In this week’s international showjumping news round-up, we are in awe of one horse’s sensational leap during the World Cup jump-off in Ocala, Florida, and a British team rider makes a remarkable recovery to represent his country at the opening leg of the CSIO5* Longines League of Nations.
There are also plenty of high jump thrills at the inaugural Hong Kong International. Read on for a round-up of all this week’s international showjumping news and results.
Showjumping news: Incredible takes flight
What a leap! Gravity-defying gelding Incredible is perfectly captured in full flight at the final oxer (main image above) by photographer Shannon Brinkman/FEI. The Ariel Grange-owned Incredible and regular rider Daniel Coyle finished a narrow third in an amazing all-Irish top four after a thrilling finish to the $300,000 Longines FEI World Cup Ocala. The victor was Cian O’Connor riding Bentley De Sury.
“When there’s so many Irish in the jump-off – and I knew they’d go hard – it motivated me to have a proper go,” Cian said. “The Irish are good all over the world. We punch above our weight I suppose for a small nation, but [Irish riders] are horsemen and they want to win. We work together, we discuss the courses together, people are behind the other person doing well and that kind of culture creates a movement where everyone wants to go well.”
Cian O’Connor and Bentley De Sury winning the World Cup of Ocala.
(Image credit: creditUnknown)
Cian edged out team-mate Shane Sweetnam with James Kann Cruz by just 0.19sec, with Daniel Coyle a mere 0.03sec behind with Incredible, while Cian’s student Tom Wachman, 20, slotted into fourth on Tabasco De Toxandria Z.
Despite his valiant attempt, Daniel Coyle accepted defeat by saying: “If anyone’s going to beat you, it might as well be two Irishmen.
“The plan was to try to do eight strides to the last oxer, but I had emptied the horse and myself and I thought, ‘I will do something I never do’ and I took an extra stride. I said ‘If I’m fast enough, I’m fast enough’ but tonight I wasn’t.”
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At the inaugural Longines Hong Kong International Horse Show, the Great Wall Puissance resulted in a four-way tie between British contenders Will Fletcher (Quintine Van D’Abdijhoeve), Jack Whitaker (Equine America Q Paravatti N) and Paul Gaff (Jaranco VZ) with Norwegian rider Simon Rahbek Yde riding ZB Max-Milan. This pair and Gemma Stevens (Envoy Merelsnest Z) topped the Kowloon Six Bar and Friday’s high jump contest was won outright by Sebastian Hughes with the ever-consistent Colorado Volo.
Denmark took top honours in the Longines grand prix but again it was tight at the top where Zascha Nygaard Lill (Com’On Stanley) beat Scott Brash on Hello Chadora Lady by just 0.03sec.
Next up in this week’s international showjumping news round-up, we head to Abu Dhabi in the UAE for the opening leg of the Longines League of Nations. Ireland won outright with a flawless jumping display but Great Britain’s chef d’equipe Di Lampard was “very positive” about the squad’s sixth-place finish for the season ahead.
Tim Gredley and Imperial HBF were part of Great Britain’s squad, jumping for four faults in each round, but he credited the “brilliant” team physio Jennie Owst when a knee injury meant he could barely walk, let alone ride, in the run-up to the five-star competition.
The British rider had been suffering excruciating pain and inflammation in his knee and had been unable to ride for 10 days prior to the show. But Jennie identified the cause in the bursa region of the kneecap and immediately set to work.
“If it hadn’t been to her, I wouldn’t have been able to ride – she was brilliant,” said Tim. “She fixed me within two days. I only got on Imperial for the first time on Thursday and the knee still isn’t perfect, but it’s been manageable since.
“If it had been anywhere other than Abu Dhabi, I probably would have rung Di and asked her to swap me out, but the way the new League of Nations is run, there aren’t any reserves and Imperial was already out there. So I had to get on the plane and swing the bat, but luckily it all worked out.”
Read the full report from the Abu Dhabi League of Nations in this week’s magazine, in shops Thursday 20 February.
Sameh El Dahan and WKD Aimez Moi in winning form on the Desert circuit.
(Image credit: creditUnknown)
Showjumping news: a platinum performance from Sameh El Dahan
Great Britain’s Sameh El Dahan landed the $32,000 Platinum Performance CSI3* 1.45m Classic at the Desert International Horse Park, Thermal, California, with WKD Aimez Moi.
“It was maybe even better for me to go first because then you try everything,” said Sameh of the five-way jump-off. “We’re a very old partnership. We know each other so well, so it was easy for me to just ride my round. Aimez Moi felt amazing.
“She’s always been very consistent and very brave. She tries everything. She’s won so many good things for us. I couldn’t ask for a better partnership.”
At the same show, Irish rider Conor Swail made his ring debut with One Edition, landing the grand prix with what he described as a “fact-finding mission”.
“[The win] was a bit of a surprise really,” he said, having only taken the reins on Vanessa Mannix’s 10-year-old mare while regular rider James Chawke is out injured. “The first day she was a little green. She jumped great yesterday, and I thought, ‘Why not try her today?’”
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Jennifer is passionate at showjumping and her role as H&H’s showjumping editor has taken her around the world reporting from shows and interviewing riders, connections and those involved behind the scenes. Since joining H&H from BBC Sport in 2005, she has written on every subject across the equestrian sphere — from turnout rugs to stable management — and has interviewed gold medallists, world champions and winners galore. She also has first-hand experience of working in the equestrian industry as a riding instructor and yard manager.
