said the German star, who is riding to pop music in the freestyle. “I hope it will get everyone dancing in their chairs, it’s really refreshing and fun.”

You might also be interested in:

Charlotte FRY (GBR) riding GLAMOUDALE during THE FEI DRESSAGE WORLD CUP™ (SHORT GRAND PRIX) supported by Horse & Hound during The London International Horse Show at ExCel in London on the 15 December 2022 (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

What time will Lottie Fry and Glamourdale perform their epic freestyle at London International Horse Show?

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

The perfect (human) body for dressage, camels and more: eight insights from Carl Hester

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

‘His mane comes down to his knees’: meet the flying Friesian who caught everyone’s eye at London International Horse Show

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

How to watch London International Horse Show: TV guide, live streaming, free BBC coverage

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Keep up to date with all of the action from London International, including breaking news and behind the scenes insight from each day of the show, with no limit on how much you can read, from as little as £1 per week with a Horse & Hound unlimited website subscription. Join now

Who will win the dressage World Cup qualifier at the London International Horse Show?

Polly Bryan — Wed, 14 Dec 2022 13:02:33 +0000

The dressage World Cup qualifier at the London International Horse Show, supported by Horse & Hound, is always a thrilling showdown of top class dressage, dusted with Christmas magic. This year looks to be as exciting as ever, with a truly world-class line-up descending on London’s ExCeL.

With Netherlands-based Brit Lottie Fry opting to bring her 2022 world champion ride, Glamourdale, to make his debut appearance on British soil, she has become the odds-on favourite to walk away with the win in the freestyle on Friday night (16 December). Glamourdale has not competed since winning double individual gold for Britain at the World Dressage Championships in August, but is on super form at home, hence Lottie’s decision to substitute him for her original entry, Everdale.

If Glamourdale were to replicate his 90.65% freestyle from the worlds, it would be the highest mark seen at LIHS, except for the world record scores achieved by Totilas (2009) and Valegro (2013, 2014).

A born showman, Glamourdale is unlikely to be fazed by the electric atmosphere at LIHS, and he and Lottie are sure to receive a rapturous welcome by British crowds, many of whom will be seeing the world champions in the flesh for the first time. Their “Best of British” soundtrack, created by Joost Peters, should go down a storm, too. Make no mistake, Lottie and Glamourdale will be going for glory.

Giving the world champions a run for their money, however, will be the British pair who pulled out a fabulous fifth in the freestyle at the World Championships this summer: Gareth Hughes and Classic Briolinca. They’ll be keen to show off their popular “Madonna” routine on home soil, and have shown they are well capable of scoring in the mid-80s with it. Beating Glamourdale at his best may be an ambitious target, but expect Gareth and Briolinca to finish in the top three.

Gareth Hughes and Classic Briolinca in the World Dressage Championships freestyle (Image credit: creditUnknown)

There’s a small but strong German contingent crossing the Channel for LIHS this year, in the form of Helen Langehanenburg and Ingrid Klimke. Olympic eventer Indrid is riding a fruitful dressage wave this year, with team bronze at the World Dressage Championships and victory at the Stuttgart World Cup qualifier in November. She brings forward the stallion behind that success, the 10-year-old Fidertanz son Franziskus FRH, who is going from strength to strength. The pair posted 83.44% at Stuttgart, and there’s everything to suggest their upward trajectory can continue in London.

Helen Langehanenburg is another with big scores on her record with the 14-year-old Holsteiner Annabelle 110. They’ve breached the 80% barrier numerous times, including on their last outing, to the World Cup leg in Madrid. Somewhat surprisingly, this will be Olympic silver medallist Helen’s first trip to LIHS, so she’ll be determined to make an impact.

On the other hand, Hans Peter Minderhoud counts five competitive appearances at LIHS, amongst them several top-three finishes and a grand prix win in 2018. He brings forward that same ride, Glock’s Dream Boy, for 2022, his first time at the show’s new home of ExCeL.

Hans Peter Minderhoud and Dream Boy winning the grand prix at the 2018 London Horse Show (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

This will be the 14-year-old Vivaldi stallion’s first international show since February, having sustained an injury earlier in the year that ruled him out of selection for the summer’s world championships. If he returns on the same form he has shown in previous years, he and Hans Peter will be ones to to be reckoned with.

Never to be underestimated are Richard Davison and Bubblingh, another member of this year’s British world championship team to be in action at LIHS. The pair have a good track record at this show, their best result having come in 2021 when they finished fourth in the freestyle.

London Horse Show dressage debutants to watch

Keep your eye on LIHS newcomers Andrew Gould and Indigro, who have made quite the impact on the British grand prix circuit this season, their first together and the nine-year-old Negro stallion’s first at top level. London will be their biggest challenge yet but they will definitely be ones to watch.

Also a new face, albeit partnered by highly experienced team rider Emile Faurie, is that of Bellevue. Owned by Diana Rose, the 11-year-old Bordeaux mare has completed just a handful of grands prix in the short time since they teamed up at this level, but with strong scores so far and a fifth placing on their international debut at Kronenburg CDI earlier this month.

British-based Irish team rider Abi Lyle is also making her LIHS debut, riding her world championships partner Giraldo. This is another pair who haven’t been out since August, but while they probably won’t finish at the sharp end, expect them to put in a determined, respectable performance, and have a lot of fun while doing so.

London Horse Show: H&H dressage editor’s prediction

The winner from the past two London Horse Shows – Charlotte Dujardin – may not be in action this year, being eight months pregnant, but I’m confident we’ll see a British winner this year in Lottie Fry. She and Glamourdale are set to bring the house down, and will be a real treat to watch performing their spectacular freestyle at the ExCeL.

For me, second place will be a tussle between Gareth Hughes and Ingrid Klimke, but I think that Gareth and Briolinca’s experience and composure will edge it, handing them the runner-up spot and Ingrid and Franziskus in third. But it’s all to play for…

Olympic event rider wins dressage World Cup leg

Becky Murray — Tue, 15 Nov 2022 18:02:06 +0000

German Olympic eventer Ingrid Klimke scored a personal best to win the Stuttgart leg of the dressage World Cup (9-13 November).

Ingrid and Franziskus FRH scored 83.44% in the grand prix freestyle to take the win on home soil. Their test included a one-handed extended trot to halt transition and in the artistic category they were awarded marks above 89%. Their previous personal best in freestyle was 80.680%.

“He listened so well today, and he was just fantastic. I still can’t believe it,” said Ingrid.

“He loves his freestyle. He was so calm and listening to me today and his two-tempi changes on the centreline were amazing as well as the last piaffe on the turn and the extended trot at the very end.”

Ingrid, who has represented Germany in eventing at five Olympics and holds two team golds and a team silver, made her dressage championship debut with Franziskus at the World Championships in Herning in August. The pair were 14th in the grand prix and 19th in the special. Ingrid currently stands 19th in the dressage world rankings, and 54th in the eventing.

“It’s wonderful to have this wonderful stallion. He is 14 years old now but is still improving. Since [the 2022 World Championships in] Herning he seems to be enjoying himself even more and making more progress,” said Ingrid, who was asked how the victory compares to her many successes in eventing.

“Of course if you win at Aachen or Luhmühlen it’s also very exciting. I have done lots of wonderful things but competing indoors is different and I like it a lot. When I was younger I watched my father (Reiner Klimke) doing it and tonight brought memories of him back for me. This was very special.”

Isabell Werth had led the Stuttgart competition after winning the grand prix on Friday (11 November), but had to settle for second in the freestyle the next day with 82.030%. Benjamin Werndl – the brother of Olympic champion Jessica von Bredow-Werndl – rounded off the all-German podium with Daily Mirror 9 in third.

Frederic Wandres and Bluetooth Old, and Doroth Schneider and Faustus 94 rounded off the top five. The Netherlands’ Dinja van Liere and Hartsuijer scored a personal best together on 80.225% for sixth, and Jessica von Bredow Werndl was 10th on Ferdinand BB on 78.205%. Benjamin leads the World Cup standings on 50 qualifying points, Ingrid has moved into second on 40, and Isabell is third with 37 points.

Highs and heartbreak: all you need to know from day one of the World Dressage Championships

Polly Bryan — Sat, 06 Aug 2022 19:54:23 +0000

The World Dressage Championships got off to a super start in Herning, Denmark, on Saturday, 6 August, with plenty of excitement and drama on day one of the grand prix.

The Netherlands currently hold the gold medal spot, as the team competition hits the halfway point, with Dinja van Liere heading the leaderboard on plus-78% with the 10-year-old Easy Game son Hermes.

Find what Dinja had to say about her super test: what she was pleased with and what she would like to improve

Meanwhile, Britain sit in fifth position at this stage of the World Dressage Championships, after a very good test from Gareth Hughes and Classic Briolinca left them sixth on the leaderboard.

Hear from Gareth as he chats about his test, and see which movement earned them a flurry of nines

Eventing legend Ingrid Klimke and team debutante Benjamin Werndl each scored a grand prix personal best put defending champions Germany into the silver medal position at this stage.

Discover what Ingrid had to say about her test – and the difference between dressage and eventing championships

Richard Davison and Bubblingh got the ball rolling for Britain earlier in the day, 20 years after Richard rode Bubblingh’s dam at the World Equestrian Games in Jerez.

Hear why Richard’s test here in Herning didn’t go quite to plan, and about the bond between the pair

There was great excitement as two Indian riders made World Dressage Championships history today.

Find out more about the two Indian riders in action in Herning, and what unusual food one of their horses loves to eat

Ireland got off to a positive start with Devon-based Alex Baker making her championship debut on Dutchman.

Check out what Alex had to say about her test, and what she was especially pleased with.

However, Ireland were dealt a blow later in the day as Sorrell Klatzko was eliminated close to the start of her test with Turbo

Find out why Sorrell was sadly eliminated in the grand prix and what she had to say about it afterwards

Personal best for Ingrid Klimke on dressage championship debut, as first rotation of riders complete in Herning

Polly Bryan — Sat, 06 Aug 2022 13:26:18 +0000

Ingrid Klimke has thrust Germany into second behind current leaders Denmark in the Blue Hors FEI World Dressage Championships results, after the first rotation of riders completed the grand prix in Herning, Denmark. Britain are currently sitting 11th in the team standings, after Richard Davison and Bubblingh opened the team’s campaign.

Nanna Merrald Rasmussen is currently at the top of the World Dressage Championships results with Blue Hors Zack, with former European eventing champion Ingrid Klimke in second for Germany after a stunning personal best performance with Franziskus.

“I wanted to have a personal best; that was my aim, and I did it,” said Ingrid, who posted 75.68%.

“It felt wonderful because the moment I entered the ring, he was really there, listening, totally with me. He was not focused on anything else,” she said of the 14-year-old Fidertanz stallion. “The pirouettes felt really wonderful – so small, so secure. The one-tempis too – everything was going forward.”

While Ingrid is a legend of the eventing world, with five Olympics under her belt and four World Equestrian Games, this is the first time she has competed at a major championship in dressage.

“I must say I was really a bit excited,” said Ingrid about riding on the world-renowned German dressage team, also the defending champion team here. “I’m very happy that my family is here and the owners are here, so we are a small group of family and friends. It’s really wonderful. I was a bit excited because I thought now everybody will see me for the first time in dressage, and will be expecting that I do a good job. In the cross-country, I was sometimes first, sometimes last and have been in nearly every position. But this was new, for me and for him too.”

And what does Ingrid make of the World Dressage Championships, compared to an eventing championship?

“There is so much time! You can eat, walk around, have a chat here, a coffee there,” she laughed. “I thought maybe I can freeze a few hours and when I go home I get them back because then I need them,” she joked.

The grand prix continues this afternoon, with the second riders from each four-man team in action, and the three-man teams – Brazil, Japan, Norway and New Zealand – beginning their campaign.

Britain’s second rider, Gareth Hughes, will be in action this afternoon, entering the arena at 7pm local time (6pm BST) with Classic Briolinca. Charlotte Dujardin on Imhotep and Lottie Fry on Glamourdale will ride tomorrow, at 1.35pm (12.35pm BST) and 6.51pm (5.51pm BST) respectively

Olympic eventing medallist named among defending German side for dressage World Championships

Polly Bryan — Mon, 18 Jul 2022 18:19:38 +0000

The German team has been announced for the dressage World Championships in Herning, Denmark, in August.

