Germany’s Sandra Auffarth leads the Aachen CICO*** with her Olympic bronze medallist Opgun Louvo (pictured top).The duo earned the best dressage score of the day — 33.8 — and became one of only nine combinations to show jump clear this evening (Friday 18 July).
In the team standings Germany has a healthy 12.2 pen lead over Great Britain while France is one fault behind in third.
There were gasps from the crowd when Michael Jung’s multi-medalled bay La Biosthetique-Sam FBW rolled the second show jump and this, plus one time fault, dropped him from second to sixth.
Jakata kicked out one coloured fence and picked up two time faults to slot into 20th under Piggy French, who wrapped her arms around her horse’s neck after scoring 43 for a fluent dressage test.
Harry Meade and Wild Lone’s flawless show jumping clear earned a big cheer from spectators, however they are hampered by a first-phase mark of 56.6.
Horse & Hound Newsletter
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
Meanwhile Zara Phillipshad a round to forget when High Kingdom hit two fences. The 13-year-old was not on his best form in the dressage arena this morning either. He broke into canter after the first halt and looked unsettled during the early trot and lateral work.
Rudiger Schwarz’s twisty cross-country track is likely to be influential tomorrow and the heat — temperatures reached the low 30s today — is at the forefront of riders’ minds.
“It’s very hot, there are plenty of skinnies and angles plus the time will be tight. It’s a course designed to produce a result,” said Izzy Taylor.
Stay up to date with the latest news from Aachen on HorseandHound.co.uk throughout the weekend. Read our full report in Horse & Hound magazine, on sale Thursday 24 July, 2014
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
