Latest from Horse & Hound in Martin-fuchs

Dream win – and an ‘exquisite dinner’ – for top rider in Aachen grand prix

Eleanor Jones — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 10:14:34 +0000

Martin Fuchs had a feeling on Sunday that it might be his day – and it was, in spades, as he and Leone Jei won the Rolex Grand Prix of Aachen after an epic 11-way jump-off.

The Swiss rider and Adolfo Juri’s star 13-year-old finished two seconds ahead of Laura Kraut and Baloutinue, with Steve Guerdat and Dynamix De Belheme half a second behind in third.

This was a fifth major title for Martin but a first Aachen grand prix, 21 years after his uncle Markus did the same.

“A great day; a lot of emotions,” he said. “Winning in Aachen has been something I’ve tried to do many times, and I’ve been close. Today, when Leone Jei jumped so incredible, I was very focused for the jump-off, and I thought today could be the day. I didn’t want to let him down again; last year I made a rider’s mistake in the jump-off so today I thought ‘Let’s try to improve’.

“It’a special day for the whole family and team. Leone Jei is such an incredible horse; in all the majors, he’s always there, and when I do a good job, usually he leaves the poles up. In a ring like this, he has a huge stride, which allows me to leave out strides, go full risk and still usually jump clear. To be riding a horse like this – I’m very lucky.”

Of 40 starters, only 14 had jumped clear to make it to the second round, in which they were joined by two with time-faults and two on four. Of those 14, only three did not repeat the feat, leaving a huge and stellar jump-off line-up.

The European champions Steve and Dynamix had jumped a fabulous clear on 52.59sec but left the door ajar. Martin took advantage of Leone Jei’s ground-covering ability and left strides out on the crucial lines; forward and accurate and focused, they got the perfect shot to the gold double that caught many others out, and rode a beautiful line to the last vertical.

Last in, Laura and St Bride’s Farm’s 15-year-old put in more strides but were faster in places, and had their noses in front at one point, but Laura took just a check to the double and went slightly wider.

Very happy with second

“I’m very happy with second,” Laura said. “When there were 11 in the jump-off, with a lot of the fastest riders in the world, I thought ‘This could end not so well’. I knew the golden double was the thing to jump; it was very difficult, and many people were quick until that. I wasn’t sure I was up on Martin, because I know how fast he is. So when I jumped the wall, instead of taking all the risks like he did, I chickened out and thought ‘I’m going to play it safe and not have it down’, which is where he went well into the lead – and the way you went to the last fence, no chance! So in the end, I’m very happy.”

Steve said he had “many reasons to be happy”; he was delighted with how Dynamix went, and he knew the win would take a horse with a bigger stride than her.

Asked what he thought Leone Jei would say to him at that point if he could, Martin said: “Let’s go again!” And when asked how he would spend his prize money, he said that most of it would go to his owners and parents, so “I’m not going to see much of it”.

“My parents are very generous with me, so I’m sure my mum will make an exquisite dinner tomorrow for us,” he said.

Credit has to go to Nina Mallevaey of France and Dynastie de Beaufour, who finished in 50.01sec, but clipped the gold double, to finish fifth.

Best of the Brits was Ben Maher with his European Championships ride Point Break in 13th; the pair were unlucky to tip the first element of the Rolex triple in the first round but Ben then put his foot down, securing a place in round two as one of the fastest four-faulters. They came back to jump a polished and speedy clear but the penalties carried over.

The result also helped Ben to win the leading rider title of the show, and his Paris Olympic team gold medal winner Dallas Vegas Batilly was leading horse.

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Rider lines up for Rolex CSI5* grand prix hat-trick after opening with a victory at Royal Windsor Horse Show

Sarah Radford — Fri, 16 May 2025 13:33:20 +0000

Royal Windsor Horse Show continued to be a happy hunting ground for Martin Fuchs as he launched the CSI5* programme with an easy victory.

The 32-year-old Swiss rider led the show’s opening international class, the two phase 1.45m Pearl Stakes, from an early draw on the talented nine-year-old mare Love De Vie, who was making her debut at this level.

“It’s a good show for me, I love it here,” Martin said. “Even in the warm up my horses already feel great, they enjoy jumping here. The fences are beautiful, and it feels like a different show than many of the other 5*s — I like the change.”

Martin comes to Windsor with a brilliant track record, having secured back-to-back triumphs in the schedule’s main draw, the €125,000 Rolex grand prix — winning with Connor Jei in 2023 and Leone Jei last year.

This year he will be riding the 12-year-old gelding Commissar Pezi, who is making his first appearance at this show.

“He has already won some five-star grands prix,” said Martin, who won the Prix Du Grand Palais in Paris with the son of Commissario in March and was second in the grand prix at the London International Horse Show in December, on his last outing on British soil.

“It is always the goal when you come to these shows to be at your best in those classes but I am not thinking too much about first place. I just try to ride my best and give my horse a good chance to have our best day.”

“Lovely” mare shines for new owner on five-star debut

His Pearl Stakes winner Love De Vie looks to be another gifted addition to Martin’s string, delivering an unflustered round from fourth-to-go that other competitive combinations couldn’t touch.

While some were using the class as a warm up for later in the week, the USA’s Laura Kraut gave it a shot on the 10-year-old gelding Tres Bien Z to finish 0.28sec slower for runner-up, with pathfinder Lorenzo De Luca (Noblesse VD Mespel Z) 0.30sec behind in third.

John Whitaker and the Old Lodge’s 16-year-old gelding Sharid were best of the Brits in fourth, 1.6sec ahead of 22-year-old Sienna Charles and Chawton in fifth.

“[Love De Vie] is a lovely horse who is very new to this level, but she has such a good mentality — you can see that even stood in the collecting ring with the ponies next to her or the carriages, she is so cool.

“She comes here in this impressive arena and she doesn’t care about anything,” said Martin, who has been riding the mare for a year and was secured the ride by new owner Karin Bühler, who bought her last month.

“People had started to be interested in her, but now I get to keep her and focus on the sport with her,” he said.

“I am happy to have been able to win with such a nice, smooth round because sometimes you have to go all in to be able to win here at Windsor!

“She has a big engine and a great canter and is very quick on the ground — it definitely suits us this big ring, where I can let her go a bit.”

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Why are top riders Steve Guerdat and Martin Fuchs boycotting the Longines League of Nations?

Lucy Elder — Tue, 11 Feb 2025 17:06:13 +0000

Two of the biggest names in showjumping are shunning the FEI’s flagship series in 2025 over disagreement with its choice of venues.

London 2012 Olympic individual gold medallist Steve Guerdat and former European champion Martin Fuchs will not be competing in the Longines League of Nations this year.

The Longines League of Nations, which starts this week in the UAE, is a revamp of the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup series and ran for the first time in 2024. Hickstead and Dublin were among the longstanding host venues that did not make the cut to hold legs of the new series.

The two riders cited the calendar and locations of the Longines League of Nations stages as reasons for their boycott.

“The Nations Cups are very important to me. I am critical of the fact that the best traditional tournaments that have shaped the history of our sport are not included in the Longines League of Nations calendar in order to support tournaments that, in my opinion, have few spectators and few reputations,” said Martin, who is currently ranked fifth in the world.

“I will be available to Switzerland for all other Nations Cups this season and am looking forward to a successful year.”

Longines League of Nations qualifiers will run at Abu Dhabi (15 February), Ocala (22 March), Rotterdam (20 June) and Gassin – St Tropez (21 September), with the final at Barcelona (2 to 5 October). The St Gallen leg, which was on the original calendar and was cancelled in 2024 owing to weather, has been replaced by the St Tropez fixture.

Switzerland will be contesting the Longines League of Nations in 2025.

Chef d’equipe Peter van der Waaij said: “The Longines League of Nations competitions bring additional pressure with the new format; we experienced that in 2024. It is crucial to be strong as a team and to support each other. These are key aspects for Nations Cups and with a view to the European and World Championships. An important goal within the Longines League of Nations series is of course to qualify for the final in Barcelona.”

During a press conference at Bordeaux, where he won the Longines World Cup jumping qualifier with Connor Jei, Martin added: “I’m really pleased to have the opportunity to talk not only about this win, but also about more serious topics than just this competition.

“For us, it’s really the competitions such as this in Bordeaux, Falsterbo, Dublin, Dinard, La Baule, which have this tradition, the crowd, a buzzy atmosphere of a top competition – we think it’s really important to support these competitions.”

He added that “of course it is great that there are new competitions”, giving the examples of Abu Dhabi and Ocala, but the traditional ones – “those that are the best in the world” – should be supported, rather than prioritising the new.

“I think the new ones need to prove themselves first. If they are better, if they do prove themselves to be better, then let’s discuss again a change in the calendar,” he said. “But we don’t agree with the way it’s been done and are very, very disappointed for the sake of our sport and the Nations Cup.”

World number two Steve Guerdat said Nations Cups are “very important to me” and that it is “always a great honour to represent Switzerland at a Nations Cup”.

“I am also 100% behind Swiss Equestrian,” he said. “The atmosphere at the Swiss Nations Cup in St. Gallen, for example, or at other traditional tournaments in equestrian countries is incomparable.

“There are fantastic tournaments with a great atmosphere all over the world. It is precisely this atmosphere that I miss at tournaments that are organised less for the horse-loving public than for a select audience – I cannot understand the FEI’s strategy regarding the Longines League of Nations.”

Swiss Equestrian sports manager Evelyne Niklaus added: “We have had extensive discussions with Martin Fuchs and Steve Guerdat. We respect this wish. Both will be part of the team at other Nations Cups and will give their all for Switzerland.”

Dublin and Hickstead are among the historic former Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup venues that now hold their own legs, independent of an FEI series.

An FEI spokesperson told H&H: “The FEI regrets the absence of these two top athletes at the Longines League of Nations, but fully respects the right of each competitor to make decisions based on their own priorities and circumstances.

“While St Gallen was initially part of the Longines League of Nations series, the decision to remove it was based on safety concerns and the need for venues to meet certain standards. This decision, though regrettable, was made in the best interest of the sport and its participants.”

The spokesperson added: “While the participation of top athletes like Martin Fuchs and Steve Guerdat is certainly valued, the strength of the series lies in the calibre of competitors from around the world, which we are confident will continue to attract passionate spectators to these prestigious events.”

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Nail-biting jump-off secures top rider’s spot in home World Cup final

Gemma Redrup — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 14:16:19 +0000

Martin Fuchs made his first trip to the 2025 Jumping International De Bordeaux count, winning the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup qualifier (8 February) – garnering a valuable 20 points in the process, which means that he is now qualified for the final on home turf in Basel in April.

The Swiss rider’s victory came with Adolfo Juri’s supremely consistent Conner Jei, who negotiated both rounds of Jean-François Morand’s track with ease.

They were seventh to go in the first round, jumping the second of 12 clear rounds. Martin suspected his jump-off time of 37.45 sec would be beaten, which it was by both Julien Anquetin (Blood Diamond Du Pont) and Julien Épaillard (Donatello D’Auge), who clocked 36.54 sec and 36.91 sec respectively, but both rolled a pole.

“I was a bit stressed because I really needed those points,” said Martin, the world number five. “But it was a perfect jump-off for Conner Jei – fast and big – and my horse has enormous ability. There were a lot of faults in the jump-off, which helped me, but I was nervous until the end especially when Julien Épaillard entered. He was faster, but as luck would have it, he knocked down the last fence.”

Ultimately, Martin won by more than two seconds ahead of Belgian rider Pieter Devos and 10-year-old mare Casual DV Z.

“She was fifth here last year and this year she’s second, so you can say she has progressed,” said Pieter. “I love this mare, she’s really exceptional. She did three World Cups this winter and was double clear each time. I’m going to ride her in the final in Basel.”

Winner in Leipzig, Dutch rider Willem Greve, completed the podium with Grandorado TN NOP, who was first to go in the jump-off.

“My horse jumped beautifully, confirming the great things he had already shown in Leipzig and Amsterdam, but I wasn’t going to take all the risks, because my first goal was to secure the points I needed to book my ticket to Basel and ensure a clear round,” explained Willem.

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‘Too challenging to understand’: why top rider is calling for showjumping to be made more accessible

Jennifer Donald — Wed, 11 Dec 2024 16:30:05 +0000

The Rolex Grand Slam of Showjumping returns this Sunday at the CHI Geneva (11-15 December) with Martin Fuchs the live contender. The Swiss showjumper will be hoping to continue his journey towards the Grand Slam bonus in Sunday’s Rolex grand prix. But Martin will also be contesting the prestigious Rolex IJRC Top 10 Final in the iconic Palexpo Arena on Friday evening, just one of the highlights in an action-packed schedule of top tier equestrian action.

Martin returns to his home show of Geneva on the back of a thrilling victory in the previous leg of the Rolex Grand Slam of Showjumping, the CPKC International grand prix presented by Rolex at the Spruce Meadows Masters tournament with his super grey Leone Jei.

Martin is definitely the one to beat, having become the first rider to win consecutive Rolex Grand Prix titles at Geneva in 2019 and 2021 and he will be hoping to become the second rider to win the Rolex Grand Slam after Scott Brash took the crown in 2015.

Martin Fuchs describes arriving in Geneva as the Rolex Grand Slam of Showjumping live contender as “an incredible feeling” and he brings “a lot of confidence”.

“Competing at such prestigious and unique events is already a privilege, but winning one of the Rolex grand prix events at a Major makes it truly special,” he says. “The four Rolex Majors are the shows that I enjoy the most and look forward to all year round, so the goal is to always be in the best form for these events.

“Having the CHI Geneva in our home country makes it even more special, and the atmosphere and support of the fans makes it one of my favourite shows,” he continues. “I don’t really train the horses differently, apart from jumping indoors before the CHI Geneva and outdoors before the CSIO Spruce Meadows Masters Tournament.

“I am lucky because Leone Jei has been everywhere and has seen all the different arenas – he doesn’t mind what type of surface he jumps on.”

Martin Fuchs on Leone Jei: “A phenomenal horse”

Martin describes the flying grey Leone Jei, his winning partner on many occasions, as “phenomenal”.

“He is so motivated and loves to jump – no fence is too big to him, and no arena is too much for him. He can jump anything, anywhere,” says Martin. “He has a fantastic stride, huge scope and is very careful.

“Every time I enter the arena for a Rolex Major or a big Rolex grand prix, I feel like we can win it. It is a great feeling to have, to be able to really rely on your partner. I know that when I do my job well, he will jump a clear round.”

Martin says that trust has to be built up over time, however.

Martin Fuchs and Leone Jei, the new Rolex Grand Slam contenders. (Image credit: creditUnknown)

“My partnership with Leone Jei started over six years ago when I rode him for the very first time, and over the years we have become closer and closer,” he explains. “It is important to try to understand your horse, what is best for them and how best to strengthen your bond.

“Over the past year-and-a-half I feel as if Leone Jei and I have got even stronger and closer, and this has resulted in our most successful season together to date. He loves the CHI Geneva and I love it, too. We will both be giving our very best to try to make it a brilliant experience and claim the title once again.”

“We should work on making showjumping more accessible to a wider audience”

Martin is passionate about the sport of showjumping but raises concerns about keeping the industry relevant.

“I believe we should work on making showjumping more accessible to a wider audience,” he says. “Not necessarily the competitive showjumping itself, but the structure – such as the calendar, the types of shows, and the various series – can be challenging for someone outside the sport to understand.

“For example, there is the Rolex Grand Slam of Showjumping, the Rolex Series, the FEI Jumping World Cup, and the FEI League of Nations. To someone who doesn’t know the sport, distinguishing between these can be confusing, particularly when trying to grasp the differences between the Rolex events, which feature the best riders and highest-level competition, and other series that offer significant prize money but are less prestigious.

“I think in every sport or profession we all strive for perfection – we all want to be the best at what we do, aim for precision and excellence, as well as having a strong work ethic every day,” he adds.

So might we see Martin Fuchs back in the winner’s enclosure at the CHI Geneva this week?

“The CHI Geneva is a highlight of the year for me,” he says. “The home crowd, the rich history, and the unique atmosphere in the arena make it truly incomparable.

“Winning there was incredibly special, and coming close to repeating that victory is a huge motivator for me.”

With thanks to Rolex Grand Slam.

Do you agree with Martin? Share your thoughts at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and county, for the chance for your letter to appear in a forthcoming issue of Horse & Hound magazine

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‘I didn’t believe this would be possible’: $3m grand prix won in dramatic fashion

Jennifer Donald — Mon, 09 Sep 2024 13:39:48 +0000

The 2024 running of the world’s toughest grand prix, the $3m (£1.7m) CPKC International presented by Rolex, was won in dramatic fashion by the superb duo of Martin Fuchs and Leone Jei at Spruce Meadows, Canada, on Sunday (8 September).

“It’s a great feeling to be able to secure a second win here,” said Martin, 32, who continues to forge an incredible legacy, becoming only the third competitor after Rodrigo Pessoa (2000 and 2001 on Gandini Lianos) and Scott Brash (2015 and 2016 with Hello Sanctos and Ursula XII) to land back-to-back grands prix in Calgary.

“I honestly didn’t believe after my rail down in the jump-off that it would be possible. Luck was on my side today.”

The Swiss rider was drawn first for a thrilling three-horse showdown, which neatly featured a mare, a gelding and a stallion. Martin thought he’d thrown away his chances in this third and final round when toppling the seemingly straightforward brown oxer at fence four under the shadow of the trees.

“I was upset with myself for not giving Leone Jei the best chance in the jump-off because I over-rode the oxer – I pushed him into the pole because I was thinking already about the leave-out to the vertical after it, instead of allowing him to jump the oxer and use his big stride to get there on five strides. I was mad at myself and it was a huge disappointment because I had two of the best riders in the world coming after me,” he said.

Unexpected faults for class debutant Darragh Kenny

The baton was passed to Ireland’s Darragh Kenny with Heathman Farm’s VDL Cartello but they succumbed to the same fence. The 17-year-old stallion has all the scope but is not the quickest and a surprising two time-faults also appeared as he crossed the line.

Very rarely does the time allowed play a factor in a jump-off but it emerged that renowned course-builder Leopoldo Palacios had cunningly squeezed the maximum time and it proved to be an innovative stroke of genius as the class unfolded.

“This is a very important grand prix, so it needs to be the biggest and most complicated every year,” he said. “I needed to force the last rider not to go slow and have it too easy – that was my thought, and I don’t know if it’s correct, but I thought, ‘This is what’s best for the sport’.”

