Nations Cup Eventing Marbach: Michael Jung and Germany in the lead after cross-country

The German team is still in the lead after the cross-country at the Nations Cup on the grounds of the Main and State Stud Marbach in the Swabian Alb. With 94.8 points, the team ranks ahead of the Swedes (114.4) and the delegation from Belgium (115.3).

One in the time at the Cross in Marbach

On the course on the Swabian Alb, 3505 meters long, with many uphill and downhill sections, 22 obstacles and a total of 35 jumps, there was once again one main difficulty criterion to be met: the ideal time. In the end, only the French rider Benjamin Massie and the mare Guess Star managed to keep to the 6:09 minutes (37.2/11. 46 pairs had competed in total. Nobody in the German team managed to finish within the ideal time either. Michael Jung and fischerChipmunk FRH, leading after the dressage (21.2), took 17 seconds longer than planned. With the resulting 6.8 penalty points, he is still in first place after the cross-country (28.0) ahead of the final show jumping competition on Sunday.

Michale Jung leads, Julia Krajewski fourth

The second-best team result was delivered by Julia Krajewski with Tullabeg Platinum, the twelve-year-old Irish horse, known only as Paul at the stables. The pair were ninth after the dressage (30.9). Two time penalties were added in the cross-country, putting them in fourth place before the show jumping.

Libussa Lübbeke and Caramia FRH, European team champions from 2025, were not quite able to maintain their fourth place after the dressage (29.1). Twelve seconds, or 4.8 minus points, had to be added. With 33.9 points, the family project came sixth before the show jumping.

The youngest horse in the German team, the only nine-year-old Zuccini MN, had a run-by in the first third of the course. At the third element of obstacle eight, the Holsteiner gray and Ben Leuwer were briefly at odds (71.7). Zuccini is one of the horses supported by the Road2LA funding initiative.

Jung Overnightleader

Michael Jung is in the lead. The only one who could have challenged him for the intermediate lead was the Swiss rider Felix Vogg. But his Luhmühlen winner, Colero, swept past obstacle 6c on the right. Vogg is now in 23rd position, but praised the “super, super course”, which was “very, very nice to ride”.

Lara de Liederkerke-Meier falls with second horse

Theoretically, Belgian rider Lara de Liederkerke-Meier (BEL) and her ten-year-old Diarado son Kiarado d’Arville (29.2) are still in second place in the classification. However, she crashed her second horse La La Land d’Arville. The mare lost her feet on landing after jump 10d, a brush on a downhill section where several pairs had problems, and catapulted the rider out of the saddle.

Lara de Liederkerke-Meier, last weekend’s Badminton finisher (19th), was able to get up but went to hospital with her husband Kai-Steffen Meier to be on the safe side. The mare had trotted over the course after the fall without showing any signs of lameness.

Siegl third in intermediate ranking

Austria’s Lea Siegl is in third place with Van Helsing. The combination was one of the faster pairs. 2.8 time penalties from the cross-country put them on 32.1 minus points.

Oberlandstallmeisterin Dr. Astrid von Velsen-Zerweck, hostess of Germany’s oldest state stud, paid tribute to the set-up team and Marbach Eventing. “They organized so many volunteers”. “It almost felt like a European Championships,” said von Velsen-Zerweck with a view to the continental championships to be held in the Alb.

National coach with praise for the course

He saw a great test, says national coach Peter Thomsen. And he added: “I saw one or two participants for the World Championships here today”. Certainly not too bold a prediction in view of Michael Jung and Julia Krajewski in the team.

Five riders gave up on the course and a further eight combinations had to retire. After the final conformation test on Sunday morning, the Nations Cup will be decided with the show jumping competition from 3 pm.

Intermediate standings CCIO4*-S Marbach 2026