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2014 FEI EUROPEAN PONY CHAMPIONSHIPS

Day 3 Report

 

Jumping Team Competition

 

Final part of Eventing dressage

 

First part of Dressage Individual Competition

 

(Click on heading to jump to that report)

Jumping Report - The Team Competition

 

The first round European Jumping Team Championships took place from 12 noon and there were teams from 10 nations plus some individual riders from other countries.  The Championships is a two round "Nations Cup" style competition with the jumps having a maximum height of 1.30m and maximum spread of 1.40m, apart from triple bars where the spread can be up to 1.60m and the Water Jump can be up to 3.30m.  Team GB were drawn in 9th place in the running order, and the first British competitors, Emily Ward & King Mac (breeding unknown) unfortunately knocked fence 8 so accumulated 4 faults.  However, to put this in to context, with all the first riders for each team having compete, there was only one clear round - for France, who (along with Ireland) went into this round with a zero score.  Amy & King Mac are one of the more experienced combinations in the tam, having been members of the 2013 Silver Medal winning team.

 

Next to ride for GB were Harry Charles & Aroldo (Verdi x unknown).  A British-bred pony who last appeared at the 2010 Pony Euros where he competed as an individual with Emily Roe.  Aroldo was also on the 2006 European Gold medal winning team in 2006 with Emily's sister Rebecca.  By the Holsteiner and Grade A Showjumper Verdi (ridden by Adrian Haw) out of Megan's Gift (Welsh Sec D), Aroldo was bred by Emma Harrison.  Harry & Aroldo also had one fence down, the first part of the treble - which proved to be one of the problem fences on the course with 3 riders being eliminated for refusing the first part twice and one for having a second refusal there.  Again, there was just the one clear round, by another French rider.

 

Jared Lunn & Javas Alun (breeding unknown), riding as individuals rather than on the team, were the next GB representatives to jump and they too had 4 faults, at the second part of the double.

 

The third of the GB team members, Charlotte Ash & Aughnashammer (breeding unknown) raised GB hopes when they completed a lovely clear round but the final members, Alex Gill & Ammanvalley Santino (Cruglwyd Sant x unknown) unfortunately had both parts of the double down.

 

However, although GB added 8 faults (after discarding Alex's score) to the 4 faults they brought forward from the Individual round, most other nations fared worse (Germany had one rider eliminated for 2 refusals), and GB had actually moved up from equal 3rd place (with Germany) into equal 2nd (still with Germany) as host nations, Ireland had dropped into 4th place.

 

The second round started after a 30 minute break and all the individual riders jumped first with the GB individual, Jared & Javas Alun were unlucky with the weather and had to jump during a heavy rain shower and had 8 faults.  With plenty of other riders scoring more, this has still allowed Jared & Javas Alun into Sunday's Individual Final, albeit they are one of the highest scoring pairs (with a total of 20 faults carried forward). 

 

The team riders then jumped in turn but with the team order in reverse order of merit to add to the drama and tension - especially with GB last but one to go (leaders France were last).  With the course identical to round one, less problems may have been anticipated, but actually there were the same number of clear rounds.  Sadly, again GB only achieved one clear, this time by Harry & Aroldo as all the other GB team riders had faults at the water fence (which had also caused GB issues last year in Italy).  Emily & King Mac also had a fence down.

 

The French riders were again superb, achieving 2 clears and one clear with just one time fault, so they finished the Team Competition on a score of 1 and deservedly took the Gold medal.  The Irish riders also performed well, with 3 of them clear in this round, so they took the Silver medal on a score of 16.  Then, as Germany & GB were both on 20 faults in equal 3rd, there was a jump off.