CPKC International debutant Darragh reflected, “I thought if I can be smart, go quick enough but not take too much risk, that it could work out. I really didn’t expect him to have the third fence down as he was jumping so well.

“I then tried to go as fast as I could, but I was just too slow!”

Another past winner stakes his claim

A hush then descended on the packed stadium for the brilliant combination of Daniel Deusser and Killer Queen VDM, who lifted the title in 2022.

“I knew I had to go clear, but there was no option to go slow because of the short time allowed, so I was under huge pressure,” said the German rider, who remained clear until he felt the 14-year-old mare anticipating the turn left into the famous double of Liverpools, “so I had one stride less than I should have done” and their first pole fell.

With just Martin’s 40.22sec time now to beat, Daniel accelerated home, gambling with a flyer to the final wall – the same fence that Leopoldo used to conclude his tracks at the 2008 Olympics – but it was a risk too far and the pair crashed through it. Agonisingly, the clock stopped in what would have been a winning time of 39.58sec.

“There is a big question mark – what could you have done differently in that moment – but I tried to go fast to the finish line and she just got a bit lost,” Daniel said. “But I’m very proud that my mare jumped three fantastic rounds.”

The fab three pose for a selfie: podium finishers Daniel Deusser, Martin Fuchs and Darragh Kenny have plenty to smile about. (Image credit: Spruce Meadows Media/Bart Onyszk)

Martin Fuchs: “You need to be 100% focused, confident and have a lot of courage to jump these huge fences”

Martin Fuchs, whose Olympic dream unravelled in Paris last month when he lost a stirrup in the individual final, has been on a remarkable comeback trail since, with wins in the Rolex grand prix at Dublin and the Nations Cup of Brussels with Conner Jei. Reunited with the “incredible” 12-year-old son of Baltic VDL, Martin paid tribute to Leone Jei, who has been placed in 12 of the 13 majors he’s contested, including winning the Rolex grand prix at Royal Windsor this year.

“These tracks are so challenging, you really need to be 100% focused, confident and have a lot of courage to jump these huge fences,” he said. “That’s why I love coming here to Spruce Meadows. It’s the hardest place to win and I’m very grateful to have such a wonderful partner who wants to win them as much as I do.”

What a trophy! Martin Fuchs lifts the silverware for winning the CPKC International presented by Rolex at the Spruce Meadows Masters. (Image credit: creditUnknown)

Tim Gredley and Medoc De Toxandria produced one of the greatest performances of their lives to finish best of the British contenders. They jumped a tremendous double clear, just succumbing to a time-fault in round one, to finish fifth behind another past winner, Steve Guerdat with Venard De Cerisy, who mirrored Tim’s rounds but in a slightly quicker time for fourth.

News that the competition’s $3m prize-money is set to rocket to a record-breaking $5mfor next year’s 50th anniversary celebrations at Spruce Meadows will send shivers of excitement round these elite riders who will already be planning their strategy to win what will be the sport’s richest ever prize.

But Martin’s first consideration will be his journey on the Rolex Grand Slam of Showjumping, for which he is the new live contender as the circuit moves to his home show of Geneva in December.

Read the full report from the Spruce Meadows Masters tournament in Horse & Hound magazine, in shops Thursday, 12 September.

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‘I’m very sad’: Olympic medal contender foiled at the last after jumping 13 fences up to 1.65m with one stirrup

Martha Terry — Thu, 08 Aug 2024 07:30:36 +0000

Martin Fuchs so nearly made it to the jump-off for medals at the Olympic showjumping individual final in Paris 2024. Riding the 12-year-old Leone Jei, the Swiss had qualified for the final in fine style. Thanks to their fast clear, they were fifth-last to jump in the final, putting them among the favourites for a medal.

Leone Jei started brilliantly over this tough course, which had fences up to 1.65m and with 1.90m spreads. In fact, the grey gelding was giving the fences so much air that he overjumped fence 5b, a parallel in the first combination.

“Leone was incredible, jumping fantastically,” said Martin, the 2019 European champion. “He even jumped me out of the saddle in the combination, where he gave an extra effort and I lost my stirrup.”

Undaunted, Martin carried on with his left stirrup flapping, showing impressive balance and strength to negotiate these colossal obstacles without impeding the horse.

“It was really, really hard to jump the track with only stirrup,” he said. “I had no chance to get the stirrup back, as it was really high. I tried twice through the turn, but it was at the height of my knee so I couldn’t reach it up there.”

Somehow, he managed to leave all the poles standing, until the final fence – a pink and yellow parallel with LA28 wings – which came down.

“Already at the last fence, I wasn’t sure which risk to take,” he explained. “Should I take the inside line and go for it, or the outside? Before I entered the ring I decided to take the inside line and keep going, then when I had no stirrup I didn’t dare to take my normal line so I took a bit of extra time through the turn, and I didn’t execute this well enough.

“If I had gone further out and taken a better line I am sure he would have jumped it, or if I had done my original plan and kept going even with only one stirrup I am also sure he would have jumped it. It’s really, really disappointing. I would have loved to jump off for the medal. It’s been such a great event. It’s the nicest Olympic Games I have ever competed at, and I’m very sad.”

Olympic showjumping: Martin Fuchs repeats Spruce Meadows form

Martin, 32, does in fact have good form without a stirrup. He lost both his rein and stirrup, again on the extravagant Leone Jei, en route to winning the Spruce Meadows grand prix last autumn, but that time he managed to retrieve them, saying afterwards: “It’s something I’ve trained on a lot with my father, he’s always said you need to be able to get your foot back in the stirrup without looking down.”

However, he added that jumping without stirrups isn’t not something they tend to practise: “It only happens about once a year.”

“I actually had different stirrup leathers lately because I thought they would improve this issue and help the stirrup to stay down when I lose it,” he said. “But Leone has such an energetic canter with so much power that it really throws the stirrup so much higher up than on any other horse.”

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France on top in Olympics showjumping qualifier as big names miss out on the final

Gemma Redrup — Mon, 05 Aug 2024 17:08:41 +0000

The final block of competitors in the Paris 2024 Olympic showjumping individual qualifier provided a few clear rounds, but also some performances that mean top combinations have missed out on tomorrow’s individual final.

France’s Julien Epaillard, who was part of the team who took bronze on Friday, has finished at the top of the leaderboard today, thanks to a speedy clear with Dubai Du Cedre. Julien, 47, only made his senior championship debut as recently as 2022, but the world number five negotiated today’s track in a speedy 73.07sec.

“I think today I rode differently to the team competition, maybe more relaxed, as was my mare,” said Julien. “When she is more relaxed, it helps me to have more precision with what I do. I was thinking a little bit about the time today in case I had one down – I wanted to have a round a little bit fast but not crazy and not take on the risk.”

Even though Julien jumped clear today, the only benefit he gains is to be the final rider into the arena in tomorrow’s Olympic showjumping individual final as the score board is wiped clean and all 30 competitors will start on zero faults.

Switzerland’s Martin Fuchs put the disappointment of not qualifying to compete in the Olympic showjumping team final behind him to jump a classy clear on Leone Jei, finishing fifth of the 73 starters.

“I had a good feeling with him on Thursday and I was disappointed that we didn’t qualify for the team final, but I was still feeling very confident to be able to deliver today,” stated Martin, who won team gold and individual silver at the 2021 Europeans with this horse. “But then when you have a big course like this and you know you have to jump a clear round, it’s obviously nerve-wracking and exciting. But honestly when I entered the arena and jumped the first few fences, he felt so fantastic, I was confident we could deliver. Today I really stayed focused until the last fence and tried not to let him down.”

The USA’s McClain Ward jumped a copy book round until the final fence which Ilex just touched for four faults. Their time of 75.5sec meant that they finished outside of the top 30 in 34th place, meaning they have not qualified for the individual final.

Another notable combination to miss out on the final is Ireland’s Cian O’Connor (Maurice), who finished in 33rd .

“I’m not upset – these horses aren’t machines,” said Cian. “Maurice has been jumping all over the world, starting in Spain last October and we went to Mexico, California, Florida, Ocala, Rome, Aachen and they give us their all.

“A horse has a pole down and people get excited and say ‘God, it wasn’t able’ or whatever and it’s a load of nonsense My horse jumped really well and he earned his place to be here. He jumped class again today and I respect all that horses give me and I’m absolutely over the moon.”

Germany’s Philipp Weishaupt (Zineday) was the final rider to qualify for the final after finishing 30th on four faults in a time of 73.42 sec.

From the 73 starters, 20 jumped clear inside the time allowed of 79sec. The UAE’s Omar Abdul Aziz Al Marzooqi picked up one time fault with Enjoy De La Mure to qualify in 21st, while nine qualified with fast four faults rounds, including Britain’s Ben Maher (Dallas Vega Batilly) in 28th.

See the full Olympic showjumping individual qualifier full results

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An extraordinary grey, a ‘tiny’ horse with no-nail shoes and a win ‘you can only dream of’

Jennifer Donald — Mon, 06 May 2024 13:31:25 +0000

What a week of showjumping news! We were treated to a feast of international showjumping on our doorstep at one of our favourite events, Royal Windsor Horse Show this weekend. Some of the leading riders in the world going into battle made for exceptional sport and you can’t help but fall in love with the gallant grey Rolex grand prix winner Leone Jei – he and Martin Fuchs are simply in a different league.

British showjumper Jodie Hall McAteer may have been competing on the other side of the world, but she made international showjumping news headlines with a five-star win in Shanghai, while we also investigated a “tiny” horse, who “thinks he’s 17.2hh” wearing an unusual set of no-nail shoes.

Read on for this week’s round-up of international showjumping news and results.

Showjumping news: “We had to risk it all”

Swiss sensation Martin Fuchs has built an incredible partnership with the gallant grey Leone Jei, but he took a chance taking just the one horse for the CSI5* classes at this year’s Royal Windsor Horse Show. His faith in the 12-year-old’s exceptional talent was rewarded when he took home the Rolex grand prix – the second consecutive year that the Swiss rider has secured the €125,000 (£106,990) first prize here.

“I knew after I walked the course that the jump-off would suit us very well and if I do a good job, then normally he’s going to jump two clear rounds,” said Martin, who piloted one of his other phenomenal horses, Connor Jei, to win in 2023.

“I knew that I had to risk everything, having some of the fastest riders in the world coming after me. If I do the same amount of strides as the others I can be a bit slower but his energy and ability enables me to leave out strides where other horses aren’t able to.”

Both Gregory Wathelet (Bond Jamesbond De Hay) and Steve Guerdat, with his recent Fontainebleau winner Dynamix de Belheme came close, lodging 41.75sec and 41.86 sec respectively for second and third place, with Robert Whitaker best of the Brits on his King George winner Vermento in fourth.

Royal Windsor Horse Show Rolex grand prix results

Gilles Thomas of Belgium celebrates winning the LGCT of Shanghai grand prix riding Luna Van Het Dennehof. H&H recommends always wearing a hat. (Image credit: creditUnknown)

LGCT of Shanghai: “You can only dream of this!”

In China, the Longines Global Champions Tour of Shanghai went to Belgium rider Gilles Thomas with Luna Van Het Dennehof, with the pair celebrating in epic style (pictured, above). From first draw in a seven-way jump-off, the speedy pair proved unassailable, finishing well clear of the only other double clear from Edwina Tops-Alexander with Fellow Castlefield. Miami winner Michael Duffy of Ireland set the fastest time with the 10-year-old Cantano 32 but the last fence agonisingly hit the floor for third.

“I only have dreamed of this moment and now twice on the podium – one second and now my first LGCT Grand Prix win, twice on Luna – she is just such a fantastic mare,” said Gilles.

Edwina also heaped praise on the 25-year-old winner, “I think the world of Gilles, he is the best young rider and up and coming rider in the world today,” she said.

“He has so much talent, he is super cool in the head, he is such a team player and I think he has a massive future and this has just boosted it even more.”

Jodie Hall McAteer finished win four faults in round one on Hardessa in the grand prix, but had earlier sealed victory in the two-phase with 14-year-old mare Kimosa Van Het Kritrahof.

LGCT of Shanghai results

Laura Kraut (USA) and Calgary Tame win the CSI5* Manama Rose Show Stakes at RWHS. The “tiny” gelding “who thinks he’s 17.2hh” wears glue-on aluminium front shoes. (Image credit: Peter Nixon / RWHS)

“The horse didn’t love the nails”

In Sunday’s 1.50m Manama Rose Show Stakes at Royal Windsor, Laura Kraut took a well-earned victory with Calgary Tame, who was previously competed barefoot, but now sports ultra lightweight glue-on rubber-coated aluminium front shoes.

“He is so cool, he thinks he’s 17.2hh, but he’s tiny,” said Laura, who took over the ride on the 161cm (15.3hh) Selle Français, who is co-owned by his breeder Eugenie Angot and the Stars and Stripes syndicate, from flying Frenchman Julien Epaillard in 2021.

“When Julien had him before me, he had no shoes, because that’s what Julien does – but I just didn’t like the feeling of it. I always got the impression that the horse didn’t love the nails, so these shoes are rubber coated and they glue on.

“With these shoes he feels great, he’s been really happy with them. I also have Confu in them, as well as a couple of my other horses, and they seem to really like it.

“Knock on wood, they seem to stay on much better than shoes with nails and I have never had one come off! They are also much lighter. We have got to do something [when classes are so close] and every little bit helps!”

The same type of shoes were used by racehorse trainer Charlie Appleby on his Qipco Guineas Festival runner Castle Way at Newmarket on Friday.

Royal Windsor Horse Show results

Kent Farrington and Landon scorch to victory at Royal Windsor. (Image credit: Peter Nixon / RWHS)

Showjumping news: a remarkable hat-trick for one of the fastest riders in the world

Finally in this week’s international showjumping news round-up, we return to Royal Windsor Horse Show, where speedy US rider Kent Farrington claimed the King’s Cup for a third time when he headed the Saturday’s Kingdom of Bahrain Stakes.

“I always loved coming to this show, it’s a great crowd, great atmosphere, top course designers, top competition and Rolex grand prix money!” he said.“It was a fast class as it always is here. It was great fun. As first to go I just stuck with my plan for my horse and it worked out in my favour that some other fast rounds had a rail down.”

It was Brit Joe Stockdale who had almost denied Kent a hat-trick when he jumped an inspiring round 2.66sec up on the clock with Barbara Hester and Laura Stockdale’s talented 10-year-old stallion Ebanking – only to lower the final fence with the lightest of touches.

‘One horse will make dreams come true’: from a hot-headed foal to multi-grand prix winner, the story of Leone Jei

Jennifer Donald — Mon, 06 May 2024 07:32:17 +0000

Swiss showjumper Martin Fuchs refers to the brilliant grey gelding Leone Jei as “such a special horse [who] makes all dreams come true”.

Having achieved a glittering array of accolades in their five-year partnership, including Nations Cup wins in Dublin and St Gallen, individual silver and team gold at the 2021 European championships. There have also been victories in the Rolex grands prix of Dinard, Geneva and most recently Royal Windsor, and not forgetting THAT epic final fence celebration when winning the Spruce Meadows $3million CPKC International grand prix presented by Rolex. So it’s no wonder the world number four rider rates the 12-year-old son of Baltic VDL so highly.

“I’m just so happy to have a horse like Leone Jei,” says Martin.

So how did this incredible partnership begin?

Leone Jei: continuing the line of a “special mare”

To tell the story of Leone Jei’s early days, we pass over to Adriana van Tilburg, who spoke to the granddaughter of the KWPN gelding’s breeder Gijs van Mersbergen, who sadly passed away before he could witness the Baltic VDL x Corland’s success.

“My grandfather purchased the Peter Pan daughter, Pardous, as a young mare, and she became the foundation mare of the line,” says Maartje van der Velden, who was heavily involved in her grandfather’s breeding business. “She was always a special mare – she was a gentle, quiet mare, but you could see her blood coming through when something was about to happen. She was also very gentle with us when we were little. We could connect with her foals.”

Maartje’s first memory of Pardous was when she was six and the mare passed away when she was 16.

“So I basically grew up with her,” says Maartje. “I think she passed her character on to her offspring – most of them were easy going and showed a lot of willingness to perform.

“The mother of Leone Jei, Dara, was a bit of a different story,” she explains. “She had a lot of character, not in a bad way, but my grandfather didn’t let us as small children go in with her alone. I personally never saw Pardous jumping, as she was only used as a broodmare with us, so it is hard for me to say what she has passed on to her offspring. My grandfather was a real fan of the Holsteiner-bred stallion Cardento [who competed at the 2004 Olympics] and he used him seven times for Pardous.”

Four of those offspring jumped at 1.40m and higher, but it was not just talent that Gijs was looking to breed, for he wanted his horses to have “good character” and to be able to trust his horses completely. One exception, however, was Leone Jei’s dam Dara, one such result of Pardous and Corland.

“She is quite a hot character,” continues Maartje. “We were not allowed to just be with Dara, my grandfather had to be with us. She has also passed that ‘hotness’ on to her offspring.

“We can proudly say that what she produced with Leone Jei is a truly exceptional horse – she is indeed the most special mare in this line. Dara and her mother Pardous were together for a few years with their offspring.”

Martin Fuchs riding Leone Jei during the Rolex grand prix presented by Audi at Knokke Hippique 2022, Belgium. (Image credit: Icon Sport via Getty Images)

All in the genes

The original plan was for Dara to compete in the sport, but it was too expensive and she was instead sold to family friend Ad van Hal after she had produced Idara, a full sister of Leone Jei. She continued as a broodmare, producing a full-brother to Leone Jei. She is now with the Mares Of Macha breeding enterprise.

Ad remembers the free jumping at the mare approvals in Esbeek when Dara’s dam Pardous was young.

“I said to van Mersbergen, ‘Watch this, she is going to jump out’ and he thought I was crazy,” he recalls. “Guess what? She jumped the line and then jumped over the 2m high fence that was supposed to keep the horses in. She didn’t even touch it.”

While Gijs bred some dressage horses, his heart was in showjumping.

“He thought it was very special that the horses were able to jump the high fences,” continues Maartje. “We also watched every big competition. He really liked the sport. Unfortunately, I never went to CHIO Aachen with my grandfather, but the plan is that I will go to next year’s Paris Olympic Games with my grandmother.

“We would also like to watch Leone Jei at another Rolex Grand Slam of Showjumping Major, that would be very special – this year we went to The Dutch Masters,” she says. “I keep the whole family informed about where Leone Jei is going to jump or his results. I try to keep track of all the horses from this line that my grandfather bred.

