With three superb cross-country clear rounds, Team Germany, lying in silver medal spot overnight, climbed into gold medal position ahead of tomorrow’s final jumping test at the FEI Eventing World Championship 2022 at Pratoni del Vivaro in Italy today. And their leading rider, Michael Jung, maintained his position at the top of the individual leaderboard with a thrilling performance from the 14-year-old gelding fischerChipmunk FRH.

Cross Country Day

The big crowd of 22,000 spectators were gripped with excitement. A total of 87 horse-and-rider partnerships tackled the challenging 30-fence track set by course designer Guiseppe della Chiesa. A total of 72 completed the course, 11 coming home inside the time, three retiring and 13 eliminated.

The defending champions from Great Britain dropped from pole position after the dressage phase down to bronze. Team USA moved up from third to silver medal position. However, the margins are really tight with just 1.3 penalty points separating the Germans on a tally of 76.1 from the Americans on 77.4 when each team’s best three scores are counted. On a running tally of 80.9, the British are just 3.5 points further adrift and just over a fence behind Germany. The action resumes tomorrow morning at 11.30 local time. The final day of showjumping promises to be a truly gripping affair.

Challenges for Great Britain on Cross Country

The British began to lose their grip when second-line rider Laura Collett and her Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold-medal-winning ride London 52 had a glance-off at the last element of the KEP Italia Slide at fence seven to plummet from individual second to 48th place. The long, steep slope from the log at the top was followed by two narrow brush fences.

““He was too fresh and too well in himself, he jumped off the top very boldly and he thought he was doing the right thing because he locked onto the skinny from the top of the hill and took me down to it and over-jumped,” said Collett. “I needed to anchor him for the three strides but he just ran out of room”, the disappointed rider explained.

Defending individual world champion, Ros Canter, had kicked off the British effort with a spectacular run with Lordships Graffalo who galloped through the finish well inside the time so British hopes had been high. “He is just a phenomenal cross-country horse, he’s only 10 years old and it feels like child’s play to him! He experiences hills like that all the time at home whether he’s hacking or cantering so I knew he’d be able to keep his speed or accelerate up the hills and I think that’s key”, she explained.

Pressure on British Riders

Collett’s mistake however piled the pressure on her Tokyo 2020 team-mates Tom McEwen and Oliver Townend. British hearts missed a beat when McEwen initially received 15 penalties for missing a flag at the notorious fence seven Slide. As it turned out, he was right when he said these would be removed on further investigation later in the day. But he still had to add the 4.8 time penalties he collected with the hard-pulling Toledo de Kersker. Despite a wonderful clear from Townend and Ballaghmor Class the drop down the leaderboard was inevitable.

World number one athlete Townend said the cross-county course was “a very fair and cleverly designed test but I don’t think it particularly suits some of the older horses such as London, Ballaghmore Class, Toledo de Kerser who have been around big 5-Stars like Badminton and Burghley because this is definitely smaller dimensionally and you are up and down the hills and the terrain is tough. They want big open courses that they can attack”, he pointed out.

A Challenging Cross Country Course

Meanwhile, Team Germany just cruised into the lead even though pathfinder Christoph Wahler. He had the unenviable task of being first out on the course this morning. He picked up 9.6 time penalties with Carjatan S and said he didn’t enjoy the experience. “On a course like Luhmuehlen he flies, on a course like this he has to dig really deep”, he said. 

In complete contrast, the second man out, Ireland’s Sam Watson (SAP Talisman) said, “I really enjoyed that even though it was hard work. If it’s not hard work we all go clear in the time and then today doesn’t matter so much. This is high performance sport and I think you have to be a genius now to push us out of our comfort zone and make it horse friendly to jump around. The course designer for me has done his job. It’s a very safe track to jump but it’s a hard track to ride, congratulations Guiseppe!”, he added.

Like many of the 16 competing nations, Team Ireland’s target from the outset is to fight for the one of the seven team qualifying spots on offer for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. A gutsy effort from all four team members today rocketed them up from twelfth to a very competitive fifth place on a score of 105.0.

New Zealand’s Tim and Jonelle Price (Falco and McLaren), Monica Spencer (Artist) and Clarke Johnstone (Menlo Park) lie ahead of them in fourth place. They have a competitive score of 88.3. Switzerland lies sixth (109.4) and Japan is in seventh (111.9) after the first two phases.

Team Germany Cruised Through Cross Country

Germany really got into gear when 2014 world champion Sandra Auffarth delivered a masterclass with the 13-year-old Viamant du Matz. “We had a perfect run, super from beginning to end!”, she said. “My last run was in Aachen and he felt great there and it was the same here, there was nothing I was worried about it felt cool!”

Then reigning Olympic champion Julia Krajewski came home six seconds inside the time with Amande de B’Neville. Then Michael Jung put the icing on the cake with another of the extraordinary rides that have earned him the nickname “Super Michi” on his home turf.

“He was great yesterday in dressage and today he was like a machine!” said the German superstar Michael Jung. “At the end he was so super galloping and felt like he could do it all again! I was staying on the brake most of the way, I tried to keep him relaxed, and it’s fantastic how quickly he can think, he’s a big horse with a big stride and at that 7abc fence he was so super that I could jump the two hedges with a little smile on my face!”

Americans with Strong Cross Country Day

Meanwhile, the Americans added just the 0.8 time faults picked up by Will Coleman and Off the Record to their scoreline to overtake the British. Lauren Nicholson and Vermiculus collected 5.6 time faults. However, Boyd Martin and Tsetserleg TSF and Tamra Smith and Mai Baum were clear and quick. Smith goes into tomorrow’s final jumping phase with Mai Baum in individual bronze medal spot. She is only 0.8 behind British individual Yasmin Ingham who added just 1.2 time penalties to her scoreline with Banzai du Loir today.