 

In the jump off, all riders go against the clock and if after the worst score is discarded the scores are equal then the total time is taken into account.  The first German rider had 8 faults while Emily & King Mac pulled off their first clear round of the competition in 40.68 seconds.  Then with both the next 2 German riders and the next 2 for GB all going clear, but the Germans recording faster times, the pressure was on the final riders for each country.  When Lars Volmer (GER) & Carrick 13 managed a faster clear than any of the British at that point, last to go for GB, Alex & Ammanvalley Santino had to go clear in some 3 seconds less than anyone else had achieved.  Alex and Santino gave it their all, but in their haste, tipped the last fence - but even if they had gone clear, they wouldn't have been fast enough to make up the deficit.

 

 

GOLD

France - Total 1

(1st Individual round 0, 1st Team round 0, 2nd team round 1)

    Victoria Tachet & Rexter d'Or (0, 0, 8)
    Thomas Scalabre & Sligo de Mormal (4, 0, 0)
    Ninon Castex & Quabar des Monceaux Castex (0, 1, 1)
    Nina Mallevaey & Rominet de Bruz (0, 0, 0)
   

SILVER

Ireland - Total 16

(1st Individual round 0, 1st Team round 16, 2nd team round 0)

    Michael Pender & Doon Laddie (0, 8, 4)
    Grace Mchugh & Cassandra van het Roelhof (0, 4, 0)
    Sean Monaghan & Attyrory Rebel (12, 14, 0)
    Susan Fitzpatrick & Rock Dee Jay (0, 4, 0)
   

BRONZE

Germany - Total 20

(1st Individual round 4, 1st Team round 8, 2nd team round 8, Jump-off  0 in 116.59 seconds)

    Jusine Tebbell & SG's Miss California (48, 40, 4)
    Philip Schulze Topphoff & Mentos Junior 2 (0, 4, 4)
    Enno Klaphake & Nikolina (0, 4, 8)
    Lars Volmer & Carrick 13 (4, 0, 0)
   

4th

Great Britain - Total 20

(1st Individual round 4, 1st Team round 8, 2nd team round 8, Jump-off  0 in 125.46 seconds)

    Emily Ward & King Mac (4, 4, 8)
    Harry Charles & Aroldo (0, 4, 0)
    Charlotte Ash & Aughnashammer (4, 0, 4)
    Alex Gill & Ammanvalley Santino (0, 8, 4)
 

Emily Ward & King Mac

 

Harry Charles & Aroldo

 

Jared Lunn & Javas Alun

 

Charlotte Ash & Aughnashammer

 

British-bred Ammanvalley Santino & Alex Gill (GB)

 

The victorious French team with their Chef d'Equipe

 

Silver medal winners,

Ireland

 

Bronze winners, Germany

 

All photos by qorum-photos.com and must not be copied

  

Eventing Report
 
At the end of the first session of eventing dressage, the British team were in 7th  place, 4 penalties behind 2nd placed Italy, with Germany well in the lead. However, with teams generally running their best riders on day two, the leader board can change considerably.
 
Phoebe Locke & Mr Otto (breeding unknown), competing as individuals were the first of the British to do their dressage and their overall score of 49.8 penalties was good enough to them in put them into 21st place at the end of the session.  Phoebe is an ex Pony Showjumper and this is her first season eventing.
 
Oliver Williams & Bobnamara (breeding unknown) were the first of British Eventing Charles Owen sponsored team riders and their test was rewarded with 47.3 penalties for 15th place at the end of the dressage phase.  Oliver is an aspiring vet and has been riding since he was 3.  The Williams family have had "Bob" since he was 5 and Bob is owned by Oliver's sister Ellie who also was the first to compete him at Pony Trial level.
 
Then the final British team members, Isabelle Upton & Alfie XI  (breeding unknown) kept British team hopes high by doing a great test worth 74.44% and going into the lead on 38.3 penalties.  Although this lead only lasted for 4 ponies, when Victor Levecque & Qualitat des Bourdons stormed into the lead with an average mark of 80.42% which equated to 29.40 penalties. 
 
