The two leading nations – Britain and Germany – have made solid starts in the Agria Blenheim European Championships dressage phase with Germany holding a narrow lead after the first rider rotation.
This comes courtesy of Germany’s first team rider Libussa Lübbeke, a three-time youth medallist, who opened her senior championship debut with a correct and balanced test for 28.3 to put herself and her country top of the leaderboard. Britain’s pathfinder Yasmin Ingham (Rehy DJ) lies second at this early stage on 29.
Libussa’s home-bred mare, Caramia 34, is a good, uphill mover who goes in a lovely frame and the pair seemed unfazed by the big occasion.
“She’s a quiet horse, but always focused in competition,” said Libussa, 24. “I was really happy with the walk and the horse’s concentration. She is so honest and always tries her best.
“My parents bred her and this wasn’t the plan for her in the beginning. Our relationship has been growing over the years – it’s a dream come true to go up the levels and now it feels like there is no limit.”
Blenheim European Championships dressage: first rotation of riders
Switzerland’s Nadja Minder was first before the judges – Sandy Phillips, Katrin Eichinger-Kniely and Valerie Pride – on Nicole Basieux’s 18-year-old Toblerone, and set the standard of 35.3.
“Kicking off a championship like that with the backdrop, with everyone watching — there is no better horse than Toblerone to do that, so it’s fun and an honour,” said the 25-year-old rider.
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“I wasn’t 100% happy [with my test] – normally even in the big stadiums we make up points with harmony and calmness, but he was quite tense. I even gave him a jump this morning to make him move a little bit. But I’ll try to see it as a positive for Saturday, he’s fit and ready to go.”
France’s podium bid suffered a blow with a disrupted run-up to the championships when their Paris silver medallist Nicolas Touzaint withdrew Absolut Gold HDC last week. Their first team rider Luc Chateau and the athletic Cocorico De L’Ebat produced 35.6 with a couple of minor mistakes – but this pair typically make up ground in the jumping phases.
Padraig McCarthy came forward on Pomp N Circumstance as the pathfinder for Ireland, another nation in the mix for medals. The 11-year-old looked a touch tense today, jogging in the walk which earned them a string of fours, to score 35.2, sixth at this stage.
“On the whole I was pleased with him – he’s a real trier, almost tries too hard,” said Padraig. “That coupled with him not being the best mover in the world, he gets heavily penalised, especially in the walk and we were trying to claw it back from there. He did a lot of good trot work.
“The judges don’t give any bonus points, you have to do a clear round. But it’s not going to be a dressage competition so I’ll try to finish as close to my dressage score as possible.”
Team standings after one rider rotation
So, after one rider of the four, Germany is in the lead; the British team, in partnership with Agria, is second; and Italy is in third, thanks to Giovanni Ugolotti’s score of 32.8 with Duke Of Champions.
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Martha is an experienced journalist who is mad-keen on horses and dogs. Her reporting CV includes the Paris Olympics, European championships, Aachen World Equestrian Festival and World Cup finals. After growing up with assorted liver and white springer spaniels, she enjoyed 14 years with two rescue dogs. Now, her constant companion is Fidget, an extremely energetic and habitually muddy black and white springer. Martha has written on topics as diverse as a top horse’s clone to the best GPS trackers for dogs, as well as equestrian and rural matters for Country Life, The Field, The Times, The Spectator and The Telegraph alongside Horse & Hound.