“I have an unbelievable magical unicorn in all three phases!”, Smith said. “He’s the horse of a lifetime and he’s made a lot of dreams come true. I will take care of him tonight, he felt great to the end, and I know his heart is as big as mine so he’ll give me everything he has tomorrow!”

In her very first championship, Ingham can hardly believe she is stalking the mighty Michael Jung so closely going into the final day. “I could never have dreamed of being in this position!”, she said. “My horse deserves it so much, he’s just an incredible all-round horse and touch wood tomorrow he will show everyone that he really is the ultimate event horse!”

But Jung has his eyes set on his second world title and he’s so very hard to beat. He posted a record winning score in 2010 in Lexington, USA. If he stays on his tally of 18.8 tomorrow he’ll beat that. Can he do it?….”we will see” he said tonight with a wry little smile….

Find the full results here.

For more information on the FEI World Eventing Championships, go here.

When Tom McEwen scored 25.6 with his Tokyo Olympic team gold and individual silver medal-winning ride Toledo de Kerser late this morning the record was already broken, and then the 24.3 posted by the current number one athlete in the FEI Eventing rankings, Oliver Townend with Ballaghmor Class, stretched it even further.

Meanwhile German superstar Michael Jung, three times individual European champion, twice Olympic Individual champion and possibly on his way to his second Individual World title, ousted overnight leader, Great Britain’s Laura Collett, from the top of the Individual leaderboard when posting his best ever CCI-5* score of 18.8 with fischerChipmunk FRH this afternoon. 

“It’s amazing how he performs in the arena”, Jung said of the 14-year-old bay gelding. “He just brings everything in there and you can ride like at home so this is a great feeling.” 

The 26.0 posted by reigning Individual Olympic champion Julia Krajewski and Amande de B’Neville already boosted German team chances earlier in the day before Jung’s leading score saw his side rocket up from overnight seventh place to leave them in silver medal spot going into tomorrow’s cross-country challenge on a score of 76.1. 

Team USA held onto bronze medal position while New Zealand dropped from second to fourth, but on a running tally of 77.9 the Kiwis trail the Americans by just 1.3 while Team Australia are just over six points further adrift in fifth. France, Japan, Belgium, Switzerland and the host nation of Italy make up the top 10 of the 16 competing teams.

Individual Competition at the 2022 FEI Eventing World Championships

China’s Alex Hua Tian and Don Geniro slotted into individual fourth place with a score of 23.7 today, while America’s Tamra Smith and Mai Baum are in fifth ahead of Britain’s Townend in sixth. 

Smith was on the winning US team at the Pan American Games in Lima (PER) in 2019 with her 16-year-old gelding and the pair also competed at last summer’s Olympic Games in Tokyo. They were always expected to feature well in the Dressage phase at Pratoni having finished tenth in Aachen (GER) and ninth in Kentucky (USA) last year and ninth in Badminton GBR this year, always with impressive first-phase scores.

“I feel it was better than Badminton today”, said the 48-year-old Californian. “He’s in much better self-carriage and relaxation and most of it was brilliant. It’s been a life-long goal of mine to be here at the World Championship and to be on this horse is extra special because I think he’s one of the best in the world. I think he belongs here!”, she said.

Monica Spencer remains best of the Kiwis, in equal-seventh place with Britain’s Tom McEwen going into tomorrow’s cross-country phase on a score of 25.6. McEwen had been hoping for better but a break in medium trot early in his test saw him having to claw back marks, which he did with considerable cool.

“It wasn’t our best test but we recovered really well”, he said. “The changes and canter-work were lovely and I was really pleased with his walk but didn’t have quite enough from the leg going in probably and it was a little bit of a recovery process”, he explained. 

Food for Thought

Once dressage is out of the way all focus now turns to tomorrow’s cross-county test, and Guiseppe della Chiesa’s course has certainly given riders plenty of food for thought.

World number four and three-time Olympian, New Zealand’s Jonelle Price whose score of 26.1 today with McClaren leaves her two places ahead of husband Tim and Falco in 13th, gave her assessment. 

“Time is going be the biggest factor”, she said. “We’ve got such a high-calibre field of horses here and the British team have the best horses in the world. So I think the horses are going to make light work of it but the hills and a lot of congested jumping will make the clock challenging.”

Germany’s Olympic champion Krajewski and her mare will be on familiar territory because the pair came to Pratoni in the spring of this year to train on the hills in preparation for Kentucky where, in the final analysis, they didn’t compete. She said today, “my horse is built like a showjumper – she can jump everything and she is really fit. For the cross-country here the horses need to be in good condition, and the riders need to be clever at some of these combinations”. 

Equiratings statistics show that at the last seven FEI Eventing World Championships the eventual winning team was lying either first or second after dressage and that, since 2002, the individual champion has never been outside the top five after the dressage phase. At the last four world championships Team Germany has led the way after dressage and Michael Jung has arrived in Pratoni this week as favourite to take the Individual title.

But statistics are one thing and the sport of Eventing has a knack for throwing up plenty of surprises. The story of the FEI Eventing World Championship 2022 will continue to play out when Germany’s Christoph Walhler and Carjatan S lead the way in the cross-country phase at 10.30 local time tomorrow morning….so don’t miss a hoofbeat….

Results here 

Website here 

Defending double-world-champion and British team member, 33-year-old Ros Canter, posted the first big score today with the relatively inexperienced 10-year-old Lordships Graffalo when putting 26.2 on the board this morning. However fellow-countrywoman, 25-year-old Yasmin Ingham, who is competing as an Individual, impressed Ground Jury members Christina Klinspor (SWE), Peter Gray (CAN) and Christian Steiner (AUT) even more for a mark of 22.0 with her 11-year-old gelding Banzai du Loir to go out in front. 

