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LARA SUPERSTAR!

written by Katie Neat

Lara De Liedekerke-Meier (BEL) and Hooney d’Arville win the CCI5*-L LonginesTurniergesellschaft Luhmühlen Horse Trials 2024

Tom McEwen and CHF Cooliser take second and Yasmin Ingham Eventing and Rehy DJ are third

Lara won the hearts of the Luhmühlen crowd with the obvious love for her self-bred horse. Having steadily moved up the leaderboard from sixth after dressage to third after cross-country, the pair went clear in the final show-jumping.

Happy, but not expecting to take the win, she retired to the warm-up for a quiet moment with Hooney. When the news hit, that she’d won the first five-star of her career, the first hug was reserved for her horse: “It’s hard to take in. My horse is an incredible athlete. I never thought there would be a chance to win the five-star today. I just knew I had a good horse and wanted to jump the best round that I could. Today was our day. I just managed to put everything together. Thanks to my team and thank you Luhmühlen for organising a show of this calibre – all the public was amazing.”

Tom McEwen: “I’m absolutely delighted with Cooliser. She was brilliant yesterday and today. She’s very game and in the arena, I remembered why it’s much easier to do things her way. I wasn’t expecting to move up the ranks. Ros is probably the best rider in the world and Izilot is one of the best jumpers, so I absolutely wasn’t expecting this.”

Yasmin Ingham, who has climbed from 28th to third, finishing on her dressage score was delighted: “That’s the story of eventing, it’s never over until we have finished on the final day. I was a little disappointed after the dressage because we lost some points there but I know what to work on now. I know he’s a phenomenal cross-country horse and jumper, so I was really looking forward to Saturday and today. He was just amazing, careful, rhythmical and fast, making my job so easy. He doesn’t look fast but he just eats up the ground and is just so ridable and adjustable, I don’t have to set him up much before the fences. We know each other inside out because our partnership has developed over such a long time. I’ve had him for so long now and we’ve worked our way up the ranks from novice.”

16/06/2024 0 comment
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EventingInternationalNews

SUNSHINE ON A RAINY DAY

written by Katie Neat

Rosalind Canter and Izilot DHI hold on to to spot!

With a picture-perfect cross-country round, Rosalind Canter (GBR) and Izilot DHI held onto their Longines CCI5*-L lead (26.9) with Jennifer Kuehnle (IRL) and Polly Blue Eyes storming up the leaderboard from 22nd to 2nd place (35.5), closely followed by Lara de Liedekerke-Meier with Hooney d’Arville in 3rd (35.6)

A morning of rain, storm and brilliant cross-country: Ros Canter, who added only two time penalties to her dressage score on Izilot DHI, was overjoyed after her brilliant cross-country round: “I’m absolutely delighted, Izilot felt so grown up today. He’s brave and he’s genuine, sometimes he gets a little spooky, and he was at the beginning but then he really settled down and he gave me a brilliant ride. He was fantastic all the way around, absolutely on point today.”

There were some outstanding rounds from British pairings today. Tom McEwen and CHF Cooliser maintain their 4th position with a flawless clear round and just a few time penalties. Prominent partners David Doel and Galileo Nieuwmoed achieve another clear round, moving from 25th to 5th place, while the dazzling duo of Yasmin Ingham Eventing and Rehy DJ climb from 28th to 6th.

Topspin indeed as Alice Casburn had an incredible round, propelling them from 32nd to 7th. Meanwhile, Kirsty Chabert and Opposition Heraldik Girl also made significant progress, advancing from 26th to 8th place.

Hot off his Badminton podium, Alex Bragg Team Bragg Eventing had another stellar cross-country day; this time piloting Ardeo Premier to a lovely clear and a 24-place leap up the leaderboard

Jennifer Kuehnle’s Polly Blue Eyes seemed absolutely unfazed by Mike Etherington Smith’s influential five-star course, smoothly tackling all the questions, one of only four horse-rider combinations to finish without time-faults: “My horse is just great. I’ve had her for six years and we’ve worked our way up the levels. She’s just the best horse I could ever wish for, she’s just amazing!”

Lara de Liedekerke-Meier, who only added four time penalties to her dressage score, worked her way up the leaderboard into third place. The joy about her brilliant cross-country made her beam: “I’m totally overwhelmed! Hooney d’Arville is now a five-star horse. She is such a fighter, I’m so happy!”

Tom McEwen, who had a brilliantly smooth round as pathfinder with CHF Cooliser and is in fourth place after cross-country (36.0), was full of praise for his 14-year old mare: “She jumped every fence well. The lines rode brilliantly, the ground is absolutely perfect, and we’ve even brought the British weather. She cruised, picked up everything on a lovely line, we had a brilliant flow – I couldn’t be happier!”

German five-star debutante Libussa Lübbeke was over the moon, despite eleven penalties for an activated MIM clip: “It was our first five-star, so I’m very happy with our round. Riding a five-star really is something special. There’s a lot
of time between the questions to think, recover and sharpen your focus again. I’m really proud of my horse, she fought for me all the way round. I think the eleven penalties were my fault. She didn’t put a foot wrong throughout the course. I’m as happy as I could be.”