Germany are the defending champions, having won team gold at the World Equestrian Games in 2018. A German team has also won gold at every major championship since, but the line-up for this year’s team looks rather different to recent years, with two team rookies among the riders, alongside a German team stalwart and an eventing multi-Olympian making her dressage championship debut.

The following combinations have been selected for the German team at the dressage World Championships:

Ingrid Klimke with 14-year-old stallion Franziskus 15

Owner: Wilhelm Holkenbrink

Breeder: Elisabeth Albers (GER)

Breeding: by Fidertanz, out of Antara, by Alabaster

Frederic Wandres with 15-year-old gelding Duke Of Britain FRH

Owner: Hof Kasselmann

Breeder: Sarah and Tony Pidgley (GBR)

Breeding: by Dimaggio, out of Real Gold, by Rubinstein

Frederic Wandres with 12-year-old gelding Bluetooth OLDOwner: Hof KasselmannBreeder: Gestüt Lewitz (GER)Breeding: by Bordeaux, out of Lorena, by Riccione

Benjamin Werndl with 13-year-old gelding Famoso OLDOwner: Benjamin, Klaus Werndl and Flora KellerBreeder: Lambertus SchniederBreeding: by Farewell III, out of Donna Weltina, by Welt Hit II

Benjamin Werndl with 18-year-old gelding Daily MirrorOwner: Benjamin, Klaus Werndl and Flora KellerBreeder: Dieter KellermannBreeding: by Damon Hill, out of Fiedergirl II, by Florestan I

Isabell Werth with 12-year-old stallion DSP Quantaz

Owner: Victoria Max-Theurer and Madeleine Winter-Schulze

Breeder: Kathrin Damm (GER)

Breeding: by Quaterback, out of Piroschka, by Hohenstein 4

It will be decided closer to the time which horse Frederic and Benjamin, both championship debutants, will ride. Dorothee Schneider and Faustus have also been listed as team reserve.

Ingrid Klimke will make her dressage championship debut following an illustrious eventing career. She has won gold medals at world and Olympic level and was European champion in 2017 and 2019 with SAP Hale Bob OLD.

This will be Isabell Werth’s seventh dressage world championship, and she is also the reigning individual world champion. She will be riding a team debutante in Quantaz, who has taken over the mantle as her top ride this year after the retirement of her two top mares, Bella Rose – with whom she took double gold at WEG in 2018 – and Weihegold OLD.

Isabell’s season with Quantaz has been somewhat chequered: they have previously posted almost 78% in the grand prix, but were eliminated under blood rules at CHIO Aachen, and scored a below-par 69.48% on their last international outing at Kronberg CDI4* in mid-July.

Germany will be without the reigning Olympic and European champion, Benjamin’s sister Jessica von Bredow-Werndl, who is due to have her second baby in August, as well as Dorothee Schneider’s top horse Showtime FRH, but all four selected riders have a horse capable of scoring in the mid to high 70s for the grand prix test, meaning this German side is sure to prove competitive.

This year, home side Denmark will start the competition as favourites for team gold. The British team for Herning is set to be announced this week, following the release of the nominated entry list.

Five-star victor and winner of seven medals retires from eventing

Pippa Roome — Wed, 25 May 2022 07:32:37 +0000

Ingrid Klimke has confirmed that her great team horse SAP Hale Bob OLD will be retired from eventing after an injury at the World Championships test event this month.

The horse injured a tendon on a stretch between the obstacles at the event in Pratoni del Vivaro, Italy, and she pulled up.

“Bobby”, who is now 18 years old, has been a stalwart of the German eventing team over the past decade, attending a championship every year from 2015 to 2021.

A son of the thoroughbred Helikon, SAP Hale Bob OLD’s greatest individual achievements were two individual European golds – at the 2017 championships in Strzegom, Poland, and the 2019 event in Luhmühlen, Germany – and individual bronze at the World Equestrian Games in Tryon, USA. He led after cross-country and looked set to take the title until hitting the very last showjumping fence, handing victory to Britain’s Ros Canter and Allstar B.

Bobby also finished second at Badminton Horse Trials in 2015 and won Pau Horse Trials in 2014, Ingrid’s first five-star win.

SAP Hale Bob OLD also claimed two European team golds (2015 and 2019) and one team silver (2021) and helped Germany to team silver at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, Brazil.

Bobby would very likely have contested a second Olympics in Tokyo last year, but Ingrid suffered an injury in a fall from another horse in the spring.

But she recovered in time to campaign Bobby at the European Championships in Avenches, Switzerland, in September and the pair finished fifth individually, helping Germany to team silver. This turned out to be a championship swansong for SAP Hale Bob OLD before he retired.

Top event horse suffers tendon injury at World Championships test event

Pippa Roome — Mon, 16 May 2022 09:26:20 +0000

Ingrid Klimke’s multi-medallist SAP Hale Bob OLD has been injured. The horse suffered a tendon injury while competing at the test event for the eventing World Championships in Pratoni del Vivaro, Italy, last weekend.

“Bobby” was a member of the German team as this fixture was also a Nations Cup competition. Ingrid said on her social media that after a confident first half of his cross-country round, the horse injured a tendon on a stretch between the obstacles. She immediately noticed something was wrong and pulled up.

She added that the injured SAP Hale Bob OLD is in the best hands with German team vet Dr. Matthias Niederhofer “and will be taken care of and spoiled by us”.

Ingrid finished second individually in the competition on her other ride, Equistros Siena Just Do It, behind Swiss rider Robin Godel on Grandeur De Lully CH. Switzerland also won the Nations Cup. Britain did not send any competitors to the test event.

The 18-year-old “Bobby”, by the thoroughbred Helikon, has become one of the greats of eventing over the past decade.

He has been European champion twice, in 2017 in Strzegom, Poland, and 2019 in Luhmühlen, Germany, and also won two European team golds (2015 and 2019) and one team silver (2021). He was the individual bronze medallist at the 2018 World Championships in Tryon, USA, and contributed to Germany’s team silver at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, Brazil.

Bobby missed out on a chance to contest a second Olympics last year when Ingrid sustained a chest injury in a fall from another horse in May. The pair came back to be selected for the European Championships in Avenches, Switzerland, in September and finished fifth individually, helping Germany to team silver.

The horse has also won at five-star, at Pau Horse Trials in 2014, and has been second (2015) and ninth (2017) at Badminton Horse Trials.

Double Olympic gold medal-winning horse dies aged 25: ‘He was a little fighter with a huge heart’

Pippa Roome — Tue, 22 Mar 2022 12:46:11 +0000

Double Olympic team gold medallist FRH Butts Abraxxas has died at the age of 25.

In a post on her Facebook page, rider Ingrid Klimke said “Braxxi” was “still fit and cheerful, but an acute heart failure caused by age forced us not to let him suffer”.

She described him as a “little fighter with a huge heart”, who gave “countless moments of happiness”.

Braxxi was retired after finishing fourth at Burghley Horse Trials in 2013 and he showed Ingrid’s daughter Greta the ropes of moving from ponies to horses before enjoying full retirement in “box number one” and out at grass with his “best friend” Weisse Düne.

“We are very sad and miss him! Braxxi, you will always have a special place in our hearts,” said Ingrid.

Bred by Friedrich Butt by the prolific thoroughbred Heraldik, Braxxi joined Ingrid as an eight-year-old, after being spotted by German team trainer Chris Bartle and chef d’equipe Hans Melzer. At one point he was nearly sold to Hong Kong, but his future with Ingrid was secured when he was bought by Madeleine Winter-Schulze, who owned him with Ingrid and Andreas Busacker.

FRH Butts Abraxxas won team gold for Germany at the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games, as well as at the 2011 European Championships. His best individual championship placing was fifth at the 2008 Olympics and he was also 10th at the 2007 Europeans, 11th at the 2011 Europeans and 13th at the 2010 World Equestrian Games. He represented Germany at all six senior championships between 2007 and 2012.

He was also placed at four-star (now five-star) level, adding second at Luhmühlen in 2010 and 16th at Badminton 2013 to fourth, on his retirement run, at Burghley. He won twice at CCI3* (now CCI4*-L) level, at Vairano in Italy in 2012 and Strzegom in Poland in 2007. In all, Ingrid and Braxxi finished in the top 10 at three- or four-star level (now four- or five-star level) 20 times.

FRH Butts Abraxxas was known as an unreliable performer in the showjumping, which led to heartbreak on more than one occasion. He lost the individual gold at the European Championships in 2011 with six fences down and Ingrid elected not to showjump him for an individual place in the second round at the London Olympics.

Who are the best event horses in the world right now? And why the Olympic champion isn’t on this list…

Pippa Roome — Sat, 08 Jan 2022 16:24:56 +0000

Who do you consider to be the best event horses in the world?

Equestrian data analytics company EquiRatings has released a list of the best event horses in the world, according to their Elo last month. The Elo is a ranking methodology originally developed for chess and now used in a number of sports.

The EquiRatings Elo is based on the principle of horses starting with 300 points. Every time a horse finishes ahead of other horses in a competition, it takes points from the horses it beat. This means successful horses which are consistently beating good horses will grow their ranking, while those who generally finish down the placings will lose points.

The nature of the Elo system is that change in the rankings is gradual and a horse won’t shoot to the top of the rankings by winning one big competition. Neither the current Olympic champion Amande De B’Neville nor the European champion JL Dublin appear in the top 10 by Elo. Both are younger horses who have not yet had time to build a really strong Elo ranking. All the horses who appear in this top 10 are at least 13 years old and have been competing at CCI4*-L level since 2018 or earlier.

So, let’s check out the current best event horses in the world by Elo…

1. FischerChipmunk FRH (pictured above, Elo 884)

FischerChipmunk FRH, who has been ridden by German supremo Michael Jung since 2019, won four of his five international eventing runs last year and finished eighth at the Olympics, denied an individual gold by a broken frangible device on the cross-country. He is also the 2019 European individual silver medallist. He belongs to Klaus and Savine Fischer, Hilmer Meyer-Kulenkampff and the German Olympic committee for equestrian sport.

2. SAP Hale Bob OLD (Elo 852)

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Now 18 years old, SAP Hale Bob OLD is the winner of six championship medals for Germany with his owner Ingrid Klimke, including two European individual golds. He has had huge success during his long career, including landing a five-star title at Pau Horse Trials in 2014.

3. Ballaghmor Class (Elo 843)

Oliver TownendBALLAGHMOR CLASS (Image credit: Amy Katherine Dragoo)

The highest rated British-ridden horse on the list, Oliver Townend’s mount Ballaghmor Class is an Olympic team gold medallist and a double five-star winner, having triumphed at Burghley Horse Trials in 2017 and Kentucky Three-Day Event in 2021. He has run six times at five-star and never been out of the top six. Ballaghmor Class belongs to Karyn Shuter, Angela Hislop and Val Ryan.

4. Toledo De Kerser (Elo 827)

Tom McEwen ( GBR) riding Toledo De Kerser during the cross country phase for the Olympic Eventing Competition at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games held at Sea Forest Cross Country Course in Tokyo in Japan between the 23rd July and 8th August 2021 (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Another member of Britain’s gold medal-winning team from the Tokyo Olympics and also the individual silver medallist, Toledo De Kerser landed his first medal when he took a world team gold medal at Tryon 2018. His five-star successes include winning at Pau Horse Trials in 2019. He is owned by Fred and Penny Barker, Jane Inns and Ali McEwen, mother of his rider Tom McEwen.

5. Vassily De Lassos (Elo 814)

Andrew Hoy ( AUS) riding Vassily De Lassos during the cross country phase for the Olympic Eventing Competition at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games held at Equestrian Park in Setagaya-ku in Tokyo in Japan between the 23rd July and 8th August 2021 (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Owned by Paula and David Evans and his rider, Australia’s Andrew Hoy, Vassily De Lassos claimed individual bronze and team silver at the Tokyo Olympics, where he was the only horse to finish on his dressage score.

6. Classic Moet (Elo 791)

Jonelle PriceCLASSIC MOET (Image credit: Amy Katherine Dragoo)

The 2018 Badminton Horse Trials winner, Classic Moet has also finished in the top 10 at four other five-stars and was fourth individually at the 2014 World Championships. She is the top mare on this list and is owned by Trisha Rickards, Jacky Green and her rider, New Zealand’s Jonelle Price.

