Classic Eventing Nation

Caroline Harris and D. Day cruise into the Luhmühlen lead. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Just fifteen horses and riders remain in the hunt for the 2026 Longines Luhmühlen CCI5* title after an influential – and very, very warm – cross-country day shook up the 20-strong leaderboard.

It’s clear that course designer Mike Etherington-Smith has championships on the brain, because both his courses today – this one, and the CCI4*-S Meßmer Trophy this afternoon – were even more technical than usual, ensuring that the day’s sport had a true five-star feel despite a smaller-than-normal field.

Of those fifteen finishers, just nine completed without incurring jumping penalties, and only one horse and rider would catch the tight eleven-minute optimum time.

Great Britain’s Caroline Harris and her 2024 Pau winner D. Day didn’t just sneak inside it, either: they eclipsed it by some eighteen seconds, despite never looking hurried.

“I actually have no idea how we managed that,” laughs Caroline. “I was trying to make up a bit of time earlier on, because the course got really intense later, but somehow I just kept hitting my minute markers and then getting more and more up on the clock.”

She did, she says, “have Dicky Waygood and Chris Bartle in my head telling me not to set my preparation point too early, and because D. Day is so polite, I tried to dare myself to do it. Even then, I did sometimes think, ‘oh, god, I’ve set up way too early!’”

Caroline Harris and D. Day. Photo courtesy of TGL/Thomas Ix.

The ease with which Caroline and the twelve-year-old gelding, who she rides for breeder Fiona Olivier and co-owners Lucy Matthews, Marie Anne Richardson, and Heather Royle, allowed them to top the leaderboard at the end of the morning’s sport, stepping up from fourth place after dressage on their score of 31.1.

This is a third five-star start for Caroline and the son of the Funnell’s Billy Mexico alike: they made their debut here in 2024, finishing twelfth, before going on to take victory at Pau later that year over a course that looked more like a swimming pool, except all the pool floaties were solid and frightening rather than, like, inflatable flamingos with cupholders.

There was a moment – or about three hours, really – in the early hours of this morning when Caroline and her little horse might have had a war flashback or two. Luhmühlen at this time of year is famous for its extremes of weather, which I devoted myself to finding out more about earlier this week but got as far as learning something about weather fronts out of Russia clashing with something to do with the sea. I don’t know. Anyway, in real world terms, that means that even when the event is a sun-trap, as it is this week, it’s also nearly guaranteed that at some point the heavens will open so dramatically that any other event would be forced to hold its hands up and stop the show.

Not so Luhmühlen, with its ground like a sponge, which benefitted enormously from the apocalyptic storm that kept most of us awake until it was time to get up and get moving. Caroline and D. Day didn’t have to use their previous excellent form in wet going at all, and instead cruised along the top of the ground to make the whole round like a bit more like a schooling exercise than a five-star marathon.

Part of that comes down to this year’s course direction, Caroline explains.

“This year really suited us, because in this direction, it eases you in and the last seven minutes is very intense,” she says. “The last time I was here it started out very intense and then eased off, but this way, we really got into our rhythm. He can start out a bit careful, and so the lessened intensity early on really got us going.”

It would be easy to assume that, coming into a smaller five-star line-up on a horse that’s already won at the level, Caroline might have been feeling that the odds were fully in her favour ahead of today’s cross-country. That wasn’t quite the case.

“I was pretty nervous, actually,” she admits. “I was very aware of what went wrong at the Blenheim Europeans last year [the pair had a 20, and then suffered a rider fall] and I really wanted to put that to bed a bit. But he’s come out this year feeling better than ever, so I think that’s a lesson we’ve both learned, and we’ve both come back better for it.”

Last year’s disappointment was, she explains, a bit of a mystery.

“If I’m really honest, last year he just never felt quite 100% himself. He gave me some brilliant runs, like at Aachen, but would I say he felt as good cross-country as he’s feeling this year? Probably not. I don’t know why that is, but we gave him a long, long holiday, and he’s come back feeling really good.”

Today, she says, “he was perfect. He absolutely flew. There wasn’t a moment where I was worried – it all rode exactly as I’d walked it. He’s just a little horse who gives you everything – he might not be big and flashy like some of the others, but he’ll always dig very, very deep and do his best.”

Emily King and Valmy Biats. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Caroline and D. Day’s storming success stole them the top spot from dressage leaders Emily King and Valmy Biats, who added 6.8 time penalties after Emily decided to ease off the 17-year-old a touch.

“He’s an amazingly brave horse, which can sometimes make him a little bit hard to ride, and I’ve fallen into that trap a few times around some bigger events,” she says. “I wanted to just think a little bit extra for him around the course today. I’m not sure whether it was the heat, but he was a little bit quieter today, so actually, this crazy lion that I’m normally trying to navigate around a course was not so lion-y, and I had to adapt a bit to that.”

“It’s lovely having your plan, and when it all comes off and your horse is exactly how he normally is, it all happens seamlessly and is the most amazing feeling, but that’s not always the case, is it?” she continues. “It was a bit like that with Valmy today. I thought, ‘my goodness, I need to start thinking about a different plan’. He was super, though. Maybe some of the strides or the approaches weren’t quite as I’d imagined them, but he was so good on the fences, super quick with his legs, really straight, and came through the finish super quick.”

Emily King and Valmy Biats. Photo courtesy of TGL/Thomas Ix.

It was evident that Valmy had gained a second wind in the back end of the course, and the gelding’s cruising pace increased to regain the pair some valuable time back on the clock. They were also granted another nine penalty reprieve, when a flag on their scorecard was removed at the end of the class.

On a hot day like today, most riders are just desperate to see their horses finish well and happy, and that was Emily’s top priority.

“These horses mean so much to us, and I think we can all agree that we just want to get them home safe and sound,” she says. “In England, it’s only been heating up over the past month, and it’s not been like this, nor as close as this, so I think we all had to ride with the feeling that we could only go as quickly as we felt safe to in order to get them home safe and sound.”

Boyd Martin and Shanroe Cooley. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

There’s just 2.7 penalties separating Caroline and Emily as we head into tomorrow’s showjumping finale, but the margin opens up a touch as we look to third place, which is the domain of Boyd Martin and his five-star debutant, Shanroe Cooley. They added just 2.4 time penalties in an educational, confidence-building round for the eleven-year-old, boosting them up the order from eleventh after dressage and putting them just a hair over a rail behind Emily and Valmy.