And it took an inspired performance from Canter’s Tokyo 2020 team-mate Laura Collett to push this pair off pole position later in the afternoon when London 52 simply swaggered through a superb test to earn the highest score of the first day, 19.3, to firmly secure the team advantage for her country. 

Running Team Score

On a running team score of 45.5 the British go into tomorrow’s second day of Dressage, when another 43 horse-and-rider partnerships will take their turn before facing into the Cross-country and Jumping tests on Saturday and Sunday, with an eight-point lead over Team New Zealand (53.0) who have only 0.5 of an advantage over Team USA in third place (53.5). Kiwi chances were hugely boosted by a spectacular test from Monica Spencer and her racing-bred 11-year-old gelding Artist who strutted his stuff for a strong score of 25.6 that leaves the 35-year-old rider currently in third place. 

This is an incredible result for Spencer who is competing for the very first time on a Senior team and for the very first time in the Northern Hemisphere.  She gave birth to her son, Gus, just 10 months ago and has travelled 18,000 kms with her horse to ride alongside Clarke Johnston who scored a handsome 27.4 today to slot into eighth place with Menlo Park and the star Kiwi husband-and-wife partnership of Tim and Jonelle Price who go into the ring tomorrow. This is a team that clearly means business.

Meanwhile Will Coleman (Off the Record) and Lauren Nicholson (Vermiculus), with scores of 26.4 and 27.1 respectively, kept the USA well in contention at this early stage. French rider Thomas Carlile slotted into individual fifth place with a lovely ride on Darmagnac de Bellard that scored 26.4 and he was really pleased with his “very gentle, very honest and shy little horse”. Like all the riders who have competed today he can now turn his attention to Saturday’s cross-country phase which looks set to be quite a thriller.

While others seem to be somewhat in awe of it, he described Guiseppe della Chiesa’s 30-fence track as “lovely”, but that perhaps is because he said he has competed at Pratoni del Vivaro many times, “and I love this place!”

Balance

“It seems to me like a balance between a true championship test and a modern look at Eventing with a lot of frangible pins that we all have our ideas about but it’s the way the sport is going and we need to choose and produce our horses in that aspect now. There are plenty of different routes to make sure everyone has the possibility to get around and it will require proper cross-country riding with the terrain….I’m really looking forward to it!”, he said.

A score of 30.7 from team-mate Astier Nicolas and Alertamalib’or leaves France on a running tally of 57.1 while Japan is close behind on 60.2 and Team Australia is in sixth place with 61.8 on the board.

At the end of a difficult day for Team Germany they currently lie seventh, both Christop Wahler’s Carjatan S and Sandra Auffarth’s Viamant du Matz finding the dressage arena spooky and subsequently struggling to give of their best. 

But Germany still has two world-class combinations to come in Tokyo 2020 Individual Olympic champions Julia Krajewski and Amande de B’Neville and 2010 world champion Michael Jung with fischerChipmunk FRH. The leaderboards are likely to see many changes over the next 24 hours.

Runner-up spot

Britain’s Yasmin Ingham talked about her horse, Banzai du Loir who leaves her in individual runner-up spot this evening. “I’m so proud of him, he’s a really special horse and I still think there’s plenty more in there which is very exciting! I couldn’t fault him today at all. We have more experience now in big arenas after doing Blenheim (GBR) last year and Burghley (GBR) just before we came, and it’s great to have Chris Bartle (coach) with us here”, she pointed out. Looking ahead to the cross-country challenge she added “the Slide at 7 comes up pretty quick but it all looks jumpable. There’s plenty to look at and the water complexes are difficult – we will know what it’s all about by Saturday!”

Overnight leader Collett reflected on her test today with London 52. “He was pretty good at Badminton but there were bits that weren’t quite good enough and we’ve just been really working on. Once I got the first centreline out of the way I thought Carl (Hester, Olympic dressage rider and coach) will be happy now! From then on he just felt like he was getting better and better and I could just have a lovely time basically!

Asked if she felt pressure going into the arena she replied,

She said she competed at the FEI Pony European Championships at Pratoni in 2005 so is familiar with the cross-country course. “But sadly it’s not going to be a Dressage competition this weekend! From start to finish the course is full-on and there was a lot head-scratching when we first walked it to decide exactly what the direct route was because there are so many options”, she pointed out.

Tonight the British are sitting pretty, with two more of their Tokyo 2020 winning side yet to go in Tom McEwen (Toledo de Kerser) and Oliver Townend (Ballaghmor Class), but they know the story of the 15th edition of the FEI Eventing World Championship still has a long way to go. The second day of Dressage begins at 09.30 tomorrow when Australia’s Shenae Lowings and Bold Venture step into the ring and the battle for both the Team and Individual medals resumes…..don’t miss a hoofbeat…..

Results here 

Website here 

All five members of the squad, along with the eight reserve and alternate combinations completed the CCI4*-S at MARS GMI. Team alternate Liz Halliday-Sharp (Lexington, Ky.) with Cooley Quicksilver finished in first place. Squad members Tamie Smith (Murrieta, Calif.) with Mai Baum and Will Coleman (Gordonsville, Va.) with Off The Record finished in second and third place, respectively.

“By and large, there’s a lot to take away that’s very positive from the weekend,” said Chef d’Equipe Bobby Costello. “I thought the horses looked as well as a group as I’ve ever seen them in the dressage—everyone was either at their personal best or better, so that’s excellent. A couple of them in the show jumping have got a little work to do between now and Pratoni, but the cross-country today was just brilliant. The athletes looked like they were feeling confident, and the horses were jumping very well.”

