Will Coleman’s 2021 winner, Off The Record, adds another Aachen rosette to his collection, finishing tenth on his return. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Welcome to CHIO Aachen week, one of the most exciting rosters of equestrian sport in the year’s calendar — a competition that merges the very best of eventing, showjumping, dressage, combined driving, and vaulting all within one enormously impressive venue, and all under the banner of the World Equestrian Festival. Next year, it’ll also play host to the World Championships across the major disciplines, a task it last undertook with aplomb back in 2006.
This week, though, the CCIO4*-S, which is a Championship-style course running through the parkland of the venue, and which will be designed for the first time this year by Italy’s Giuseppe della Chiesa — a man you might remember from the 2022 World Championships in Pratoni del Vivaro — who takes over after a long and successful stint by Rüdiger Schwarz.
Aachen’s CCIO4*-S is a Nations Cup style competition, but not a part of the FEI Nations Cup series — instead, it’s a standalone event, but one that’s arguably even more prestigious than its yearlong compatriot. In many ways, it functions as a kind of annual mid-season championship: nations have to earn spaces, so you’ll see some countries with teams and others with smaller individual allowances, and then, riders have to apply to their national governing bodies for selection.
So in practical terms, what does any of this mean and why should you care? Well, first of all, we can always safely assume that we’ll be looking at a top-class field and at give or take 45 horses and riders, one that’s only marginally smaller than, say, an Olympic field. Think small, but perfectly formed. From there, it’s interesting to see how each country strategises and makes best use of their allocation, and how that can change year on year. The event’s positioning in the calendar — and the fact that it’s a CCI4*-S — means it’s early enough to be used as a selection opportunity or preparation run ahead of each year’s major Championship (this year, that’ll be the FEI European Championships at Blenheim in September), but it’s also often used as a way to prepare less experienced horses or riders for the world stage.
Of course, this year’s renewal has an extra layer of intrigue: because of next year’s World Championships, many countries will be hoping to give some of their prime candidates a feeler run this year as part of their longer-term selection and preparation process.
Nowhere does this feel more true than in the ranks of the seriously hot US team. It’s clear that chef d’équipe Leslie Law is putting his A-team to work this week and aiming to take the team title that has closely eluded the nation previously — we’ve seen the US contingent hold down the fort in the bridesmaid position for the last couple of years, and they’re certainly ready to seal the deal. Their team will be helmed by Will Coleman and Off The Record, who are the only US pair to win the individual title at Aachen — an achievement they added to their resume in 2021. They’ll be joined by Phillip Dutton and Possante, Boyd Martin and Commando 3, runners up at Kentucky this spring, and Caroline Pamukcu and her Olympic partner HSH Blake. Phillip’s double-handed this week, actually — after the sad withdrawal of individual competitor James Alliston, whose 11-year-old Karma didn’t make the journey over after a minor setback in training. That means that the ten-year-old Denim, who was initially named as a direct reserve for Possante, will get the chance to run for the individual honours this week.
Boyd Martin and Commando 3. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
It’s a US roster that wouldn’t look at all out of place at next year’s World Championships, but even so, these things take some winning — and there are some teams that just don’t quit. Chief among them, of course, is the Great British effort, which brings together a strong line-up of developing horses and podium pathway riders. Five horses and riders are making the trip over, from which a team of four and one individual will be chosen by chef d’équipe Sarah Verney — and good luck to her, frankly, in making the call. Her roster of talent includes Laura Collett and Dacapo, who’s a strange duck of a horse who thrives at Aachen and Boekelo above all other events; Tom McEwen and Brookfield Quality, who were third at Pau last year and fifth at Kentucky this spring; Gemma Stevens and her 13-year-old Millstreet CCI4*-L champion Flash Cooley; Caroline Harris and her 2024 Pau champion D. Day; and Bramham winner Bubby Upton and her stalwart partner Cannavaro, who will be gaining valuable experience ahead of a bid for her senior team debut this autumn.
New Zealand’s line-up features both members of the Price family: Tim will be quietly hoping that showjumping in Aachen’s capacious main stadium suits Vitali, who has so often been hoodwinked by this phase, while Jonelle will be riding her Olympic partner, Hiarado, for a redemptive run after an up-and-down Kentucky this spring. If that sounds like we’re launching a pity party for the Prices, rest assured we’re not, because they don’t need it — these two ride immensely well on a redemption arc. They’re joined by an in-form Clarke Johnstone and Rocket Man, who haven’t finished outside the top ten at four-star this season; Samantha Lissington, who’s currently busy having the year of dreams, and will ride the charismatic Lord Seekonig this week; and now-US-based Monica Spencer and the excellent Thoroughbred campaigner Artist.
