Dressage, Part Two of the World Eventing Championships in Aachen: Julia Krajewski and Nickel Take First Place

Actually, it would have been easy to imagine Julia Krajewski performing well in the arena at the big stadium today. The twelve-year-old son of Numero Uno, bred by Hindrick Stüvel, didn’t just move correctly (that straightness, that contact!, that balance!!, that backing up, that cantering up!!!), he practically danced through the arena in this test, which has only been ridden since this year.

Julia Krajewski said, “Knowing that he stays so calm, I might have been able to take even more risks.” But—to quote a colleague—that’s really just complaining on a very, very high level. The pair received 22 penalty points. As Krajewski put it: “That’s what makes dressage fun!” And watching it is fun, too.

Krajewski ahead of Collett

That was exactly what Julia had imagined. Her boyfriend, the Italian eventing rider Pietro Roman, had suggested a different goal. “Pietro said 20 would be good enough,” Julia smiled. “I said, ‘I’ll give it a try…’” She herself had set her sights a little lower. “No, I knew Nickel could handle a low 20. The preparation was top-notch. And when you then bring it into the arena like that and the judges like it too, that’s just cool, of course!” And they did. It was “definitely the best dressage performance this year,” “maybe even the best ever.”

Even more than the 22 penalty points, the standings reflect their performance. With their ride, Julia Krajewski and Nickel have moved ahead of European champions Laura Collett and London, who received 22.8 penalty points today and had already posted a 17.4-penalty-point dressage score at the 2024 Olympic dressage competition in Paris, for example.

Outlook on the Course

As far as the

course

is concerned, Julia Krajewski is quite optimistic. “Nickel has performed very well here in Aachen before. He seems to be feeling very comfortable overall and has been very focused so far. I hope it stays that way.”

Speaking about the course, she said: “I find the course challenging, but very fairly structured. There are a lot of options—so it’s definitely better to have a degree so you can properly process it all. I think there will be plenty going on. It’s not exactly easy to get into—but there will be plenty of people who do well in it, and I hope we’re among them.”

Her current plan is to aim for the direct routes in the cross-country course, which offers countless alternatives. “At first glance, all the direct lines are feasible for us.” But she also says, “The final plan—especially as the third rider on the team—is something you end up deciding relatively close to the start, depending on how things go for the others.”

Topic: Heat

It’s hot today in Aachen. But Nickel wasn’t even really drenched in sweat when he came out of the arena, and he hadn’t been sponged down beforehand either. “Personally, the heat doesn’t bother me much,” said Krajewski. Her tip: “You have to have practiced drinking a lot with the horses. They arrive at the stable and get water before they go to be washed off. We know when to give them electrolytes and salt. The horses are also very, very fit. I don’t feel like the heat is affecting them negatively. Sometimes it even makes them a little more relaxed.”

Besides, competing in high temperatures is nothing new for either her or Nickel. “I’ve been to Rio, Tokyo, and Paris myself—so I feel like we train more in the heat than in the cold…”

Christoph Wahler – “Kept Some Gas in the Tank”

Christoph Wahler, who was part of Pratoni’s gold-medal team in 2022 with Carjatan S and is now competing in his first championship with the Hanoverian D’Accord, also got off to a great start. He rode a solid round scoring 70.63 percent—equivalent to 29.4 penalty points—and was “completely satisfied.” “D’Accord was really relaxed in that atmosphere—which, by the way, is a ton of fun! It reminded me most of my experience at Burghley last year—the beautiful grass arena and the spectators cheering with such enthusiasm; it’s really fun to ride out there. And when he stays so focused on me and is so relaxed, it just shows that we have a really good connection.”

While others had already completed their first training session two hours before their dressage start, Wahler took it easy with his “rather laid-back companion,” as he calls him. “I walked him a bit this morning, then did ten minutes of halter lunging, and after that he was warmed up. We tried to keep his energy levels in check and prepare him as best as possible for the event. I think he handled it well.”

Assessment of the course?

“An incredibly interesting course” was the phrase Christoph Wahler used to describe the tough challenge that course designer Giuseppe Della Chiesa will present to the riders tomorrow. “I think the course demands an incredible amount of concentration from the riders. Of course, the horses too, but this time the mental challenge for us is relatively great—we have to know every alternative route. Basically, the plan should of course be to take the direct routes straight ahead. But what happens if … It’s obviously an intense course, not just one for galloping.”