“We really liked how Leone Jei was as a foal and we used Baltic VDL again and that became the mare, Idara. She is now in the USA, owned by Dark Horse, funny enough Martin Fuchs competed with her in the USA at 1.45m. She was purchased first by Team Fuchs who sold her on to Dark Horse. Idara was not as hot as her mother and Leone Jei.”

Leone Jei: “His first rides under saddle were an adventure”

Leone Jei was originally named Hay El Desta Ali – meaning “It is what it is” – and he was described as a “hot-headed” foal.

“He had a super character, but he also showed a lot of blood especially when he got started under saddle,” explains Maartje. “The first rides under saddle were an adventure. Koen Leemans had difficulties with Leone Jei in the beginning, but they built up a partnership and he really knew how to use the blood Leone Jei has.

“The way he carries his tail is exactly the same as he did as a young horse – it is typical for him,” she reveals.

“Leone Jei’s success is always something that our grandfather dreamed of. He always said that it only takes one horse to make dreams come true. Our grandfather used to sit behind his computer and find all the information about his horses and look at all of the information on stallions. He went to many different stallion presentations and stallion competitions.

“We never dared to dream that Leone Jei would become the horse that he currently is. We owe all the success to the Peter Pan daughter Pardous. My grandfather passed away shortly after Leone Jei was sold to Martin.”

Martin Fuchs of Switzerland is the Rolex Grand Slam contender after winning the Spruce Meadows Masters grand prix on Leone Jei. (Image credit: creditUnknown)

Maartje watched Martin and Leone Jei’s Spruce Meadows victory via the livestream with her grandmother.

“It was so exciting, especially when they had a touch on the first fence!” she recalls. “It was unreal to watch how Martin put his arm up when jumping the last fence. I was overwhelmed with a proud feeling. It is very special that a horse like Leone Jei was born in my grandfather’s stables.

“We are all part of this story.”

Martin describes the brilliant Leone Jei as having an “amazing mentality and is very ambitious – he always wants to try his best. Sometimes that does make it slightly harder because he has so much blood and is so keen, so I have to try to keep him as calm and relaxed as possible.”

When asked about the similarities between Leone Jei and his former great grey partner Clooney 51, Martin says he cannot compare the two.

“Clooney was the most successful horse in the history of Swiss showjumping, so I really cannot expect to have the next Clooney straight away,” he says. “However, I do think that Leone Jei has shown that he has all the qualities and I think that he is one of the best horses on the circuit.”

With thanks to Adriana van Tilburg and Rolex.

‘I only brought one horse here’: rider takes back-to-back Windsor Rolex grand prix wins with precision campaign

Sarah Radford — Sun, 05 May 2024 18:05:31 +0000

Martin Fuchs took a chance bringing only one horse to Royal Windsor but his faith in Leone Jei’s extraordinary talent was rewarded when he took home the Rolex grand prix.

It was the second consecutive year that the Swiss rider has secured the €125,000 first prize here, having piloted another exceptional horse, Connor Jei, to a 0.4sec win over Ben Maher in 2023.

“There’s usually a lot of pressure on the one class, not having any other chances, but I felt very comfortable after jumping on Friday,” Martin said. “I knew when I walked the course that the jump off would suit us very well and if I do a good job, then normally he’s going to jump two rounds clear.

“Taking back-to-back wins is obviously fantastic,” he added, “but it’s not only winning back-to-back, the whole atmosphere here is special.”

Bernardo Costa Cabral had built a delicate first round track that made subtle rather than overt demands. Poles fell throughout the course, although a vertical to oxer double on the final line, followed by a tall vertical at the final fence, elicited the most faults.

It was a testament to the quality of the 34-horse field, rather than soft course building, that 12 combinations jumped clear. Among them were three British riders: Rob Whitaker (Vermento), Matt Sampson (Daniel) and Tim Gredley (Imperial HBF).

‘Every jump came down’

“I was very happy with the course, I thought it rode very nicely — nicer than I expected,” admitted Bernardo, who had been aiming to get eight clears.

“In hindsight, I wouldn’t do anything differently, if they perform, fair dues to them. I wouldn’t do anything more to catch them because they were just very good horses with superb riders.

“The last line didn’t cause as many problems as I thought, it was a big vertical coming out on a flat five strides. We tried to get horses to jump well and catch riders on difficulties of control, not catch out the horses because they can jump.

“Every jump came down, even number one, and when that happens I am happy with the job.”

Brits take early lead

A world class jump off field of 12 was always going to provoke a dogfight against the clock and Matt Sampson’s impressive double clear on James Davenport’s 16-year-old stallion, which initially went into the lead from third draw, didn’t hold the advantage for long.

He was first toppled by Sweden’s Petronella Andersson (Odina Van Klapscheut), then Italy’s Giulia Martinengo Marquet (Delta Del’Isle) who axed almost 2sec. But her lead was wrested by Martin, who was in another league as he kept attacking on, tight, angled lines in a flawless rhythm to stop the clock in 41.40sec, 3.42sec out in front.

Both Gregory Wathelet (Bond Jamesbond De Hay) and Steve Guerdat (Dynamix de Belheme) came close, lodging 41.75sec and 41.86 sec respectively for second and third place, but couldn’t quite match Martin and the 12-year-old grey, who have strong recent form having won the CSI5* grand prix in Ocala, Florida in March.

While Rob Whitaker gave it a good try on his 11-year-old homebred King George V winner Vermento, he was way off the pace, posting 44.53sec for best of the Brits in fourth.

“I knew today it was going to be very difficult to be quicker than Martin and Steve and Gregory, so I did what I thought I could do with him,” Rob said. “He jumped very good in the jump off and if I was offered fourth place at the beginning of the week, I probably would have taken it.”

Matt’s double clear still secured him a €20,000 payout in seventh, while Tim Gredley, who executed a fluid, clear but steady round with his 11-year-old gelding, finished 6.73sec behind him in eighth, adding one time fault.

A British first-timer, a horse bred in Scotland and the King defends his title: who’s who in the 2024 World Cup Final?

Jennifer Donald — Sat, 06 Apr 2024 17:30:25 +0000

With the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup Final in the Saudi capital of Riyadh fast-approaching (16-20 April), the preparations are currently in full swing for 35 of the world’s leading riders from 19 nations with 42 horses between them. So who’s who among this year’s star-studded field of World Cup Final showjumping contenders bidding for a place in history?

Remarkably, the last British rider to claim the World Cup crown was Nick Skelton in 1995 with Dollar Girl. The three contenders flying the union flag hoping to break that duck are Ben Maher, Scott Brash – both of whom qualified from the Western European League – and US-based British team rider Jessica Mendoza, who gained points from the North American League. Ben will be in action on his top mare Dallas Vegas Batilly while Scott lines up with Lady Harris and Lady Kirkham’s super Swedish-bred grey Hello Valentino.

Meanwhile Jessica, who turns 26 just ahead of her trip to Riyadh, will be making her World Cup Final debut. She brings 12-year-old gelding I-Cap CL Z, who she has produced right up through the grades and with whom she represented Great Britain at the recent Longines League Of Nations at Ocala, Florida, alongside Ben.

Defending champions hoping to continue the World Cup dream

The defending champions Henrik von Eckermann and the brilliant King Edward will be back in a bid to retain their World Cup crown. After lifting the trophy in Omaha, USA, last year, the Swedish world number one said: “It was always a big, big goal and a dream for me to have my name on that trophy. This is very special.”

Henrik von Eckermann riding King Edward on the way to claiming the 2023 Longines FEI World Cup Showjumping title. (Image credit: Richard Juilliart)

Henrik will be joined by team-mate Peder Fredricson with his 2021 European bronze medal-winning 18-year-old Catch Me Not S, with whom he also finished third in the 2019 World Cup Final.

Former World Cup Final winners Martin Fuchs (Commissar Pezi) and Steve Guerdat (Is-Minka) will represent Switzerland. This will be the latter’s 15th World Cup Final and the 2012 Olympic champion will be bidding for a record fourth victory again this year.

Among the other A-list names in action are another World Cup three-time title-holder, Marcus Ehning for Germany, with a relatively new ride, the 11-year-old Coolio 42, plus Belgium’s Gregory Wathelet on 14-year-old gelding Ace Of Hearts, Julien Epaillard who will be one of the favourites on Dubai Du Cedre, with Kent Farrington lining up for USA. Kent is one of a handful of riders bringing two horses, the 10-year-old rising stars Greya and Toulayna.

World Cup Final showjumping debutant carries the Irish flag

Richard Howley was the highest ranked Irish rider in the Western European League, winning the opening two qualifiers of the series, and he will be Ireland’s sole representative as he makes his debut at the World Cup Final riding 13-year-old Equine America Consulent De Prelet Z, who he co-owns with Sarah Borthwick and his and his wife Morgan Kent’s HK Horses.

“He’s so clever and he’s so smart, so it makes my job easier because he’s so talented,” says Richard of the gelding. “I don’t think he’s even fully found himself yet – I still think he has more to give. So we’re just trying to find a bit of middle ground of consistency and trust in the partnership. I think the world of him, and my owner Sarah Borthwick and myself think this horse could give everything. But we’re just trying to get the best out of him.”

Richard Howley and Consulent Du Prelet Z, owned by Sarah Borthwick and HK Horses, land their second World Cup qualifier in as many weeks, this time in Helsinki, Finland. (Image credit: creditUnknown)

The Arab League is represented by five athletes, with three riders from the host nation Saudi Arabia qualifying with strong performances in the Middle Eastern sub-league. Seasoned World Cup veteran and Olympic medallist Ramzy Al Duhami brings Addressee and Untouchable 32, while 25-year-old Khaled Almobty rides Jaguar King WD and the former Ellen Whitaker ride Spacecake.

Olympic bronze medallist Abdullah AlSharbatly rides 16-year-old Alamo, with whom Steve Guerdat won the 2019 World Cup Final and who later went to Spanish rider Sergio Alvarez Moya before Abdullah took the reins at the end of 2022. The pair have gone on to achieve five-star success, but he also brings 13-year-old Fiumicino Van De Kalevallei, who came from Dutch rider Jur Vrieling last year.

World Cup Final attracts talented crop of young showjumpers

Among the crop of young talents stepping out on the global stage for this year’s World Cup Final showjumping contest are 22-year-old French rider Jeanne Sadran (Dexter De Kerglenn), who enjoyed a successful career on ponies.

Canada’s Mario Deslauriers holds the record as the youngest World Cup winner at the age of 19 in 1984, and the youngest riders in Riyadh later this month will be US teenager Skylar Wireman on Tornado and Egyptian showjumper Zain Shady Samir with London Eye. Both riders are just 19 years old.

Skylar has been riding since a young child, hitting the headlines in 2020 when she won the USEF Showjumping Talent Search Final. Swedish-bred Tornado was sent to her as a sales horse but she bought him with the help of some family friends. Skylar is trained by her mother and 2004 Olympic team gold medallist Peter Wylde, and although she doesn’t normally have a groom – preferring to do everything for her horses herself – she will be supported in Riyadh by groom Alicia Thompson.

Another youngster is Egypt’s 22-year-old Abdelrahman Shousha who brings the 14-year-old Quincy 230.

From Balcormo Stud in Scotland to the World Cup Final

British showjumping fans will recognise the lovely gelding How Easy (by Talan, out of the Quite Easy mare Come Easy), who was bred and produced at Balcormo in Scotland by Sandra Low Mitchell. He went on to compete with Julie Andrews and Robert Murphy, but now competes under the Czechia flag with Sara Vingralkova, 21, a consistent performer at junior and young rider European Championships. The young rider also takes the 14-year-old Belgian-bred gelding Kas-Sini DC.

Sandra’s 91-year-old mother Jacky had originally picked out How Easy’s sire Talan in a catalogue as a three-year-old and has hit the jackpot using him with broodmare Come Easy. Both Sandra and Jacky will be glued to the livestream as they continue to follow How Easy’s progress in Riyadh.

“Mum’s had the thrill of following him the whole way through, we’re so proud,” says Sandra. “They’ll be the babies of the class, but I love the way Sara rides him –How Easy has landed on his feet with her.”

Sandra’s late father Dugald bought How Easy’s grandam in-foal along with another mare at a local auction and her offspring, Come Easy, has produced a string of quality youngsters, including How Easy’s full-sister Mytee Easy LM, currently jumping with Molly Andrews and Julie Andrews.

“How Easy did two shows as a four-year-old and won the four-year-old sport horse at the Highland Show, then we just hacked him about when he was five and let him grow,” explains Sandra. “I registered him when he was six and he immediately won a British novice, but this was just before my hip operation and this horse was too beautiful and sensitive for me to ride at the time – it broke my heart as he was so lovely, but I knew I wasn’t the right person to ride him.

“I kept a share in him but Julie Andrews did the next steps, then Rob Murphy took him to the next level before Sara bought him. He was always beautiful and they all live up to their Easy names.”

History in the making at the World Cup Final?

For Japan, the sole representative Shinichiro Sugiyama rides the aptly named Rising Sun, while from the Eurasian League, Nurjan Tuyakbaev hopes to become the first rider from Uzbekistan to win the World Cup crown. Angelos Touloupis of Greece (Lord Mexx) is among the entries from the Central European League.

This is the first time the World Cup Final showjumping has been held in Saudi Arabia, with a record-breaking 2.6million euros in prize money on offer at the Riyadh International Convention & Exhibition Center.

The first jumping competition begins on 17 April, continuing with round two the following day, with the winner decided on Saturday 20 April. You can keep up to date with all the action with H&H.

‘Watch and learn, it’s so valuable’: wise words from the Rolex Grand Slam contender

Jennifer Donald — Fri, 08 Dec 2023 13:00:29 +0000

This Sunday (10 December), Swiss showjumper Martin Fuchs will be bidding to keep his Rolex Grand Slam of Showjumping dream alive with victory at CHI Geneva.

Martin, 31, became the live Grand Slam contender after his outstanding grand prix victory at the Spruce Meadows Masters tournament riding Leone Jei and he will be lining up alongside some of the world greats in Sunday’s grand prix, a class he’s won twice before, after an “incredible year jumping at the highest level of the sport”.

“I am extremely excited to be coming into my home Major, CHI Geneva, as the live contender for the Rolex Grand Slam of Showjumping,” says the world number five ranked rider of “one of the best shows in the world”.

“Riding in front of a Swiss crowd, with all of their support is amazing.

“I love having my family and friends there supporting and watching me, it really motivates me to do well and make them proud.”

The team and individual European champion credits his team as “vital to my success”.

“So much goes on behind-the-scenes,” he says. “My parents have been fundamental in building a special team around me and this allows me to really focus on my training and doing well in the ring. I do not have to think about anything else apart from training and competing, as my team manages everything else.

“I have some great grooms that look after our horses, I would not have this amount of success without my grooms,” he stresses.

Martin Fuchs: ‘Growing up, you watch your idols compete and win’

Martin reveals the importance of the showjumping Majors in the calendar and how he has been inspired.

“They are the ones that every rider aims to win and dreams of competing at when they are growing up,” he explains. “They are the pinnacle of our sport – all the greats have competed at these Majors.

“Growing up, you watch your idols compete and win at the Majors. This makes you so motivated and driven to train and do well in competitions, so that one day you can join them at these venues and to be perhaps fortunate enough to win one.

“It is extremely important that this opportunity is offered to the next generation as they will gain priceless experience competing at a Major,” Martin continues.

“Competing alongside the best riders in the world allows you to watch and learn from them – which is so valuable. I was very fortunate when I was younger to compete at the Swiss five-star shows, which gave me the opportunity to ride at the highest level as a young rider, even though I wasn’t at the top level yet. I learnt so much from these incredible opportunities.

“When you go back home, you have so much you want to work on and many additional goals – it is inspirational.”

Away from the ring, Martin loves producing his young horses.

“It is incredibly rewarding watching a horse develop to the top level,” he explains. “It is a very satisfying part of our job. In our sport, you never get bored, each horse is so unique, which means that every day is different. This makes you become a better rider and horseman to try to get the best out of each individual horse as well as trying to provide them with the best life possible.”

CHI Geneva: not just the Rolex Grand Slam of Showjumping

As well as competing in Sunday’s 1.60m Rolex grand prix at CHI Geneva, Martin Fuchs will line up for Friday night’s 22nd Rolex IJRC Top 10 Final. His opponents are Shane Sweetnam (IRL), Harrie Smolders (NED), Max Kuhner (AUT), Simon Delestre (FRA), Julien Epaillard (FRA), Steve Guerdat (SUI), Kent Farrington (USA), world number one Henrik von Eckermann of Sweden and Great Britain’s world number two Ben Maher, who won the prestigious class in 2021 on Explosion W.

“This was one of my favourite classes to win so far in my career,” says Ben. “The competition is so unique and the crowd and atmosphere that’s created in Geneva is like no other indoor arena. Explosion showed that evening why he’s such a great champion.”

Other British riders heading to CHI Geneva this week are the rider in-form Harry Charles and Scott Brash, while Robert Murphy and Claudia Moore will be contesting the under-25 classes and eventers Alex Bragg and Kirsty Chabert will be tackling the popular indoor cross-country.

A strong Irish contingent of Bertram Allen, Daniel Coyle, Mark McAuley and Conor Swail join Shane Sweetnam among these year’s CHI Geneva entries, and other big names include Jessica Springsteen, Peder and Jens Fredricson, and Daniel Deusser, and H&H will be bringing you coverage all the action.

With thanks to Rolex Grand Slam Of Showjumping.

‘I wanted to change the bit, Dad said just ride better!’ Special horse delivers dream win in $3m grand prix

Becky Murray — Mon, 11 Sep 2023 10:13:47 +0000

“He’s such a special horse. He gave everything today,” said Martin Fuchs of the 11-year-old stunning grey gelding Leone Jei, who jumped the only triple clear to win the $3m (£1.76m) CPKC International presented by Rolex at the Spruce Meadows Masters Tournament in Canada (6-10 September).

Martin, who was on the Swiss team that came sixth at the European Showjumping Championships in Milan with Leone Jei the previous week, also became the live contender for the next leg of the Rolex Grand Slam of Showjumping, at Geneva, which he won in 2019 and 2021.

“It’s one of my biggest dreams to win here,” said Martin. “My father Thomas was here plenty of times and quite a few times he was placed well in the grand prix, but he never managed to win. He always said this is the best show in the world and he pushed me to win one day here, and it’s today. It’s just wonderful.”