7. Balmoral Sensation (Elo 788)

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Balmoral Sensation was retired in May 2021, but appears on this list by virtue of his performances up to that point. Ridden by Clarke Johnstone, he represented New Zealand at the 2016 Olympics, finishing sixth individually, and his 16 international career wins included the five-star at Adelaide in 2017.

8. Vanir Kamira (Elo 778)

VANIR KAMIRA Piggy French (Image credit: Lucy Merrell)

Trevor Dickens’ five-star specialist won Badminton Horse Trials in 2019 with Piggy March and they have been in the top five at the top level on four other occasions, including most recently at the one-off five-star at Bicton Horse Trials in 2021.

9th equal. London 52 (Elo 774)

Tokyo , Japan - 1 August 2021; Laura Collett of Great Britain riding London 52 during the eventing cross country team and individual session at the Sea Forest Cross-Country Course during the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo By Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile via Getty Images) (Image credit: Sportsfile via Getty Images)

Laura Collett and London 52 won Pau five-star in 2020 and went on to be members of Britain’s gold medal-winning team at the Tokyo Olympics the following season. The horse belongs to Keith Scott, Karen Bartlett and his rider.

9th equal. Virgil (Elo 774)

Shane Rose ( AUS) riding Virgil during the cross country phase for the Olympic Eventing Competition at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games held at Equestrian Park in Setagaya-ku in Tokyo in Japan between the 23rd July and 8th August 2021 (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Another Tokyo Olympic medallist, but this time for Australia. Virgil was on the team that took silver and has been in the top 10 at five-star three times. He is ridden by Shane Rose and owned by Shane, his wife Niki and Michelle Hasibar.

Pictures by Peter Nixon, Amy Katherine Dragoo, Lucy Merrell, Corbis via Getty Images, Alamy Stock Photo and Sportsfile via Getty Images

Who would you rate as number one in a list of best event horses in the world? Write to us at hhletters@futurenet.com and we might print your views in a future issue of the magazine. Please include your nearest town and county.

Britain primed for gold and a veteran horse who jumps ‘like a deer’: 9 stories you need to read from Saturday at the eventing Europeans

Martha Terry — Sat, 25 Sep 2021 16:58:48 +0000

It’s been a day of drama at the European Eventing Championships cross-country in Avenches, but it’s looking golden for the Brits ahead of the final phase tomorrow (26 September). Here’s the lowdown on nine big stories from today’s action…

1. Britain holds team and individual gold overnight after an almost flawless cross-country display from the girls and the tiniest setback for dressage leader Ingrid Klimke.

Find out how Britain took both top spots

2. British team rider Nicola Wilson crept up from third to take pole position individually.

Hear Nicola’s thoughts on her 10-year-old JL Dublin tackling his first team outing

3. Riders were worried how twisty Mike Etherington-Smith’s track looked, but the early riders showed both the track and the time were fair.

Read how the pathfinders rose to the challenge

4. Kitty King secured a stunning British team completion with the third clear round for the team with Vendredi Biats.

Find out how Vendredi Biats brushed off an early mistake

5. Britain’s pathfinder Piggy March was only the second rider inside the time, riding Brookfield Inocent, to take fourth.

Read about how her cross-country specialist made light of the track

6. British rider Sarah Bullimore had a dream round as an individual and slotted into fifth spot.

Find out how her home-bred Corouet skipped over fences “wider than he is long”.

7. Dressage runner-up Ros Canter dropped out of the reckoning with two late run-outs on the great Allstar B.

Read what Ros had to say about her world champion’s disappointing performance

8. Ireland hiked up the leaderboard from 11th to fifth with a stunning round from Padraig McCarthy.

Find out what Padraig had to say about his 17-year-old ride

9. Can’t wait to see how it all ends?

Check out what time the Brits are likely to showjump for the medals tomorrow

Britain on target for double gold after stunning cross-country display at eventing Europeans

Martha Terry — Sat, 25 Sep 2021 14:38:09 +0000

The British team will hold team and individual gold overnight after dressage leader Ingrid Klimke clocked 1.2 time-faults with SAP Hale Bob OLD at the European Eventing Championships cross-country in Avenches, Switzerland.

Ingrid was Germany’s anchorman and her result drops her to second individually, but keeps Germany in the silver-medal position. Britain has two fences in hand over Germany.

Nicola Wilson’s copybook round on JL Dublin ensured she will be in provisional gold individually ahead of tomorrow’s showjumping phase (26 September). The British team holds the top position despite Ros Canter having two unfortunate run-outs right near the end of the course (fence 28a and 29) at the final water. A rail covers the top seven, so it will be a tight tussle for the individual podium. There are four Brits – team riders Nicola, Piggy March (fourth) Kitty King (seventh) and individual rider Sarah Bullimore (fifth) – in this group, with Izzy Taylor rounding out the top 10, also riding as an individual.

“The mood all week has been fantastic,” said Nicola. “It’s a lovely group of girls, we’re taking it one day at a time and I think the whole support behind the team has been fantastic. We’ll enjoy the results today, and this evening get our minds in focus for tomorrow.”

Ingrid’s round on her dual (and reigning) European champion was not entirely polished, with the horse making two misjudgements at brush fences which may have contributed to their three seconds over the time. The 17-year-old superstar was characteristically bold and strong, but was perhaps feeling fresh as he has only had one international run (a four-star win) since Ingrid was sidelined after a fall in May.

“I’m very happy because he did many lovely jumps and at all the difficult parts or downhill to the corner, he was bold and courageous, like he always is,” she said. “I had lots of time at the seven-minute marker, but at the end we couldn’t really go any faster. I took my time because I wanted to precise until the end. I thought I would make it, unfortunately just two [three] seconds outside. But he’s happy and trotted in full of himself, and he did a lovely job.”

France in double bronze after European Eventing Championships cross-country

Maxime Livio, fourth after dressage, had to juggle his individual aspirations with the necessity of recording a completion for the French team after his compatriot Gwendolen Fer fell. He steered the inexperienced Api Du Libaire home clear, also adding 1.2 time-faults to carry 22.5 forward to the showjumping tomorrow (26 September). He is now lying in bronze position.

“He was a bit deliberate in the two jumps in the water, so after that I went for it,” said Maxime. “What I’m happy about is that I achieved the mission I was sent out to do – to come home with a clear round, with as few time-faults as possible but without taking any risk. I managed to do that without impacting too much on my individual score.

“I couldn’t have asked for more – he’s lacking a bit of experience and preparation. Sometimes he can give me a bit too much at the start and then not have enough left at the end, so I had to keep a rhythm.”

Germany’s Michael Jung is currently sixth on nine-year-old Fischerwild Wave thanks to a clear inside the time, with his compatriot Christoph Wahler and Carjatan S eighth, though he is riding as an individual.

Ingrid Klimke storms into the lead at European Eventing Championships with legendary 17-year-old horse

Gemma Redrup — Fri, 24 Sep 2021 13:31:16 +0000

Despite German rider Ingrid Klimke suffering a horrible injury in a fall earlier this year, she showed no signs of weakness when producing a faultless test in the European Eventing Championships dressage with 17-year-old eventing stalwart, SAP Hale Bob OLD.

The pair have stormed into the lead in Avenches, Switzerland, scoring an impressive 20.2, which included being awarded two 10s for their final halt.

“I really enjoyed that a lot – I’m very happy to be here, know that I have a wonderful horse, and I wish to do it for him,” Ingrid said after her test. “But I have to support him and to help him to show that he is the best horse in the world.”

When Ingrid and ‘Bobby’ came into the arena, he looked quite on his toes.

“He was very ‘on’ when he came in after the applause — he thought maybe we were doing cross-country already, so I had to take another extra loop to calm us down before we went in,” she explained. “But the moment I entered the ring, I knew exactly that he knows his job inside out, so I can really enjoy it and I could ride very precisely from point to point.

“After so many years now, it’s really a pleasure to ride through the test while you know that he is absolutely focused and with me, and smooth and round and supple.”

This means that, with Ros Canter and Allstar B still to go for the British team in the European Eventing Championships dressage, Germany are only 1.4 penalties behind the Brits in the team competition.

France are in third, just under 10 penalties adrift of Great Britain. A huge contributor to their success in this first phase was Maxime Livio, who delivered a flawless test with the 11-year-old grey gelding, Api de Libaire.

“I knew I just needed to do my job with my horse – I’ve known since I started riding him two years ago that he is talented for all three phases,” explained Maxime. “He is really, really nice and you can try to fight with him for the best score and against the best horses in the world. It’s good to be where we want today and it’s good for the team. I’m very pleased because he was totally connected to me and and when he is like this, he is a super student because he tries all the time.”

German team for European Eventing Championships named: a comeback rider, Tokyo reserves and Michael Jung’s next star

Pippa Roome — Fri, 27 Aug 2021 19:01:05 +0000

The German team for the European Eventing Championships has been named.

Ingrid Klimke, who missed out on the Tokyo Olympics due to injury, will defend her individual European title with her gold medal-winning partner from the 2017 and 2019 Europeans, SAP Hale Bob OLD.

Andreas Dibowski and FRH Corrida, who acted as the German alternate pair in Tokyo, will have the chance to start this time after being named to the squad.

The other two named reserves for the Olympics, younger riders Christoph Wahler (Carjatan S) and Anna Siemer (FRH Butts Avondale), are also on the European Eventing Championships German team.

Michael Jung is the only German rider to get the call-up for Avenches as well as for Tokyo – he will ride the nine-year-old rising star FischerWild Wave, who was fifth in the five-star at Luhmühlen Horse Trials in June.

The final spot in the squad goes to the experienced Dirk Schrade and championship first-timer Casino 80, who was recently second in the CCIO4*-S at Arville.

Andreas Ostholt and Corvette are the first reserves, while Emma Brüssau (Dark Desire GS) and Sophie Leube (Jadore Moi) are also named as reserves.

European Eventing Championships: German team mixes youth and experience

Covid-19 – which led to the cancellation of the European Championships last year and their rearrangement to 2021 – has thrown up the unique situation of nations selecting both an Olympic and a European Championships team within the same year.

Some nations are taking the opportunity to give younger riders and horses experience at the European Championships, while others will field the same riders (and in some cases, the same horses) as at Tokyo. The German selectors have opted for a mix of experience and youth in their squad in terms of both horses and riders.

Top eventer calls for pentathlon rule change after controversial scenes

Eleanor Jones — Sat, 07 Aug 2021 19:01:43 +0000

Olympic gold medal-winning eventer Ingrid Klimke is among the riders calling for an urgent review of modern pentathlon rules after controversial scenes in the women’s Olympic competition yesterday (6 August).

Ingrid said the rules “urgently” need to be reconsidered, joining a number of riders expressing concerns about the riding phase of the sport.

Germany’s Annika Schleu was in the lead going into the showjumping, in which competitors ride borrowed horses to jump a course of up to 1.20m.

She could be seen crying as her ride Saint Boy napped, and hitting him with her whip. Coach Kim Raisner was also seen striking the horse with her fist over the fence. The horse started his round, but napped again and later refused to jump.

The coach was banned from the men’s competition today (7 August), but this last competitor’s round was one of a number that prompted equestrians to speak out. Other athletes fell, more than once, or appeared in other ways not to be comfortable in the arena.

Ingrid said today: “For me, trust and harmony are a fundamental part of every way of dealing with the horse.

“The regulations of the modern pentathlon expect horse and rider to get to know each other so well in 20 minutes that they can complete a jumping course together. In my opinion, that is not possible, at least not in a competitive situation like the Olympic Games.”

Ingrid said she would not want to swap places with the pentathletes, adding that horses are so sensitive they immediately pick up on their riders’ feelings.

“In this case also the high level of tension and the unfamiliar atmosphere!” she added. “When you have grown together as a horse-rider couple over the years, you know each other very well and can master such situations together.

“The rules of the modern pentathlon should urgently be reconsidered!”

The German Olympic committee agreed with Ingrid, and the world modern pentathlon governing body UIPM said it “acknowledges the messages received… from people concerned about horse and athlete welfare in modern pentathlon”.