“I’m thrilled with him today,” says Boyd. “He’s a new ride for me, and the dressage is still a work in progress – yesterday we had moments of brilliance and moments of disaster all in the one test – but I really didn’t know what to expect here today. We came to Luhmühlen wondering if he was a five-star horse, and as he kept going through the track, I’m thinking to myself, ‘hey, he’s feeling pretty good!’ I’m looking at my watch and thinking, ‘we’re in this!’”

Like much of the class’s entrants, Shanroe Cooley tired in the last couple of minutes of the course, but that’s when Boyd really got a sense of what sort of a horse he might be.

“He was tired, but he just gritted his teeth and pricked his ears. I’ve got so much admiration for these horses; they’re really just true competitors, and he really fought hard for me out there today. I’m thrilled for the horse, I’m thrilled for the owners, and most importantly, I’m thrilled for Liz Halliday, because to have a successful round at five-star is a great accomplishment, and she’s done a magnificent job of producing him.”

Shanroe Cooley’s path to this level hasn’t been straightforward: after his accident at the AECs with Liz in 2024, which curtailed her eventing career, he pivoted into a career in the equitation ring – which, Boyd laughs, “was a massive failure! Then Peter Wylde and Eric Duvander convinced me to take him, and I was sort of on the fence about whether to do it or not, but they assured me he was a champion horse.”

The five-star’s early finish today might sound like it spells an afternoon of rest and relaxation for Boyd, but not so: “I’ve got half of America texting my phone at the moment, because he’s got such a massive following – all of Liz’s students and fans and owners are cheering this horse on. There’s only a handful of Americans here, but we’ve got the whole country waking up very early this morning and glued to this live stream, so I reckon I’ve got to reply to about 400 texts now!”

Jonelle Price and Grappa Nera. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Jonelle Price finished the dressage with two horses in the top ten, and finished cross-country with both in the top five after two textbook rounds. The 2022 Pau winner Grappa Nera was our pathfinder today, and set a smart pace to add just 4.4 time penalties and step up from 10^th to fourth, while the five-star first-timer Capitaine de Hus Z, formerly the ride of Ginny Thomasen, cruised around for 7.2 time penalties and a leap from seventh to fifth.

Benjamin Massie and Guess Star. Photo by Jan Frohne.

One of the rounds of the day was that of France’s Benjamin Massie and the Upsilon daughter Guess Star, who might not be built for the first phase, but for whom cross-country is truly just a game. The pair shot up from last place yesterday to sixth today, crossing the finish line just one second over the optimum time. At just ten years old, this is only her thirteenth FEI competition and her fifth long-format; today’s single second on the clock is the first she’s ever racked up in any long.

Hallie Coon and Kapriccio. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Day one dressage leaders Hallie Coon and Kapriccio – another of the first-timer horses in this field – looked stylish and confident around the track, but were one of several combinations to have a pin from a light touch at the corner complex at 22B, adding 11 penalties to their tally. It would be easy to be frustrated with that in a round that otherwise added just 4.4 time penalties to their score card, but Hallie is too busy looking at the gelding with hearts in her eyes to worry too much about the details.

“He is,” she texts me, “the most amazing!”

The pair will head into Sunday in a still very respectable seventh place, some 12 penalties away from the leading spot.

German five-star debutants Katharina Meyer and Aspen T brought it home for the enthusiastic spectators lining the ropes, and will hold eighth place overnight. Like Hallie and Kapriccio, they came home in a time of 11:11 (make a wish!), but added no further penalties on course.

James Avery and Dallas 13. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

New Zealand’s James Avery and his exciting Dallas 13, who also steps up this week, moved from third to ninth place after they, too, barely tapped the rail at 22B to have the pin. Their round was otherwise a picture, and they came home fifteen seconds over the time to add 6 time penalties.

Harry Horton and Cooley With Ambition. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

British five-star debutant Harry Horton had expected to put a 40 on the board with Cooley With Ambition yesterday, and admitted that when he actually managed a 35.6 and a top ten position, that made him morenervous, not less.

But you’d be hard-pressed to spot nerves in horse or rider as they made their way around the course, picking out a couple of sensible long routes – including at that tricksy corner combination at 22 – to come home as a confirmed five-star partnership with a clear round and 35.6 time penalties. They’ll head into Sunday morning in tenth place.

“I’m enormously relieved and incredibly proud,” says Harry. “And I came down in the lorry with Caroline Harris, so the journey home’s going to be alright!”

The mighty Kiwi contingent here took a bit of a knock today, with a retirement on course for Vicky Browne-Cole and her lovely Thoroughbred, Cutting Edge, and a non-injurious rider fall at 22B for Abby Jones and Henton Audacious, who had sat sixth after dressage. But the biggest story of the day was arguably that of Tim Price and Happy Boy, who were fifth coming into cross-country, and have some major wins under their belt already, like Boekelo in 2022 and the Seven-Year-Old World Championship in 2019. But the gelding is also a bit of a wild card in this phase, and although he started well, he took a dislike to the skinny on dry land in the middle of the Meßmer Water, the second water complex on course. He dropped his left shoulder, bid adieu to the fence, and sent his poor rider careening across the grass, too. Poor Tim’s indignities didn’t end there, either: after gamely fixing the flag back on the fence for the next rider, he attempted to make his way off course by walking over the top of the alternative fence… and fell off that, too. Someone get the man a beer.

So: fifteen left in it, and just the small matter of the final horse inspection to get through at 9.15 a.m. tomorrow morning (8.15 a.m. BST/3.15 a.m. EST). After that, we’ll see the CCI4*-S horses trot up, before another scorcher of a day of sport beckons.

The top ten in the CCI5* after cross-country.

That CCI4*-S, which incorporates the German National Championship and acts as an important selection trial for the World Championships, too, is down to 43 from 50 starters, and was every bit as influential as we expect from this class. Much like Kentucky’s accompanying CCI4*-S, it’s no run-of-the-mill spin at the level – and we saw that play out with some surprising mishaps on course.