Photo © TGL / Sportfotos Lafrentz and Eventing Times

15/06/2024 0 comment
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EventingInternationalNews

THE FANTASTIC FOUR-STARS

written by Katie Neat

This competition couldn’t be tighter! Michael Jung (GER) and fischerChipmunk FRH hold onto their lead in the CCI4*-S Meßmer Trophy, but just by a slim margin of 0.3 over Laura Collett (GBR) and London 52

“Today was amazing – pure joy! fischerChipmunk is a real cross-country machine. He was brilliant, supple, attentive and focused, making my job very easy today. In two lines, I added an extra stride, everything else rode as I expected when I walked it. The conditions were great, despite the rain”

Laura didn’t take any chances, tackling Mike Etherington-Smith’s intense four-star course with focus and determination: “You can’t not smile when you ride a horse like that. He’s just phenomenal. He seems to love it here, he loves the crowd. It was an absolute joy to ride. I got him when he was seven and he’s 15 now, like a fine wine he gets better each year and I’ve just thoroughly enjoyed every second of that horse. He’s just very, very special. The aim of today was to have a good, confident ride. He covers the ground and the ground is amazing. I was having a real wobble earlier when it was torrential storm. But it was absolutely perfect going, which meant I could just let him run and make sure I set him up for the fences to make sure there are no silly mistakes. He trusts me and I trust him, we’ve built a real partnership over the last years. I know how fortunate I am to ride a horse like him”

Championship stars Yasmin Ingham and Banzai du Loir tied times with the much-adored JL Dublin and Tom McEwen, both completing in 06:59 with 1.2 time penalties, securing 3rd and 4th positions. “This year things have really come together and we’ve had some really exciting top results. To have had such a great round here today is absolutely exciting. He was pretty perfect everywhere, looking for the flags, an absolute pleasure to ride”

Kudos to German pairs Anna Siemer and FRH Butts Avondale, one of only two teams to finish inside the optimum time, moving up from 37th to 11th, and Calvin Bockmann and Altair de la Cense, who climbed from 27th to 8th

The other clear round within the optimum time was achieved by Clarke Johnstone (NZL) and Domasco, delivering one of the standout performances of the day and jumping from 39th to 12th place. Clarke is having a stellar Luhmuhlen and heads into the final day of show jumping with two horses in the top twenty. Fellow countryman Tim Price also made significant strides, with a clear round from 15-year-old Falco to sit in 14th

Images © TGL/Annette Dölger and Eventing Times

15/06/2024 0 comment
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EventingInternationalNews

FAIRYTALE START TO LONGINES LUHMUHLEN HORSE TRIALS

written by Katie Neat

LONGINES CCI5*-L: Laura Collett’s unicorn dances into the lead

Laura Collett (GBR) and her 13-year-old mare Hester produced a superb dressage test to take the lead on the first dressage day of the Longines CCI5*-L (30.6). She only has a 0.2 penalty advantage over Tom McEwen and CHF Cooliser. The pair scored 30.8 points and are currently in second place, closely followed by Lara de Liederkerke-Meier (BEL) with Hooney d’Arville (31.6)

The Olympic Gold medallist was absolutely delighted with her horse: “She’s just getting better and better. I think she’s really starting to trust me and realise it’s not the end of the world when she goes into the dressage arena. Each time she goes in and doesn’t lose her mind it’s a step in the right direction. I’ve had her for nearly three years and it’s been a process of figuring out her brain. She can do all of the moves, apart from the changes, when she’s relaxed. She only makes mistakes from wanting to do it right. Her trotwork is stunning, the next step is to get the canter just as secure. I’m absolutely over the moon with her.”

Laura Collett is now looking forward to tackling Mike Etherington-Smith’s cross-country course on Saturday: “The track should suit her, it’s great. It’s a five-star course and she’s not a proven five-star horse yet but hopefully, at the end of the weekend, we can say that she is. The first water is serious, it comes very much up in your face. But I think they’ve been very kind in that there’s a get-out-of-jail card. If things go wrong in the first part, you can take a long route. There are questions all the way round, so you’ve got to be on your game.”

Fellow British rider Tom McEwen was also very pleased with his mare’s performance: “I’m absolutely delighted with our test. She was brilliant, listening to me all throughout the test. It was rhythmical and smooth, probably one of the best tests she’s ever done. I’m really looking forward to Saturday. It’s a proper five star: lots of width on the tables, lots of skinnies and a great use of the ground. There’s plenty to do throughout the course so you have to make sure you’ll find a good rhythm.”

Anna Lena Schaaf currently tops the CCI4*-S Meßmer Trophy leaderboard

With a mark of 26.0, Anna Lena Schaaf (GER) and Fairytale 39 are at the top of the leaderboard today (Thursday), closely followed by Michael Jung (GER) with Kilcandra Ocean Power (27.1) and Tim Price (NZL) with Coup de Coeur Dudevin (28.1)

After her test, Anna Lena Schaaf was full of praise for her mare: “I could have asked for a little bit more, to get her in front of the leg – so we lost a few points, especially in the walk and I could have risked a little bit more in the canter phase, but overall I’m very happy with our test. She’s seventeen now, so we know each other inside out. She taught me everything I know and she’s always really focused. This might be our last season, as she’s already seventeen, so I want to enjoy every minute. She’s a family horse and she will stay with us for the rest of her life.”

Michael Jung was very pleased with Kilcandra’s dressage performance: “It’s a great start into the competition. We’ve already improved a lot of details, such as the flying changes and the halts on the center line. Obviously, we have to keep improving and there here’s still some work ahead of us but I’m really happy with our test.”

New Zealander Tim Price has slotted into third place: “I’m happy enough with our test. He’s not the best dressage horse but he’s a very strong cross-country horse – so I’m happy with our result today and looking forward to Saturday.

ARTICLE IMAGES: © TGL/Annette Dölger

FEATURED IMAGE: © Eventing Times

13/06/2024 0 comment
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