“It couldn’t have gone better,” Smith said about her weekend with ‘Lexus,’ the 2006 German Sport Horse gelding owned by Alexandra Ahearn, Ellen Ahearn, and Eric Markell. “I thought he was super in the dressage. He had a bobble in the first halt, but other than that, he just keeps getting better. He show jumped beautifully last night, and I just went out for a nice cruise today.”

Smith said that she took a conservative approach on the cross-country with a focus on preserving Lexus’s conditioning for Pratoni, but he felt strong on the Great Meadows course and turned in a competitive run.

“I let [Mai Baum] tell me—I went out of the box and let him go the pace he wanted, and he actually went faster than I expected, but he just went easy. I was pleasantly surprised that I only had six time penalties when I got through the finish flags because I felt like I was just kind of cruising around.”

With the FEI World Championship as the next event on the athletes’ schedule, the pressure is on and excitement is up. Smith feels optimistic heading to the big stage.

“I’m excited. I feel so prepared, and of course nerves happen, but I feel ready, and Lexus is ready,” she said. “I think we have a great team dynamic, and I’m ready to go and so is he. I’m just trying to pace ourselves and stay chill. The work is done; now it’s just getting there.”

Ariel Grald (Southern Pines, N.C.) will travel to Pratoni on her first-ever championship team with Anne Eldridge’s 2009 Irish Sport Horse gelding, Leamore Master Plan. The pair completed their MARS GMI outing with no jumping penalties to finish in 11^th place overall.

“It’s an honor to be here with all these great riders, and I’m excited to learn from them through this whole process,” said Grald. “It’s an exciting time to be representing the U.S. We all have really great programs that have gotten us here to this point, so something that’s really important to stay focused on is continuing the success that we’ve had to be named to the team and to keep the momentum going moving forward to Pratoni.”

Team alternate Halliday-Sharp was thrilled with the progress Cooley Quicksilver has made over his career and his winning performance at this year’s MARS GMI.

“He was really professional this weekend. I was completely thrilled with him,” Halliday-Sharp said of ‘Monster,’ the 2011 Irish Sport Horse gelding owned by The Monster Partnership. “He just keeps getting better. He’s only an 11-year-old; he’s done quite a lot but he is still a young horse. I think he deserves this. He earned it, and a 25.6 is a very respectable four-star winning score anywhere in the world, and that’s something I always strive for.”

The team horses will have one final gallop as a team before shipping to France for the last stretch of training ahead of the World Championship, which begins with the first horse inspection on Wednesday, September 14.

Results

Learn more about the 2022 FEI Eventing World Championships at pratoni2022.it/en/.

Belgium’s Jérôme Guery piloted Quel Homme de Hus to earn the silver medal on 3.35 points. Quel Homme de Hus is a 16-year-old Holsteiner gelding owned by Guery, Alexander Oancea and Eden Farm FARL.

Additionally, rounding out the top three was the Netherlands’ Mikael van der Vleuten aboard Beauville Z N.O.P. with a score of 5.96 for the bronze. Beauville Z N.O.P. is a 12-year-old Zangersheide gelding owned by Pontegadea Espana SLU and Marta Ortega Perez.

The Grand Finale of the 2022 FEI Jumping World Championships

The individual championship on the last day of competition was split into two rounds. In Round A, the top 25 horse-and-rider combinations from the first two days of competition tackled the 16-effort, 1.65-meter course. The course was designed by Louis Konickx (NED) and Quintin Maertens’s (NED).

The top three at the conclusion of Round A von Eckermann was in first. His teammate Peder Fredricson, aboard Markan Cosmopolit, a 16-year-old Holsteiner stallion owned by Interbreed AB and Strömsholms Marketenteri, was in second. Guery was in third.

The course was reset, and the top 12 advanced to the final round, Round B. Athletes were met with a 15-effort course, which also stood at 1.65 meters and had a time allowed of 77 seconds.

In Round B, only four of the 12 pairs managed a clear round. At the time sitting in seventh, van der Vleuten produced one of those rounds aboard Beauville Z N.O.P. This bumped him up the rankings with six more to go.

“We all know that [on] the last day, a lot of things happen,” remarked van der Vleuten. “The first round was nice. A tough class, but good to ride. But, the second round was, I found, really proper.”

Of his horse’s efforts, van der Vleuten said, “Beauville deserved it also—a medal. He really jump his heart out. He gives everything.”

Guery and Quel Homme de Hus were third last to go and also executed a clear round to maintain their podium position. “[I was] only thinking about riding him well, because when I ride him well, he does the job,” Guery commented.

“[Quel Homme de Hus] gives everything. For him, nothing is difficult. Everything is easy. When it’s really difficult for the other horses, for him it’s still easy and he’s more focused,” Guery said of his mount. “I really like when the courses are tough and difficult because it’s more concentration.”

Fredricson, entering Round B in second, had three rails down in the final round, amassing to 12 faults and falling out of podium position. Consequently, spots opened for van der Vleuten and Guery.

And finally, von Eckermann and King Edward were last in the ring. The duo landed from the last jump, and the crowd exploded into cheers. von Eckermann galloped away and threw his helmet in the air in celebration of his accomplishment.

“From the first round, I had a really good feeling, so that made me very confident,” said von Eckermann. [King Edward] felt fresh like the first day [of competition] into the last round. That gives, of course, a lot of confidence.”

The Conclusion of the 2022 FEI World Championships

For the final results, click here.

Watch highlights, including winning rounds, on FEI TV or FEI’s YouTube channel.