Germany’s Arne Bergendahl has arguably one of the most exciting young horses in the sport in Bronco NRW, who placed at Boekelo last year, but the pair failed to complete today after a rider fall at fence 22B, while New Zealand’s Sam Lissington and her sixth-placed Delarado retired on course after picking up twenty penalties midway around the course.

Julia Krajewski and Uelzener’s Nickel. Photo courtesy of TGL / Thomas Ix.

There’s little change in the upper echelons, though: Julia Krajewski and the sublime Uelzener’s Nickel retain their lead, adding just 4 time penalties to their 22.9 dressage score to take a rail in hand into tomorrow. Julia also sits fourth with the inexperienced Tullabeg Platinum, who added 7.2 time penalties to drop down one spot on the leaderboard.

“Nickel’s round was, from my point of view, faultless – he’s really a pro at this level, and I was very happy with myself that I didn’t take too many pulls,” says Julia. “So we were able to be very fluid, and that’s how we can be quick, because he doesn’t have high speed but he’s always so on it.”

Belgium’s Lara de Liedekerke-Meier and 2025 Boekelo winner Kiarado d’Arville move from fourth place to second, also adding just four time penalties to their first-phase score in a run that Lara hopes will be a crucial preparation for August’s World Championships.

“He’s just ten, and he’s done a lot already, but he never came to a show like Luhmühlen,” says Lara. “I’m aiming him for Aachen, which is why he came here – it’s a little bit similar, with a twisty track that’s like what we’ll have. Everything this week is with an eye on a few weeks’ time – I could have gone faster today, but I didn’t take on the risk, and I’m glad I didn’t.”

Malin Hansen-Hotopp and her five-star and championship mount Carlitos Quidditch K cruised home with 6.8 time penalties to sit third overnight.

“I’m so happy with him – he’s such a smart, clever event horse,” says Malin. “He’s always in front of me and makes it so easy for me to ride the right lines – it’s just fun. I think I had a big smile on my face the whole time.”

The fastest rider of the day in this class was Switzerland’s Nadja Minder and Top Job’s Jalisco, who came home just one second over the 6:40 optimum time. British-based US rider Cosby Green retains ninth place with the evergreen Highly Suspicious, who added 6.4 time penalties, while compatriot Tommy Greengard opted to give his exciting nine-year-old That’s Me Z a steadier clear for 18.4 time, dropping them from 12^th to 28^th but giving them both a huge amount of mileage for the future.

We’ll be back tomorrow with all the news you need to know from the final horse inspection and beyond. Until then, Go Eventing.

The top ten after cross-country in the CCI4*-S.

Longines Luhmühlen: [Website] [Tickets] [FEI Schedule] [Entries] [Ride Times/Scoring] [CrossCountry App XC Map] [H&C+ Live Stream] [CCI5* Form Guide] [Ultimate Guide] [EN’s Coverage]

A-boat to get their feet wet at the first water (sorry). Photo by Tilly Berendt.

There’s an international flair at the top of the leaderboard as we head into cross country day over at the German mid-season 5*, with three of the six nations represented taking up the podium placings following the dressage phase.

1️⃣ 🇬🇧 Sitting pretty in pole position and hoping to stay there is Emily King with her old pal Valmy Biats on a score of 27. They’re a bit of a will-they-won’t-they combination, with 4th and 5th placings at Badminton to their name but plenty of top-level disappointment too. They’re plenty capable of finally answering their 5* podium door knocking this weekend. Watch this space…

2️⃣ 🇺🇸 The US have come to play in Europe with Hallie Coon and new-ish ride Kapriccio (taken over from Zimbabwe’s Julia Norman at the beginning of last season) proving hot to trot between the white boards with a score of 27.8 – in cross country terms that’s just 2 seconds behind the lead. The gelding’s a 5* debutant but has proved reliable across the country thus far, and quick too – he’s also a good shout for a clear round tomorrow. Exciting times.

3️⃣ 🇳🇿 The Kiwis are in it to win it at Luhmühlen, currently taking up half of the top 10 spots, with James Avery and 5* rookie Dallas 13 the best of the bunch, currently rounding out the rolling podium on a score of 29.6. The 12-year-old (Dallas, not James) may be making his step up to the big time, but he’s gained plenty of mileage at 4* over the last three seasons and certainly looks capable of putting in a solid performance today. Stay tuned to see how things play out in the Kiwi camp.

You’ll find the full scoreboard right here.

If you want to read all about how the scores happened over the last two days, here’s everything you need to know, and more:

▶️ Tilly’s got her boots on the German ground to bring you her classic reports from each phase of competition – catch up with Day One here and Day Two here.

▶️ To follow the form, you’re in need of EN’s epic form guide, which you’ll find just here.

▶️ For absolutely everything about the competition this week, including schedules, reports, how to keep up with what’s going on and allsorts more, be sure to bookmark our Ultimate Guide.

We’re due to kick off at 10am local time (CEST), that’s 4am EST.

First, though, a little ‘refresher’ on the no. 1 rule of following EN’s classic live blog: refresh, refresh, refresh – and all will be revealed.

If you’re catching up with this later and are the type to like things in order, scroll ⬇️ and read ⬆️. If going backwards is more your jam, have at it.

Eyes on, ENers, and let’s go eventing!

Longines Luhmühlen: [Website] [Tickets] [FEI Schedule] [Entries] [Ride Times/Scoring] [CrossCountry App XC Map] [H&C+ Live Stream] [CCI5* Form Guide] [Ultimate Guide] [EN’s Coverage]

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6:34am

UPDATE: Emily’s flag penalties have been taken away, which leaves the leaderboard looking like this as we head into tomorrow’s show jumping:

1️⃣ 🇬🇧 Leading the pack is Caroline Harris and D. Day who stormed round the track, the only combination to go clear inside the time, and go into tomorrow on their dressage score of 31.1, 2.7 penalties ahead of the rest of the field – in show jumping terms that’s just time, no fence in hand.

2️⃣ 🇬🇧 Now sitting in second is Emily King and Valmy Biats after cross country time penalties dropped them down a place, having led after the first phase. They’re on a score of 33.8.