So, at the end of the dressage phase, good performances from French riders had put them ahead of the halfway leaders, Germany, with Italy now in 3rd place and GB moving up 3 places to 4th.  Overall, Isabelle Upton & Alfie XI are the best placed British pair before the start of the Cross Country (XC) with their 38.3 penalties putting them in 2nd place with individuals, Chloe Bell & Strawberry Box also well placed in 5th.
 

Pictures of the brand new, Mike Etherington Smith designed, cross country course can be found here and on Facebook.

 

Phoebe Locke & Mr Otto

 

Oliver Williams & Bobnamara

 

Isabelle Upton & Alfie XI

 

Photos by www.qorum-photos.com and must not be copied

  

Dressage Report

 

The first part of the individual dressage medal competitions started at 2 pm and the random draw had resulted in all 4 of the British riders being drawn to go in this session.  Although most public attention was on the jumping ring as the Team medals were being decided over there, there were still plenty of supporters and spectators at the dressage.

 

The first of the GB riders was Rebecca Bell & her lovely mare Valido's Sunshine.  Greatly improved from last year's Europeans and encouraged by a personal best in the Team Test, they were looking good when "Sunny" spooked at something during the early trot work and it also started to rain.  Becca rode well to refocus her mare and they finished on a score of 69.927% and were in 10th place at the end of the day.  

 

Next was the impressive 7 year old Der Kleine Lord & Alexandra Hellings.  Already sold to footballer Michael Owen for his 12 year old daughter Gemma, Claire Williams' "Lordy" was ridden initially by her daughter Erin - including as a 4 year old stallion when they were the 2011 SPSS & BD Young Dressage Pony Champions.  Trained by Sonia Baines throughout his time in the UK, Lordy was gelded last year and with Alex taking over the ride from Erin in 2012, the combination also achieved a personal best in the team test, placing 4th overall.  All went well for Alex & Lordy and they produced a very polished and graceful individual test that put them into the lead on 74.756%.

 

Phoebe Peters & SL Lucci, the defending Champions, were on 6 ponies later.  Looking great in the final warm-up arena which was alongside the competition arena, allowing the ponies an introduction to the atmosphere for the last 10 minutes before their test, Phoebe had Lucci on full power and was obviously prepared to set the standard.  Very sadly for them, after a great entry and halt, a few strides after Lucci set off from the halt in the required trot, he stumbled and lost his stride.  This unsettled him and despite Phoebe's best efforts, he repeatedly went into canter.  This dropped their marks for both the entry and, as he didn't pick up the trot until well into the next movement (extended trot), that score too.  Having settled him, Phoebe still rode for every mark and Lucci returned to his customary brilliance, clawing back from an initial average score of around 25% to a final mark of 72.171% - but sadly for them, this left them out of medal contention in 6th place at the end of the day.

 

Bethany Horobin & Gigolo were the last of the GB girls to compete and they were very unlucky to have the Jumping Team Medal ceremony going on in the main jumping arena (which was above the dressage one) during their test.  On top of this general noise, some children chose the wrong moment to start banging on something just as Gigolo turned the first corner and he spooked at them.  Beth instantly got him refocused and still managed the following movement but it did result in a slightly lower score than they would have hoped for and at the end of the day, they were in 7th place just behind Phoebe and Lucci.

 

Rebecca Bell & Valido's Sunshine

 

Der Kleine Lord & Alexandra Hellings

 

 

All photos by www.qorum-photos.com and must not be copied

 

Amazingly for GB, at the end of the day, Alex & Lordy remained in the top spot.  However, with one of the potentially top scoring German combinations (Semmieke Rothenburger & Deinhard B) and the other 2013 individual medallists (Lisanne Zoutendijk (NED) & Champ of Class) not competing until the end of the next day, it was going to be a long wait for Alex & Lordy and the GB supporters.

Bethany Horobin & Gigolo

Phoebe Peters & SL Lucci

 

The Sports Pony Studbook Society

Studbook Office:   The Last House, Keysoe Row West, Keysoe, Bedfordshire MK44 2JJ

Tel: 07703 566066    Email: 

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