Belgium wins EEF Nations' Cup in Lier - ungrateful fourth place for Germany

As in Mannheim, the EEF Nations’ Cup in Lier was not for the faint-hearted. In the end, it was a drama of tenths of a second. The Belgians won ahead of Great Britain, the Czech Republic and Germany. From a German perspective: fourth place, where first place seemed within reach.

Co-Bundestrainer Ralf Runge had deliberately put together a mixed team, experienced riders with some still inexperienced horses: Debutante Paula de Boer-Schwarz with the Mylord Carthago-daughter My Miss Marpel OLD, Maurice Tebbel with the gelding Crazy EP by Cornet Obolensky, Tom Schewe with the only nine-year-old gelding Congress Blue PS by Congress, and Kendra Claricia Brinkop with her French stallion Gatsby Le Magnific by Action-Breaker.

Round one – clean slate

The seed was sown in the first round. Three German clear rounds, Brinkop’s ride with one down became the scratch result. This would have been a preliminary decision elsewhere – but not in Lier. Belgium, Great Britain and the Czech Republic also marched through the first round without fault. Four teams, four white vests.

Four no-fault teams – and everything open once again

Then came the second lap and it started all over again, so to speak. Initially, each of the four top teams made one mistake. Almost five hours of the Nations’ Cup were already behind riders, horses and spectators when the decision finally came down to the last two rides.

Belgian talent Gilles Thomas (25) was the penultimate rider to enter the course. With the nine-year-old Comme il Faut son Riesling van’t Roosakker, he delivered what the home crowd wanted to see: a dream round, penalty-free. The pressure was now completely on the German final rider. Kendra Brinkop had to stay clear to at least force Belgium into the jump-off. But the mistake happened. Four penalty points.

This would have meant second place was still possible, as Great Britain and the Czech Republic also ended up with four penalty points. However, both teams were just ahead when the three best times from round two were added together. As a result, Germany slipped from potentially top spot to fourth place.

Understandable disappointment

There was no hiding the disappointment in the German camp, despite the quartet’s strong riding performance. However, Ralf Runge did not want to overemphasize it. “It was top-class sport, everyone rode brilliantly, in the end only tenths of a second separated us from a podium place. It was just bad luck.” This is how someone speaks who has just narrowly lost a victory – and who keeps the bigger plan in mind.

A stage for those who otherwise don’t get one

Because the EEF series has a special appeal. Nations that do not have a place in the FEI’s Longines League of Nations can compete against each other here. For those who are not qualified for this, the EEF series is an important way to prepare for the highlight of the year, the World Championships in Aachen this summer. This is precisely why the competition sent its first guard to Lier.

For Runge, this is also the great advantage of the EEF Nations’ Cup. “That is the challenge of the EEF series, to give young riders and horses experience and confidence, while at the same time building up pairs for top sport and impressing with good performances at competitions.”

Despite the disappointment, he can therefore be very satisfied – three clear rounds in the first round, double clear rounds from debutant Paula de Boer-Schwarz and the nine-year-old Congress Blue PS with Tom Schewe – there is plenty to build on.

You can find all the results here.