Britain’s Kate French won the individual gold in the women’s event with 1,385 points, including a stylish showjumping round that many on social media said demonstrated her excellent horsemanship. Silver went to Lithuanian Laura Asadauskaite on 1,370 and bronze to Hungary’s Sarolta Kovacs on 1,368.

What do you think of the modern pentathlon? Send your thoughts to hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and country, and you could win a bottle of Champagne Taittinger

You might also be interested in:

(Image credit: Xinhua News Agency/PA Images)

Zara Tindall and Ingrid Klimke among stars to vie for virtual eventing ‘champion of champions’ title

‘Have you ever wondered what would happen if the champions of the past took on the champions of today at

(Image credit: Xinhua News Agency/PA Images)

Coach who struck Olympic pentathlon horse banned from the Games

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade to access our H&H Plus online service which brings you breaking news as it happens as well as other benefits.

Medal contender out of Tokyo Olympics after sustaining serious injury in a fall

Pippa Roome — Tue, 01 Jun 2021 13:15:46 +0000

Ingrid Klimke will not ride at the Tokyo Olympics this summer after suffering “a serious chest injury” in a fall at Baborówko, in Poland, last weekend.

“The operation in Münster went well and now I need rest and time to heal,” said Ingrid in a statement on her Facebook page. “I am very sad that my biggest dream – to take part in my sixth Olympic Games – has come to an end. Defending our title at the European Championships in September is our next big goal!”

Ingrid had already withdrawn one of her potential Tokyo horses, SAP Asha P, from contention due to an injury, but still had her double European champion and world individual bronze medallist SAP Hale Bob OLD in the running for the Olympics – he was in the lead after dressage and cross-country in the CCI4*-S at Baborówko, but was withdrawn after Ingrid’s fall in the earlier CCI3*-S from reigning world six-year-old champion Cascamara.

Ingrid Klimke: Tokyo Olympics news breaks 18-year run

The last time a German senior eventing team went to a championship without Ingrid Klimke was at the European Eventing Championships in Punchestown in 2003.

The news will be a blow to the Germans, who would at the start of the year have started the Olympic eventing in Tokyo as one of the favourites for the team gold. But this news on the back of Julia Krajewski retiring Samourai Du Thot will certainly affect their medal chances.

Article continues below…

You might also be interested in:

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

The Olympic eventing format – all your questions about penalties and substitutions answered

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Potential Olympic medallist ruled out of Tokyo

“This year we will have to take a break from competition. We are very sad and need patience now”

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Julia may well still ride at the Games on Amande De B’Neville, who recently won the CCI4*-L at Saumur. Double Olympic champion Michael Jung is considered a shoe-in for the team, while the news about Ingrid brings the likes of Sandra Auffarth (Viamant Du Matz and Let’s Dance 73), Anna Siemer (FRH Butt’s Avondale) and Andreas Dibowski (FRH Corrida) into focus for the third team place, as well as the alternate spot (the fourth squad member who will travel to Tokyo and can be swapped into the team through the competition).

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find out more about getting the magazine delivered to your door every week.

Potential Olympic medallist ruled out of Tokyo

Becky Murray — Fri, 30 Apr 2021 16:47:11 +0000

A top contender for the German eventing team at the Tokyo Olympics has been ruled out owing to injury.

Ingrid Klimke’s 2020 national eventing champion SAP Asha P suffered an injury while training, she announced today (30 April).

The 10-year-old mare by Askari 173, owned by Ingrid and Dr Andres Lauber, was one of the German star’s two Olympic eventing hopefuls; she is also qualified with her 17-year-old Rio Olympic partner SAP Hale Bob OLD.

In August last year Ingrid and SAP Asha P were second at the Strzegom Nations Cup leg in Poland, which Ingrid won on SAP Hale Bob OLD. Ingrid and the mare went on to victory at the national championships at Luhmühlen in October, and followed this up with a win in the CCI4*-L at Pratoni del Vivaro in Italy in November.

Ingrid said it would take a “while” before SAP Asha P, with whom she won the seven-year-old title at the young horse World Championships at Le Lion d’Angers in 2018, is fit again.

“This year we will have to take a break from competition. We are very sad and need patience now,” she said.

“We are all the more looking forward to being able to get started again together.”

Continued below…

‘He never let me down’: Farewell to top event horse

“He was huge in my personal life, professional life, and will be missed. I can’t ever see that there will

(Image credit: Imago/PA Images)

Who is the best event horse in the world? Data experts build a ranking to find out…

Data analytics experts EquiRatings have built a ranking to identify the best event horse in the world – do you

(Image credit: Imago/PA Images)

The blow comes just 10 days after Ingrid’s Tokyo dressage contender Franziskus was ruled out owing to injury. Ingrid and “Francis” had been part of the German Olympic dressage squad since 2019.

On 20 April she said the Tokyo dressage dream had “burst” owing to the 13-year-old Hannoverian stallion suffering an “acute injury”.

“The most important thing now is that Francis gets well again quickly,” she said.

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade to access our H&H Plus online service which brings you breaking news as it happens as well as other benefits.

Who is the best event horse in the world? Data experts build a ranking to find out…

Pippa Roome — Sat, 05 Dec 2020 17:33:57 +0000

Who is the best event horse in the world today? It’s a great subject for a bit of pub banter with your friends – in non-Covid times, of course – and at events such as the leading five-stars, the World Championships or the Olympics, we find out who is the best event horse on that particular day. But does that really tell us who’s the best in an overall, long-term way?

Now the equestrian data analytics company EquiRatings has devised a way of ranking event horses which could give us the answer to the question.

The system is called Elo, named after Hungarian physics professor Arpad Elo. The Elo rating system originates from chess and variations are now used across many sports.

“Our leading data guru at EquiRatings, Sean Murray, has taken the Elo rating system and re-designed it for our sport,” explains EquiRatings co-founder Diarmuid Byrne in an article on the company’s website. “As we have found over the past few years, eventing is pretty complex to code for. Were judges scoring easy or tough? Was the course difficult or not? Was the time tight and who was trying to make it? But rating the best competitors is actually pretty simple. It’s all about consistently beating high-quality opponents.”

The full methodology behind the eventing ELO is complicated, but to summarise, horses enter the system with 1500 points. They then gain points by taking them from horses they beat and lose them by giving them to horses who beat them. The best event horse in the world always has the most points.

“You don’t lose all your points in one go, but the changes occur gradually as you compete more,” explains Diarmuid.

“Beating horses with high Elo ratings is going to bump up your rating most effectively. Losing to low-rated horses is going to be most costly. This addresses one of the big issues when rating the ‘best of the best’ – not all competitions are equal. Winning some four-star shorts might entail beating a handful of first-timers, while winning Aachen, the same level of competition on paper, is likely to mean that a horse has beaten five-star winners and world medallists. Elo solves this problem, rewarding the better quality results with higher points.”

So, using the Elo, who are the best event horses in the world? EquiRatings have a page where you can check Elos and the current Elo rankings rate horses who have competed in the past two seasons. The top six horses are:

SAP Hale Bob OLD (Ingrid Klimke, Germany) – 2093 points
Samourai Du Thot (Julia Krajewski, Germany) – 2060 points
FischerChipmunk FRH (Michael Jung, Germany) – 2039 points
FischerRocana FST (Michael Jung, Germany) – 2028 points
Ballaghmor Class (Oliver Townend, Great Britain) – 2001 points
Allstar B (Ros Canter, Great Britain) – 1991 points

EquiRatings also let you find the out “all-time” (2008 onwards) Elo rankings. The top six in that listing are:

La Biosthetique-Sam FBW (Michael Jung, Germany) – 2173 points in 2017
SAP Hale Bob OLD (Ingrid Klimke, Germany) – 2113 points in 2020
Opgun Louvo (Sandra Auffarth, Germany) – 2108 points in 2017
Nereo (Andrew Nicholson, New Zealand) – 2084 points in 2017
Samourai Du Thot (Julia Krajewski, Germany) – 2060 points in 2020
FischerChipmunk FRH (Michael Jung, Germany) – 2055 points in 2020

The clever chaps at EquiRatings acknowledge that the rankings are skewed towards German horses – the rankings use international competitions only and German horses tend to run more in international competitions than those in countries such as Britain and the USA which have excellent circuits of national competitions, which do not count towards Elo ratings.

Article continues below…

You might also be interested in:

(Image credit: Peter Nixon and Sarah Farnsworth)

£10,000 prize pot on offer in new unaffiliated eventing series

“Unaffiliated eventing is about to become very exciting and we cannot wait to welcome you to the series”

(Image credit: Peter Nixon and Sarah Farnsworth)

The Jockey Club to organise key British Eventing fixture

Jockey club regional managing director Ian Renton said it was “truly a great honour” to be awarded the five-year contract

(Image credit: Peter Nixon and Sarah Farnsworth)

What do you think? Do you agree with the Elo ratings on who is the best event horse in the world? Let us know by emailing hhletters@futurenet.com for the chance to be featured on the magazine’s letters page and you might win a bottle of Champagne Taittinger.

9 young event horse world champions who’ve made a big impact

Pippa Roome — Wed, 14 Oct 2020 11:24:58 +0000

This week, the best six- and seven-year-olds in eventing from around the world converge on Le Lion d’Angers in France to fight it out for the prestigious young horse World Championship titles.

These championships often throw up serious horses to watch in the future, such as these previous winners…

The wonderful grey Darien Powers (above) was a winner at Le Lion in 1994 and went on to scale the heights of eventing with Australia’s Andrew Hoy. He won Olympic team gold medals in 1996 and 2000 and claimed the British open title in 1997 at Gatcombe.

WILLIAM FOX-PITT riding OSLO (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Oslo won the six-year-old class at Le Lion in 2008 with William Fox-Pitt. The French-bred horse went on to claim a four-star (now five-star) title at Pau in 2011 when he was just nine, as well as winning the CCI3* (now CCI4*-L) at Tattersalls and the eight- and nine-year-old class at Blenheim in the same year.

Ingrid Klimke and Sleep Late (Image credit: www.trevor-meeks-photography.co.uk)

Ingrid Klimke’s ride Sleep Late won at Le Lion in 1998. He went on to win an individual bronze medal at the 2005 European Championships at Blenheim and contest the Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004 Olympics for Germany. He was also a team gold medal winner at the 2006 World Equestrian Games (WEG) in Aachen.

Michael Jung (GER)&fischerRocana FST - Cross Country - CCI4* - Luhmuhlen 2014 - Salzhausen, Germany - 14 June 2014 (Image credit: Jon Stroud Media)

FischerRocana FST took the six-year-old title at Le Lion in 2011 with Michael Jung. Since then, she has won the premier US event at Kentucky three times and been a team gold and individual silver medallist at the 2014 WEG in Caen, as well as taking individual silver at the 2017 European Championships in Strzegom.

France's Nicolas Touzaint in action onboard Galan De Sauvagere. (Image credit: TT News Agency/Press Association)

The great grey Galan De Sauvagère is one of Le Lion’s greatest success stories. He won both the six- (2000) and seven-year-old (2001) classes with Nicolas Touzaint and went on to win the individual European gold medal twice, in 2003 at Punchestown and 2007 at Pratoni. He was also a team gold medallist at the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

Great Britain's Pippa Funnell on Primmore's Pride during the Cross Country at the Burghley Horse Trials, Stamford. (Image credit: PA Archive/PA Images)

2000 was a vintage year for Le Lion. Not only did the six-year-old class launch Galan De Sauvagere’s career, but Primmore’s Pride won the seven-year-old class. With Pippa Funnell, he went on to win Kentucky, Badminton and Burghley — the only horse to achieve a career grand slam in the roads and tracks and steeplechase days — and take a team silver and individual bronze at the 2004 Olympics.

E53H01 Aachen, Germany. 19th July, 2014. Swedish rider Niklas Lindbaeck on his horse Mister Pooh in action during the cross-country discipline of the eventing event of the CHIO in Aachen, Germany, 19 July 2014. Photo: ROLF VENNENBERND/DPA/Alamy Live News (Image credit: Alamy Stock Photo)

Mister Pooh, the 2006 six-year-old Le Lion winner, was a perennial championship campaigner for Sweden with Niklas Lindbäck. He ran at the 2009 Fontainebleau Europeans, the 2010 WEG in Kentucky, the 2012 London Olympics and crowned his career with team silver at the 2013 Malmö Europeans. He was also fifth at Badminton 2011. It’s worth noting, too, that the runner-up to him at Le Lion was none other than the double Olympic champion La Biosthetique-Sam FBW, who was also second in the seven-year-old championship a year later.