3️⃣ 🇺🇸 Chasing the top spot is Boyd Martin and Shanroe Cooley who delivered the goods and sit on a score of 38.1.

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6:02am

And that’s that – a short but very sweet day’s sport from the 5* at Luhmühlen.

We can take a look at the top three, but there’s Emily’s flag penalty under review which will shake things up if it’s taken away.

However, here’s how things stand right now:

1️⃣ 🇬🇧 Leading the pack is Caroline Harris and D. Day who stormed round the track, the only combination to go clear inside the time, and go into tomorrow on their dressage score of 31.1, 7 penalties ahead of the rest of the field – in show jumping terms that’s a fence and fair bit of time.

2️⃣ 🇺🇸 Chasing the top spot is Boyd Martin and Shanroe Cooley who delivered the goods and are on a score of 38.1.

3️⃣ 🇳🇿 Just 1.8 penalties behind second place, rounding out the rolling podium, is Jonelle Price and Grappa Nera who got things off to a great start as trailblazers and sit in third at the end of proceedings on a score of 39.9.

If Emily King and Valmy Biats’ flag penalties are taken off, they would go into 2nd on a score of 33.8, but for now, the 9 penalties stand.

You’ll find the full scoreboard (which will be updated live) right here.

Keep it locked onto EN for our classic full report – coming soon.

The show jumping phase for the 5* is due to start at 11:15am local time (CEST) / 5:15am EST.

Thanks for following along – Until next time ENers…

Go eventing!

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5:59am

Jonelle’s got the course to herself to close things out.

They’re careful through the combination at 22AB, picking out the perfect line and then getting a brilliant jump over the corner at B, not needing a big stretch because the horse was in perfect balance and in the perfect spot.

They skip through the ditch and log complex at 24ABC, very neat and tidy there.

Jonelle puts her foot down to fly the hedge at 25.

They’re neat over the two oxers at 26AB.

Wow, that was a brave last fence. Goodness. The horse decided he knew what he was doing and took it on.

They cross the line clear with 7.2 time penalties. Jonelle looks really pleased with her horse’s efforts.

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5:52am

FINAL COMBINATION ON COURSE: 🇳🇿 Jonelle Price and Capitaine de Hus Z

Dressage Score: 35.5
Place: 10

We’re down to the final 5* combination of the day with Jonelle bookending proceedings.

Jonelle is super speedy into the main arena but then brings the horse back for the the first element of the combination at 8 in there. She picks up an equally beautiful curve as she did earlier with Grappa Nera.

They are superb through the Messmer Water, totally together, brave and bold. The horse is really responding to everything Jonelle puts in front of him. They’re fast down the combination at 14ABC and gallop on. They skip off the Irish Bank at 16A and have already picked up the line through the offset brushes at B and C as they come off there.

Boyd and Shanroe Cooley have completed, clear jumping and 2.4 time. Boyd really rode a great round, it didn’t always look super easy but he made it happen.

Meanwhile, Sam gets a good shot through the water at 20AB, picking up the arrowheads in his sights and going straight through there. He makes the big corner at 22B look easy. They cross the line carrying 20 jumping penalties and 21.6 time, there’s also a flag penalty under review.

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5:46am

PENULTIMATE COMBINATION ON COURSE: 🇬🇧 Sam Ecroyd and Mr Big Ears

Dressage Score: 35.7
Place: 11=

Only one more combination to go after Sam and his cutely-named pal.

Sam’s horse is quite fresh at the start of the course and Sam has to ask him nicely to pick up the right stride through the first water. They jump brilliantly through the combination at the main arena at 8ABC.

Ooo, they pick up a run out in the middle of the Messmer Water at 12. They looked like they were good, but they just slide past the skinny on the island at the B element. That’s frustrating for Sam.

Boyd’s brave down the combination at 14ABC and then really rides forward to the brush at the B element of 16 after the Irish Bank. He’s having to ride at a lot of the fences, really, elbows going as they come through the final water too. He takes the quick route at the corner combination at 22AB. The horse responds nicely but they do take the flag, nothing comes up on the scoreboard for that though.

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5:42am

NEW COMBINATION ON COURSE: 🇺🇸 Boyd Martin and Shanroe Cooley

Dressage Score: 35.7
Place: 11=

Just two more to come after Boyd.

Boyd makes a neat job through the main arena at 8ABC but doesn’t look quite as quick as some of the others through there. They’re great through the first water. Boyd really picks up the greatest of lines through combinations.

We see James and Dallas through the final water looking full of run as they come towards the latter stages of the course. If they’re inside the time they’ll go into the lead. He holds this little gelding right on the line through 20ABC, brilliant riding there.

Oop, James has had a frangible device at the big corner at 22B. The horse just catches it in front. That means Caroline Harris and D. Day will go into the show jumping in the lead.

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5:36am

NEW COMBINATION ON COURSE: 🇳🇿 James Avery and Dallas 13

Dressage Score: 29.6
Place: 3

James comes into the main arena blisteringly quick and is out before you know it. They’re equally quick through the combination at 14ABC coming down the hill. They’re in it to win it.

Valmy and Emily are foot perfect down the Wave Run combination, very clean and Valmy’s really listening. He comes back nicely when Emily asks for the table before the Irish Bank at 16A. He’s careful off it and then has to pick his way through the two brushes at B and C, but he’s trying. There’s seconds being wasted though.

Valmy has to really stretch over the corner at 18A into the water but then picks up the second for 18B well. They really don’t look to be going very quickly. Valmy chooses two long ones at the arrowheads at 20B and C. Yikes. But Emily’s got a classic safety seat so no worries there for her.

They’re showing as having picked up flag penalties at 20B but it’ll be reviewed.

They make a good job of the final combination at 26AB and then jump the last great. They’re over the time though, 6.8 penalties.

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5:30am

NEW COMBINATION ON COURSE: 🇬🇧 Emily King and Valmy Biats

Dressage Score: 27
Place: 1

Our dressage leaders take us into the final five combinations of the day. Can they keep their lead? Only time will tell…

Emily is on fire as flies through the main arena. Valmy’s looking rideable and with her at this point. Great. We pick them back up at the Messmer Water. They pop in, up the bank and over the brush, straight as anything through the offset brushes. Looking good.