The renowned class, which features fences from previous championships including the Tokyo Olympics, is known as one of the most difficult in the world – and Leopoldo Palacios’ technical track delivered on expectations. The first real test of scope was a combination at fence four, a triple bar on a forward two strides to an oxer. The questions continued right to the end with a formidable final line in the first round, a 1.62m vertical then a steady six strides to a triple combination, catching out 10 of the 34 starters. It was then down to the final, and biggest fence on course, an oxer stretching 1.85m wide.

The first round produced only five clears, and the top 12 came back to jump another full second round in reverse order of faults and time. Tiffany Foster and 13-year-old gelding Figaro, and Martin and Leone Jei, left the fences up second time around to go head to head in the jump-off. Silence fell on the famous international arena as Tiffany set off, but when she knocked the second part of the double, it all came down to Martin to deliver the clear, and Leone Jei was happy to oblige, looking eager all the way and stopping the clock on 43.58sec.

“I had a scary moment in the first round where he jumped fantastic up to the Canadian planks, and then he jumped even higher and jumped me out of the saddle and I lost my stirrup and my left rein for a few strides,” said Martin. “Thank God it was a right bending line to the next fence and I could take the reins again and get it back together. But I still didn’t have the stirrup. It’s something I’ve trained on a lot with my father, he’s always said you need to be able to get your foot back in the stirrup without looking down – but I didn’t find the stirrup, and I was looking down – and I thought I hope he doesn’t see this right now.

“After the first round we had a discussion about changing his bit as he was so keen, but my dad told me that we shouldn’t do this and that I should just ride better!

“I was also lucky in the last as I had rub at the vertical where there were a lot of faults. But the rest he jumped beautiful, and in the second round and jump-off, I’m just so happy to have a horse like Leone Jei.”

Last-minute bit change pays off for top rider in 1.60m Spruce Meadows jump-off

Becky Murray — Sat, 09 Sep 2023 17:26:23 +0000

Switzerland’s Martin Fuchs delivered a masterclass jump-off to win the Spruce Meadows CSI5* 1.60m Tourmaline Oil Cup on Commissar Pezi on Friday evening (8 September) – with a last-minute bit change giving him the edge.

“We try to give him the best home possible, and I think he pays it back,” said Martin about the super talented 10-year-old gelding, whom he won the CHIO Aachen Nations Cup leg with in June.

In the first round over Leopoldo Palacios’ up-to-height track in Spruce Meadows’ international arena, combinations had to exercise some serious precision across the 14 jumping efforts. The short time allowance of 75 seconds added to the pressure, resulting in poles falling for many in the final tasking line featuring a big square oxer, an upright, and another oxer.

Out of 34 starters, only four jumped clear, with the first coming early from Mexico’s Eugenio Garza Perez and Contago (who opted not to return for the jump-off). Martin laid down the next fault-free round, followed by Evelina Tovek and Winnetour De La Hamente Z for Sweden, and home-side rider Mario Deslauriers and Bardolina 2.

In the jump-off, pathfinders Martin and Commissar Pezi were out to do business, whipping round from the first fence back to a vertical and galloping down to a double combination. The nippy gelding opened up round to the next, and following a rollback to the last oxer, they stopped the clock 38.51sec. Evelina Tovek and Winnetour De La Hamente Z made a valiant effort to catch the Swiss pair, and although their round looked quick, they steadied slightly to the last, to finish on 40.30sec and take second. Mario Deslauriers and Bardolina were third.

Martin said he went almost a bit “too fast” in the first round which led to him making a tack adjustment before the jump-off.

“I was not so happy with the riding in my first round, so I made some adjustments and I also changed the bit for the jump-off, and it gave me a much better feeling,” he explained.

“Before I used a hackamore with a snaffle, and in the jump-off I rode him in a double bridle. He was quite strong in the first round and running a little bit with me, and I didn’t have so much control.”

Martin said it was tough deciding on his plan for the jump-off .

“It’s always very nice when there’s not so many riders in the jump-off, but you still don’t really know what you have to do to put enough pressure on the others, without taking as much risk as if there were 12 in it,” he said.

“So I was a little bit nervous to be doing the right thing, but Commissar Pezi jumped so well in both rounds that he really gave me a lot of confidence that I could take risks and go fast, and it turned out perfect.”

Martin, who also won the Spruce Meadows ATCO Cup with Bastille on Thursday (7 September), described Commissar Pezi as a “funny character”, who is “a bit cautious of everything”.

“At first when we got him he was very shy, and didn’t have much personality but now he’s really started to grow. In the past seven-eight months he really became quite a character and a really fun horse to be around,” he said.

“I think he feels at home with us now. He’s finished jumping for the weekend, and in three weeks he’ll do the Nations Cup final in Barcelona.”

Water woes and a valiant climb: Britain’s showjumpers narrowly foiled in Aachen Nations Cup thriller

Martha Terry — Fri, 30 Jun 2023 06:12:28 +0000

Britain narrowly lost out to Switzerland in a pulsating finish to the Nations Cup 1.60m class at CHIO Aachen. After two rounds in the hallowed main stadium in front of a 40,000-strong crowd, the Brits finished on eight faults, behind the Swiss (Steve Guerdat, Edouard Schmitz, Niklaus Schurtenberger and Martin Fuchs) on four.

But it was not without controversy. In round one, the British second rider Harry Charles was given a late four faults for a foot in the water, which neither he nor the rest of the team believed he’d had. They appealed to get the penalties removed, but no footage could show an unimpeded image to review.

This meant Harry’s eight faults had to count, which left the team languishing in seventh of the eight nations. But they stormed almost to the top in the second round, courtesy of clear rounds from Harry, Ben Maher and Scott Brash. Harry put his initial frustration aside to celebrate what he described as “the best night in showjumping”.

“These are the nights we do it for, and I think to come back like that in the second round, help out the boys out and push us close, I’m very proud,” he said. “I was disappointed by the decision with the water jump in the first round. Obviously they saw something that no one else did. He [Romeo 88] was definitely not in the water jump so it was a hard pill to swallow. But happy to come out and put it right in the second round. We’ve been third last year, second this year, so it looks like next year we should be winning.”

Aachen Nations Cup showjumping: how it unfolded

Pathfinder Ben Maher kicked off the British challenge and set the standard for the whole field with a neat clear on Dallas Vegas Batilly, a 10-year-old mare he’s been riding since last autumn. This first rotation of riders proved the cleanest of phase one, with four more clears out of the seven. Faults came thick and fast in the next two rotations.

Harry was first in the second group and had a frustrating start on Ann Thompson’s Romeo 88 when he knocked down part of the orange double at fence three. Then came the controversial faults at the water. Tim Gredley also had an early fence down and a water penalty, aboard Medoc De Toxandria, but Scott kept Britain in the running with an immaculate clear aboard Hello Jefferson.

Meanwhile, France, Switzerland and Sweden were battling it out at the top after round one, with each team logging just one fence down apiece. Things didn’t go so smoothly for the Netherlands. Although they started well with Marc Houtzager’s clear on Holey Moley, Lars Kersten’s Emmerton stopped when on a bad stride to the double at fence three. They re-presented but the gelding had had enough, causing Lars to somersault off, removing the bridle in the process.

The class built up to a dramatic conclusion in round two under the night sky. Clears from both Ben and Harry meant Britain started to edge her way up the leader board, while her fellow eight-faulter teams fell by the wayside.

Among the leading trio, Sweden put in a couple of mediocre rounds to drop out of the reckoning. France’s number three Marc Dilasser looked set to put a good result on their record until the penultimate fence, when Arioto De Gevres stood off and paddled through the “ocean waves” triple bar. This put him too far off the final upright, and after trying to chip in a little one, he stopped, catapulting Marc into the turf – and also lost his bridle. When Hello Jefferson produced another catlike clear, it left both France and Switzerland needing clears from their final rider to be assured of victory.

“He was fantastic,” said Scott of the 14-year-old owned by Lady Pauline Harris and Lady Pauline Kirkham, whose two rounds were copybook. “The first round I felt I was a smidgen too deep to the water, so I tried to make that improvement second time round and he felt really, really good.”

France’s Kevin Staut had endured a disappointing 16 faults in round one, and it didn’t improve much in the finale. He lowered three on Visconti Du Telman, and France dropped right down to seventh. But there was never a moment’s concern for Switzerland as Martin Fuchs clocked his second perfect clear on the 10-year-old Commissar Pezi to seal the Swiss victory, their first since 2002.

Martin showed his trademark coolness under pressure, and put this down to his “amazing horse”.

“Steve [Guerdat] told me just to do the same as the first round, and I entered the ring with so much confidence,” said Martin. “I said, ‘Pezi, I’ll give my best, and I know you’ll do yours so let’s try to win this Nations Cup’. Before the last line I started to get a little bit nervous, with two more fences to jump, but we’ve won the coolest Nations Cup there is, with a great team, my father as team trainer and an amazing chef d’equipe in Michel Sorg. It’s an amazing night.”

Behind Britain, in third, was Belgium after also making an impressive second-round climb.

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Martin Fuchs reveals secret behind success in Royal Windsor Rolex grand prix

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‘A real one for Paris’: Aachen grand prix result boosts Charlotte Dujardin’s Olympic hopes

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Martin Fuchs reveals secret behind success in Royal Windsor Rolex grand prix

Sarah Radford — Sun, 14 May 2023 18:35:40 +0000

Two years ago, Ben Maher and the great Explosion W beat Martin Fuchs to Royal Windsor’s CSI5* Rolex grand prix. But this year, the Swiss rider turned the tables to steal a stunning 0.4sec victory with Conner Jei.

The combination made the most of a late draw to beat eight jump off contenders to the €125,000 (£110,000) first prize.

Ireland’s Bertram Allen had opened proceedings with a quick clear on Pacino Amiro, who finished third in the Rolex grand prix in Florida on his previous outing.

But despite being at only their second show for nine months, Ben and Explosion made good on their midfield threat, taking a stride out to the last fence to edge o.28sec ahead.

“I knew who I had to watch from the startlist — Bertram and Ben. Bertram had a hard draw, it’s never easy to go first but he did everything very well. Then I saw where Ben left out the strides in the turns compared to Bertram and I just tried to do same round but be a bit quicker,” said Martin, who toppled the lead as he took fliers to both the last fence and preceding vertical.

“I knew I would want to do seven strides through the turn [to the penultimate vertical], the same as Ben. I didn’t turn as tight as him but I had to push hard for the seven and that’s what made it quicker.”

The result was a turn in fortunes for Conner from his previous three-star outing to Gorla Minore, where he had finished 32nd in the grand prix.

“He was fantastic today — he came back from quite a long break after Geneva because he did a lot of shows last year, so I gave him the indoor season off,” said Martin, who was taking his second victory of the week.

“The build up to coming to Royal Windsor wasn’t so easy, as at our last three-star show I struggled a bit in the grand prix and didn’t have much control. He didn’t have the scope he can do and I was struggling a lot to think of what I could do differently to help the horse be at his best again.

“I called my uncle Markus [Fuchs] to help me with him and he has been riding him three times a week for the past three weeks. When I was at a show last week, my uncle was at home working Conner. I am very lucky to have his help.”

‘Most expensive horse ever sold’ at young horse auction wins on his 5* debut at Royal Windsor

Sarah Radford — Sat, 13 May 2023 15:02:08 +0000

The much-admired nine-year-old Viper Z took an impressive win for Martin Fuchs [SUI] on his CSI5* debut, topping a thrilling 11-strong jump off in Royal Windsor’s Defender challenge stakes.

The Vigo D’Arsouilles x Grannus gelding, who is owned by Luigi Baleri, was bought in September 2021, and was the most expensive horse ever sold at the Dutch Sport Horse sales. The hammer went down at €750,000, smashing the sale’s previous record of €450,000.

“It was very nice for him to start his first 5* with a 1.50m win,” Martin said, adding that there is “always pressure” when producing a horse, regardless of its price tag.

“He was already good when we got him, although still quite green, and could be a little bit tense in some of the arenas, so usually he gets better by the day at a show. I always knew he’d be a grand prix horse and win a lot of classes.

“A lot of people know him from the auction and they ask me ‘which one is this?’ and I say ‘yes, it’s the expensive one!’” Martin said.

A quick opening round on this striking dark bay earned Martin a useful late draw in the jump off, enabling him to make the most of the gelding’s ground speed and care to steal a 0.05sec advantage over leaders Daniel Deusser [GER] and Kiana Van Het Herdershof.

British riders filled the next three spots on the leaderboard, with 23-year-old Jodie Hall McAteer in close third with Kimosa Van Het Kritrahof Z, and William Funnell hot on her heels with Equine America Billy Marmite in fourth.

Ben Maher collected fifth with the ultra-scopey nine-year-old Enjeu De Grisien, while the previous day’s victor Lily Attwood set the fastest time of the class with a valiant effort on Karibou Horta, but caught an oxer three from home behind.

Bernardo Costa Cabral’s second round track had asked all sorts of questions, with open gallops, angle options and turns.

“I had a good starting position, so I could watch a few of the riders. I already walked the second round during the first, so I knew it would suit my horse,” Martin said.

“Basically just everywhere had to be tight but still keep the canter up — my horse is naturally very quick and very careful.”

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Lion-hearted World Cup hero bows out: ‘the biggest fighter I ever rode’

Lucy Elder — Mon, 27 Mar 2023 14:59:46 +0000

The 2022 showjumping World Cup final winner “with a heart like a lion” has retired aged 16 following a dazzling sporting career.

Chaplin, owned by Luigi Baleri, had been ridden by Swiss medallist Martin Fuchs since 2016. Together, they scored three CSI5* Longines Global Champions Tour grands prix wins and tasted victory in four World Cup legs before scooping the final trophy last year. They also represented Switzerland in Nations Cups.

The stallion, by Verdi TN and out of Concorde mare Jaltha B, will now join Team Nijhof and turn his attention to breeding.

“Thank you my Chapi for the most amazing seven years,” said Martin. “Chaplin jumped 13 five-star grands prix and was placed in 12 of them.

“He has the best character and qualities. Scope, careful, fast and a heart like a lion. The biggest fighter I ever rode.”

Martin added he is “for ever grateful” to Mr Baleri for making the partnership possible, to groom Sean Vard, for “travelling the world with this superstar” and to his whole team “for their dedication throughout his career”.

“Looking forward to seeing many outstanding Chaplin babies!” he added.

It is nearly a year since Chaplin’s last international start – the 2022 World Cup final would prove to be his swansong on the world stage, and he already has youngstock on the ground.

“He is just the biggest fighter, he doesn’t have the ability that Clooney [Martin’s retired multiple medal-winning ride] has but at the end he always gives everything,” said Martin after his World Cup win last year, which he described as “a dream come true”.

‘We thought she was in the sunset of her career; she’s been reborn’: 16yo mare helps top rider become new Grand Slam contender

Jennifer Donald — Mon, 12 Dec 2022 12:34:00 +0000

USA rider McLain Ward and the 16-year-old mare HH Azur triumphed in the Rolex grand prix at the CHI Geneva horse show on Sunday (11 December) to become the contenders for the Rolex Grand Slam of Showjumping.

Shedding a few tears in the aftermath of his incredible first victory in a Major grand prix, McLain said: “This has been 30 years coming. It’s been a long and difficult story, but I think that’s what the sport does for us, it’s the struggle reflected in life, the fight, the perseverance, the trying to do better, and that’s something I’m very proud of. My career has been not all ups – although I’m fortunate to have had plenty – but there have been some very difficult ones, some here in Geneva [where McLain was disqualified from the 2010 World Cup Final], but this has always been a very special place for me and somewhere I’ve wanted to have excellence.

“This is the mecca of our sport so I’m proud to be here, proud to win.”

From last draw, McLain just pipped home rider Martin Fuchs (Leone Jei) into second and Ireland’s Shane Sweetnam (James Kann Cruz) into third in a thrilling 13-way jump-off in front of a passionate and vocal crowd.

A coveted rug for the new Rolex Grand Slam contenders

The US combination have been in tremendous form this year and came to Geneva on the back of a podium finish in the Super Grand Prix at Prague a fortnight earlier. HH Azur, who is owned by Double H Farms, left Geneva adorned in the coveted green and gold Rolex rug which signals the start of McLain’s next adventure as Rolex Grand Slam contender.

The double Olympic team gold medallist revealed the pep talks he always gives his incredible partner of the past seven years.

“At this point in her career I always give her a pat on the neck and say ‘You don’t owe anyone a fence, but if we could jump another clear round today it would be nice,’ he said. “I really have that feeling for this wonderful mare.

“When I got on her for the jump-off, I actually said to her, ‘It’s only one more round – give me what you’ve got and if you don’t have enough it’s OK too. She jumped out of her boots, which was pretty remarkable.

“This story is particularly very special – Azur is owned part by Hunter Harrison and his family, who was a great mentor and supporter of mine, but is no longer with us, and Francois Mathy, who is like a father to me and was here today so that’s very special.

“At the end of last year I thought her career was probably coming to an end, she didn’t feel in great form and it felt like she was in the sunset of her career. But she has been reborn this year. She feels incredibly healthy and has jumped seven major grands prix, three of which were Grand Slam events, and she was clear in all seven – other than a time-fault, which was the rider’s fault! So yes, I was emotional, I wanted to win, to beat these guys is a great feat, to not let the horse down – it’s a great day.

“For all of us in the sport, we aspire to win these very special events – Geneva, Aachen, Calgary, Rome. These are the events I grew up dreaming of, jumping in my back yard pretending to win. I first came to this show nearly 30 years ago – I still think I’m one of the younger ones, but I’m not! This is our life, this is what we live, this is the dream.”

‘I took all the risks to win the hat-trick – but McLain had other ideas!’

There was a standing ovation for Martin Fuchs, who had bid an emotional farewell to his other great grey Clooney 51 earlier in the afternoon. His dazzling jump-off performance on Leone Jei would be beaten, just denying him a record third win in this class, but the Swiss rider was thrilled nevertheless.

“It was a pretty emotional day with the goodbye of Clooney,” said Martin. “Leone Jei always jumps great in this ring and I knew that the course suited me well. In the jump-off I tried to take all the risks I could to make the hat-trick, but McLain had a different idea for today!”

Drawn earlier than the top two, Shane Sweetnam had done all he could with the nine-year-old Irish-bred James Kann Cruz (Kannan x Cruising) in only his first season at five-star level, and punched the air in delight after taking the lead.

“I got him last year as an eight-year-old,” said Shane. “We’ve had a great partnership from the start. The standard in this class is incredible, but I feel with this horse I can really compete with these guys. In the jump-off I went as fast as I could and I was winning coming out of the ring which is all you can really ask. Then the guys Martin and McLain took another step and took the class, it was great sport.”