Sara ALGOTSSON OSTHOLT (SWE) riding REALITY 39 during the cross country phase of the FEI European Championships at Strzegom in Poland between 15 - 20th August 2017 (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Sara Algotsson-Ostholt’s Mrs Medicott — later renamed Reality 39 — took Le Lion’s six-year-old class in 2010. She too was a great championship horse for Sweden, with team silvers at the Europeans at Malmo (2013) and Strzegom (2017) and runs at the Blair European Championships in 2015 and the Rio Olympics in 2016.

Article continues below…

You might also be interested in:

(Image credit: www.timeincukcontent.com)

Meet the 10 previous winners of Blenheim’s 8/9yo class — where are they now?

Here, we take a look back at the nine previous winners, what they went on to do and where they

(Image credit: www.timeincukcontent.com)

Vote now! Finalists revealed in 2019 Horse & Hound Awards

‘Your votes really do mean a lot to all those mentioned in our pages this week, and to the winners

(Image credit: www.timeincukcontent.com)

Cross Country . Nicolas Touzaint and Hildago De L'Ile . (Image credit: Phil Mingo)

France’s Nicolas Touzaint piloted Hildago De L’Ile to take the seven-year-old title at Le Lion in 2002. The pair went on to win the first Pau CCI4* (now CCI5*) in 2007 and Badminton 2008. He collected team silver at the Blenheim Europeans in 2005 and contested the 2006 WEG and the 2012 Olympics.

Full report from this year’s Le Lion in next week’s Horse & Hound magazine (dated 22 October).

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade to access our H&H Plus online service which brings you breaking news as it happens as well as other benefits.

#TBT: 11 moments we loved at the European Eventing Championships, from hairy goats to duns and kisses

Pippa Roome — Thu, 27 Aug 2020 15:24:44 +0000

Are you missing the 2019 Longines FEI European Eventing Championships? Us too. One year on from the start of this great event, we take a look back at some of our favourite moments in Luhmühlen…

1. Tina Cook borrowing Tullabeg Flamenco for the prize giving (above). We assume she didn’t want to excite Billy The Red, who became very sharp after the medal ceremony at Strzegom in 2017, and what better substitute than Sam Watson’s horse? After all, a dun could easily be mistaken for a chestnut…

2. The moment Cathal Daniels knew he’d won an individual bronze. The young Irishman has just finished giving interviews and was watching Thibaut Vallette jump on a screen outside the arena. When Qing Du Briot ENE HN hit fence five, handing the medal to Cathal and Rioghan Rua, the whole Irish team and all their supporters leapt on Cathal in a wave of cheering and celebrations.

European individual bronze medallist Cathal Daniels with his sister and father (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

3. Michael Jung repeatedly telling interviewers he had “a sh*t jump” after someone ran onto course waving when he was just a few strides from fence 17. We thought initially he was saying something different in German, but no, that’s definitely what he said. Of course, because he’s Michael Jung he shook the incident off and piloted FischerChipmunk FRH to a clear in the time.

4. Pippa Funnell getting Britain’s cross-country day off to a great start with a clear inside the time. Majas Hope was never going to cover himself in glory in the dressage arena, but he fully justified his call-up from the reserve bench on Saturday and provided a vital counting score in Britain’s silver.

Pippa Funnell and Majas Hope at the European Eventing Championships 2019 (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

5. Oliver Townend blowing a kiss to the crowd as he finished his faultless cross-country round on Cooley Master Class. What a showman!

6. The end of Laura Collett’s dressage test. Laura did a superb job on the inexperienced London 52 and seeing the scoreboard confirm a Brit in the lead was definitely a high.

Laura Collett and London 52 leaving the arena after their dressage test at the European Eventing Championships 2019, with British performance manager Dickie Waygood alongside. (Image credit: creditUnknown)

7. A random man trying to put a red hat on Ingrid Klimke’s head. She confirmed she had no idea who he was or why he was doing so.

Ingride Klimke showjumping phase of the FEI Longines European Eventing Championships in Luhmuhlen Germany between on 28th August - 1st September 2019 (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

8. These hairy goats, who were part of the post-cross-country entertainment in the main arena.

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

9. Kitty King crying in her interview after her cross-country round. She started off so composed speaking to the BBC’s Clare Balding, but suddenly broke down as the enormity of going clear at the Europeans to hold a top-10 place overnight hit her. Vendredi Biats is only 10 and these huge results are the result of immeasurable hours of work and heartache for riders and their teams.

Kitty King and Vendredi Biats at the European Eventing Championships 2019. (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Article continues below…

You might also be interested in:

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Britain takes silver at European Eventing Championships with Kitty King best Brit in seventh

It was a rollercoaster ride in the showjumping today at the European Eventing Championships as Team GBR bounced down and

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Tales from the eventing Euros: ‘he was electric and famous for his buck’

Find out more about this amateur rider and the horse that originally only went to him for three weeks of

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

10. Celebrations after Ingrid Klimke won the individual gold — here she is receiving a kiss from British team rider Piggy French.

showjumping phase of the FEI Longines European Eventing Championships in Luhmuhlen Germany between on 28th August - 1st September 2019 (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

11. Sanna Siltakorpi and Elmo Jankari, members of the three-man Finnish team, taking baby Elle to the opening ceremony. Surely a child who takes part in a European Championships opening ceremony at less than five months old will grow up to be a champion?

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade to access our H&H Plus online service which brings you breaking news as it happens as well as other benefits.

Britain takes silver at European Eventing Championships with Kitty King best Brit in seventh

Pippa Roome — Sun, 01 Sep 2019 14:12:49 +0000

Britain took the team silver medal in a tight finish at the Longines FEI European Eventing Championships in Luhmühlen, Germany today (Sunday, 1 September).

By the time Team GBR’s final rider, Oliver Townend entered the arena with Angela Hislop’s Cooley Master Class, he had to jump clear to guarantee the silver. But the horse ended up blundering through the plank at fence eight, briefly dropping Britain to bronze.

But when France’s Thibaut Vallette had the oxer at fence five down, France dropped out the medal reckoning altogether and Britain was back up to silver.

“I’m very disappointed to have the plank down, especially in that fashion, but for the team it’s a fantastic result,” said Oliver.

Piggy French and Pippa Funnell, who provided Britain’s other two counting scores, also had a fence down apiece today.

“I thought it was a bit small when I walked the course and it felt like it took him six fences to wake up,” said Piggy, who had the second part of the double at fence four down on Jayne McGivern’s Quarrycrest Echo.

Pippa took out the first part of the double at fence 10 on her own and Marek Sebastak’s Majas Hope, as did many riders.

“I should have jumped clear — any horse can have one down, but it’s just frustrating,” she said.

Individual rider Kitty King finished best of the Brits in seventh with Diana Bown, Sally Eyre, Samantha Wilson and Sally Lloyd-Baker’s Vendredi Biats. She showjumped clear today.

“I’m just delighted with him, he went so well in there,” she said.

Germany took the team gold and the top two individual medals, but Ingrid Klimke and Michael Jung swapped places when overnight leader Michael had the fence 10b down on FischerChipmunk FRH and slipped to silver, handing gold to Ingrid and SAP Hale Bob OLD.

Ingrid becomes the second rider to win the European Championship individual title in back to back runnings on the same horse. The first was Pippa Funnell.

“Bobby is so wonderful — he jumped so well,” said Ingrid. “My jumping trainer and I walked course together like we did two years before in Strzegom so I felt really secure and safe, so everything was perfect.”

Ireland’s Cathal Daniels’ clear today earned him his first individual senior medal, a bronze, with the fabulous mare Rioghan Rua.

“The whole week went to plan — which was to finish on our dressage score — so I’m very happy,” he said.

Article continues below…

You might also be interested in:

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Tales from the eventing Euros: the medal contender who is 15.2hh on her tiptoes — ‘she’s got a big heart’

Meet this diminutive but formidable pair who have a live chance of a big result at this week’s Europeans

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

The European Eventing Championships cross-country: how the course affected the result

We take a look at which fences on the course caused issues for horses and riders and how achievable the

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Tina Cook, who was Britain’s discard score after her run-out across country yesterday, jumped clear on Elisabeth Murdoch and Keith Tyson’s Billy The Red.

“He is a brilliant jumper and nearly always goes clear,” she said.

Check back for final stories from the Eventing European Championships in Luhmühlen later today, plus full report in next week’s Horse & Hound magazine (dated 5 September), including exclusive opinion from ground jury president Martin Plewa and Mark Phillips.

Oliver Townend pleased with ‘solid mark’ at European Eventing Championships as Britain holds team silver and individual bronze

Pippa Roome — Fri, 30 Aug 2019 15:06:05 +0000

Oliver Townend took seventh place in the dressage at the Longines FEI European Eventing Championships this afternoon, helping the British team finish the first phase in silver.

Oliver scored 27.6 with Cooley Master Class, with his only mistake being a stumble and break into canter at the start of the first half-pass.

“Obviously that was a costly mistake, but apart from that he felt very good and it’s only one stumble. It’s a solid mark for the team, which is the main bit and it’s on to the next phase,” said Oliver.

Ingrid Klimke’s excellent test this afternoon with SAP Hale Bob OLD catapulted her into second individually on 22.2 — behind her team-mate Michael Jung (FischerChipmunk FRH) and confirmed the Germans as easy first-phase leaders, 17.7 penalties ahead of Britain.

“He was a bit excited outside, but as soon as I went into the arena he was like, ‘I know my job’ and he was really trotting like a dressage horse — I was like, ‘Oh Bobby!’” said Ingrid.

Ingrid Klimke and SAP Hale Bob OLD at the European Eventing Championships 2019. (Image credit: creditUnknown)

British individual Laura Collett, the overnight dressage leader on London 52, sits in individual bronze position at the conclusion of the first phase.

Kitty King, Britain’s second individual, scored 27.8 early this afternoon with Diana Bown, Sally Lloyd Baker, Sally Eyre & Samantha Wilson’s Vendredi Biats. They currently sit in eighth place.

“He felt really good — it’s a shame he broke in the extended trot as that’s usually one of the things he’s really good at and it was expensive because you are marked down for the transitions as well,” she said.

“But he was with me and not spooky — which he can be — and was listening and concentrating. He was more rideable than at Badminton and there was a lot more for him to look at than at Badminton on Thursday afternoon.

“It was an annoying mistake as without it he’d have been up with the top few, but he’s not done a bad job and he’s green for a championship.”

Britain has four riders in the top 10, with Tina Cook and Billy The Red holding ninth.

Article continues below…

You might also be interested in:

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Tina Cook moves into fifth at European Eventing Championships: ‘He was sharp, but produced a solid test’

Britain has risen two places on the team leaderboard after a tactfully ridden test by Tina Cook on the sharp

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Tales from the eventing Euros: meet the rider who gave birth less than five months ago

This rider is also on a team with her boyfriend as they chase Olympic qualification

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

The Netherlands’ Tim Lips slotted into sixth this afternoon on Bayro, but he was a little disappointed with his score of 26.

“He had a little bit of extra expression compared to the warm-up and I know he has experience, so I can really ride for every exercise,” he said.

The competition continues tomorrow with the cross-country, over a track designed by Britain’s Mike Etherington-Smith.

Check back for more updates from the Eventing European Championships in Luhmühlen all week, plus full report in next week’s Horse & Hound magazine (dated 5 September).

What are the chances of Laura Collett winning the European Eventing Championships? Data experts give us the answer…

Pippa Roome — Fri, 30 Aug 2019 08:04:51 +0000

Laura Collett’s chances of winning individual gold at the Longines FEI European Eventing Championships for Britain have risen from 5% to 9% after her excellent dressage test yesterday on London 52.

So say the data experts at EquiRatings, the equestrian data analytics company set up by the Irish duo of eventing world team silver medallist Sam Watson and his university friend Diarmuid Byrne, who are using their Eventing Prediction Centre model to look at the likely results at the European Championships.

The model offers percentage chances of a combination winning, finishing in the top three or finishing in the top 10 and gives updated figures as the competition progresses.