The top 10 teams from the first two days of competition advanced to tonight’s team final under the lights in Stutteri Ask Stadium. Athletes were met with a 17-effort track designed by Louis Konickx (NED) and Quintin Maertens (NED). The course stood at 1.65m and had a time allowed of 83 seconds.

Sweden Is Unstoppable

Current world number one rider, Henrik von Eckermann, was the first in the ring for Sweden. He piloted King Edward, a 12-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding owned by Dufour Stables AG, to a clear round under the time allowed. He didn’t add any points to the team’s score. “The Championship is always like a rollercoaster—rounds that you wish you would’ve done better. But, I just counted now, and I think even with Peder’s score, we would have won today.”

Malin Baryard-Johnsson and H&M Indiana, a 14-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare owned by Stuteri Arch, followed them up. While the horse and rider combination met the time allowed, they had one rail down for 4 faults. “We had a bit of a tough start in the speed [on Wednesday], where she got a bit stressed and trying to jump far too high,” Baryard-Johnsson said of the mare. “Today, I’m so happy with her. She really gave everything.”

Next in was Jens Fredricson and Markan Cosmopolit, an 11-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding owned by Interbreed AB and Strömsholms Marketenteri. They too kept the rails up and completed the course under the time allowed, contributing nothing to the team’s score. “[Cosmopolit] went easy and confident and was relaxed with a lot of power, so it was an easy ride, you could say.”

Guaranteed Gold

Before Sweden’s final rider, Peder Fredricson, went in the ring, the nation had already solidified its gold medal position. With the pressure off, he and H&M All In, a 16-year-old SBS gelding owned by Stuteri Arch, took it easy around the course. “It made my day easy today,” remarked Fredricson. Even though three rails came down, amassing to 12 faults, his score was dropped. “I had two great runs [this week]. I think today wasn’t our best round, but with team riders like this, it’s okay,” Fredricson said about his teammates.

Team Netherlands

Rider / Horse / Owner / Age / Sex / Breed / Jumping Faults / Time Faults / Total (Dropped)

Sanne Thijssen / Con Quidam RB / Stal Thijssen BV / 16 / S / Holsteiner / 4 / 0 / (4)
Maikel van der Vleuten / Beauville Z N.O.P. / Pontegadea Espana SLU & Marta Ortega Perez / 12 / G / Zangersheide / 4 / 0 / 4
Jur Vrieling / Long John Silver / SF Equestrian BV / 10 / G / Holsteiner / 0 / 2 / 2
Harrie Smolders / Monaco NOP / Evergate Stables LLC & Harrie Smolders / 13 / G / Holsteiner / 0 / 0 / 0
Team total = 19.31

Team Great Britain

Ben Maher / Faltic HB / Oakingham Stud / 12 / S / KWPN / 4 / 0 / 4
Joseph Stockdale / Equine America Cacharel / Joy Cocklin & Laura Stockdale / 11 / M / Holsteiner / 4 / 0 / 4
Harry Charles / Romeo 88 / Ann Thompson & Harry Charles / 10 / G / Zangersheide / 0 / 0 / 0
Scott Brash / Hello Jefferson / Lady Pauline Harris & Lady Pauline Kirkham / 13 / G / Belgian Warmblood / (8) / 0 / 8
Team total = 22.66

2022 FEI Jumping World Championships – Individuals

The top three in individual competition did see a shake up. France’s Julien Epaillard and Caracole de la Roque, a 10-year-old Selle Francais mare owned by EURL Top Stallions Company, held the lead for the first two rounds. Unfortunately, they fell to 12th place after racking up 8 faults today.

Sweden’s von Eckermann moved up from 4th place to take over the top spot with a score of 0.58. He’s followed by teammate Fredricson, whose clear round today boosted him from 10th to second place on a score of 2.71. Rounding out the top three is Belgium’s Jérôme Guery and Quel Homme de Hus, a 16-year-old Holsteiner stallion owned by himself, Alexander Oancea and Eden Farm FARL. The duo jumped from their overnight position at 8th place into third.

USA Riders

The evening marked the last appearances for the U.S. at the 2022 FEI World Championships. Brian Moggre’s mount, Balou du Reventon, a 16-year-old Oldenburg stallion owned by Ann Thompson, abruptly reared several times in the middle of their course. “Tough day but my horse jumped amazing. I pushed him hard the first four, and I don’t know what he saw,” said Moggre.

Moggre hung on until Balou du Reventon stopped rearing. Then he pushed him forward, circled and continued on. While the duo only had one rail, time faults knocked them out of contention. “Every day is a new day. We came out of the corner and the fences come up fast and something happened. It is the first championship, and it is a great experience.”

Finally, McLain Ward and Contagious, a 13-year-old German Sport Horse gelding owned by Beechwood Stables LLC, were about half way through the course when Ward decided to retire. “Of course, a disappointing week for us, but we look to the positives,” commented Ward. “Our young riders have gained a lot of miles, and we work for the future. It’s a rough week, but we will survive.”

How to Follow the 2022 FEI Jumping World Championships

The top 25 will go head-to-head at the 2022 FEI Jumping World Championship on Sunday, August 14, at 2:00 p.m. EST in the Individual Jumping Final. 

For the time schedule and results, click here.

You can tune into the livestream of the 2022 FEI Jumping World Championships on FEI TV. Watch highlights, including winning rounds, on the FEI’s YouTube channel.

The 1.65m track designed by Louis Konickx (NED) and Quintin Maertens (NED) consisted of 17 jumping efforts. The time allowed was 86 seconds. The incentive today was a ticket to advance to the second round of team and individual competition. Only the top ten teams and the top 50 individuals would return to try for a world champion title.

Swedes Still on Top

At the conclusion of the second day of team competition, Team Sweden remains on top of the leaderboard. They are followed by Team France in second and Team Germany in third.