Best of the Brits in the Rolex grand prix was jump-off trailblazer and reigning Olympic champion Ben Maher riding the nine-year-old mare Dallas Vegas Batilly, in the same ownership as Explosion W – Charlotte Rossetter and Pamela Wright. They set off with the mare’s lovely big, swinging stride really covering the ground, but they stalled slightly on the turn back to an oxer at fence three and hit the back rail to post a score of four faults in 42.76sec.

In the first round we lost British hopes Joe Stockdale (Equine America Cacharel) who was competing in his first ever Rolex Grand Slam and Harry Charles (Romeo 88), both with faults at the tricky double of Liverpools.

Irish contenders Conor Swail and Count Me In hit the third part of the Rolex treble for a four-fault tally, while his countryman Denis Lynch and Brooklyn Heights also finished on the same score.

Previous Rolex Grand Slam contender Daniel Deusser finished sixth with a great double clear on Scuderia 1918 Tobago Z.

‘You made my dreams come true; my superhero’: Martin Fuchs pays tribute to Clooney 51 in emotional retirement ceremony

Jennifer Donald — Sun, 11 Dec 2022 16:54:18 +0000

There wasn’t a dry eye in the house on Sunday afternoon (11 December) as Swiss showjumper Martin Fuchs’ brilliant gelding Clooney 51 was retired in an emotional farewell ceremony at the CHI Geneva horse show.

The former European champion, who suffered a career-ending injury 16 months ago, was ridden into the arena for the last time, where they enjoyed one final lap together to say goodbye to Clooney’s many fans.

In a moving tribute, Martin said: “jumping at our first event, I fell in love and knew that this would be the beginning of a wonderful journey. You were a handful at first and it took a lot of hard work to understand each other. You taught me that a horse needs all the trust and confidence in his rider to be successful.”

Tributes for one of the sport’s most decorated horses also came from Steve Guerdat and Clooney 51’s devoted groom Sean Vard, saying he was a “legend of the sport” and “part of the family”.

“You are a unique spirit, who has become the most successful horse in Swiss showjumping history,” said Martin. “You helped me become world number one, you shaped me into the rider that I am, you have made my dreams come true. I would not have this career without you. I am forever grateful for those moments. Clooney, this applause is all yours.”

The 16-year-old gelding fractured a bone in his right humerus when he slipped and fell in the field in August last year, just nine days after he and Martin had been competing at the Tokyo Olympics.

“We didn’t know if he would survive,” said Martin.

Clooney spent almost two months being treated in a veterinary hospital, recuperating in a sling, which the team attributes to his “will to survive”.

“Again, you showed what a superhero you are,” said Martin.

He finally returned home, where he has since been enjoying the quiet life.

The popular grey received a guard of honour on arrival at the show and enjoyed meeting the press and his many fans ahead of Sunday’s farewell ceremony, which took place ahead of Sunday afternoon’s Rolex grand prix, a class which Clooney 51, a son of the great Cornet Obolensky and owned by Luigi Baleri, won with Martin Fuchs won in 2019, making it an “obvious choice” for the tear-jerking event.

In their glittering career together, they won individual gold at the 2019 European Championships, individual silver at the 2018 World Equestrian Games in USA and finished ninth individually at the Rio Olympics in 2016.

Clooney 51, whom Martin describes as his “horse of his life” also won a raft of five-star grands prix in a phenomenal career.

He had a huge impact on the sport and will be much missed, but never forgotten. Thank you Clooney 51.

Former European champion who suffered career-ending injury to be celebrated in retirement ceremony

Becky Murray — Sat, 19 Nov 2022 20:33:28 +0000

Clooney 51, the former European champion, with Swiss showjumper Martin Fuchs, will be celebrated in an official retirement ceremony, 16 months after he suffered a career-ending injury.

Clooney, 16, fractured a bone in his right humerus when he slipped and fell in the field on 16 August last year, nine days after he and Martin had been competing at the Tokyo Olympics. He returned home after almost two months in hospital, and is now enjoying his retirement.

Clooney’s “farewell ceremony” will take place on 11 December at CHI Geneva – where he won the Rolex grand prix with Martin Fuchs in 2019.

“He has been in the world’s most beautiful arenas, but he has been missing a final lap to say goodbye to his many fans,” said a CHI Geneva spokesman.

Clooney, owned by Luigi Baleri, was sourced by Martin’s father Thomas as a seven-year-old. Martin and Clooney had a glittering career, with multiple five-star and grand prix wins.

They won individual gold at the 2019 European Championships, and individual silver at the 2018 World Equestrian Games in Tryon. The pair were ninth individually at the Rio Olympics in 2016 and 16th in Tokyo.

Martin said Clooney is the “horse of his life” and an “extraordinary being”.

“He has given me so much and it is with him that I have had my greatest successes,” he said.

“His accident was a terrible ordeal for him and for all of my team, but in the face of it he proved what strength of character he has. Today, he is well and he deserves to have a ceremony that reflects his fabulous career and the genius that he is.”

Martin added that CHI Geneva was an “obvious choice” for the ceremony.

“We had one of our most beautiful moments here when we won the Rolex grand prix,” he said.

“I am very much looking forward to this farewell, which promises to be very emotional, and during which I will be surrounded by the great Geneva public, my family, my team and my friends.”

Martin Fuchs wins his first Jumping World Cup title with ‘the horse of my heart’

Polly Bryan — Sun, 10 Apr 2022 17:02:30 +0000

Switzerland’s Martin Fuchs came out on top of a thrilling final round at the FEI Jumping World Cup Final in Leipzig, Germany, while two Brits claimed spots within the top five.

This is Martin’s first World Cup title, having finished in an agonisingly close second at the last final, in 2019. He and the superb 15-year-old Verdi TN stallion Chaplin have been on winning form all week, topping the opening leg of the Jumping World Cup Final on Friday. Martin then swapped horses to the somewhat less reliable The Sinner for Friday’s second round, where a pole down dropped him slightly down the order. He came into the final leg, reinstated aboard Chaplin, lying joint third on the leaderboard with Britain’s Harry Charles.

A flawless first clear from the pair set up an exciting second round, and when Harry tipped the middle part of the enormous treble, Martin knew that a clear inside the time would mean a guaranteed podium position. His trusty little stallion duly delivered, and when The Netherlands’ Harrie Smolders, lying one point ahead, also rolled a pole, only the USA’s McLain Ward lay between Martin and victory.

It just wasn’t McLain’s day. He revealed that his Tokyo Olympics horse contagious had slightly lost his footing in the combination, and the pair ended up with two down. The title was Martin’s.

“This horse is just fantastic. He is really the horse of my heart. Every time he enters the ring he is the biggest fighter and when you’re riding it, there’s nothing else like it,” said Martin.

“The plan was perfect,” he added, of the strategy to ride two horses in the competition. “Honestly, after having a rail down on Friday I wasn’t so sure it was right. Afterwards, I walked back to the warm-up and was pretty upset, but Steve [Guerdat] came up to me and said, ‘Congrats’. He told me I could still win on Sunday, and I was still third, which was good. I knew that two clear rounds today and we’d stay on the podium.

“To end up winning this prestigious competition is a dream come true. Earlier I looked at all the names on the World Cup and they are the best of the best. To be able to add my name is fantastic,” he added.

Harrie Smolders hung on to his second-place with Monaco, here competing at his first championships – “it won’t be his last,” said Harrie – while Sweden’s Jens Fredricson moved up from fifth after today’s first round to fill the third spot on the podium at his first World Cup Final appearance since 2013.

It proved a brilliant week for the Brits but with a heartbreaking conclusion, as Harry Charles and Jack Whitaker finished in fourth and fifth respectively – arguably the hardest places to be. A spot on the podium, even perhaps atop it, was within touching distance for Harry in particular, but an unfortunate fence down aboard Romeo 88 left him in fourth. Jack finished fifth after a stunning clear on Equine America Valmy De La Lande – the horse’s fourth clear of the week — added nothing to his score.

“Fourth is where no one wants to be,” said Harry, who was one of three riders, including Martin Fuchs, to use two horses across the three rounds of competition. “I came here with high expectations and I knew I had a shot if everything went to plan, but we were just short of a bit of luck on the day. But I’m so proud of my horses – I just wish I could have given them the result they deserved.”

John Whitaker finished in 12th with Equine America Unick Du Francport, finishing on a high with a clear in the last round.

Thrilling start to World Cup Jumping Final with strong British and Irish performances

Polly Bryan — Thu, 07 Apr 2022 15:18:42 +0000

The World Cup Jumping Final got underway this afternoon in Leipzig, Germany (7 April), and it was Switzerland’s Martin Fuchs who established himself in pole position heading into round two of the competition.

Second last to go Martin and the 15-year-old Verdi TN x Concorde stallion Chaplin pulled off a brilliant clear round in 65.11secs to steam in to the lead, more than a second ahead of Austria’s Max Kühner and Elektric Blue P.

“I had a good draw going second last. My horse is super fast and careful; I had a plan and I rode the course following this plan, and it all worked out. I did take risks to be fast but I didn’t take the last risk to go as fast as possible,” said Martin.

“It was definitely a tricky course, although not the biggest. There were some difficulties at the end with the combination coming out of the corner, the high plank and then five or six strides to the last oxer,” he explained.

Martin revealed that he will switch to his other ride, The Sinner, for round two of the competition, before bringing Chaplin back out for the final round on Sunday.

“Chaplin is a superstar and The Sinner is also a very good horse. He has been good in the past few weeks, and I have a lot of confidence in him. I have a great string of horses and I am lucky I can change horses,” he said.

Ireland’s Conor Swail finished best of the British and Irish contingent, in third riding Count Me In.

“Neither he nor I have done a World Cup before, but I’m coming in knowing that my horse is very capable and I am also an older veteran as they say,” laughed Conor. “I was super happy with how he jumped in there; he was really good and solid for me. Sometimes on the first day he can be a little nervous and it takes him a few days to get going but he has started off fantastically.

“It’s always nice when the plan goes as it should.”

World Cup Jumping Final day one: how the Brits fared

The British riders put in solid performances to all finish inside the top 20. Harry Charles leads the British charge at the moment, sitting in 13th with the 12-year-old Chacco-Blue mare Stardust. The pair had an unfortunate rail down coming into the double, but kept their pace and rhythm up to finished strongly.

“She is still quite green to the level, so she coped with it really well. I could have set her up a bit better; I ran a little bit too deep [to the double] which is my fault. But all is not lost – we’re not in bad shape, although I’d hoped to be better,” he told H&H.

Harry will switch to ride his Tokyo Olympics horse Romeo 88 for the second round of the final tomorrow.

“The plan was always to switch to Romeo. He has actually been out of the top level for a while; he’s had a long break, but he is very experienced, so I imagine he’ll come in tomorrow and be pretty good,” said Harry.

Jack Whitaker finished in 18th with a steady clear riding Equine America Valmy De La Lande. He beat his uncle, John Whitaker, by just 0.01secs, with John finishing 19th on Equine America Unick Du Francport after one fence down in his bid to capture a third World Cup title.

Ireland’s second rider, Denis Lynch, ended up 21st with Cristello.

The World Cup Showjumping Final continues tomorrow (8 April) with round two getting underway at 2pm (1pm BST).

Martin Fuchs on comparing his horses to Clooney – and the importance of snacks – ahead of this week’s Dutch Masters

Jennifer Donald — Fri, 11 Mar 2022 08:32:34 +0000

At the Dutch Masters this week (11-13 March), the world number three Martin Fuchs will be bidding to follow up on his CHI Geneva victory to claim a second consecutive leg of the Rolex Grand Slam of Showjumping.

Martin will line up against the world’s best riders including Daniel Deusser, Scott Brash, Steve Guerdat, Harry Charles and Marcus Ehning for Sunday’s feature class and the Swiss rider will be teaming up with the 15-year-old bay stallion Chaplin (Verdi TN x Concorde), a real indoor specialist, for the occasion.

“Chaplin has won so many grands prix and he has such an amazing character,” says Martin. “He is very special to me.

“He is in very good form, and I think that The Dutch Masters will really suit him. I am planning to take [European medallist] Leone Jei to the bigger outside rings, such as CHIO Aachen, as I think that they suit him better.”

Martin, who is one of the most popular and successful riders on the circuit, is fortunate to have a great string of top level horses right now.

“Obviously, Leone Jei is a spectacular horse,” he says. “He has an amazing mentality and is very ambitious – he always wants to try his best. Sometimes, that does make it slightly harder because he has so much blood and is so keen, I have to try and keep him as calm and relaxed as possible.

“Conner Jei is very talented, but he can be a bit tricker than the other horses. He won the Rolex Grand Prix of Dinard last year, and I am planning on taking him to the FEI World Cup Final this year. The Sinner is also one of best horses currently and is very capable. These horses have already won many five-star grands prix between them and I feel very lucky to be able to ride them.”

When asked whether his European silver medal-winning Leonie Jei could be the next Clooney 51, who retired last year, Martin says: “I do not compare them; Clooney 51 was the most successful horse in the history of Swiss showjumping. So, I really cannot expect to have the next Clooney 51 straight away. However, I do think that Leone Jei has shown that he has all the qualities and I think that he is one of the best horses on the circuit right now.”

‘He has not had a fence down yet’

Martin also has some younger horses to fill him with excitement.

“Commissar Pezi is a nine-year-old, and I am currently competing with him out on the Sunshine Tour for the first time,” says Martin. “He looks very promising, he has a great jump and attitude – however he is very green for his age, but I am still very excited by him. Viper Z and Diva Van Het Cauterhof Z, are eight-year-olds and they are also both with me on the Sunshine Tour. They have both jumped really well so far, Diva [Van Het Cauterhof Z] has jumped 15 rounds and has not had a fence down yet. Pina Van De Moerhoeve is my seven-year-old and she has been jumping a lot of the young horse classes out here. I have been having a lot of fun on the Tour, I am not jumping the biggest classes, but I am really enjoying bringing the young horses up through the levels.

“They are all giving me very good feelings, but it is always difficult to know whether they are going to be my next five-star winning horse. However, they have a lot of quality and have jumped a lot of clear rounds – so I think the future is looking promising.”

2022 looks set to be a busy year for Martin has he targets the showjumping World Championships and all four Rolex Majors, as well as next month’s World Cup Jumping Final.

“For me the special partnership between horse and rider is so exciting and keeps me motivated,” says Martin. “Each horse is different every day, and I really enjoy spending time with them. When you work with a horse every day to improve and your work pays off at a big show, it is so rewarding.”

‘The sport is so unpredicatable’

Martin describes winning his second consecutive Rolex Grands Prix at CHI Geneva on Leone Jei in front of his home crowd as very special but underlines just how difficult it is to win a five-star class of that standard.

“At every Rolex Grand Slam Major, you find the best horse and rider combinations, and therefore everyone there has a chance to win,” he says. “In my opinion that is why the Rolex Grand Slam of Showjumping is so special and unique. I think that our sport is different from most other sports, it is much harder to win regularly or back-to-back, as we work with animals which makes the sport so unpredictable. This makes winning the Rolex Grand Slam of Showjumping, like Scott Brash and Hello Sanctos did, such an incredible achievement.”

But it’s not all about the sport – at CHI Geneva, snacks were a crucial part of the show regime as the Fuchs team were serving freshly made crepes from outside their horses’ stables – thanks to one of Martin’s friends.

“He likes to come to the shows and take care of me and my grooms,” says Martin. “All of the riders like to stop by in between classes to have a snack!”

The Rolex Grand Prix takes place at the Dutch Masters on Sunday, 11 March. Scott Brash remains the only rider to have won the Rolex Grand Slam of Showjumping, which now takes in four Majors – the Dutch Masters, Spruce Meadows, Aachen and Geneva.

Previous grand prix winners at the Dutch Masters:

2021 Max Kühner (AUT), Elektric Blue P

2019 Henrik von Eckermann (SWE), Toveks Mary Lou

2018 Niels Bruynseels (BEL), Gancia de Muze

2017 Leopold van Asten (NED), VDL Groep Zidane N.O.P.

2016 Marcus Ehning (GER), Cornado NRW

2015 Daniel Deusser (GER), Cornet d’Amour

2014 Kevin Staut (FRA), Silvana*HDC

2013 Maikel van der Vleuten (NED), Kisby

2012 Marc Houtzager (NED), Opium

2011 Albert Zoer (NED), Sam

2010 Kevin Staut (FRA), Silvana*HDC

2009 Albert Zoer (NED), Sam

2008 Daniel Etter (SUI), Peu a Peu

2007 Daniel Deusser (GER), Air Jordan Z

2006 Albert Zoer (NED), Okidoki

2005 Marcus Ehning (GER), Gitania

2004 Gert-Jan Bruggink (NED), Joel

2003 Robert Smith (GBR), Marius Claudius

> With thanks to Rolex Grand Slam of Showjumping

4 events you need to know about this week: Britain’s Olympic medallists in action and showing qualifiers in Scotland

Pippa Roome — Tue, 08 Mar 2022 08:32:55 +0000

British Olympic medallists are in action at Oasby Horse Trials and in the Netherlands, plus there are showing qualifiers in Scotland – we’ve got you covered if you need to know what’s happening in horse sport this week…

1. Oasby Horse Trials, Lincolnshire

Dates: 10-13 March

More info: event website or schedule on British Eventing website

How to watch: the action on Friday, when the top classes take place, will be live streamed via horseandcountry.tv

Get the H&H lowdown: read our report in the magazine (17 March issue)

Why we’re excited about it: the three open intermediate sections at Oasby Horse Trials on Friday are stuffed with the biggest names in the sport. Two of Britain’s Tokyo Olympic gold medal-winning horses, Toledo De Kerser (Tom McEwen) and London 52 (Laura Collett), will be in action, as well as all three individual medallists from the European Championships last year in JL Dublin (Nicola Wilson), Brookfield Inocent (Piggy March) and Corouet (Sarah Bullimore).

2. BSPS Scotland Winter Show at Champfleurie Stables, West Lothian

Date: 13 March

More info: bspsscotland.co.uk

Get the H&H lowdown: read our report in the magazine (24 March issue)

Why we’re excited about it: the first opportunity in the calendar for combinations in the north of England and Scotland to contend for British Show Pony Society (BSPS) winter championship tickets and spots in the Royal Highland Show nursery stakes championship. The packed schedule offers classes for all types of ponies, from novice mountain and moorlands, to intermediates, show hunter ponies and show ponies.