Eventing Prediction Centre results for individuals at the European Eventing Championships 2019 after first day of dressage (Image credit: creditUnknown)

Germany’s Ingrid Klimke is the favourite riding SAP Hale Bob OLD, with a 33% chance of winning — unchanged by yesterday’s dressage results — with her team-mate Michael Jung on FischerChipmunk FRH (currently 17% chance of a win) and Dutchman Tim Lips on Bayro (11%) holding the second and third positions. All three do their dressage today. Laura was fourth favourite before her test yesterday and retains that position, but with an increased percentage chance from 5% to 9%.

Other Brits have decent chances too — Kitty King and Vendredi Biats hold fifth place on the model (currently 6% chance of a win) with Oliver Townend and Cooley Master Class sixth (5%). Both Kitty and Oliver have their dressage tests today. Piggy French and Quarrycrest Echo’s ranking has dropped after their slightly disappointing dressage mark — from 4% to 2% chance of individual gold — with Tina Cook steady on 2% ahead of her dressage today with Billy The Red.

Article continues below…

You might also be interested in:

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

How Laura Collett warmed up London 52 for her leading European Eventing Championships dressage test

We spoke to Laura after her test to find out more about her warm-up strategy to help ensure she scores

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Britain outside team medals after first day of European Eventing Championships, as Piggy French says: ‘We’ve got to keep fighting’

Britain’s second team member Piggy French was pleased with her test this afternoon at the European Eventing Championships — but

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

In the team standings, Britain were the favourites to take the team gold (48% chance) before the withdrawal of Tom McEwen and Toledo De Kerser at the start of the week. This hit Team GBR’s chances hard, with Germany becoming the favourites on 49% and Britain dropping to 28%. Sweden hold third position on 7%, with France fourth on 5%.

Check back for more updates from the Eventing European Championships in Luhmühlen all week, plus full report in next week’s Horse & Hound magazine (dated 5 September).

Individual medal contender out of the running for eventing European Championships as Germany names squad

Pippa Roome — Wed, 07 Aug 2019 06:11:26 +0000

Julia Krajewski will miss the eventing European Championships in Luhmühlen (29 August-1 September).

The German rider was a potential individual medal contender with Samourai Du Thot, the horse with whom she won the CCI4* (now CCI5*) at Luhmühlen in 2017. The pair have won seven of their past eight starts — withdrawing after dressage on the other one — but “Sam” was withdrawn from Aachen last month with a bruised foot and has not recovered in time to contest the Europeans.

Despite this, Germany puts forward a strong squad for the event. As host nation, they have the opportunity to field eight individuals rather than the usual two, and so have named a 12-strong squad. They have not yet confirmed which combinations will contest the team competition.

The selected horses and riders are:

Sandra Auffarth and Viamant Du Matz
Andreas Dibowski and FRH Corrida
Feliz Etzel and Bandit 436
Michael Jung and FischerChipmunk FRH
Ingrid Klimke and SAP Hale Bob OLD
Jörg Kurbel and Josera’s Entertain You
Nadine Marzahl and Valentine 18
Andreas Ostholt and Corvette 31
Kai Rüder and Colani Sunrise
Anna Siemer and FRH Butt’s Avondale
Josefa Sommer and Hamilton 24
Anna Vogel and DSP Quintana P

Reserves:

Christoph Wahler and Carjatan S
Frank Ostholt and Jum Jum
Claas Hermann Romeike and Cato 60

Article continues below…

You might also be interested in:

(Image credit: Jon Stroud Media)

Jonty Evans makes his eventing comeback at Smiths Lawn: ‘I was lucky to ride Art, he loved it’

The Irish rider who suffered a serious head injury last year competed in an open novice section today riding his

(Image credit: Jon Stroud Media)

Gary the dressage foal who nearly died helped Brazil qualify for the Olympics in eventing

(Image credit: Jon Stroud Media)

Germany won the team gold last time the European Championships were held at Luhmühlen, in 2011, and followed up with victory at the 2013 European Championships in Malmö, Sweden and in 2015 at Blair Castle, Scotland. In 2017, Britain won the team gold in Strzegom, Poland.

Germany also achieved a clean sweep of the individual medals in 2011, with gold going to Michael Jung (La Biosthetique-Sam FBW), silver to Sandra Auffarth (Opgun Louvo) and bronze to Frank Ostholt (Little Paint).

Full preview of the showjumping, dressage and para European Championships in next week’s Horse & Hound magazine (dated 15 August) and full preview of the eventing European Championships in the magazine the week after (dated 22 August).

Ingrid Klimke wins Aachen eventing: ‘It was a tough course but so much fun’

Pippa Roome — Sat, 20 Jul 2019 12:17:55 +0000

Germany took both team and individual honours in the eventing at Aachen, the SAP cup, today (Saturday, 20 July).

Ingrid Klimke finished clear inside the time on SAP Hale Bob OLD to move up from third to first individually.

“I watched Michael Jung on his first horse [team ride Star Connection] and saw his short turns before the water and corner complex — I hadn’t been sure whether to do that, but that became my plan,” she said. “It was a tough course but so much fun.”

Michael landed second individually on his non-team horse, FischerChipmunk FRH, who was also fault-free today.

“The ground was unbelievable so it’s a great feeling to gallop here, then it’s a case of how fast to go and how much risk to take, because the time is always chasing you in Aachen,” he said.

Renowned speed king Chris Burton landed third on his dressage score with his individual ride Quality Purdey while Tim Price claimed fourth on Wesko and led the New Zealand team to second. His 4.8 time-faults cost him victory.

“He was great, I just need to go a bit faster,” said Tim. “I was perhaps under false illusions because he’s made the time numerous times.

“I was thinking I was on point to be tidy and fast, but there was more intensity to the jumps than I’d anticipated and that perhaps took my eye off the time a bit. After the skinnies at fence 15 I was on the time, but I knew all my chances had gone to gain time and I haemorrhaged seconds coming home.”

Article continues below…

You might also be interested in:

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Piggy French best Brit in Aachen eventing as Team GB suffer mixed fortunes across country

Britain's eventing team had mixed results today in Aachen as a tough cross-country course juggled the team and individual leaderboards

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Laura Collett takes lead for Britain with superb clear in Aachen eventing showjumping

The British rider put in a masterful performance in the huge main arena to move up two places and take

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Andrew Hoy landed fifth on Vassily De Lassos and spearheaded for the third-placed Australian team.

Piggy French finished sixth and best of the British team on Quarrycrest Echo.

Check back for more news from Aachen over the weekend, plus full reports in next week’s Horse & Hound (dated 25 July).

Laura Collett third after Aachen eventing dressage: ‘He’s insecure and needs me to hold his hand’

Pippa Roome — Fri, 19 Jul 2019 13:43:02 +0000

Laura Collett holds third place for Britain after the dressage in the eventing competition, the SAP cup, in Aachen today (Friday, 19 July).

The British rider scored 22.9 for her foot-perfect test with her own, Karen Bartlett and Keith Scott’s London 52.

“That’s the test he should be doing — Bramham went a bit to pot, but here I gave myself a kick up the a*** and got my act together,” said Laura.

“At Bramham I was riding really cautiously because I know how good he is — I became a passenger. But he’s insecure and needs me to hold his hand in the arena.”

In the team standings, Britain lies second behind Germany, with New Zealand a close third. The home side’s effort is led by Ingrid Klimke, who scored 20.7 with SAP Hale Bob OLD to hold the individual honours.

“He’s such a wonderful horse — he knows the tests so well I can just sit there and enjoy it,” said Ingrid.

Gemma Tattersall is the second best-placed British rider, sitting 15th on 27.2 with Chris Stone’s Jalapeno, who joined her string this year. Her test was just marred by the mare throwing her head up in one of the canter serpentines.

“We are obviously still getting to know each other,” said Gemma. “I’ve got her sharper and more in front of me and she needs to get used to that in the arena — that was her way of saying, ‘Whoa, my hindlegs are doing something!’ It was super apart from that moment, but that put us on a tense flying change too, so that whole movement was lost.”

Piggy French contributes the third British counting score of 28.7 (21st) with Jayne McGivern’s Quarrycrest Echo, but he looked a little lazy in the arena and the owner said it wasn’t his best test.

“We are slightly disappointed and when you are disappointed with a mark that starts with a 28, that shows you how much we think of the horse,” said Jayne.

Pathfinder Imogen Murray was pleased with her “clear round” with Aivar Ward and the MS Team’s Ivar Gooden, who is not known for his prowess in this phase. The pair lie 39th on 36.2.

“It as the best test he’s done for me and he’s not a dressage diva — there are Shetland ponies with a bigger trot than him!” she joked.

Article continues below…

You might also be interested in:

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Britain’s Charlotte Dujardin third in Aachen grand prix: ‘I feel so emotional; it’s his biggest show’

The British star put in a brilliant test this afternoon with the inexperienced Erlentanz to hold her own against the

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Britain off to great start in Aachen dressage despite withdrawal of one team member

Lottie Fry put in a super test for Team GBR this morning, but the British team is down to three

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

British individual Selina Milnes holds 30th (32.8) with William Rucker’s Iron.

“He didn’t do anything wrong, but he went a bit quiet in the atmosphere,” she said.

The showjumping for the SAP cup takes place at 5.45pm local time (4.45pm in Britain) today, with the cross-country tomorrow morning.

Check back for more news from Aachen throughout the week, plus full reports in next week’s Horse & Hound (dated 25 July).

Favourite withdrawn from Badminton as waiting list closed; 19-year-old horse accepted to start

Pippa Roome — Sun, 28 Apr 2019 14:50:39 +0000

Germany’s Ingrid Klimke has withdrawn SAP Hale Bob OLD from next week’s Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials (1-5 May), which is dramatic news as this pair were favourites to win the competition.

“Unfortunately in the last few days SAP Hale Bob OLD has not been himself — he’s just not as energetic and fit as I am used to with him,” said Ingrid. “In order to avoid any potential risk for Bobby I have made the disappointing decision to stay home this year.”

The waiting list has also now closed. The Badminton ballot is done according to horse’s FEI points won at the higher levels over the past two years and those on the waiting list replace any horses who are withdrawn up until 2pm the Sunday before the event.

Fifteen horses were accepted from the waiting list this time, with three horses withdrawn from the waiting list and six still on the list, who will not be able to start the event.

The final horse accepted from the waiting list was Pennlands Douglas, a second ride for first-timer Emma Hyslop-Webb.

Badminton final scores

Another late acceptance was 19-year-old King Eider, who will make his fourth assault on the event with Scottish rider Louisa Milne Home. He has completed on every attempt, with 29th in 2014 his best placing.

“King Eider has been feeling amazing this year and I would have been really disappointed if he hadn’t got in as he loves a big party,” Louisa told H&H. “It’s going to be a full on couple of days just to get in all the polishing touches to make sure he is all set.

“At the start of the year we just wanted to see how he felt as at 19 he doesn’t have to do another Badminton, but he has felt so good and has really enjoyed all his preparation that it was getting very stressful watching the wait list, as again at his age you don’t want to put on any unnecessary miles on to him.

“I’m so pleased to have him in, but sad to see others with Scottish connections lose out — Nicky, Emily and Caroline have all spent lots of time on the Scottish circuit,” added Louisa, referring to withdrawal of Nicky Ronocoroni, Emily Parker and Caroline Powell.

Other recent acceptances from the waiting list include US rider Savannah (known as “Woodge”) Fulton on Captain Jack, and home side riders Matthew Heath (The Lion) and Becky Woolven (Charlton Down Riverdance).

Recent withdrawals besides Ingrid have come from New Zealand’s Caroline Powell with On The Brash and France’s Regis Prud’hon with Kaiser HDB 4175.

Those who remain on the waiting list and so have missed out on a chance to start at Badminton include H&H blogger Nana Dalton (Absolut Opposition).

