European Championships in Le Mans: More Top Results in the Dressage Arena and Gold in the Show Jumping for the British Team

After the German dressage riders secured their seventh consecutive team gold medal at the European Pony Championships in Le Mans yesterday, the competition continued today with the first part of the individual competition. In the FEI individual test, all four members of each team are still eligible to compete. In the freestyle, only the top three will compete, should all four qualify. Today, in the first half of the individual competition, both of the strongest German pairs took to the arena, as did the number one rider from the Danish silver-medal-winning team. This turned Day One into a potential battle for the medals. Looking at the results, it cannot be ruled out that the current standings will hold—especially since the second-best Danish pair has already completed its individual test.

Leading the field with 75.567 percent is Leni-Sophie Gosmann—now a three-time European team champion—and her partner Diamantini EA WE. They had already posted the best individual score in the FEI team event yesterday. But Denmark’s number one, Filippa Jæger Jensen, and her horse Sir Sansibar are hot on their heels. Yesterday, the handsome 10-year-old palomino gelding had been somewhat distracted by his surroundings. Today, they were able to significantly improve their performance, scoring 75.514 percent.

Third place is currently held by Lilly Kasselmann on Nasdaq FH, yesterday’s runners-up. Swedish judge Mats Eriksson even ranked the pair first with an impressive 77.162 percent, but the judges in the C, M, and B groups placed them fourth. All in all, the pair from Hagen scored 74.919 percent and is thus on track for the bronze medal.

Lilly and Nasdaq have already left one major competitor behind: Denmark’s Steffanie Victoria Horsted Dyrlund riding Cosmo Callidus, who once won a string of gold medals for Germany under Lilly Marie Collin. Both the Danish judge Kirsten Soegaard (Group M) and the German judge Thomas Kessler (Group B) ranked the Danish-German duo in first place. Kessler gave them a whopping 76.351 percent. Overall, however, they fell just short of Kasselmann and Nasdaq, scoring 74.757 percent and finishing in fourth place.

The other two German gold medalists, Victoria Winkmann riding Peach and Lilli von Helldorff riding Nabucco HW, will enter the arena tomorrow at 2:38 p.m. and 3:10 p.m.

Versatility

The German eventing riders also put on a strong showing in the arena. The team, consisting of Justus Hayessen/Miss Windsor (33.3), Charlotte Eilers/Nadeshi (31.7), Anna von Helldorff/Marlon (32.5), and Lea Brügger/Golden Girl’s Nelly (22.4) leads with 86.6 points, just ahead of Belgium (88.9) and Italy (92.0).

With their top results, Lea and Golden Girl’s Nelly not only secured the lead for the team but also for themselves in the individual standings—and by a wide margin. In second place, with 26.8 penalty points, is French team rider Noa Pelle riding Gin GT La Templerie, followed by Germany’s top individual rider, Greta Marie Löhr on Rathcline Dream, who had posted the best result of the day yesterday with 27.1 penalty points.

Germany’s second individual rider is Franziska Niehoff riding Metallica SGN. With 29.2 penalty points, they secured a promising fifth-place finish.

The highlight of the day for the cross-country riders is scheduled for tomorrow starting at 8:30 a.m. That’s when the cross-country course begins. The start times for the German pony riders:

8:39 a.m.: Justus Hayessen with Miss Windsor

9:15 a.m.: Charlotte Eilers and Nadeshi

9:24 a.m.: Greta Marie Löhr and Rathcline Dream

10 a.m.: Anna von Helldorff and Marlon

10:18 a.m.: Franziska Niehoff and Metallica SGN

10:36 a.m.: Lea Brügger and Golden Girl’s Nelly

Show Jumping – Gold for the British

After the German quartet’s start on the course didn’t go at all as hoped, there were high hopes that the show jumping team would at least be able to climb out of last place in today’s Nations Cup. But it wasn’t to be. After several jumping faults and one elimination, the team led by team manager Nina Stegemann finished in eighth place out of eight. Only Janne Neumann and Hegerie de Lanlore had clean rounds and four faults, respectively, on the course.

Things went much better for the British riders, who—thanks to three double-cleans by Henry Leggott on Blossom’s Big Claim, Lucia Nicole Caroline on Holly Blue, and Sophia Rogers on Neil—managed to maintain their score of 14.14 faults from the time trial.

This allowed them to knock the Irish off the top spot. The Irish had entered today’s Nations Cup with 7.35 penalty points. But three knockdowns in the first round proved to be one too many—silver went to Charlie Flynn on Montana (4/0) with 15.35 faults, Ted Fagan on Ballyfore Rosie (0/0), Robbie Sheehan on Pjotr van de Groenheuvel (4/0), and Sam Widger riding BP Bon Jovi (4/4).

Belgium took the bronze by a wide margin (38.50 faults). On the podium were Elise Thirion with Dance Floor du Cauroy (4/0), Maureen Bourse with Galliano d’Argan (20/4), Imke Boden riding Cappuccino van Paemel Z (4/0), and Feline Matthees on Karday van Orchid’s (8/12).