Heike is a little cautious through the Messmer Water and it turns out to be a little too much so, with the horse running out of oomph coming to the first of the offset brushes at 13A. They come back round but it’s just not happening for them and they pick up another run out, this time at B. They come round again and continue on but then chooses to retire. The horse just wasn’t traveling forward and that’s not what you want on cross country. Another day for them.

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5:25am

NEW COMBINATION ON COURSE: 🇩🇪 Heike Jahncke and Mighty Spring FRH

Dressage Score: 38
Place: 15

This pair pop nicely over the first three fences to get their course off to a confident start. We catch up with them as they come into the main arena for the combination at 8ABC. They get a huge jump over the A element and then pick up a really smooth curving line through the two tables for B and C. Heike’s bringing the mare back a little to set up for the fences, which’ll eat into the time, but taking no risks and giving the horse a really lovely ride.

Meanwhile, Sam’s coming close to home now. The mare puts in a little stride before the big hedge at 25 and then just touches the first oxer at 26A but is great over the second for the B element. They get a lovely jump over the final fence. They complete with 20 jumping and 27.2 time.

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5:17am

NEW COMBINATION ON COURSE: 🇬🇧 Sam Gillespie and But Not Till Now

Dressage Score: 38.4
Place: 17

Sam’s mare just touches each of the fences at the first water at 5ABC with her toes, hopefully she’ll pick up a bit as she gets into her round. She absolutely flies into the main arena. She’s certainly getting up in the air as she leaps over the three obstacles in there. Fabulous jumping there.

Sadly, things don’t continue on as successfully and they run into trouble at the Messmer Water, picking up a 20 but coming round the longer route and continuing on.

They get a really great line through the Wave Run combination which’ll have built the horse’s confidence back up after that problem. The horse is super brave off the Irish Bank at 16A and they’re very fast through the combination there.

Sam commits to the straight route at the water at 18AB and makes it happen. Great cross country riding on show. The horse locks straight onto the two brush arrowheads on their second time through the water and they make a neat job through there.

CAROLINE HARRIS AND D. DAY ARE CLEAR INSIDE THE TIME!!! 18 second inside! That’s what smooth riding does for you. Superb.

Ooh, Abby and Henton Audacious part company at the corner at 22B. He’s been a little sticky in a few places and it’s no different here. It looked like hard work over the rails at A and then twists over the big corner and Abby has no chance of staying on. A shame for them.

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5:11am

NEW COMBINATION ON COURSE: 🇳🇿 Abby Jones and Henton Audacious

Dressage Score: 32
Place: 6

We see Abby at the first water, not going quite as quick as some of the other Kiwis but getting the job done neatly. They’re a little sticky through the Messmer Water but the horse is very genuine and just keeps going. He’s great through the Wave Run combination though, very brave and listening to Abby. That looked better.

We catch up with Benjamin Massie and Guess Star jumping beautifully over the final fence. Just 1 second over. It sure looked quick, and it was.

Caroline makes the line through the water at 18AB look really smooth and before you know it they’re back round and through again for 20AB and on their way home. D. Day is absolutely full of run as he gallops toward the ditch log combination at 24ABC. He comes back to Caroline nicely and picks his way across very neatly.

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5:06am

NEW COMBINATION ON COURSE: 🇬🇧 Caroline Harris and D. Day

Dressage Score: 31.1
Place: 4

There are two Pau winners in the field this week and this is one of them. They sloshed their way through the mud in France a couple years ago to take the 5* title. How will they fare on decent going today?

Caroline flashes through the first water, totally on her game it seems. She’s in a great place and won’t be wasting any time today. They find the distance a little tight coming out of the combination in the main arena but they make it happen and gallop on. This clever pony puts half a trot step in on the island at the Messmer water at 12B. They’re quick through there too. Caroline’s going for it.

Benjamin and Guess Star are great through the combination at 22AB, making that huge corner look quite small.

Harry makes the ditch and log combination at 24ABC look very simple, popping through and on his way home. The horse looks a little tired but he’s still jumping. Harry rides him forward to the second oxer at 26B and then they’re over the last and Harry’s punching the air. Really well ridden round. Clear jumping and 35.6 time.

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5am

NEW COMBINATION ON COURSE: 🇫🇷 Benjamin Massie and Guess Star

Dressage Score: 41.7
Place: 20

We’re half-way through and into the final 10 rounds of the competition.

They’re fast and furious through the first water, classically French. The strides aren’t quite there but the horse finds them anyway and off they go. They blast into the main arena and it’s a blink and you’ll miss em moment. This horse is fabulous in front, which really helps when the striding is a little scary.

There’s some really clever footwork on the island in the Messmer water at 12B, hopping and skipping and jumping for joy through that tricky combination.

Harry continues to ride brilliantly as he comes to the final waters on the course. He opts for the alternative at 18, not taking a risk so late in the course. They go straight through the combination at 20ABC, very brave into the water and then picking up a great line through the two skinny brushes.

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4:56am

NEW COMBINATION ON COURSE: 🇬🇧 Harry Horton and Cooley With Ambition

Dressage Score: 33.5
Place: 8

This pair look in total agreement as they make their way through the main arena combination at 8ABC, looking very confident and together as they arc round hitting each stride spot on. Harry rides really well through the Messmer water, keeping the horse going despite losing a bit of momentum up the bank there. Great job.

Oop! Tim’s out the side door. They get a good shot over the rails into the Messmer water but Happy Boy is a cheeky boy at the skinny brush on the island at B and dodges out to the side. Tim’s straight up and picking the flag up and putting it back on the fence. Total pro. One of those things, I guess. Annoying for Tim and his team though.

Words from Tim: “When things are great, they’re great, when they unravel you end up with some grass stains on your pants.”

Indeed.

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4:50am

NEW COMBINATION ON COURSE: 🇳🇿 Tim Price and Happy Boy

Dressage Score: 31.7
Place: 5

Tim is cutting every single second as he makes his way round the start of the track, taking all the tightest lines. This pair find the perfect line through the combination in the main arena at 8ABC, stunning from both horse and rider there. So balanced and smooth.

Tim’s opted for the longer route at the corner combination at 10ABCD. That’s interesting. He doesn’t waste much time though, circling through cleanly. It’ll put them down on the clock though.

