U25 World Eventing Championships in Millstreet: Calvin Böckmann in Third Place After the Cross-Country; Team Germany Also in Third Place

A gentle uphill climb that went on for quite a while—the opening stretch of the 3,700-meter cross-country course, which 33 combinations ultimately completed successfully, already sapped quite a bit of energy from the horses at the U25 World Championships in Millstreet. The course was designed by Mike Etherington-Smith. In total, there were 37 jumps to clear across 24 obstacles.

60 percent of German riders crossed the finish line

Only three of the five riders who competed for Germany were able to enjoy the thrill of having cleared all the jumps and galloped safely across the finish line.

Calvin Böckmann and Altair de la Cense handled the tasks best. The pair had been in the lead after the dressage, but ended up spending several seconds longer on the cross-country course than the course designer had calculated. With 12.4 penalty points for exceeding the allowed time by 31 seconds, the U25 rider—who is no stranger to success—currently sits in third place in the individual standings with 40.0 penalty points.

Sir Scotty Sprints Into the Top Ten

Ann Catrin Bierlein made a huge leap forward with Sir Scotty. After a dressage test that left plenty of room for improvement (40.0 penalty points), the 18-year-old Hanoverian by Stalypso was able to fully indulge his love of cantering on the cross-country course. Sir Scotty has four-star experience, which was a clear advantage given the course. Only 3.2 penalty points for exceeding the time limit were added. Thanks to the second-best cross-country round of the day, the pair climbed from 40th place to sixth.

Weiss, the farrier, came in 17th in the cross-country event

Things went smoothly for the third member of the German team to cross the finish line, Linus Weiss, riding the 17-year-old Hanoverian Astrello by Astis Amsterdam. The farrier from Baden-Württemberg and the gelding—which was originally intended as a leisure horse for his mother—were in 20th place after the dressage (33.8). After a cross-country ride—which resulted in an additional 21.6 penalty points for time faults—the pair are now in 17th place heading into Sunday’s jumping competition.

Praise from National Team Coach Dibowski

“Our riders gave it their all again today and did a great job putting into practice what we’d discussed. We knew, of course, that the time limit would be nearly impossible to meet. That was already evident from Calvin’s ride and Linus’s as well. That was a really strong performance. In my opinion, Ann-Catrin delivered the best performance of the day—fast and efficient—and I was really impressed,” said U25 national team coach Andreas Dibowski, offering his initial assessment after the cross-country event in Millstreet.

Germany had two strokes of bad luck, but nothing happened

Things didn’t go as well for the other two German riders. For Nicholas Goldbeck and Chintano, who were in ninth place after the dressage, the cross-country course ended at Jump 17C. They had a knock at a corner after clearing an Irish wall. The chestnut horse lost his footing, and the competition was over. The Holsteiner gelding was unharmed, and Nicholas Goldbeck also emerged unscathed.

For Konstantin Harting and Botswana, it became clear early on that this CCI4*-S competition was simply still too early for the nine-year-old Holsteiner mare. She had her first knockdown at jump five, followed by a second at 9A, the entry to a technically challenging combination. Harting did the only sensible thing: he withdrew so that the black mare wouldn’t become any more unsettled.

Unexpected Error

For Andreas Dibowski, the situation unfolded as follows: “Unfortunately, Nico then made that mistake. I really wasn’t expecting that at all at that point. Up until then, the two of them had been riding very well and confidently. It was also a shame for Konstantin Harting and Botswana. A horse with a lot of potential, but one that simply lacks a bit of experience. Even though it didn’t work out today, the two of them learned a great deal here that they can take with them for the future.”

Team Germany in third place after the cross-country stage

Goldbeck and Chintano, who rode for the team, provided the discard score. This year, failing to complete the cross-country course results in 200 penalty points, rather than the previous 1,000. Team Germany is in third place with 138.6 penalty points, trailing the Irish (125.8) by 13 points—more than three knockdowns on the course. In the individual standings, their two best riders—Tom Nestor and Cooley Diamond Dancer—are in second place (37.1), while Goddfrey Gibbons and Ballyvilane OBOS are in fifth (41.5).

The British Are in Pole Position

The team from Great Britain is on track for gold. The British have 121.1 penalty points. This means they could theoretically afford one jumping error without losing the gold medal tomorrow. The fact that Team GB’s lowest-scoring pair, Tom Bird and Lenny, is in 15th place shows just how consistently strong Team GB’s overall performance has been.

Briton Casburn Leads the Individual Standings

In the individual standings, Alice Casburn has taken the lead with Topspin (36.1). Jasmine Underwood and Indian Girl G are in fourth place (40.5), and Sarah McCauley ranks seventh with Kananaskis (44.5).

None of the 33 pairs managed to complete the cross-country course within the time limit. Twenty-one pairs crossed the finish line without any faults at the obstacles.

Interim Results: U25 World Eventing Championships in Millstreet