Team Sweden

Rider / Horse / Owner / Age / Sex / Breed / Jumping Faults / Time Faults / Total (Dropped)

Henrik von Eckermann / King Edward / Dofour Stables AG / 12 / G / Belgian Warmblood / 0 / 0 / 0
Malin Baryard-Johnsson / H&M Indiana / Stuteri Arch/ 14 / M / Belgian Warmblood / 4 / 0 / (4)
Jens Fredricson / Markan Cosmopolit / Interbreed AB & Strömsholms Marketenteri / 11 / G / Swedish Warmblood / 0 / 0 / 0
Peder Fredricson / H&M All In / Stuteri Arch / 16 / G / Belgian Sport Horse / 0 / 0 / 0
Team Total = 3.69

Team France

Simone Delestre / Cayman Jolly Jumper / Go Horses & Philippe Berthol Agriculture / 10 / G / Selle Francais / 0 / 0 / 0
Gregory Cottard / Bibici / SARL Les Ecuires de Wy & SAS GC Sport / 14 / M / Selle Francais / 12 / 0 / (12)
Julien Epaillard / Caracole de la Roque / EURL Top Stallions Company / 10 / M / Selle Francais / 0 / 0 / 0
Kevin Staut / Scuderia 1918 Viking d’la Rousserie / SAS Finegal / 13 / G / Selle Francais / 0 / 0 / 0
Team Total = 5.44

Team Germany

Marcus Ehning / Stargold / Elm Rock BV & Marcus Ehning / 11 / S / Oldenburg / 0 / 0 / 0
Jana Wargers / Limbridge / Jana Wargers & Pferdemanagement & Marketing GmbH / 13 / S / Holsteiner / 4 / 0 / (4)
Andre Thieme / DSP Chakaria / Pferdemanagement & Marketing GmbH / 12 / S / Zangersheide / 0 / 0 / 0
Christian Ahlmann / Dominator 2000 Z / Christian Ahlmann, Stoeterij Zangersheide & Studfarm 2000 / 12 / S / Zangersheide / 4 / 0 / 4
Team Total = 11.76

2022 FEI Individual Jumping World Championships

France’s Julien Epaillard and Caracole de la Roque, a 10-year-old Selle Fracais mare owned by EURL Top Stallions Company, continued their winning ways. A clear round under the time allowed maintained their first place position.

“My horse was so fresh this morning so I wasn’t in 100% control despite a small jog and some flatwork this morning,” Epaillard admitted. However, it didn’t seem to be a problem once they got in the ring. He and Caracole de la Roque cleared 9ABC easily. Unfortunately, it was a challenge for many other horse and rider combinations. “I was unsure if I should go for 7 or 8 strides before the triple combination (9ABC). But she was very forward so I decided to go for 7.”

Silver and Bronze Position

Great Britain’s Scott Brash and Hello Jefferson, a 13-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding owned by Lady Pauline Harris and Lady Pauline Kirkham, also maintained their overnight position of second place. “[I’m] delighted with Jefferson,” said Brash. “There is a lot of jumping to be done tomorrow before we know the team result.” Great Britain is one of the ten teams that punched its ticket to the next round of competition.

“I stay focused on my horse. He is jumping great, and I hope he will be good tomorrow. Jefferson felt good, but it was a very difficult course today, and it has to be at a championship,” Brash remarked.

Sweden’s Peder Fredricson’s had a clear round aboard H&M All In, a 16-year-old Belgian Sport Horse gelding owned by Stuteri Arch. It boosted him from fifth place into podium position. “I had a good plan after the course walk, and I kept it! When I’m in there, I have to get the feeling of my horse and have the highest focus on the task. I really have to concentrate the whole time and take one thing at a time,” said Fredricson.

He continued. “Our team spirit is great, and we are there for each other. Everything can happen, and we have to take one day at a time and really do the best we possibly can. Tomorrow will be a long day. We are here for the team, and we want to be as good as possible. The rounds tomorrow need to be clear and on time, and we need the best preparation possible to do our best.”

Team USA

After two days of team competition, Team USA found itself in the 11th place spot. Unfortunately, it was just short of making it to the next round. Fortunately, McLain Ward and Brian Moggre will represent the U.S. in individual competition.

Ward and Contagious, a 13-year-old German Sport Horse gelding owned by Beechwood Stables LLC, added zero points to the team’s score. They went fast and clear after 4 faults on the first day of competition.

Moggre and Balou du Reventon,  16-year-old Oldenburg stallion owned by Ann Thompson, had just one rail down. Fortunately for him, after a clear round on Wednesday, Moggre maintained his standing in the top 50 to move on. “My horse felt fresh and happy today. He is such a gentle and kind stallion but turns into a complete powerhouse in the arena and takes care of me.”

How to Follow the 2022 FEI Jumping World Championships

For the time schedule and results, click here.

You can tune into the livestream of the 2022 FEI Jumping World Championships on FEI TV. Watch highlights, including winning rounds, on the FEI’s YouTube channel.

Fry Is Unforgettable

Fry was awarded the two former on August 7 and August 8, but the latter, she was adorned with tonight after her Freestyle performance in Stutteri Ask Stadium under the lights. In front of a sold-out arena of 12,000 spectators, Fry and Glamourdale, an 11-year-old KWPN stallion owned by herself and Van Olst Horses, put on an unforgettable performance.

As they had for her other appearances this week, the crowd sat at the edge of their seats as they watched Fry and Glamourdale rack up 90.654 percentage points from the judges. “Honestly, I’ve never had that feeling before going into the arena,” said Fry about the energy inside Stutteri Ask. “From the second you enter, the crowd is going crazy before you even started.”