Meanwhile, Hallie has crossed the line carrying those 11 penalties and 4.4 time.

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4:42am

NEW COMBINATION ON COURSE: 🇺🇸 Hallie Coon and Kapriccio

Dressage Score: 27.8
Place: 2

Hallie’s in second and totally meaning business as she gets stuck into the cross country course today. They’re smooth and elegant through the first water, locked on and really quick. They’re nippy through the main arena, arcing round and keeping up the momentum right the way through there. They are superb through the Wave Run combination at 14ABC, straight, smooth and super quick. Looking great!

Hallie and Kapriccio are really quick through the combination at 22AB and they get too close to the corner at B. Oh man, the frangible device goes. That sucks. 11 penalties for that.

Ivanhoe is so brave coming off the Irish Bank at 16 and then again, the distances aren’t perfect through the two offset brushes at B and C but Dominic turns in the air and the pair make it happen together.

They’re a little sticky through the water at 20, dropping in nicely but then having to work hard to make the distance to the skinny brush in the water at B. But they’re on the same team and getting the job done together.

They choose the longer route at 22AB and things aren’t super smooth but again, they get through and continue on. The horse is finishing well considering they’ve taken some long routes and had a couple of sticky moments. They cross the line clear jumping and 39.2 time. There’s a flag question on 12B but it’ll be reviewed.

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4:40am

NEW COMBINATION ON COURSE: 🇮🇪 Dominic Furnell and Ivanhoe

Dressage Score: 39.4
Place: 18

Ivanhoe is happily hunting his way round as we catch up with him in the main arena. They take a slightly longer route through the combination at 10 and the gelding doesn’t look quite as happy at being asked to come back, he’s a galloper this one. But they get the job done and continue on.

He’s on his game through the Messmer water, not finding the distances super easy but working things out. Horse and rider are both working hard. This is a big, galloping horse so the combinations take a bit of work.

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4:33am

NEW COMBINATION ON COURSE: 🇳🇿 Vicky Browne-Cole and Cutting Edge

Dressage Score: 37.1
Place: 14

We first see Vicky and this plucky mare at the Longines water, super quick and brave and straight through. They’re equally brave through the main area combination and waste no time at all as they curve round and continue on. No worries for them.

Sadly, things don’t continue as they started. The martingale has come undone and the horse comes into the Messmer water with her head up in the air. It would be really difficult for this to come off for them and it doesn’t. They pick up a run out, have another go but run out again and Vicky doesn’t really have any choice but to put her hand up at this point. A shame for them.

Katharina’s horse has a little step moment at the ditch combination at 24 but he’s clever on his feet and picks his way through. There’s another moment at the double of oxers at 26 and she looks back to check the pin but all’s well. She’s delighted as she crosses the line, clear jumping and 3 seconds over.

Stephen and Hagonda have completed carrying 20 jumping penalties, 11 for the frangible device and 32.4 time.

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4:25am

NEW COMBINATION ON COURSE: 🇩🇪 Katharina Meyer and Aspen T

Dressage Score: 41.4
Place: 19

This horse looks super keen and powerful, very impressive. He has a huge jump over the first fence in the main arena but is clever with his feet to make the distances work through the B and C elements. Katharina is having to set this strong horse up before the fences, which will be taking up precious seconds, but his jump is fabulous. They’re super brave off the Irish Bank at 16.

Stephen and Hagonda have had a broken device penalty at 10A, the corner combination on the mound. We see them come through the Messmer water in a really lovely balance, smooth and sleek through there. They’re showing as having picked up a 20 at 14C but have carried on.

Meanwhile Sian and Corrowgar Je Taime Max have crossed the finish, carrying 20 jumping penalties and 30.4 time, but a 5* completion which is always an achievement.

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4:20am

NEW COMBINATION ON COURSE: 🇬🇧 Stephen Heal and Hagonda

Dressage Score: 33.6
Place: 9

Hagonda makes a great job through the first water at 4 and 5ABC, totally balanced and looking very confident, which is good to see.

We see Sian at the Messmer water and sadly picking up 20 at the skinny brush on the island. The horse was looking round a little, losing focus as he came up the bank out of the water and it just doesn’t come up for them. Sian opts to pick her way through the longer route and continues on.

There’s total focus at the Irish Bank combination though, with the gelding already locked onto the brush at B as he came off the bank. They opt for the longer route at the Star Partner Water at 18AB and make a nice job of things. She’s having to really ride as she comes back around to the water for 20AB, encouraging the horse to keep thinking forward, but he’s answering the questions.

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4:16am

THIRD COMBINATION ON COURSE: 🇮🇪 Sian Coleman and Corrowgar Je Taime Max

Dressage Score: 36.8
Place: 13

We catch up with Sian as she comes to the first water at 4 and 5ABCD. The horse is looking for the flags through the combination there, listening to Sian and putting in some clever footwork to get into the perfect spot to get through the B and C elements. So far so good.

They don’t look to be going as quick as Jonelle as they come into the main arena but the distances in the combination come up perfectly for them and they’re in a super balance as they arc round and through.

We hear from Jonelle who says she thinks the time’s going to be tough to catch. She said she had to be reactive all the way round, so the ease it looked to us was deceptive, but we were watching two masters at work.

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4:12am

SECOND COMBINATION ON COURSE: 🇬🇧 Emma T V Thomas and The Buzz Factor

Dressage Score: 38
Place: 16

Oh dear, it’s not great news as we see Emma and The Buzz Factor for the first time having a run out at the boat going into the Longines water at 5A. She comes back round and they jump it, then go on to the skinny brush at B but there’s another run out at C. Emma puts her hand up. It’s a first 5* for this horse and Emma’s running with a broken hand, so a smart decision this time and more to come in the future for the gelding, for sure.

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4am

FIRST COMBINATION ON COURSE: 🇳🇿 Jonelle Price and Grappa Nera

Dressage Score: 35.5
Place: 10

Jonelle and ‘Grape’ are none to shabby trailblazers today, what with being 5* winners at Pau in 2022.

And we’re off! One of the fastest women in the world flies out of the box and gets a great shot at the first. Grape looks really keen as she gallops into the trees. We glimpse her briefly as she comes out of the woods and then back in. It’s a loooong way between 3 and the first water at 4.