Samantha Lissington and Lord Seekonig. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
At Luhmühlen a couple of weeks ago we were all happily blown away by Australia’s Andrew Cooper and Sharvalley Thunder, who made the trip up from the southern hemisphere and duly finished third in the CCI4*-S — and now, we’re looking forward to seeing how that form translates to this championship-style occasion. They’ll be teamed up with British-based Kevin McNab and Faro Imp, Sammi Birch and the quirky but gritty Finduss PFB, and Bill Levett and Sligo Candy Cane, who step in following the withdrawal of Shane Rose and Easy Turn. It’s a team that’s emblematic of a sort of rebuilding of Australian coffers, after the re-retirement of Chris Burton, and the stepping down of former team stalwarts like Scuderia 1918 Don Quidam. Also previously successful at Aachen, and omnipresent on the Australian team in recent years, was Andrew Hoy’s Vassily de Lassos — and while we will see Andrew this week, it won’t be on team duties. He’s made the trip over from the UK with Gulliver des Lones to take part in Saturday night’s novelty Jump & Drive challenge, which pits teams comprising a showjumper, an eventer, and a combined driving team in a madcap relay under the lights, mostly set to aggressive Europop remixes. We’d make the trip just for that, too, so we get it.
We can’t talk about Germany without mentioning the home front, which is both strong and very evidently chosen with development in mind. Such is the nation’s strength that they’ve opted to leave the big guns — the Michis, the Christophs, the Julias, all of whom have already had big runs this spring — on the sidelines, while bringing their next-gen talent to the forefront for a valuable crack. They’ll be helmed by the uber-experienced Anna Siemer and FRH Butts Avondale, who are making their Aachen team debut, while we’ll also see runs from Libussa Lübekke and Caramia 34, who finished in the top ten at Kentucky this spring; Jérôme Robiné and Black Ice, who finished in the top twenty at Badminton; Calvin Böckmann and Altair de la Cense, with whom he finished fifth in the CCI4*-S at Luhmühlen; five-star partners Nicolai Aldinger and Timmo; and talented young up-and-comers in Emma Brussau and Dark Desire GS, Antonia Baumgart and Ris de Talm, Pauline Knorr and Aevolet M-A-F and Nina Schultes and Grand Prix iWest.
We’ll also see solid team efforts from Ireland, led by last year’s Blenheim eight- and nine-year-old champion MHS Zabaione, piloted by Padraig McCarthy, and Switzerland, who are using this opportunity to produce some of their fresher-faced horses. We’re mostly charmed by the persistence of single-human-named mares in the latter camp (Felix Vogg’s Frieda, or Mélody Johner’s Erin. Girls’ girls!). France rounds out the team line-up of eight, with a line-up featuring the consistent Luc Chateau, who’s been knocking on the door of a big French team debut, as well as Paris Olympian Stephane Landois, who will be hoping that Gainsbourg de Bedon can fill the huge hole left in his string by the sale of his medal-winning partner Ride For Thaïs Chaman Dumontceau.
Karin Donckers and Fletcher Van’t Verahof. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Beyond the eight teams, there are another four nations fielding individual riders: these are Japan, single-handedly represented by Olympian Ryuzo Kitajima and Be My Daisy; Canada, who have a fighting chance in Jessica Phoenix and Freedom GS; Sweden, whose very experienced Frida Anderson is using this as a foundational educational run for the up-and-coming Stonehavens Baby Blue; and Belgium, who send forward on-form (what else is new?!) Lara de Liedekerke-Meier and Kiarado d’Arville, and stalwart partnership Karin Donckers and the exceptional Fletcha van’t Verahof, evergreen at twenty years old.
Phew. It’s some line-up, really, isn’t it? And all this alongside the upper echelon of each of the major disciplines, all in a hay-and-currywurst tinged utopia of equestrian sport. We can’t wait to dive in, nor to bring all the action to you — starting with tomorrow’s first horse inspection, which will take place from 5.00 p.m. local time (4.00 p.m. BST/11.00 a.m. EST). All the sport from across the show will be broadcast via ClipMyHorse.TV, but we know you want all the nitty gritty about what’s happening, why it matters, and what you need to know ahead of next year, so keep it locked on EN for our full reports, and don’t miss our Instagram stories, either, which will take you behind the scenes across each day, too. You can bookmark our Ultimate Guide to get easy access to all our coverage as it’s published. Auf wedersehen, and Go Eventing!
CHIO Aachen: [Website] [Program/Entries] [Timing & Scoring] [Live Stream] [EN’s Coverage]