3. Myerscough College Premier League dressage, Preston

Dates: 8-13 March

More info: https://www.myerscough.ac.uk/commercial-services-equine-events/equestrian-centre/

How to watch: all six days will be live streamed via horseandcountry.tv

Get the H&H lowdown: read our report in the magazine (17 March issue)

Why we’re excited about it: six days of top British Dressage action from medium level right up to grand prix, with direct qualifiers for the national championships set to be hotly contested. Also features pony, children, junior and young rider classes as well as young horse and pony classes filled with future talent.

4. Dutch Masters at Indoor Brabant Horse Show, ’s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands

Dates: 11-13 March

More info: thedutchmasters.com/en/ and rolexgrandslam.com

How to watch: dressage World Cup qualifier will be live streamed on clipmyhorse.TV/FEI TV and horseandcountry.tv (find it listed under “jumping”); showjumping will be live streamed via horseandcountry.tv

Get the H&H lowdown: online coverage and report in magazine (17 March issue)

Why we’re excited about it: the first Rolex Grand Slam of Showjumping major of 2022 with the world number two Martin Fuchs bidding to win a second consecutive leg after his success at the CHI Geneva in December. Among the other riders in action are Great Britain’s Harry Charles and Scott Brash, Germany’s Daniel Deusser, Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat and the USA’s Kevin Staut. Over at the dressage, Britain’s 2021 Olympic medallist Lottie Fry is set to be in action, among many more of the world’s best.

Take a tour round Martin Fuchs’ luxury horsebox with supergroom Sean Vard (Can we move in please?)

Jennifer Donald — Mon, 07 Feb 2022 07:02:59 +0000

If you spend your weekends rattling down country lanes in a past-its-best car packed to the brim with horsey paraphernalia, while your equine pride and joy slums it behind in a draughty trailer, you might want to look away now.

Because when you’re a five-star showjumper, you certainly get to travel first class as Martin Fuchs’s supergroom Sean Vard reveals in this video as he takes us on a guided tour of his luxury MAN six-horse lorry, complete with jaw-dropping accommodation to rival the Shangri-La.

Starting with the exterior, Sean reveals just how much locker space has been fitted in the stunning vehicle, before going on to guide us through the other enviable features. Inside is a living area in which we would happily take up permanent residence.

“This is a very spacious lorry because it’s only got six places in the back [for the horses] with a big motor home area,” says Sean.

There are three cleverly stored beds – the traditional one above the cab, which folds down and comes with its own private TV, then another large bed over the bathroom while the sofa also transforms into a third sleeping area.

Technology is also to the fore, with several televisions, complete with satellite, a surround sound system and air conditioning

“This living has all the extras you can imagine,” says Sean.

“The bathroom is very spacious – more like a hotel room! It’s nice and comfortable when travelling abroad.”

Last, but certainly not least, the horses also get to travel business class in “the most important area” of the lorry.

“During shows we use it for a bit of storage,” explains Sean. “This truck is stalled for six horses with loads of locker space along the top, good solid separations – also nice for stallions – and a little trough on the front which is handy for giving water on long journeys. There’s good lighting, good air and good ventilation.”

Sean also gives a demonstration of the comfortable rubber floor for the horses to enjoy.

“The horses travel super well in this truck,” says Sean. “And obviously we have cameras above to keep an eye on the horses while moving.”

With thanks to Rolex Grand Slam of Showjumping

(Image credit: @ROLEX/Ashley Neuhof)

‘My success would be impossible without him’: Daniel Deusser credits groom Sean Lynch in his rise to the top

(Image credit: @ROLEX/Ashley Neuhof)

‘That brilliant kid was Martin Fuchs’: how it all began for the new Rolex Grand Slam contender

(Image credit: @ROLEX/Ashley Neuhof)

‘Welcome home Clooney’: top showjumper who broke his shoulder leaves hospital

(Image credit: @ROLEX/Ashley Neuhof)

Explosion W vs King Edward: who is the best showjumping horse in the world? Data experts reveal all

Jennifer Donald — Sat, 15 Jan 2022 08:32:39 +0000

Who is the best showjumping horse in the world right now? Who is the best showjumping horse of all time? These are the questions we often ask ourselves while watching the likes of Ben Maher’s Explosion W jumping against Henrik von Eckermann’s King Edward or Daniel Deusser’s Killer Queen VDM week after week on the five-star circuit. Obviously whoever jumps fastest and clear is the winner on the day, but who ranked as the best showjumping horse in the world overall in 2021?

Fortunately our friends at the equestrian data analytics company Equiratings have once again come up trumps with their number crunching and produced the CAS – Clears Against Standard – metric system, a new way to evaluate and compare the best horses in the world statistically.

“This feels like a watershed moment in the sport,” says the company’s co-founder Diarm Byrne on the Equiratings Jumping Podcast.

“It [CAS] is a different way of looking at the sport, but it’s heavily researched and it’s backed up by data science,” he stresses.

CAS is the number of clears a horse has jumped against the number of clears that should have been jumped – the “standard” – over those courses.

“If you’ve jumped 20 times and the average clear rate [in a class] was 25%, you should have produced five clears” explains co-host Sam Watson.

So someone who jumped eight clears would have a CAS value of +3 – three more clears than that standard of five clears. Of course, for horses that jump fewer clears than the standard, the number will be negative.

The metric can be applied to any level, but the Equiratings team are focusing on 1.60m-plus tracks at five-star shows over the course of a year. They take out jump-off rounds, however, where the theory changes.

So in 2021, 25 horses produced the highest CAS value range of three or more.

Scott Brash’s Hello Jefferson, for example, jumped at the top level 22 times in 2021 and produced 11 clears – a 50% clear rate – whereas the courses he jumped had a clear rate of 30%, giving him a CAS value of 3.8.

Martin Fuchs’ Geneva grand prix winner Leone Jei jumped a bit less in 2021 – 15 times – but was clear on nine occasions. That’s a clear rate of 60%, but the courses he jumped were slightly harder with a clear rate of only 27%, giving him a higher CAS value of 4.6.

“That’s a really strong number – only 25 horses in the world last year had a value of three or higher,” says Sam Watson. “It’s a clean, crisp metric.”

He adds, of course, that: “The opinion will always be there, the theories will always be there.”

And the best showjumping horse in the world is…

So who came out top in the CAS ratings for 2021? King Edward and Explosion W seemed to make all the headlines over the past 12 months, but who was most effective at jumping clear rounds?

Explosion W was the top British horse with his phenomenal clear round strike rate – in 2021 he produced 10 clears from 17 rounds producing an astonishingly high CAS value of 5.5, only good enough for seventh in the standings however. The runaway winner on the stats was Olympic bronze medal-winning King Edward. He jumped 18 clears over 25 rounds, with an astonishingly high clear rate of 72% and a CAS of 11.5.

“This horse was head and shoulders above the rest if you’re talking about clear round efficiency at the top level of the sport,” says Sam. “King Edward is in a league of his own and it’s world class – as good as we’ve seen from some of the biggest names in this sport in the last decade.”

Here are the overall standings for 2021:

CAS values for showjumping horses jumping 1.60m-plus in 2021

King Edward (Henrik von Eckermann, SWE) 11.5
H&M Indiana (Malin Baryard Johnsson, SWE) 7.6
Beauville Z (Maikel van der Vleuten, NED) 7.5
Quel Homme De Hus (Jerome Guery, BEL) 7.4
Killer Queen VDL (Daniel Deusser, GER) 7
VDL Cartello (Darragh Kenny, IRL) 5.8
Explosion W (Ben Maher, GBR) 5.5

Who are the best showjumping horses in the world over the past decade?

King Edward also ranks highly among the figures which Equiratings have worked out back to 2010 – only six horses have produced a CAS of 10 or more and Eric Lamaze’s outstanding partner Hickstead comes out top as the greatest showjumping horse of the past 12 years by the smallest fraction of decimals. Big Star’s remarkable 86% clear round strike rate in 2013 puts him third and the best of the British showjumpers.

Explosion W’s highest CAS value of 9.2 was achieved in 2019, leaving him just off the top five. However, he holds the highest Elo ranking on the Equiratings database of 898.

“That tells us his consistency at beating the best opposition in the world is the most effective – that’s what he’s brilliant at,” says Sam.

The top five showjumping horses in the world over the past 12 years are:

Top CAS values for the best showjumping horses in the world jumping 1.60m-plus since 2010

Hickstead, Eric Lamaze (in 2010) 12.6
Casall ASK, Rolf-Goran Bengtsson (in 2014) 12.6
Big Star, Nick Skelton (2013) 12
King Edward, Henrik von Eckermann (2021) 11.5
Cedric, Laura Kraut (2010) 10.6

So as you can see, King Edward is already holding his own with the best of all time.

“It’s why we can get excited about King Edward,” says Sam.

Of course, evaluating the best showjumping horse in the world like this is highly objective, but do you agree with the stats? Was King Edward the best showjumper in 2021? How can Explosion W, who won the Olympic gold medal, not be described as the best showjumping horse in the world? It’s one we could discuss for hours…

Let us know your thoughts by emailing them to hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and county and you may be published in a future issue of Horse & Hound magazine – you could also win a bottle of Champagne Taittinger

Speedy rider opens London horse show with superb double

Eleanor Jones — Thu, 16 Dec 2021 20:05:49 +0000

Martin Fuchs got off to an amazing start in the London International Horse Show jumping by taking the first two classes of the event.

The 2021 European Championships individual silver and team gold medallist took the first class, the 1.50m Santa Stakes, on The Sinner, barely a tenth of a second faster than Germany’s Max Kuhner on EIC Coriolis Des Isles, then the 1.45m Christmas Pudding Speed Stakes on Tam Tam Du Valon, just over a fifth of a second faster than Ben Maher on Ginger-Blue.

“It’s an amazing start really, it’s so nice to win two classes at the London ‘Olympia’ horse show,” said Martin, who was early to go in a class bristling with speedy riders.

“I knew my horse Tam Tam is very fast so I thought I’d give it a go; I wanted to put pressure on my colleagues. And it worked out really well.”

Martin praised Guilherme Jorge’s track, with its “nice turns and lines”, adding that the stride he took out after the combination was about the only place that could be done, but said things got tense near the end.

“Ben [Maher] was really quick and last to go but I was just a little bit faster,” he said. “I was watching the others, especially Guy Williams, Emanuele Gaudiano and Ben, I was watching very closely!”

Martin said the 14-year-old Ogrion Des Champs x Quidam De Revel gelding “always does his job”, and the plan is to jump him in the 1.50m class on Sunday, and Monday’s speed class.

He also praised the facilities for the London Horse Show jumping at the ExCeL, adding: “They’re great; it’s beautiful, and when you’re in the ring, it feels the same as London Olympia. The infrastructure is better than the old place. It’s not yet the same feeling here but I’m sure it will get more and more cosy over the weekend. The crowd in London is always amazing.”

‘That brilliant kid was Martin Fuchs’: how it all began for the new Rolex Grand Slam contender

Jennifer Donald — Mon, 13 Dec 2021 15:30:11 +0000

Swiss rider Martin Fuchs is only 29, but already has seven championship medals to his name and the world number two has just become the live contender for the Rolex Grand Slam of Showjumping after a sensational victory on home turf in the Geneva grand prix.

Luigi Baleri, the owner of his recently retired top horse Clooney 51, recalls how Martin showed immense talent in the saddle from a very young age. Luigi, a car dealer, became friends with Martin’s Olympian father Thomas Fuchs, who was also his banker at the time.

“I bought a horse from Thomas,” says Luigi. “I continued riding a bit, but I was working and riding at the same time. Thomas is like this, if you buy a horse from him, you train with him!

“One day I was in training with Thomas, and he asked me to do five strides between two obstacles, but I couldn’t do it, so he said that even a child was able to do it. I didn’t believe him, so he brings a kid to show me. Obviously that kid succeeded, so I said, ‘he might be lucky’, so he tried again and he did it brilliantly. Then he told me ‘I can do it 10 times if you want’ – that kid was Martin Fuchs. It’s at that exact moment that I said to myself that I need to buy a horse not for myself, but for him.”

Soon after, Martin left for the Youth Olympic Games in Greece with one of Luigi’s horses.

“When he came back, he said to me, ‘It was fantastic, but you have to buy a horse that is more efficient if we want to be competitive’,” remembers Luigi. “From there, we started to do a lot of competitions together. The competitions followed one another, and the purchases of horses followed one another. I bought one more, then another, and so on. This is the start of my collaboration with Martin.”

Martin Fuchs ( SUI) riding Clooney 51 in the Jumping Individual Final for the Olympic Jumping 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)

‘So much passion goes into caring for the horses’

“I trust him with the horses more than anyone. I really like this process because I can rely on the Fuchs family because they are the best in their domain,” says Luigi.

Martin has gone on to be crowned the 2019 European champion and won team gold with the Swiss team in 2021. He won individual silver medals at the 2018 world championships and the 2021 Europeans, he finished runner-up in the 2019 World Cup Final and has won some of the richest grands prix in the world.

Martin was thrilled to win the Rolex grand prix at the CHI Geneva for the second time in succession, this time with the nine-year-old grey Leone Jei.

“CHI Geneva is not just special for me, all the riders feel really welcome here, but obviously as a Swiss rider, the support of the home crowd and the fans is huge,” he says, crediting also his team. “In showjumping and horse riding in general, you really need a huge team around you, that can help you with everything. So much work, time and passion goes into caring for the horses. I am very lucky with my family, as they are so supportive. I have a lot of good people around me and a good team, who all take great care of the horses at home to ensure they feel their best. This allows me to be able to solely focus on the sport and when I am at the shows, it means I do not worry about anything at home.”

Luigi says that one of his proudest moments as an owner came at the 2019 Rolex Grand Prix in Geneva when Martin won the grand prix with Clooney 51, thus having their first tilt at the Rolex Grand Slam.

“I am lucky enough to have won a medal in almost all championships and Majors, so for that reason it is impossible to choose,” he stresses though. “I like to say that the last win is always the best win, because it pushes you to get another one. I am always proud to see Martin win, from a regional championship to the top level of our sport.”

Judy Reynolds (IRL) riding Vancouver K in the Grand Prix Freestyle Competition at the FEI Longines European Championships Jumping, Dressage & Para-Dressage Rotterdam 2019 held in Kralingse Bos in Rotterdam in the Netherlands on 19-25th August 2019 (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Martin will be focusing on World Cup shows for the rest of the winter and you’ll see him in action at this week’s London International Horse Show.

“We have some really nice World Cup shows coming up and they are very exciting and traditional shows that I like to go to,” he says. “My goal is to build-up some of my younger horses and prepare them for the bigger classes so that I can develop some new horses for grand prix level.”

On next year’s bid to claim the Rolex Grand Slam, Martin says: “For riders, the Rolex Grand Slam of Showjumping is the most special and unique competition that there is because it brings together the best four shows in the world into one series, and it is a dream to win one of them.

“All riders work extremely hard to one day win one of the Rolex Grand Slam Majors,” adds Martin, saying that he also enjoys watching the tennis equivalent – Wimbledon in particular.

With thanks to Rolex Grand Slam.

‘What an amazing feeling’: Ben Maher and Explosion W win the Rolex IJRC Top 10 Final – despite a ‘plan B’ turn

Jennifer Donald — Sun, 12 Dec 2021 21:40:35 +0000

Continuing his truly memorable year, British showjumper Ben Maher and the extraordinarily talented gelding Explosion W won the Rolex IJRC Top 10 Final at the CHI Geneva on Friday (10 December).

“I’m so happy, Explosion’s been incredible the whole year, again,” he said. “The owners are here today, my wife, everybody and there’s not been many times this year that everybody could come and watch.

“What an amazing feeling to win this class.”

The world’s top 10 riders are invited to compete in this annual contest held over two rounds and just four combinations jumped clear in round one – Daniel Deusser (Killer Queen VDM), Henrik von Eckermann with King Edward and Jerome Guery riding Quel Homme De Hus, joining Ben on a zero score.

The clever tracks set by Gérard Lachat and Louis Konickx piled on even more pressure in round two and some of the greatest names in the sport saw their faults add up.

However, Sweden’s Olympic team gold medallist and recent Super Grand Prix winner Henrik von Eckermann shot to the top of the leaderboard with a typically assured round with King Edward before Daniel Deusser’s Killer Queen VDM surprisingly refused at the second fence.

The reigning Olympic champion Ben and his superstar 12-year-old gelding were the penultimate combination and flashed home in breathtaking style to take the lead by nearly two seconds.

“He’s incredible. I was a bit nervous about one of the turns so I went round and it didn’t suit me,” Ben said. “Everywhere I had to go as fast as I could – Henrik put me under a lot of pressure. This class hasn’t been so lucky for me in the past, but it’s better now!”

There was still a chance that last-drawn Jérôme Guery could cause an upset, but the powerful 15-year-old Quidam De Revel stallion simply doesn’t have the same gears as Explosion W and when they got their striding all wrong to the wall which crashed to the floor, the Maher team could celebrate in style.

“My team plays a huge part,” he said. “Without my owners I wouldn’t be able to be riding Explosion W over the past few years. My groom Cormac Kenny has been with me since he was 16 years old, so he’s grown up together with me, and it’s very special for me to see him take big moments like this, and it wouldn’t be possible without him.”

Sunday’s Rolex Grand Prix closed the show with an epic home victory for Martin Fuchs, his second win in a row in Geneva. He now takes over the mantle as the live contender for the Rolex Grand Slam of Showjumping from Aachen victor Daniel Deusser.

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Martin’s first win in 2019 came with Clooney 51 but he teamed up with another grey, his 2021 European silver medallist Leone Jei (pictured above), to come out on top after a six-way jump-off.

“I am of course overjoyed, not only because I have won this tournament, which I love so much, for the second time, but also because I am a contender for the Rolex Grand Slam again,” he said. “And this with this great Leone Jei, who is only nine years old and always amazes me.”

‘Welcome home Clooney’: top showjumper who broke his shoulder leaves hospital

Becky Murray — Fri, 22 Oct 2021 19:33:04 +0000

Celebrations have taken place as Clooney 51, the former European champion ride of Swiss showjumper Martin Fuchs, has returned home from hospital.

The 15-year-old gelding fractured a bone in his shoulder – his right humerus – when he slipped and fell in the field on 16 August, nine days after he and Martin had been jumping at the Tokyo Olympics.

Clooney was taken to Tierspital Zurich hospital and Martin said at the time the gelding was receiving the best care with all involved working towards making a field retirement possible. He was being supported in a sling to help stabilise him, but he was eating well and able to put weight on his injured leg.

