Newsletter Editorial, June 22, 2026: Luhmühlen, Julia Krajewski’s 5th German Championship, Teamwork at the Eventing Camp
Why Shadow Doesn’t Stand a Chance When Everyone Works Together
from Jan Tönjes 
The newsletter on EQUI PAGES. Always up to date. Always on Mondays. Always know what's going on. Photo: sportfotos-lafrentz.de Every Monday, Jan Tönjes shares his thoughts on current events and offers commentary in the EQUI PAGES newsletter. Here is the editorial from June 22, 2026.
“Overshadowed” is one of those words frequently used in journalism that always carries a certain sense of foreboding. This is also true of Peter Thomsen’s accident. The national eventing coach was involved in an accident with a horse over the weekend before the Luhmühlen competition and is currently in the hospital.
The sudden absence of a national team coach right before a tryout for a World Championship on home soil—that’s quite a shock. Especially in a sport where so much revolves around collaboration, long-term planning, and strategic season preparation. The eventing riders in Luhmühlen demonstrated on the ground that “Teamwork makes the dream work” is more than just an Instagram slogan. In a figurative sense, they did exactly what their four-legged athletes do on the cross-country course. After landing, they pricked up their ears and looked for the next flags framing the obstacle they needed to clear. Focused on what lay ahead.
Everyone knows what matters; everyone has a goal
The entire team clearly defined their roles and responsibilities. Everyone knew who was in charge of what. And everyone looked for ways to lend a helping hand. The result was a dream eventing competition despite the hot temperatures. Horses that, thanks to optimal management, were still galloping courageously through the show jumping course on the very last day in Luhmühlen. Julia Krajweski’s double victory, Malin Hansen-Hotopp’s top-notch rounds despite broken ribs, and many great moments on the cross-country course. A weekend of sports that leaves you wanting more. And yes, it may have been “overshadowed.” But this metaphorical shadow didn’t dampen the mood; rather, it seemed to inspire everyone all over again. We wish Peter Thomsen and his family all the best!
In this setting, the Road2LA initiative also drew a large crowd. People chatted and exchanged ideas in the lounge along the off-road course. We at EQUI PAGES are happy to be able to contribute to this initiative through our journalism.
Every horse, as we all know, has its own story. The Road2LA horses we’ve already profiled in our horse biographies underscore this. It’s fun to research and write about them. And hopefully, you’ll enjoy reading them too (click here to go directly to our biographies).
Social Media – Why Always Jump to Conclusions?
In the run-up to Luhmühlen, the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) announced a new world No. 1: New Zealander Tim Price. He had received a yellow card at a tournament. We wanted to know why, so we asked him about it. He explained the situation to us. So far, so good. But then it all started. Emails and messages full of accusations—“excessive use of spurs, a bleeding mouth, excessive use of the whip”… We watched a video of the scene in question and were able to understand what Tim Price—who, having seen him in action many times, is always a pleasure to watch ride—had explained to us.
Horse lovers—really?
That leaves the question: Why do horse lovers—or those who consider themselves to be such—think that hearsay is the best source of information? Why is every top athlete on social media—no matter how many slow-motion highlights they post—under general suspicion? That’s the real shadow. And nobody needs that.
One more note (linked again at the bottom of the newsletter): There’s a survey about the GOT asking for our opinions and experiences. I’m not sure if there’s a free-text field (the server seems to be overloaded right now), but even so, I’d like to encourage everyone to participate and help shape veterinary care for our horses in a way that benefits us all.
With this in mind, best regards and see you next Monday!
Jan Tönjes
jan.toenjes@equi-pages.de
This is the EQUI PAGES Newsletter
This article was first published on June 22, 2026. Every Monday, Jan Tönjes provides commentary on current events in our weekly newsletter on EQUI PAGES.
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