As for Glamourdale’s efforts, Fry remarked, “As soon as the music started, it was just the most insane feeling. [Glamourdale] was dancing to his freestyle, and I just felt like I could sit there, enjoy it.” Another spectacle that the crowd anticipated was Glamourdale’s extended canter, which garnered gasps of awe in the days before. “I was listening to the crowd, singing along and getting excited about the extended canter, and honestly, it was the best feeling in the world.”

Silver and Bronze

Denmark’s Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour collected her third medal of the week following her performance in the Grand Prix Freestyle. On August 7, Team Denmark claimed the 2022 FEI Dressage Team World Championship gold medal, and on August 8, Laudrup-Dufour earned the silver medal in the 2022 FEI Dressage Grand Prix Special Championship.

Tonight, she added another silver medal to her showcase; this time from the 2022 FEI Dressage Grand Prix Freestyle Championships. She and Vamos Amigos, a 10-year-old Westphalian gelding owned by herself and Sarah Pidgley, received a 89.411% from the judges.

Laudrup-Dufour again tipped her hat to the crowd, thanking them for the energy they brought to the stadium. “The audience here; they are the true superstars. It was like a soccer game. People were going nuts. I think that was definitely a part of the setting tonight.”

Similarly, the Netherlands’ Dinja van Liere was awarded her second medal of the week, having won bronze in the Grand Prix Special and tonight, bronze in the Grand Prix Freestyle. She and Hermes, a 10-year-old KWPN stallion owned by Joop van Uytert, scored an 86.900%.

“My feeling was a great. Of course, I’m incredibly proud of my horse. He did such a fantastic job today,” said van Liere of her mount. She continued, “On Monday (August 8), he was a little bit tense, but I thought today with all the audience, he would be more tense, but he was actually so relaxed, and he’s just getting better and better every test. I was so extremely proud of him that he did such a good job.”

2022 FEI World Championships Competition Continues

The 2022 FEI Dressage World Championships may be over, but there’s still more competition to be had.

You can tune into the livestream of the 2022 FEI Jumping World Championship and FEI Para-Dressage World Championship on FEI TV. Watch highlights, including winning rounds, on the FEI’s YouTube channel.

For full results from the 2022 FEI Dressage Grand Prix Freestyle World Championships, click here.

The Swedes Can’t Be Stopped in the 2022 FEI Jumping World Championships

At the conclusion of the first day of team competition, Team Sweden tops the leaderboard. They are followed by Team France in second and Team Belgium in third.

Team Sweden

First to go for the Swedes was Jens Fredricson and Markan Cosmopolit, an 11-year-old Swedish Warmblood gelding owned by Interbreed AB and Strömsholms Marketenteri. They finished the track in 84.50 seconds.

Malin Baryard-Johnsson and H&M Indiana, a 14-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare owned by Stuteri Arch, followed them. Unfortunately, they racked up eight faults for a total of 94.62 seconds. The pair’s result will act as the team’s dropped score.

Third to go, current world number one rider, Henrik von Eckermann, lived up to his title with a fast round of 80.23 seconds. He rode King Edward, a 12-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding owned by Dufour Stables AG.

The team’s anchor, Peder Fredricson, nailed down the first place position for Sweden when he and H&M All In, a 16-year-old SBS gelding owned by Stuteri Arch, tripped the timers at 79.88 seconds.

Team France

Simon Delestre and Cayman Jolly Jumper, a 10-year-old Selle Francais gelding owned by Go Horses and Philippe Berthol Agriculture, were the first to test the track for France. They finished with a clear round in 84.93 seconds.

Gregory Cottard and Bibici, an 11-year-old Selle Francais mare owned by Ellla Construction SA, stepped up to the plate next, completing the course clear in 84.09 seconds.

They were followed by Julien Epaillard aboard Caracole de la Roque, a 10-year-old Selle Fracais mare owned by EURL Top Stallions Company. This pair were the quickest overall of the day at 79.08 seconds.

Last to go for the French was Kevin Staut aboard Scuderia 1918 Viking d’la Rousserie, a 13-year-old Selle Francais gelding owned by SAS Finegal. They unfortunately had a fall at 5B, but horse and rider were fine. As a result, he was eliminated and his score dropped.

Team Belgium

Nicola Philippaerts and Katanga vh Dingeshof, a 12-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare owned by Team Philippaerts, Familie Lens and AMB Holding NV, were fourth in the order of go and set the bar high early on. The pair was speedy and clean in 81.02 seconds, a time that stayed in the top 10 for the remainder of the day.

Jos Verlooy and Igor, a 14-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding owned by Eurohorse BVA and Graziella Jannssen, followed up with another quick and clear time of 83.41 seconds.

Jérôme Guery and Quel Homme de Hus, a 16-year-old Holsteiner stallion owned by himself, Alexander Oancea and Eden Farm FARL, were the next Belgian team to challenge the course. They garnered yet another clear round for the nation in 83.78 seconds.

Last for the team was Gregory Wathelet aboard Nevados S, a 14-year-old PZHK stallion owned by the Nevados Group. They had four faults that resulted in a total of 84.12 seconds.

Fractions of a Second Separate Individuals in the 2022 FEI Jumping World Championships

France’s Julien Epaillard and Caracole de la Roque currently top the individual standings after day one of competition. The combo went fast and clear in 79.08 seconds, a time that the 36 remaining riders couldn’t beat. “I had a good start, and my horse felt relaxed today,” commented Epaillard. “I had my plan and followed it. She jumps everything with a great scope but can sometimes react to the public.” However, that didn’t seem to be a problem for the mare today.