Martin has since shared regular updates on Clooney’s condition including him taking his first steps out in-hand on 1 September. A video shared a week later showed the gelding having made improvements, with Martin stating the son of Cornet Obolensky was “progressing every day” and he “couldn’t be happier”.

On 19 October Martin said it was a “special day” as he welcomed Clooney home. Pictures of the occasion showed a party and Clooney looking approvingly at his “Welcome home Clooney” gift made out of carrots.

Special day… Welcome home Clooney!❤️???Thank you Tierspital Zürich for taking the best care of our champion??Posted by Martin Fuchs on Tuesday, October 19, 2021

“Thank you Tierspital Zürich for taking the best care of our champion,” said Martin.

Clooney 51, owned by Luigi Baleri, was sourced by Martin’s father Thomas as a seven-year-old. Martin and Clooney won individual gold at the 2019 European Championships, and individual silver at the 2018 World Equestrian Games. Tokyo was their second Olympics; they finished ninth individually at Rio 2016 and 16th in Tokyo, where the Swiss team finished in fifth place.

Superstar showjumper making progress after life-threatening shoulder injury

Becky Murray — Tue, 07 Sep 2021 19:03:51 +0000

Clooney 51, the former European champion ride of Swiss showjumper Martin Fuchs, is making progress and walking out in-hand following his serious shoulder injury.

Martin said at the time Clooney was receiving the best care at Tierspital Zurich hospital, with the team working towards making a field retirement possible. The gelding was being supported in a sling to help stabalise him, but he was eating well and able to put weight on his injured leg.

Martin, who took team gold and individual silver at the European Showjumping Championships last week with Leone Jei, has been sharing regular updates about Clooney’s condition. On 1 September he released a video of the gelding taking his first steps following the injury, with the 29-year-old rider stating Clooney “never stops surprising him with his strength”, and that he was “blessed to have him in his life”.

In an update yesterday (7 September) Martin shared another video of Clooney being walked out in-hand and said he “couldn’t be happier”.

Couldn’t be happier! My Clooney progressing every day❤️Posted by Martin Fuchs on Monday, September 6, 2021

“My Clooney [is] progressing every day,” he said.

The Tokyo Games was the combination’s second Olympic appearance, following an individual top-10 placing in Rio in 2016. They qualified for the individual final in Tokyo, but eight jumping faults ruled the pair out of the individual medals. They went on to jump in the team competition alongside Steve Guerdat and Bryan Balsiger. The team made it through to the final, but faults from all three combinations meant Switzerland finished fifth.

Medals decided, an emotional retirement, and a British withdrawal: the top stories from across the European Showjumping Championships

Becky Murray — Sun, 05 Sep 2021 16:37:49 +0000

The curtain has closed on a thrilling week of action at the European Showjumping Championships in Riesenbeck. Andre Thieme claimed individual gold on home soil, while the superb Swiss riders reigned supreme in the team final. Here’s all you need to know from across the competition…

European Showjumping Championships news and results

The individual final on 5 September went down to the wire as Andre and DSP Chakaria stopped Martin Fuchs retaining his 2019 crown.

Find out how the final day of action unfolded

The team final on 4 September had Switzerland battling Germany and Belgium for the top spot.

Read what Steve Guerdat had to say about his final team round

Emily Moffitt was the sole British rider to qualify for the individual final but decided not to take part

Read why Emily decided to withdraw Winning Good

Marcus Ehning’s superstar stallion Comme Il Faut retired in an emotional ceremony

Read what Marcus had to say about the stallion’s farewell

Ireland secured two places in the medal-deciding round of Sunday’s individual final

Find out what the Irish rider’s made of Frank Rothenberger’s penultimate challenging track

Greece’s sole combination Ioli Mytillineou and Levis De Muze shone throughout the competition. While their final round did not go to plan with the pair ultimately retiring, Ioli has much to celebrate having come from jumping one-star classes just 18 months ago.

Read what Ioli had to say about their senior championship debut

Glorious European gold for Germany as defending champion takes silver

Eleanor Jones — Sun, 05 Sep 2021 15:19:36 +0000

Germany has taken individual gold at the European Showjumping Championships, to roars of delight from the home crowd, with Switzerland taking silver and Sweden the bronze.

Andre Thieme and his superstar ride DSP Chakaria had a fence in hand when they went last into the area in this final round of competition.

And as was the case in Friday’s team decider, the last rider needed that pole, as the 11-year-old mare just caught the 1.58m oxer going into the treble at fence five. But Andre kept cool and left the rest standing, to finish on a total of 6.84 penalties.

“After that fence, it wasn’t easy!” Andre said. “I knew I had one rail coming in but to have a pretty early one; I thought ‘Oh, Jesus, there’s a long way round from here!

“I just tried to stay calm, and have to say thank you to my horse, she’s outstanding.

“I always knew she was something special but it’s unbelievable she’s done this.”

Defending champion Martin Fuchs, whose rail down in the first round of today’s competition had dropped he and the nine-year-old Leone Jei to fourth, must have thought it was all over when, fourth-last to go in, he also caught that first part of the treble, giving him a total of 9.31 penalties.

But next in Ioli Mytilineou, the sole Greek rider who had had a dream debut championship so far, without touching a pole on the 10-year-old Levis De Muze, also fell foul of the same fence; a split-second’s mistiming on take-off meaning the stallion crashed through and could not jump the second part of the combination, so she retired.

Peder Fredricson and Catch Me Not S also knocked only their second pole of the European Showjumping Championships, which, with a single time-fault, put them on 9.46 penalties, to take the bronze.

Superb Switzerland win European team gold in thrilling medal decider

Eleanor Jones — Fri, 03 Sep 2021 16:01:21 +0000

Switzerland has won team gold as the European Showjumping Championships results in the team competition were decided, with Germany taking silver and Belgium bronze in a thrilling rollercoaster of an afternoon.

The Swiss, who went into today’s medal decider in the lead, pulled two clears out of the bag after Elian Baumann’s 12-fault opening round. So when 2012 individual Olympic champion Steve Guerdat went into the ring on Albfuehren’s Maddox as the last combination to jump, he knew he had a fence in hand.

And he needed it — a late pole meant he had to tackle the last tricky line, the big FEI oxer to the tricky double of verticals, plus the last 1.60 oxer that had caught a few out — knowing a touch would cost his team gold.

“I did have pressure, but I don’t think any more than the others did,” he said. “Everyone wanted to fight, not just for himself but for the team. We have a great atmosphere and I think it makes you fight harder when it’s for four of you, and not just yourself.”

Steve added that after a year that has not been plain sailing in equestrian terms, “this is what it’s all about”.

“You get good days and bad days, but it’s about keeping your head up,” he said. “Things don’t always go your way but when you believe in what you do, and a great team behind you helps, days like this make the bad moments go away. I’m so happy to be part of this.”

Steve’s teammate and defending champion Martin Fuchs is in the lead in the individual competition, which concludes on Sunday, on the nine-year-old Leone Jei.

“He’s just been amazing, all three days,” he said. “Steve has just said how crazy is it to be in the lead on a nine-year-old, but I’m very happy to already have secured a medal for him and I’ll do all I can to leave all the jumps up on Sunday and win another medal.”

For Germany, it was a case of so near but yet so far; Andre Thieme on DSP Chakaria continued his good form with a clear round, and Marcus Ehning and Stargold jumped their first clear of the competition to put them in a strong position. But when Christian Kukuk on Mumbai and David Will on C Vier tipped a rail each, the silver was confirmed — which was a nice birthday present for Marcus Ehning’s son.

“It’s my youngest son’s birthday today and I told him I hoped I’d be able to bring him home a medal,” Marcus said. “And now I can. I’m very proud of my horse and the whole team.”

Heartbreak for the super Swedes

There was heartbreak for Sweden, who had been in gold-medal position after the first day’s jumping, and bronze at the end of yesterday, but three eight-fault rounds meant that last rider Peder Fredricson’s clear was not enough to earn a place on the podium. They finished fourth.

But their loss was Belgian’s gain as the Tokyo Olympic bronze medallists, this team including twin brothers Nicola and Olivier Philippaerts, made today their best of the week with four fault-free and faultless rounds to take the bronze by nearly five penalties.

Jos Verlooy, who jumped clear on Varoune today, said all four riders are friends outside the horse world: “So it’s very special to win a bronze medal together.”

It was another unlucky day for Britain as Georgia Tame’s ride Ascot Z7 refused the tricky wall at fence three, and she retired. Emily Moffitt and Winning Good lifted spirits with their best round of the week, a superb clear, but Joe Stockdale and William Whitaker were unlucky, clocking up 12 and eight faults respectively for the team to finish in ninth place.

Emily finished in 22nd place individually, which means she qualifies for Sunday’s European Showjumping Championships individual final, for which all penalties are carried forward from the three rounds jumped so far.

Strong start for reigning European champion — and good news about his injured horse

Eleanor Jones — Wed, 01 Sep 2021 16:40:33 +0000

Reigning champion Martin Fuchs made a good start to his campaign at the 2021 European Showjumping Championships — and had good news about his winning 2019 ride on the same day.

The Swiss rider finished in fifth place in today’s speed class, which kicked off both the team and individual competitions. He and Adolfo Juri’s Leone Jei jumped a class clear 0.2 of a second behind fourth-placed Olivier Robert of France.

Martin said he was very pleased with the nine-year-old gelding, who has never jumped either a speed class or in a championship.

“I haven’t done many fast runs with him yet; a couple of jump-offs, but not over a whole course, so I wasn’t sure how this was going to be today,” he said. “I just tried, from the first to last fence, to have a good pace without doing anything crazy! And I was actually very excited to see that I was then sitting in second place.”

Martin said of course the situation is different for the title-holder at a championship, but he does not put any extra pressure on himself owing to that.

“It’s almost more the other way around, because I’ve won it already, so it’s just a bonus what is coming this week,” he said.

Good news for Martin Fuchs at European Showjumping Championships

Martin added that he had also had a positive update on Clooney 51, on whom he won his 2019 European Showjumping Championships title, who sustained a humerus fracture in the field shortly after the Tokyo Olympics.

“This morning, one hour before the class, I got a great phone call from Professor Furst who is taking care of Clooney, to say he for the first time, took him out of the box and did a couple of steps,” Martin said. “He sent me a video, which was sent to all; everybody here is very excited too.

“Very good news, a good day.”

Britain first into the arena as European Showjumping Championships start

Eleanor Jones — Wed, 01 Sep 2021 08:38:38 +0000

Britain will be first into the arena in the first competition of the European Showjumping Championships this morning.

Today’s competition is a speed class, in which scores and times are converted to penalties.

European Showjumping Championships approx times: British riders in first competition

Georgia Tame and Z7 Ascot: 11am local time; 10am UK time
Emily Moffitt and Winning Good: approx 11.24am local time; 10.24am UK time
Joe Stockdale and Equine America Cacharel: approx 12noon local time; 11am UK time
William Whitaker and Galtur: approx 12.36pm local time; 11.36am UK time

Georgia Tame and Z7 Ascot (pictured) will kick off the first qualifying competition in the main arena of Riesenbeck International at 11am European time (10am BST). Breen Equestrian, Shane Breen and Team Z7’s 10-year-old gelding makes his senior championship debut here, as does Georgia, but the pair are no strangers to this venue, having finished second in the grand prix here last year.

Next in for Britain will be Emily Moffitt on Poden Farms and Neil and Heidi Moffitt’s Winning Good; the pair are also both at their first senior championships but were shortlisted for this summer’s Olympics, and have twice been on winning British Nations Cup teams. Emily and “Winnie” will be 13th in, at about 11.24am (10.24am BST).

Joe Stockdale and Joy Cocklin’s Equine America Cacharel continue the campaign as the 31st combination into the arena, at approximately 12pm (11am BST). This is another combination of senior championship debutants but they jumped clear, with just a single time-fault, in the five-star Rolex grand prix at Royal Windsor in July, and double clear in the three-star Nations Cup in Denmark in June.

William Whitaker and Philip Tuckwell’s Galtur will be last to go for Britain, as the 49th combination into the arena at about 12.36pm (11.36am BST). William has competed at two senior championships; the 2017 Europeans and 2018 World Equestrian Games, and he and Galtur are seasoned Nations Cup performers.

Daniel Coyle and his own and Ariel Grange’s Legacy are first in for Ireland at about 11.20am (10.20am), followed by Michael Duffy on Katherine Duffy and HMF Equestrian’s Zilton SL Z, at about 11.54am (10.54am). Eoin McMahon and Madeleine Winter’ Schulze’s Chacon 2 jump at about 12.28pm (11.28am) and Mark McAuley on his own and Scea la Tuiliere’s Jasco VD Bisschop conclude the Irish campaign for today at about 1.04pm (12.04pm).

Defending European champion Martin Fuchs, and Adolfo Juri’s Leone Jei will be jumping at about 12.20pm (11.20am) and Olympic silver medallist Peder Fredricson, on Ebba Berglof’s Catch Me Not S, at about 12.46pm (11.46am).

Tomorrow is the first of two days of team competition; the top 10 at the close of play tomorrow will progress to Friday’s medal decider.

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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.

European champion showjumper recovering in hospital with fractured foreleg

Eleanor Jones — Wed, 25 Aug 2021 20:31:36 +0000

Martin Fuchs’ European champion ride Clooney 51 has fractured a bone in his shoulder but is comfortable in hospital.

H&H reported last week that the 15-year-old gelding had suffered a serious injury when he slipped and fell in the field on 16 August, nine days after he and Martin had been jumping at the Tokyo Olympic Games.

The Swiss rider said at the time Clooney was having the best care as all involved were working towards making a field retirement possible.

Yesterday (24 August), Martin said the Westphalian gelding had sustained a fracture to his right humerus, the “upper arm” bone between the point of shoulder and elbow.

“He is in the best care at Tierspital Zürich and seems to be his normal self at the moment,” Martin said, sharing a video of Clooney wearing a sling.

“He is eating well and is able to put weight on his right leg. The sling helps to stabilise him.”

A photo posted by on

Martin thanked all those who had sent supportive messages and comments, adding a “special thanks” to Sean Vard and Luigi Baleri, who had been visiting Clooney every day since the accident.

Martin and Clooney won individual gold at the 2019 European Championships, and individual silver at the 2018 World Equestrian Games. Tokyo was their second Olympics; they finished ninth individually at Rio 2016 and 16th in Tokyo, where the Swiss team finished in fifth place.

Humerus fractures are rare in horses, most commonly the result of a kick or a fall in adults.

Treatment ranges from conservative — box rest until the break heals — to different types of surgery; but this depends on the nature of each individual fracture.

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‘The feeling I had makes the disappointment even bigger’: late rails end Olympic individual title hopes for Martin Fuchs and Clooney 51

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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.

‘Pray for Clooney’: European Champion in vet hospital after serious injury

Becky Murray — Tue, 17 Aug 2021 14:03:18 +0000

Clooney 51, the Olympic ride of Swiss showjumper Martin Fuchs and reigning European champion, is undergoing treatment for a devastating injury, with hopes he may be able to enjoy field retirement.

The 15-year-old Cornet Obolensky gelding was hurt yesterday morning (16 August) when he slipped and fell in the field.

“He injured his right shoulder very seriously and everyone involved is doing their best for Clooney’s wellbeing,” said 29-year-old Martin.

“He is in the Zurich hospital and we are trying to make a retirement on the field possible. At this time I have no further information and will keep everyone updated. Pray for our Clooney.”

In an update on Tuesday (17 August) Martin said the gelding was “feeling better” than Monday.

“We take it day by day and hope for the best. If any horse can get through this, it’s Clooney,” he said.

Clooney, owned by Luigi Baleri, was sourced by Martin’s father Thomas as a seven-year-old. He was described by Martin as a “bit difficult” in the beginning, but the pair soon built up a strong partnership. They competed in the 2015, 2016 and 2017 Nations Cup finals in Barcelona, and were on the Swiss bronze medal-winning team at the Europeans in 2015 and 2017.

In 2018 Martin and Clooney took individual silver at the World Equestrian Games in Tryon, USA, and in 2019 they were crowned European champions in Rotterdam. The same year they were runners-up in the World Cup final in Gothenburg.

The Tokyo Games was the combination’s second Olympic appearance, following an individual top-10 placing in Rio in 2016. They qualified for the individual final in Tokyo, but eight jumping faults ruled the pair out of the individual medals. They went on to jump in the team competition alongside Steve Guerdat and Bryan Balsiger. The team made it through to the final, but faults from all three combinations meant Switzerland finished fifth.

‘The feeling I had makes the disappointment even bigger’: late rails end Olympic individual title hopes for Martin Fuchs and Clooney 51

Lucy Elder — Wed, 04 Aug 2021 11:25:06 +0000

Reigning European champions Martin Fuchs and Clooney 52 will not be adding a medal from the Olympic showjumping individual final to their collection after finishing on eight faults in the first round.

The pair were foot perfect over the first 12 obstacles in Santiago Varela’s testing Tokyo Olympic course, but clipped the front rail of the 1.55m Sakura (cherry blossom) oxer at 13 and the last fence – a teetering 1.66m upright.

“I had a really good feeling throughout the course. He was good to handle, very nice to ride,” said Martin.

The Swiss world number two, who took individual silver with Luigi Baleri’s 15-year-old Cornet Obolensky gelding at the 2018 World Equestrian Games, added the way the horse felt for most of the course is what makes the “disappointment even bigger”.

“He jumped the third last fence very careful, very backwards. I landed and I didn’t see the five strides to the second last, so I decided quickly to do the six strides, but didn’t execute them properly enough. We got too close to the second last fence and had the rail down,” he said.

“Then I was just like, ‘let’s go as fast as we can to the last fence so maybe be the fastest four faults’, which also didn’t work out.”

While this is the end of the road for the world number two’s chances in the Olympic showjumping individual final, the combination’s Tokyo Olympic showjumping team medal hopes remain alive as part of the Swiss side.

‘Jealousy is natural — it’s a good thing to have when you’re competing to be the best’

Jennifer Donald — Tue, 03 Mar 2020 08:24:34 +0000

It takes something pretty special to train two riders who have, between them, reigned as world number one for well over a year.

Meet Thomas Fuchs (pictured top), father of European champion Martin — the current world number two — and coach to Steve Guerdat, who returned to the top of the rankings last month. What is the secret to this phenomenal team’s success?