Article continues below…

You might also be interested in:

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

British Badminton title contender among latest withdrawals

‘This sport sure is tough but we will stick together as a team and give him all the TLC he

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Remarkable final horse inspection at Kentucky: 31 progress to showjumping phase

The second trot-up took place in front of the ground jury at Kentucky this morning, ahead of this afternoon's final

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Oliver Townend holds his lead after Kentucky cross-country: ‘He grabbed the bit and off he went’

The defending champion is on course to keep his title at the US flagship event after a great round today,

Pippa Funnell and Oliver Townend still have more than two horses entered, but they can only bring two horses to the event and present two at the first horse inspection on Wednesday. Pippa has to pick between Majas Hope, Billy Beware, Billy Walk On and MGH Grafton Street, while Oliver must pick from Ballaghmor Class, Cillnabradden Evo and Ulises.

Check back for more updates on Badminton online all this week. Full form guide in Horse & Hound magazine this Thursday (2 May issue) and report the following week (9 May issue).

How using cavalletti can improve your horse in dressage and jumping

Gemma Redrup — Sun, 06 Jan 2019 16:24:06 +0000

Most horses, no matter what their discipline, will benefit from working with cavalletti. For Olympic champion Ingrid Klimke (pictured), riding over cavalletti is key to success. Cavalletti training improves the horse’s basic paces, develops rhythm, suppleness and cadence and helps increase fitness and agility.

This new book, Cavalletti For Dressage and Jumping, written by Ingrid and her late father Reiner Klimke, describes how to work with cavalletti on the lunge, provides valuable new schooling ideas and inspiration for dressage work, as well as numerous layouts for gymnastic jumping, including over 160 colour photographs and illustrations.

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Since its first publication in 1969, Cavalletti has become a standard reference book. This fourth edition has been further revised with new photographs.

German Olympic and European gold medallist Ingrid Klimke has followed in the footsteps of her famous father, the late Dr Reiner Klimke. She is also one of very few riders to have achieved major successes at the highest level in both dressage and eventing.

The late Dr Reiner Klimke was the most successful dressage rider in the world; his achievements included Olympic gold, World dressage champion, European dressage champion and European horse trials champion. All his victories and medals were won on horses he had trained himself.

In this book extract, Ingrid explains how jumping cavalletti on a

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

circle can help your horse:

Jumping on a circle

Another variation is to place four cavalletti evenly spaced around the circle, one at every quarter. A helper is useful to set the cavalletti out quickly.

The rider must make sure they look forwards to each of the cavalletti in turn. This improves reaction time as the jumps come quickly, one after the other. The circle must be maintained. The rider must also maintain the horse’s flexion, ben and rhythm over the cavalletti to prevent him from changing canter lead and running out. The challenge is to do this in an even rhythm. If the horse speeds up, he must be steadied with half-halts. The aim is to ride around the circle with the same number of strides between each of the cavalletti. After a few circles, rider and horse will find a steady rhythm and get the feel for the stride most comfortable for the horse when cantering on a circle.

After a few successful circles, the rider should take a break in walk, and repeat the exercise on the other rein.

The next stage is to ride on the inside track over the cavalletti. This requires only three canter strides. Riding on the outer track requires four canter strides. The aim of this exercise is to learn how to maintain either three or four canter strides between the cavalletti. Advanced riders should be able to alter the number of strides between each.

At a later stage, small jumps can be used instead of cavalletti, and again, it is useful to have a helper near each jump to put the poles up if they are knocked down, or to raise or lower them.

Once this exercise and its variations have been completed, the rider should be familiar with the light, forward seat or jumping seat. This is good grounding for jumping over grids and related distances.

Price: Cavalletti For Dressage and Jumping can be purchased for £19.99 via Amazon.

Published by: The Crowood Press, 2018

For all the latest equestrian news and reports, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine out every Thursday

German eventing star beats British world champion in indoor derby

Lucy Elder — Fri, 16 Nov 2018 18:16:07 +0000

Ingrid Klimke triumphed in front of a home crowd at the eventing indoor derby at the Stuttgart German Masters, pipping Britain’s Ros Canter to the win.

In a turn of events reminiscent of the 2018 World Equestrian Games, Ros was the provisional leader with Ingrid the last to jump.

In Tryon, a showjumping clear by Ros and a rolled pole from Ingrid secured team and individual gold for Ros and the Brits, while Ingrid dropped to third.

But in a reversal a fortune, a speedy clear from the German rider in Stuttgart on Wednesday (14 November) clinched the win, with Ros and Las Vegas close behind in second.

“I’m so happy,” said Ingrid, who was riding the 14-year-old Trakehner gelding Parmenides.

“They were 150 seconds of pure fun today. It’s such a joy to ride here, the support you get from the crowd is incredible.”

Ingrid Klimke gewinnt mit Parmenides das Indoor DerbyUnglaublich! Was eine Stimmung??Ingrid Klimke gewinnt mit Parmenides das Indoor Derby bei den Stuttgart German Masters 2018!?▶️Watch.clipmyhorse.tv/StuttgartGermanMasters2018Posted by ClipMyHorse.TV Deutschland on Wednesday, November 14, 2018

Ros had a quick turnaround to make it back to Britain in time for a demo at Hartpury on Thursday night.

“That was a lot of fun,” she posted on social media.

“How cool is Las Vegas? Just pipped by Ingrid but it’s definitely given me the [eventer derby] bug.”

In third was British-based New Zealand eventer Jesse Campbell riding the eight-year-old Diachello.

Article continues below…

You might also be interested in:

(Image credit: no credit)

11 things you might not know about eventing world champion Ros Canter

Here’s a run down of some facts you might not know about eventing’s first lady...

(Image credit: no credit)

Ros Canter’s showjumping clear secures fantastic double gold for Britain at WEG

Britain claimed the team and individual gold medals in the eventing at the World Equestrian Games in Tryon, USA, this

A cheering crowd of 7,500 spectators watched the class on the opening evening of the show.

Laura Collett and Parkfield Quintessential were the next best of the British contingent, finishing 10th.

Imogen Murray and Shannondale Vintage, Guy Woods and Algorithm and Fiona Kashel and The Rebel County completed the British line-up.

US rider Tiana Coudray’s 17-year-old grey sustained a soft tissue injury during his round and was transported out of the arena to the stables, where he was cared for by vets.

Tiana thanked everyone for their messages of support and said the horse was resting comfortably in his stable that night. He has since been given the go-ahead by vets to travel home.

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday

British team are ‘class acts’ to rise to gold after WEG cross-country; Ros Canter in silver

Pippa Roome — Sat, 15 Sep 2018 21:47:25 +0000

Britain has moved up to the team gold position after cross-country in the Mars-sponsored eventing at the World Equestrian Games today (Saturday, 15 September).

In a superlative performance, all four British team riders put in clears inside the time.

“It’s absolutely fantastic, unbelievable,” said chef d’equipe Dickie Waygood. “They were class acts — I can’t wait to watch the videos back and see the performances. They sat beautifully, the horses reacted to them and the way they came up the hill at the end was superb.”

Gemma Tattersall, the pathfinder on The Soul Syndicate’s Arctic Soul, said: “Arctic Soul is a complete cross-country machine. My job was to go out and go clear inside the time. Luckily I was able to set the tone for the day and these guys followed, so that was brilliant.

“I was 15 seconds down at the bottom of the hill [at the end of the course] and was back on time at on my eighth minute marker. I was pulling up from the second to last fence to the end, which shows what a fast horse he is.”

Piggy French went out second for the team riding Jayne McGivern’s Quarrycrest Echo. She now lies eighth individually.

She commented: “I’m proud of my horse — he had to get really gritty and dig very deep. It was harder work than it walked, a bit like being in a tumble drier.”

Tom McEwen piloted Jane Inns, his own and his mother Ali’s Toledo De Kerser and has moved up to 10th.

He said: “My horse was class, I couldn’t have asked any more from him. As a team we had a plan right off from start and don’t think we ever wavered, we knew what we were doing and everyone seriously delivered.”

Ros Canter’s performance with her own and Caroline Moore’s Allstar B elevated her from bronze individually to silver.

“Today was all about the team, as was yesterday — that’s my number one focus and will remain so,” she said. “The fact I’m in silver is a bonus and very exciting, but I’ve got to thank the whole team and support team. Going fourth I had all the information and it really helped me.”

British individual Tina Cook also jumped clear on Elisabeth Murdoch and Keith Tyson’s Billy The Red, finishing with just 2.4 time-faults for 14th after this phase.

“On the first walk of the course, we were a bit dismissive, but the more times we walked it the more problems we could see,” she said. “It was a bit more undulating than it looked and proved a proper championship track.”

Ireland has moved up from seventh after dressage to the team silver position. Sarah Ennis on Horseware Stellor Rebound is also holding the individual bronze slot.

“I’m delighted. I was down on the clock bottom of hill, but he went off like a racehorse — Rocket by name, Rocket by nature,” she said, referring to the horse’s stable name.

France is now holding the team bronze position, their effort spearheaded by Thibaut Vallette (Qing Du Briot ENE HN) who has held onto individual fourth.

The Germans, team gold medallists after dressage, had a disappointing day and Julia Krajewski and Chipmunk lost their individual gold spot due to a run-out at the combination of corners at fence 14, the CSX Junction. But Ingrid Klimke has moved up from second to first individually on SAP Hale Bob OLD.

“I had a lovely round and enjoyed the course a lot. ‘Bobby’ was really fit, he really cantered up the hill and got his second wind so I could ride for the time,” she said.

Article continues below…

You might also be interested in:

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

BREAKING NEWS: Hurricane Florence forces cancellation of WEG dressage freestyle

The grand prix freestyle will not go ahead at the World Equestrian Games in Tryon

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

BREAKING NEWS: all Sunday sport at WEG postponed due to Hurricane Florence

The eventing showjumping and the grand prix freestyle have been postponed

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

See the World Equestrian Games cross-country course in photos

Check out photos of the fences the riders will tackle on the cross-country course at the World Equestrian Games in

The US team effort also fell apart, with their best-placed rider after dressage, Boyd Martin (Tseterleg), having a stop at the boat in the middle of the Mars Sustainability Bay at fence 10.

With Tropical Storm Florence approaching Tryon, the cross-country was run at three-minute intervals rather than the planned four minutes, so that the action would be finished sooner. There were a few showers today, but the conditions were generally horse friendly, with temperatures much lower than on the dressage days.

Keep up to date with all the latest from WEG on horseandhound.co.uk and read our full eventing report inHorse & Hound next week (20 September issue).

Two fences removed from WEG cross-country course due to weather conditions

Pippa Roome — Fri, 14 Sep 2018 23:25:15 +0000

Two elements of combination fences have been removed from tomorrow’s cross-country course for the Mars-sponsored eventing at the World Equestrian Games (WEG) in deference to the weather.

The rain associated with Hurricane Florence is due to start at Tryon on Saturday evening and continue through Sunday, which has led to the eventing showjumping being postponed until Monday. Humidity is also expected to be high for cross-country day, although temperatures are forecast to be slightly lower than on the dressage days.

The fences which have been taken out of Mark Phillips’ course are 23a, the first element of the three-part Polaris Brushes, and 24b, the second element of the Hendersonville Apple Festival, the final combination on course. This was a spread fence off a turn following a roofed fence which looks like an apple.

Fence 23a (Image credit: creditUnknown)

New Zealander Jonelle Price said: “It seems a little bit silly, for me as soon as you’ve jumped fence 20 you’re pretty much bolting home. I think realistically you’re going to be making up quite a lot of time up the hill.”

Swedish rider Ludwig Svennerstal said: “I think it’s a very good course and a very fair question. For me they don’t need to take any fences out, but I don’t know about the weather — I’m sure they will make the right decision.”

Rumours flew today about possible course changes. One possibility was that the course would be shortened considerably, with horses only running partway up the the challenging hill at the end of the track. But the route and distance remains unchanged, with competitors still finishing in the main arena. The course is 5700m long with an optimum time of 10min.

Britain’s Ros Canter said: “We are happy about the hill — we selected on the basis of strong cross-country horses and are confident the horses are fit.”

Australia’s Bill Levett said that he was “100% happy” with the decision to run a full-length course.

He said: “We are all worried about the heat and humidity, but it’s meant to be cooler tomorrow. We’ve all prepared for a 10min track and that’s what we are hoping to ride round. I haven’t met a chef d’equipe who didn’t want the full distance, unless it looks like it’s going to be horrendous and the horses aren’t going to cope.”

Canada’s Selena O’Hanlon said: “I’m so happy about that [the decision to keep the course full length]. I was really disappointed they were going to shorten it. We’ve based our season on bringing really good cross-country horses and so have other nations. We are super excited we get to do it and get a chance to climb up the leaderboard.”