They’re superb through the Longines Water complex at 4 and 5ABC, super smooth and together. Grape’s looking great!

They’re eating up the ground as they head to the main arena. They waste no time on the curving line through the rails to the two tables at 8ABC, keeping the momentum going all the way around the ring.

More easy work through the corner combination on the mound at 10ABCD, we truly are watching a world-class combination. What a treat for the rest of the field to see this course looking so smooth.

They’re super straight through the two offset houses coming out of the Messmer Water at 13AB. There’s three fences up there, 11, 12AB and 13AB and Jonelle wasted not a single smidge of a second through there.

They’re keeping up a great gallop as they get to the halfway point. Grape has a little look down the bank at 16ABCD, just checking where her feet were going, but then she locks onto the brush at B and then straight over the second brush at C. The course is riding really nicely for this pair, it’s flowing and looks to be great fun.

Grape’s really enthusiastic for the job and is traveling really well. She has to stretch for the width of the corner at 22B, others may come into that a little steadier, but Jonelle knows her gal and they really do have a wonderful relationship, which is very clear to see in this fabulous, thus far, round.

They’re coming to the end of the course now, close to the time, but not quite on it. 3 seconds over and a real masterclass of a jumping round.

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Emily King and Valmy Biats. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

It’s been a short but sweet two days of dressage in Luhmühlen’s CCI5*, and as we reach the end of Friday – and twenty tests in the books – it’s Emily King and the evergreen Valmy Biats who hold the top spot going into tomorrow’s cross-country. The pair put a score of 27 on the board to edge the lead from Thursday leaders Hallie Coon and Kapriccio on a 27.8.

“He tries so hard,” enthused Emily. “He’s just the dream. He really kept his cool in there, which is so nice because sometimes he can try so hard that he nearly gets a little bit hurried and a bit frantic, and his little brain goes a bit too quick. Today I tried to keep it really slow and obvious.”

The pair come here after completing Badminton, though not quite with the result they’d hoped for: a tricky spring season, which saw Emily sustain several upper-body injuries after a fall off a young horse at Thoresby, meant that they were on the back foot going into the event.

“It was a funny spring, because actually, I felt that he was feeling the best he ever has in his work,” she says. “But then I couldn’t get it done, because I was injured, and I didn’t have the prep runs. So that’s why I rerouted here, even though we finished Badminton – because I just thought it was such a waste, when he’s feeling so good, not to make the most of that. The mistakes we had in the spring were purely because I couldn’t ride him how I need to ride him, because I had some breaks moving around inside me – and I’m a stubborn little determined monkey, which probably did bite me in the ass a bit.”

But, she concedes, “you just don’t know until you know.”

Emily King and Valmy Biats. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

This week feels like the beginning of a redemption arc, as such, for the pair – and Emily is delighted to have helped ‘Granddad’ show off his best work today.

“I just wanted to listen to him and show off how happy he feels. It’s all about tomorrow, really – I didn’t want to sacrifice any oomph today when there’s so much out there to do tomorrow. We’ve had a few blips this spring, and when it comes to things like team selections that’s far from ideal, but actually, I’ve learned so much from this spring – I’ve pinpointed why those blips happened and hopefully now I can use that to try and deliver.”

Thursday leaders Hallie Coon and Kapriccio now sit second going into cross-country on their score of 27.8, while New Zealand’s James Avery and the five-star debutant Dallas 13 move into third place with a smart 29.6.

James Avery and Dallas 13. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

A sub-30 has always looked very possible for the quirky British-bred gelding, who James rides for Karie and David Thompson, but had thus far eluded the pair at the four-star level.

“He’s growing up,” says James of the twelve-year-old, with whom he jumped clear around Boekelo last autumn. “For him, it’s about being able to take what we train at home or in the warm-up and bring it into the ring – and be settled doing it.”

There’s been no magic button for the gelding, whose production has also been overseen by James’s partner, the event rider and in-demand dressage trainer Holly Woodhead.

“It’s just really been learning what ticks and what doesn’t. I think we’re still not totally there, but we’re getting that way.”

Today’s corner might have been turned twelve months earlier, but for a lighter 2025 season for the horse after a slightly nontraditional accident sidelined James.

“It happened just after Badminton last year. My mum and dad had come over, and as I wasn’t riding, we decided to go see some family friends who’ve got a house in Corfu for three days. While we were there I went running one morning and ended up getting chased by a dog, and it put me over a fence. As I jumped the fence, I got the steel pipe from the retaining wall stuck into my shin, which ripped right down to the bone – right where the stirrup leather sits. I had three months of not even really being able to sit on a horse.”

“I guess I need to think a bit more about protecting myself more when I’m off the horses,” he says wryly.

Caroline Harris and D.Day. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

2024 Pau winners Caroline Harris and D. Day slotted into fourth place on a score of 31.1 after a test that divided the judges – Nick Burton at C had them in fifth, Christian Steiner at M put them into third, and Germany’s Edith Schless-Störtenbecker put them eighth in the lineup.

In any case, it’s less than a penalty more than the 30.3 they scored en route to winning at Pau two seasons ago, and a nearly four-mark improvement over the 34.9 they posted on the gelding’s debut here two years ago.

Abby Jones and Henton Audacious. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Thursday runners-up Tim Price and Happy Boy will head into tomorrow’s cross-country in fifth place on 31.7, followed by Kiwi compatriots Abby Jones and Henton Audacious, who trended in the 20s in the first half of their test but had to settle for a 32 and sixth after losing a mark or two in the canter work.

It’s clear, though, that after their superb effort in their five-star debut at Pau last year, which saw them sail into the 20s and the business end of the leaderboard in the first phase, that this level suits the charismatic Henton Audacious to the ground.

“I think the harder test definitely helps,” says Abby. “She’s a classic orange mare, and she gets a little hot, which will be my favourite thing about her over the next couple of days because she’ll never give up on me and that energy will be endless. But trying to contain all that to produce a test is hard.”