“I don’t need to be there every day for Steve and Martin, but I’m there for the big shows and the championships and I try to calm them down a bit,” says Thomas, who was a leading international rider himself.

“Overall we have found a great balance between being a trainer, a father and a friend.

“The rivalry between them is great — it makes them both train and compete harder, because they both want to be world number one. Of course, they compete against each other, but they are still good friends. Steve and Martin both want to win, but if they come second and the other one wins then they are still happy because they are so close — they support each other fully. Inside the ring, they’re competitors, but in private they’re very good friends.

“Sometimes, there is a bit of jealousy, but that is natural, it’s a good thing to have when you’re competing to be the best.”

Steve and Martin coursewalking (Image credit: Getty Images)

When Martin became world number one in January this year, Steve called Thomas straight away.

“He asked me ‘What’s it like to be the trainer for the number one rider in the world?’ I replied saying ‘I’m used to this!’” says Thomas. “What he should have asked was ‘What’s it like being the father of the world number one?’”

Article continues below…

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It was actually Martin’s mother Renata who trained Martin in the early days.

“I did go a few times, but he fell off multiple times and so I stopped going!” says Thomas.

“Nowadays, I don’t really get nervous watching him compete. In the jump-offs, at the end of course, I get a little bit nervous, but his horse Clooney is really incredible, so overall, I’m not particularly nervous. I have confidence in my son and in Clooney, I don’t believe it’s necessary to be nervous anymore.

“I’d say the proudest moment of my career is probably becoming the trainer for the two best riders in the world.”

>>With thanks to Rolex Grand Slam for the interview.

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Clooney 51: from ‘difficult’ beginnings — how it all changed for this champion jumper

Jennifer Donald — Mon, 24 Feb 2020 12:24:41 +0000

The partnership between Swiss rider Martin Fuchs and the galloping grey Clooney 51 is the envy of the showjumping world. Together, they were crowned European champions in 2019, Martin was crowned as the world number one and, after victory in the Rolex Grand Prix of Geneva in December, the pair will this year be bidding to become only the second winners of the Rolex Grand Slam after Scott Brash secured the hat-trick back in 2015.

But the 14-year-old son of Cornet Obolensky hasn’t always been the easiest of rides, as his 27-year-old rider — and Martin’s father Thomas Fuchs, who sourced the gelding — tells us.

“In the beginning, he was a bit difficult, but he’s always been a great horse to ride,” says Martin. “When he was eight years old, I realised that he could be a special horse, as he’d often be placed in big grands prix. As a nine-year-old he placed second in a five-star grand prix in Doha. To become the team we are today, we’ve worked very hard on our dressage and his confidence. I try my best to keep him happy and give him the confidence he needs to perform, then in the ring he normally doesn’t let me down.

“Clooney is very careful and clever at the fences; he’s very aware of his surroundings and always knows where the poles are. He’s a very intelligent jumper, with his own style — he doesn’t over-jump and never runs through the fences.

“He can be a little spooked in big grass arenas, which makes things a bit more difficult. Aachen takes place over a whole week, which gives me the chance to get Clooney in the ring a couple of times before the grand prix, which will help us be more prepared. Last year he jumped really well and had clear rounds, however during the second round I didn’t ride so well.”

Thomas Fuchs, Martin’s father and trainer, is a renowned dealer and reveals how they found Clooney as a seven-year-old.

“Over the years, I have built up a network of good friends and great contacts, who, when they see something special, they get in touch,” he explains. “We have also gone to see so many horses — it’s not the case that you find a horse like Clooney every year, as he is such a special horse. You need a bit of luck on your side, which we’ve had.

“At the beginning, when we first saw him, we thought he was a very nice horse, but we weren’t thinking that he was a star. However, when he won the Swiss championships as an eight-year-old, we realised that he was a very special horse with a unique talent.”

Clooney 51 has had a break since competing at the GC Play-Offs in Prague in November, but the pair will be seen during the next leg of the Rolex Grand Slam at the Dutch Masters in March — then the Tokyo Olympics is the ultimate goal.

“We’ve been training hard and preparing so we have a good chance to do well,” he says.

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“Clooney is very good in smaller arenas, so in a way The Dutch Masters will be better for him. We will be competing at a two-star event with Clooney in Holland a few weeks prior to the show in order to be as prepared as possible.

“I have complete faith in Clooney — I know he can win in any arena in the world, in any class. This gives me a lot of confidence, but I’ve not even dreamed about winning the Rolex Grand Slam because it’s so difficult. Anyone involved in our sport knows what Scott Brash has achieved is incredible and the odds of it happening again are so low. Of course, Clooney and I will try our best but who knows what the future holds.”

>> Thank you to the Rolex Grand Slam for the interview. The Dutch Masters takes place from 12-15 March and you can read all about it in the following issue of Horse & Hound.

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European champion takes superb World Cup win at Olympia

Eleanor Jones — Sat, 21 Dec 2019 17:47:30 +0000

European champion Martin Fuchs continued his superb 2019 by taking the Longines FEI World Cup leg at Olympia this afternoon (21 December) in definitive fashion.

The world number two rider – who must now be eyeing the top spot in the rankings – followed up last week’s win with Clooney 51 in the Geneva grand prix with victory by almost two seconds today, on The Sinner.

Second to go in a six-strong jump-off, Martin and Luigi Baleri’s 11-year-old gelding threw down the gauntlet with two superb angled turns to cross the line in 31.99 seconds, with Germany’s Max Kuhner on Elektric Blue P second, on 33.83 seconds, and Belgium’s Niels Bruynseels on Delux Van T&L third.

“It was a great round,” Martin said. “I tried to take all the risks because I really wanted to win. I’m so happy.”

Martin’s uncle Markus won the Olympia World Cup leg in 1990, and he was in the Grand Hall today to watch his nephew’s victory.

“Olympia’s amazing, it’s such a traditional horse show,” Martin said. “My parents and uncle used to ride here and it’s so nice to win in front of this amazing crowd.”

Martin could be seen riding every stride of his round, and he said he wants to work on keeping his upper body quieter – “but it seems to work so I’m happy with it for now”.

Continues below…

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

‘Two best horses in the world’ team up as Ben Maher and Martin Fuchs win big in New York

The British rider and his Swiss team-mate were impeccable over the two days of jumping to take the New York

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

Silver for Britain as Switzerland bag gold in nail-biting conclusion to European Showjumping Championships

Ben Maher and Explosion W have added an individual European silver medal to their tally

(Image credit: Peter Nixon)

His ambitions for next year include taking that number one spot from his compatriot Steve Guerdat, which is a “huge dream”, then he is aiming for the Tokyo Olympics with his European gold medal-winner Clooney.

It was a fifth-place finish for Britain’s Scott Brash and Hello Jefferson, a horse Scott believes has a “big, big future”, and who jumped a beautiful first-round clear but clipped a pole in the jump-off.

Britain’s Holly Smith and Hearts Destiny, who had also jumped a foot-perfect first round, were also unlucky in the jump-off to flick a brick from the wall and then lower a pole, leaving them in sixth place.

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‘Two best horses in the world’ team up as Ben Maher and Martin Fuchs win big in New York

Pippa Roome — Sat, 28 Sep 2019 19:55:54 +0000

The London Knights, led by Britain’s Ben Maher, won the Global Champions League (GCL) leg at the Longines Global Champions Tour (LGCT) of New York this afternoon (Saturday, 28 September). In doing so, the London Knights also won the overall series title.

European champions Martin Fuchs and Clooney 51 paired up with silver medallists Ben Maher and Explosion W for the New York leg of this team competition, the first time these two stellar horses have worked together in the GCL.

“We had to win here to have a chance of victory overall and these two are the best horses in the world at the moment — the dream team,” said Ben after the pair took the lead yesterday with the fastest combined time of the two teams to record a zero score.

In the end, victory came easily today. Valkenswaard United were unable to repeat their fault-free performances of yesterday, with four faults apiece for Marcus Ehning (A La Carte NRW) and Alberto Zorzi (Cinsey), which dropped them to sixth.

The London Knights started knowing they could afford a fence down and still win, or even two if they beat the combined time of 149.72 seconds set by the Paris Panthers. Clears from both Martin and Ben — in 148.18 seconds — confirmed their triumph.

This was London Knights’ second year in a row taking the GCL series title, with Ben and Martin joined in the team by Olivier and Nicola Philippaerts, Gudrun Patteet and Ben’s pupil Emily Moffitt.

“This year we’ve found our strength in depth — we’ve had ups and downs and used every rider and multiple horses,” said Ben. “It was very exciting to win here at the end and it went right down to the wire, but my horse gave me a great ride.”

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The Paris Panthers moved up from eighth overnight to second in this leg with clears today from Irishman Darragh Kenny (Romeo 88) and Harrie Smolders (Monaco).

The Prague Lions took third today, represented by Niels Bruynseels (Garcia De Muse) and Marc Houtzager (Sterrehof’s Dante), with Marco Kutscher (Boeckmanns Lord Pezi Junior) also contributing yesterday.

In the season race, the San Tropez Pirates took second — having led the rankings coming into New York — with the Madrid In Motion landing third.

Full report from the Longines Global Champions Tour in New York in next week’s Horse & Hound magazine (dated 3 October).

Silver for Britain as Switzerland bag gold in nail-biting conclusion to European Showjumping Championships

Lucy Elder — Sun, 25 Aug 2019 16:13:04 +0000

Switzerland’s Martin Fuchs and the spectacular grey Clooney 51 secured the individual gold medal with two foot-perfect rounds on the final day of the Longines FEI European Showjumping Championships.

Britain’s Ben Maher and Explosion W were in the lead going into the final day and strengthened their campaign with their fourth consecutive clear round over the first of Sunday’s two courses.

The pair, who helped Britain to team bronze and Olympic qualification on Friday, were jumping with their usual class and were desperately unlucky to rub the delicate penultimate upright at fence nine. The crowd sighed as the rail and hoped of a gold medal fell, dropping them into silver.

Jos Verlooy and Igor’s consistency was rewarded with an individual bronze medal to add to their team gold for Belgium.

The pair clipped a rail in the first of the final two rounds, before jumping clear in the second and adding a single time fault to their scoresheet.

Martin and Clooney have come close to the top at championships before, with individual silver at last year’s World Equestrian Games and team bronze at the 2017 Europeans, but this win is their first senior team gold.

The combination lowered one pole in Wednesday’s speed class, but followed up with three clean sheets and added just a single time penalty to their first day score of 3.46 to win.

Martin Fuchs and Clooney 51. (Image credit: Peter Nixon)

“This really shows he is one of the best horses — and for me the best horse I could ever wish for,” said Martin, reflecting on the horse’s remarkable career so far.

“It looked very much like I would be second again. My [Global Champions Tour] London Knights team mate Ben has been great over the past two years and especially at these championships again. I did’t think I would be here in gold, that he would make a fault.

“I’m very happy to be winning here and to finally stand up on top of the podium.”

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Lightning strikes twice: astonishing result in blistering Glock’s grand prix

The pair finished on identical scores in the seriously competitive CSI5* grand prix — but that is just the start

“All these horses deserve to win at this stage,” said Ben. “Explosion deserved to win, but unfortunately we made a small mistake and I’m very happy for Martin. If anyone has to beat me, I’m happy that it is him.”

Faults were spread throughout the first round from the final 25 competitors. The water jump, which caused many problems over the first two days, jumped well today. It was the final line of a green and white oxer at 11 followed by the red archway double at 12 beneath the public grandstand that caused the most troubles.

Holly Smith and Hearts Destiny looked relaxed and confident with a rhythmical first round and were unlucky to take the final pole. Their score was good enough to propel them into the second round, where they moved further up the leaderboard to finish 10th.

“He was absolutely fantastic, I think his second round today was even better than his first, he was really trying for me and he has shown what a true championship horse he is,” she said.

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

Why is this stallion wearing knee-pads while he jumps?

Jennifer Donald — Sat, 29 Jun 2019 15:24:18 +0000

Swiss rider Martin Fuchs rocketed to a seriously impressive victory in the Longines Global Champions Tour grand prix in Cascais, Portugal, on Saturday (22 June) riding the 12-year-old Chaplin.

But on closer inspection you’ll have noticed some rather unusual boots being used on the inside of the stallion’s knees, so we asked Chaplin’s 26-year-old rider to tell us more.

“He strikes his knees sometimes when he jumps,” Martin told H&H — the horse tends to make an “O” shape with his legs over the fences. “When he came to us we were told he needed to wear protection on his legs but the boots they gave us were not a good solution and kept falling off during the course as they didn’t really fit.”

Both Martin’s mother Renata and father Thomas have been heavily involved in the producing and racing of trotting horses and it was they who suggested he try some of their specialist knee boots on Chaplin for protection.

“They already had some at home, so my dad tried them on Chaplin and they worked out really well,” said Martin, who is currently ranked number three in the world.

“I’ve never seen them on a showjumper before, but many people say to me that they need something similar, where can they get them — and I tell them you can just buy them from the trotting stores.”

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They are designed so as not to interfere with Chaplin’s leg movement — and the stallion is clearly quite at ease clearing world class 1.60m tracks, despite his sometimes unorthodox leg action. The pair’s grand prix success on Saturday came barely a month after they won the Madrid leg of the LGCT and just hours after he teamed up with Ben Maher — whom he beat into second place in the grand prix — to win the GCL team competition for the London Knights.

“Chaplin has always been a very good horse and won the Globals grand prix in Mexico two years ago before he had an injury and was out for quite a while,” explains Martin of the son of Verdi he’s had for three years. “We never found out exactly what caused it but he has come back very strong.

“He’s very easy to ride, very straightforward and he doesn’t spook at anything,” he added. “He has a great mind, he’s very ambitious and a real fighter. I don’t notice what his front legs are doing at all when I’m riding him, he’s just sensational.”

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

Lightning strikes twice: astonishing result in blistering Glock’s grand prix

Lucy Elder — Sun, 18 Jun 2017 17:32:55 +0000

A winning formula struck twice in the same class in a remarkable finish to Glock’s CSI5* grand prix.

Swiss Olympians Steve Guerdat (Corbinian) and Martin Fuchs (Clooney 51) shared the first prize in the show’s feature class after finishing clear and on exactly the same time in a nail-biting jump-off.

But that is just the start — not only are the men best friends and compatriots, but their winning horses are the same age (11), are both sired by Cornet Obolensky and have the same owners.

The pair are also based just 3km apart and both train with Martin’s father, Thomas Fuchs.

“It is a very special story what happened today and something for sure that will never happen again and that I will always remember,” said Steve.

“It would be amazing if that had happened in a small class; it would be amazing if that had happened with someone else; but with everything to happen just the way it happened in that kind of class — it is something to remember for sure.”

Just eight riders finished on zero in the first round to make it through to the jump-off.

With the first three of these tipping a fence each, Steve was the first to finish on a clean slate with a textbook clear.

Steve Guerdat (SUI) & Corbinian – Winners of the GLOCK's 5* Gr…Steve Guerdat (SUI) & Corbinian ?Winners of the GLOCK's 5* Grand Prix (1,60 m) ?Posted by Glock Horse Performance Center on Sunday, June 18, 2017

“I saw Steve go and I knew where I could try to make some time, I’m not always the fastest with Clooney, but I knew that the jump off suited me very well today so I gave it a go,” said Martin.

“When I went in there were only two clear rounds. I was [standing] with my uncle Marcus Fuchs and Werner Muff asking them ‘what should I do? Should I just go for the slow clear?’

“I knew the jump off suited me very well and before I went in I asked my uncle again and he said ‘that’s really not a Fuchs attitude!’

“I didn’t have the best shot to the last jump, then through the finish line I looked up and I saw ‘first place’ but then I saw ‘Steve Guerdat first rank’ too.

“That was amazing — I looked out at the warm-up and did a thumbs up to Steve and he was just there smiling.”

Martin Fuchs (SUI) & Clooney 51 – Winners of the GLOCK's 5* Gr…Martin Fuchs (SUI) & Clooney 51 ?Winners of the GLOCK's 5* Grand Prix (1,60 m) ?Posted by Glock Horse Performance Center on Sunday, June 18, 2017

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Cian O’Connor finished third after a bold round on the aptly-named scopey Skyhorse, posting the only other double-clear of the competition.

This has been a fantastic week for the Irishman, who won two five-star classes at the show aboard Copain Du Perchet CH and Callisto just weeks after making his return to the saddle following a groin injury.

For the full report from Glock’s, don’t miss this week’s Horse & Hound — out Thursday (21 June).

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Maartje watched Martin and Leone Jei’s Spruce Meadows victory via the livestream with her grandmother.

“It was so exciting, especially when they had a touch on the first fence!” she recalls. “It was unreal to watch how Martin put his arm up when jumping the last fence. I was overwhelmed with a proud feeling. It is very special that a horse like Leone Jei was born in my grandfather’s stables.

“We are all part of this story.”

Martin describes the brilliant Leone Jei as having an “amazing mentality and is very ambitious – he always wants to try his best. Sometimes that does make it slightly harder because he has so much blood and is so keen, so I have to try to keep him as calm and relaxed as possible.”

“Clooney was the most successful horse in the history of Swiss showjumping, so I really cannot expect to have the next Clooney straight away,” he says. “However, I do think that Leone Jei has shown that he has all the qualities and I think that he is one of the best horses on the circuit.”

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A world class jump off field of 12 was always going to provoke a dogfight against the clock and Matt Sampson’s impressive double clear on James Davenport’s 16-year-old stallion, which initially went into the lead from third draw, didn’t hold the advantage for long.

While Rob Whitaker gave it a good try on his 11-year-old homebred King George V winner Vermento, he was way off the pace, posting 44.53sec for best of the Brits in fourth.

“I knew today it was going to be very difficult to be quicker than Martin and Steve and Gregory, so I did what I thought I could do with him,” Rob said. “He jumped very good in the jump off and if I was offered fourth place at the beginning of the week, I probably would have taken it.”

Matt’s double clear still secured him a €20,000 payout in seventh, while Tim Gredley, who executed a fluid, clear but steady round with his 11-year-old gelding, finished 6.73sec behind him in eighth, adding one time fault.

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“This was one of my favourite classes to win so far in my career,” says Ben. “The competition is so unique and the crowd and atmosphere that’s created in Geneva is like no other indoor arena. Explosion showed that evening why he’s such a great champion.”

With thanks to Rolex Grand Slam Of Showjumping.

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“I was also lucky in the last as I had rub at the vertical where there were a lot of faults. But the rest he jumped beautiful, and in the second round and jump-off, I’m just so happy to have a horse like Leone Jei.”

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