Article continues below…

You might also be interested in:

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

BREAKING NEWS: all Sunday sport at WEG postponed due to Hurricane Florence

The eventing showjumping and the grand prix freestyle have been postponed

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

WEG eventing cross-country times: find out when the British and Irish riders start

Find out all the vital cross-country times for tomorrow at the World Equestrian Games, including starting times for the Brits

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

See the World Equestrian Games cross-country course in photos

Check out photos of the fences the riders will tackle on the cross-country course at the World Equestrian Games in

Ingrid Klimke, Germany’s anchorwoman, added: “The hill is demanding, but we all knew about it and have been training for it, plus it’s been a hot summer in Germany.”

US rider Phillip Dutton said: “I think it’s the right decision — no one wants to see hard-pressed, exhausted hores, but I think riders will get out with that in mind.”

Horse & Hound has two journalists and a photographer in Tryon for WEG. Keep up to date with all the news on horseandhound.co.uk and in the magazine issues dated 20 and 27 September.

Ros Canter in individual bronze and British team in silver after WEG eventing dressage

Pippa Roome — Fri, 14 Sep 2018 21:26:43 +0000

Ros Canter performed a fantastic test in the dressage for the Mars-sponsored eventing competition at the World Equestrian Games (WEG) this afternoon (Friday, 14 September) to catapult herself and the British team into medal positions.

Ros and Allstar B, who belongs to his rider and Caroline Moore, pulled off a mistake-free test to score 24.6 and sit third at the end of the day.

“I’m absolutely thrilled with Allstar B. In this last three or four years, he’s been ultra-consistent so my job is to make sure I get a mistake-free test,” she said. “I knew all my prep points and it is all about preparation and just getting each movement out the way.”

With Piggy French (Quarrycrest Echo) in 15th and Tom McEwen (Toledo De Kerser) in 20th, the British team have a combined score of 80.8 to hold the silver medal position ahead of tomorrow’s cross-country. Gemma Tattersall (Arctic Soul) is currently providing the discard score in 47th, but she is only four marks behind Tom, which is advantageous should her score be needed tomorrow.

Ingrid Klimke scored 23.3 to take second individually this afternoon with SAP Hale Bob OLD and confirm Germany’s team lead, 7.4 marks ahead of the chasing pack.

“I’m very happy — ‘Bobby’ was so relaxed, so calm, so concentrating, I could really ride him,” said Ingrid.

The USA currently holds the bronze position, with Boyd Martin (Tseterleg) the home side’s best-placed rider in eighth. Just 6.1 marks separate the teams placed second to sixth, with France fourth, Australia fifth and New Zealand sixth.

Article continues below…

You might also be interested in:

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Strong performance from Tom McEwen keeps Britain in WEG eventing medal hunt

Britain's third rider put in a great test, marred by just one wobble near the end, to keep Britain near

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

See the World Equestrian Games cross-country course in photos

Check out photos of the fences the riders will tackle on the cross-country course at the World Equestrian Games in

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

‘I’m absolutely devastated’: Spencer Wilton withdraws from grand prix special at WEG

Spencer Wilton and Super Nova II will not contest the grand prix special at WEG

Swedish individual Sara Algotsson Ostholt propelled herself into fifth this afternoon with a strong test from her London 2012 individual silver medallist Wega.

“She loves to show herself off to a big audience. For me, she has a big heart — I just see a big red heart when I think of this horse,” said Sara.

Sarah Ennis has taken sixth to help the Irish team into seven. She and Horseware Stellar Rebound achieved a mark of 26.3.

“There are so many around 27 so I was hoping to get lower than that. He spooked when he went in there, which isn’t like him, but then he settled and was quiet as a lamb, so I’m delighted with him,” she said.

Tomorrow’s cross-country is due to start at 11am, but rumours have been flying this afternoon about potential adjustments to the schedule to take account of the weather, as well as possible changes to the course. Check back later for a further update.

Horse & Hound has two journalists and a photographer in Tryon for WEG. Keep up to date with all the news on horseandhound.co.uk and in the magazine issues dated 20 and 27 September.

Germany reveals on-form eventing squad for World Equestrian Games

Lucy Elder — Mon, 13 Aug 2018 18:15:10 +0000

Michael Jung heads the on-form German eventing squad for the 2018 World Equestrian Games.

The world number six is named aboard his three-time Kentucky CCI4* winner FischerRocana FST.

He is joined by Ingrid Klimke riding the multiple three-star winner SAP Hale Bob. The pair won four internationals in a row between July 2017 and June 2018.

Julia Krajewski brings forward her consistent partner Chipmunk FRH, fresh from a hat-trick of three-star victories. The pair won Marbach CIC3* in May, before storming to victory in Bramham’s CCI3* on their dressage score of 19.4 and also took the CICO3* at Aachen.

Andreas Dibowski is named on two horses; he will ride either the 15-year-old FRH Butts Avedon or rising star, nine-year-old FRH Corrida.

Kai Rüder and his sixth-placed 2017 European Championship ride Colani Sunrise complete the squad.

Sandra Auffarth’s strong performance in Aachen and her CIC3* victory in Strzegom yesterday (12 August) have led to her being named as first reserve with the nine-year-old Viamant Du Matz.

“The horse has been in an absolutely ascending form since Aachen,” said national coach Hans Melzer.

“He has a lot of potential and, if used, would certainly be a worthy championship horse. But he is still quite young and has a great future ahead of him.”

Article continues below…

You might also be interested in:

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Olympic champion returns as fierce Kiwi squad named for WEG

Two Olympic champions, the 2018 Badminton winners and the top-ranked Kiwi eventer are among those on New Zealand’s WEG squad

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Irish eventing squad named for WEG — ‘Jonty Evans is in our thoughts’

The five-strong squad which will represent Ireland in the eventing at WEG has been selected and the team will ‘wear

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Brits in pole position on world rankings as World Equestrian Games approach

The riders in second and third have swapped places this month, while a New Zealander makes a dramatic leap into

Second reserve is Josefa Sommer with Hamilton, followed by Jörg Kurbel on Josera’s Entertain You.

The World Equestrian Games take place at Tryon International Equestrian Centre, North Carolina, from 11 to 23 September.

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday

Disaster for Germany and Britain as New Zealand claim Nations Cup glory in Aachen

Polly Bryan — Sat, 21 Jul 2018 16:16:07 +0000

A hugely influential cross-country phase caused favourites and overnight leaders Germany to plummet down to fifth, and hand the Aachen Nations Cup victory to New Zealand.

All four of the home side fell foul to Rüdiger Schwarz’s deceptively tricky course, with Julia Krajewski eliminated after three refusals on her team ride Samourai Du Thot. Last year’s winners Ingrid Klimke and SAP Hale Bob OLD had trouble at the same combination of skinnies with a run-out. Andreas Dibowski (FRH Corrida) and Kai Ruder (Colani Sunrise) jumped clear but each racked up the time penalties, with Kai’s 12-year-old gelding refusing to leave the start box for a full 40 seconds.

However, Julia on her second ride, Chipmunk (above), gave the home crowd what they came for, with a super round on the 10-year-old Contendro son to clinch the individual lead.

“My first round really didn’t go to plan and was frustrating, but I had to remind myself that it was another horse, and Chipmunk is very different to Sam,” Julia said. “He’s a young horse and I was thrilled with how he answered all my questions.”

Australia’s Chris Burton and Quality Purdey were the only combination to get inside the time, by just 0.01 of a second. Having raced into the lead, and seen the overnight runner-up Tim Lips and Bayro retire at fence 4, Chris had an anxious wait as Julia completed her round. The roar from the crowds as she crossed the finish line told him all he needed to know – despite clocking up 6.4 time faults, it was enough to secure her the victory by just 0.6 of a mark.

New Zealand produced an impressively consistent performance to rise up the rankings and take the team win. Clarke Johnstone (Balmoral Sensation), Mark Todd (Kiltubrid Rhapsody) and Tim Price (Cekatinka, below) all jumped clear, with the latter finishing third individually.

“The priority was a solid team performance and it’s thrilling that we’ve all gone out and delivered everything we wanted for the team,” said Tim.

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

It wasn’t a good day for Britain, with the team finishing sixth. The best performance across country came from team first-timer Imogen Murray, who had been the drop score overnight, but finished as best Brit in 24th. She and Ivar Gooden jumped clear around what she described as an “intense” course, but was unlucky to pick up 20 penalties for a circle before the first water complex, that she thought she had got away with.

“I had a bit of steering malfunction, and that cost us time too,” she told H&H.

Article continues below…

You might also be interested in:

(Image credit: Jon Stroud)

Germany’s eventers lead in Aachen as Britain drops down the order

Germany leads after the showjumping in Aachen, with Britain currently lying fifth.

(Image credit: Jon Stroud)

Michael Jung’s eventing legend to miss his Aachen swansong

The double Olympic champion, who is in his final season eventing, did not make the trip to Aachen after a

(Image credit: Jon Stroud)

Harry Meade: Rule change makes a farce of our scoring H&H VIP

Horse & Hound's eventing columnist says the proposed tweak to the flag rule does not fix the issue

Oliver Townend was best of the Brits overnight, but a very sticky jump over the skinny element of the first water resulted in him pitching over Ballaghmor Class’s side, and into the water. Both Oliver and the 11-year-old grey gelding were uninjured in the fall.

Luck was also not on the side of Britain’s other riders; Gemma Tattersall and Pamero 4 had a run-out at the skinny element of the second water complex, and Sarah Bullimore ran out at the same combination of skinnies that caught out the German riders, after Reve Du Rouet got distracted and didn’t really lock on to the fence.

“He was fabulous but he’s difficult with crowds and when we came in to that fence there were so many people and at the last minute he lost concentration and got confused,” Sarah said.

Don’t miss the full report from Aachen in next week’s H&H, on sale on 26 July.

Oliver Townend second in Event Rider Masters leg: ‘I’m thrilled with the horse’

Pippa Roome — Mon, 21 May 2018 11:02:07 +0000

Oliver Townend took second for Britain in the second leg of the 2018 Event Rider Masters series, held at Wiesbaden, German, last week (18-19 May).

Riding Sally-Anne Egginton’s Cillnabradden Evo, who was instrumental in helping him secure the series title in 2016, Oliver was second throughout the competition. The pair scored 22.8 in the dressage, showjumped clear and had just 2.4 time-faults across country.

Ingrid Klimke won the class on her European champion SAP Hale Bob OLD. The German led the dressage on 22.2 and added 1.6 time-penalties in the final phase to finish 1.4 penalties ahead of Oliver.

“I am thrilled with the horse,” said world number one Oliver. “To get so close to Hale Bob is very special and I couldn’t be happier with how he has performed.”

Wiesbaden attracts big crowds and the cross-country winds through the tradestands, finishing in the main arena.

“Bobby did such a wonderful job today. It was the best feeling to ride through the Schloss Park with so many people cheering us on,” said Ingrid.

A second German also took a podium place when Julia Krajewski landed third with her 2018 Luhmühlen CCI4* winner, Samourai Du Thot.

“Sam loves it here and he’s always been really comfortable in front of all of the people watching him,” said Julia. “I was maybe a bit conservative at the start but by the end I could let him run and jump. He really loves his job and I love riding him. I am very proud to share the podium with two legends.”

Article continues below…

You might also be interested in:

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Piggy French speeds to Event Rider Masters victory at Chatsworth Horse Trials

The exciting first leg of the Event Rider Masters 2018 series got underway at Chatsworth with an all-female final podium

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Blood and whip rule changes in store after high-profile cases

The eventing committee is considering proposals to ‘provide clarity’ for all involved in the sport

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Luhmühlen entries: who are the key players heading to Germany?

Find out which British horses and riders will head to the German four-star at Luhmühlen next month and who the

The Netherlands’ Tim Lips was fourth riding Bayro, with New Zealander Tim Price in fifth on Cekatinka.

Piggy French, who won the Chatsworth leg, and Ingrid are now tied for second place on the ERM series leaderboard ahead of the third 2018 ERM leg at Arville, Belgium (23-24 June). Tim Price holds the lead, six points ahead of them.

Full report from Wiesbaden in H&H this week (issue dated 24 May).