Great Britain’s Scott Brash and Hello Jefferson, a 13-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding owned by Lady Pauline Harris and Lady Pauline Kirkham, made their way to the second place position in 79.54 seconds. “It feels amazing. Intuitive. I’ve felt that way for the last few months,” said Brash about riding Hello Jefferson. “There is still a lot of jumping to be done in a week, and I’m sure [the leaderboard] will change a lot. Yet, he’s at the top of his game right now. He loves doing a job. And he has a big engine.”

Reigning World Equestrian Games (2018) individual silver medalist Martin Fuchs rounded out the top three with Adolfo Juri’s 10-year-old KWPN gelding, Leone Jei. The duo stopped the clock at 79.79 seconds to move into podium position. “My horse has a massive stride. When I walked the course, I looked for where I could take out strides,” Fuchs shared about his strategy. He and rest of the Swiss team have their eyes on the prize. “We came here to take medals, and we have a very strong team,” he said. “We go on and hope we win medals!”

Team USA Ladies

First to enter Stutteri Ask Stadium to represent the U.S. was Lillie Keenan aboard Argan de Beliard, a 12-year-old Selle Francais gelding owned by Chansonette Farm LLC. Keenan laid down the example for the rest of the team with a clear round in 87.23 seconds. That put her in 38th place in the 2022 FEI Jumping World Championships. “I feel extremely lucky to have such an incredible horse,” said Keenan. “And I am looking forward to the rest of the week with Team USA!”

Following Keenan was Adrienne Sternlicht and Cristalline. This pair also represented the U.S. on the gold medal winning team at the World Equestrian Games in 2018. Sternlicht and Starlight Farms 1 LLC’s 14-year-old Bavarian Warmblood mare had the front plank down at fence 4, an oxer that proved challenging for many riders. They finished on a time of 93.07 seconds to move into 69th place. “My horse was fantastic,” said Sternlicht. “I knew today would be the most difficult round of competition for us. I made a technical error at the beginning – lining up the 8 stride line from [fence] 4 to [fence] 5 too directly. I’m super happy with the way she jumped and am very motivated to go clear tomorrow for the team and to do her justice.”

Team USA Men

Brian Moggre and Balou du Reventon, a 16-year-old Oldenburg stallion owned by Ann Thompson, were next in the ring for the United States. The duo produced the nation’s second clear round of the day, tripping the timers at 83.89 seconds. “He was fantastic. I am so, so happy,” shared Moggre. “My plan after watching the first two riders from my team was go giving it a shot. I was going for it and to finish like this is a very great start of the weekend.” Moggre and Balou du Reventon are the only U.S. pair currently in the top 20, sitting in 19th place.

McLain Ward and Contagious, a 13-year-old German Sport Horse gelding owned by Beechwood Stables LLC, anchored the team. Unfortunately, they had the same issue at fence 4 that Sternlicht experienced. “I had to take a real shot,” said Ward. “We were better in the end than in the beginning. [Contagious] really wants to jump clean and he trusts me, and even today where we had that early rail, I know he would keep on doing his best.” The pair finished on 83.05 seconds and currently hold 29th place.

How to Follow the 2022 FEI Jumping World Championships

For the time schedule and results, click here.

You can tune into the livestream of the 2022 FEI Jumping World Championships on FEI TV. Watch highlights, including winning rounds, on the FEI’s YouTube channel.

Team USA

The United States selected four horse-and-rider combinations plus a traveling reserve. They are:

Lillie Keenan (New York, N.Y.) and Argan de Beliard, a 2010 Selle Français gelding owned by Chansonette Farm LLC

Brian Moggre (Flower Mound, Texas) and Balou du Reventon, a 2006 Oldenburg stallion owned by Ann Thompson

Adrienne Sternlicht (Greenwich, Conn.) and Cristalline, a 2008 Bavarian Warmblood mare owned by Starlight Farms 1 LLC

McLain Ward (Brewster, N.Y.) and Contagious, a 2009 Deutches Sportpferd gelding owned by Beechwood Stables LLC

Traveling Reserve
Jessica Springsteen (Colts Neck, N.J.) and RMF Zecilie, a 2007 Holsteiner mare owned by Rushy Marsh Farm LLC

On Monday, August 8, team members and their respective mounts were evaluated at the jog. Argan de Beliard, Balou de Reventon, Cristalline and Contagious were all approved. The ground jury asked Springsteen to re-present RMF Zecilie at re-inspection the next day. However, she did not appear, thus forfeiting their chance to compete.

On Wednesday, August 10, Keenen will be the first to represent the United States at 24th in the order. Sternlicht will follow her in 51st and then Moggre in 80th. Finally, Ward will act as the team’s anchor, going second-to-last at 102nd.

Jumping World Championships Format

On the first day, all horse and rider combinations will compete in the FEI World Team & Individual Jumping Championship, which acts as qualification for the individual competition. In addition, it also counts toward the team score.

The score is calculated by dividing the time of each rider’s round by two and making the lowest score baseline for zero penalties.

Then on day 2, August 11, only faults are added to the total for both individual and team competitions. The lowest score of the four riders is dropped. The top 10 teams over two days advance to the team final on August 12.

In the team final, each rider competes, and again, the lowest score for each team is dropped to come up with a total.

Only the top 50 riders take part on day three (team final and third individual qualification). Riders not involved in the team final will go first.

Next, the top 25 advance to the individual final on August 14, with only the top 12 making the second round. The totals over the four days determine the individual medals.

How to Follow the 2022 FEI Jumping World Championships

For the time schedule and results, click here.

For the day one order of go, click here.

You can tune into the livestream of the 2022 FEI World Championships on FEI TV. Watch highlights, including winning rounds, on the FEI’s YouTube channel.