The mare, who Abby has had since a three-year-old, is “definitely more of a long-format horse. The longer I can be here, and the more I can do at the grounds before she goes into the ring, the better. At Pau I discovered that she really likes coming to a place with a surface, where she can really work in the arena familiarisations – that settles her more than if we’re in a place with a grass arena, where you can only really walk around the outside in familiarisation.”

One of Henton Audacious’s most admirable qualities in this phase is her extraordinary engine, which allows her to produce expressive, emphatic extensions – but can also be one of the trickier elements to manage.

“I lost her a little bit in the canter, because it can be a bit difficult for me when she gets like that, but she wanted to stay with me,” says Abby. “She was really trying, but there was a little bit of a buzz there as soon as I went into the canter. That can be the tricky thing – she’s got so much engine that trying to condense that into a little test and make it look pretty can be hard.”

It’s one heck of a top ten for the Kiwi contingent across the board, actually: Jonelle Price takes two places in the top ten and will start cross-country in seventh place on Capitaine de Hus Z on 33.1 and tenth on 2022 Pau winner Grappa Nera, who put a 35.5 on the board yesterday.

Harry Horton and Cooley With Ambition. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

British five-star debutant Harry Horton far exceeded his own expectations with the eleven-year-old Cooley With Ambition, putting a 33.5 on the board to take overnight eighth.

“Since we got here on Monday, he hasn’t managed to trot around the arena once without spooking,” he laughs. “But he put his professional hat on in there and was very good. His way of reacting has always been to go a little bit numb, basically – he can get a bit backward and spooky, but he’s very capable of doing that kind of good work.”

Time and an endless well of patience have been the key to unlocking Cooley With Ambition’s best side this week.

“It’s just about knowing that it’ll pass eventually,” says Harry. “He doesn’t hold onto it, and he’s not nasty or anything. He just sort of likes to have his say on the whole thing. But today, as soon as I got on him at the stables, I thought he was a much more relaxed horse than I’d had all week, and I was very happy.”

On the flip side, though, he continues, “I thought I was going to be getting a 40 today, and going cross-country on a 40 would have been far more comfortable for me – now I’m nervous!”

Great Britain’s Steve Heal, who was third yesterday with Heather Chapman’s Hagonda, now sits ninth overnight on their score of 33.6, ahead of Jonelle Price’s first ride, Grappa Nera in tenth.

Boyd Martin and Shanroe Cooley. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Boyd Martin and Shanroe Cooley sit in equal eleventh with Great Britain’s Sam Ecroyd and first-timer Mister Big Ears after scoring a 35.7 for a test that had some expensive moments of tension in the latter half.

“Shanroe Cooley is a new ride for me, so we’re still sort of figuring each other out,” says Boyd, who inherited the ride from Liz Halliday. “We had moments of greatness in the test, and we also had a couple of bobbles, but all in all, I feel like it’s a work in progress. I feel like this event is going to be a great learning event for us, and hopefully this is the beginning of his five-star career.”

Although the lanky eleven-year-old isn’t quite the finished product in this phase, Boyd is backing his brain as his best asset for the future.

“You wouldn’t find a horse that tries harder,” he says. “He’s a really good horse. He’s a very different ride to what I usually ride – he’s a warmblood, and he’s a quiet horse. I think this is the first time in my life I’ve had a horse that I didn’t have to pre-ride the morning of the dressage. He just does a twenty minute warm-up to keep him fresh.”

Today, perhaps, that freshness just beyond requirements – but as far as educational experiences go, Luhmühlen’s ring provides them in spades.

“I think this is a really nice first five-star to bring them to, if you can wrangle the money to get them over here,” he says. “It’s not quite as tough as a Kentucky or a Badminton, and for a heavier horse with less blood, it can be an easier trip for them with no hills. The first couple of five-stars where it’s a bit of a learning process, it’s a great, safe course to get an understanding of how they feel.”

The CCI5* top ten after dressage.

Julia Krajewski and Uelzener’s Nickel. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

In this morning’s CCI4*-S, Julia Krajewski took the lead over from herself – yesterday, she’d taken the top spot on the relatively inexperienced Tullabeg Platinum on 27.2 in the best test of the gelding’s career so far. Now, he sits in third place going into cross-country, while stablemate Uelzener’s Nickel quite unsurprisingly takes the top spot on a 22.9.

“He knows his job now, and when I ride into the arena he’s like, “okay, I know this!’,” says Julia. “There’s always small things where you think you could do this or do that, but with him, the aim is really to do the work good enough without overdoing it. I want to increase it a little bit so that he can peak where I want him to in eight weeks; today is a show where he has to do a little bit but we’re still getting the condition on top for the rest.”

Their test – which showed so much promise for even more boldness and expression – puts them just over four points ahead of their nearest competitors, compatriots Malin Hansen-Hotopp and Carlitos Quidditch K, who scored a 27.

Malin Hansen-Hotopp and Carlitos Quidditch K. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

“Now that he’s older, it’s just the most fun with him,” says Malin. “You come in and you feel that the crowd lifts him up, and you can go forward and collect him again, and he’s just right there. In earlier times, you’d think, ‘okay, stay cool, stay cool,’ but now I can really use it.”

In her corner is the queen of dressage herself, Bettina Hoy, who Malin credits with helping create a consistent first-phase competitor of the rangy horse.

“She always says that preparation for every movement is everything – to hold the horse all the time and make good movements, good shapes, and just be so precise. You can then just keep going for it.”

Lara de Liedekerke-Meier and Kiarado d’Arville. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Former five-star champion Lara de Liedekerke-Meier takes fourth place going into cross-country with last year’s Boekelo champion Kiarado d’Arville, who posted a 27.3 after a smart, workmanlike test, despite a shift in Lara’s warm-up routine.

“My dressage trainer left this morning, so I was a bit confused and upset not to have him here, but we did the training through the earphone,” says Lara. “But really, I wasn’t concentrated enough, and I think despite all of that, Kiarado did really well. I just wanted him to have a nice experience, and really, when he came into the arena with all the electricity after Julia’s test, I thought he held it all together pretty well. There’s more in him, but he’s only ten, and he’s solid. He does everything I ask, but there’s more there.”

Sam Lissington and Lucas Stone. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

New Zealand’s Sam Lissington rounds out the top five with Lucas Stone on a 28.8, and also sits sixth with yesterday’s ride, the professional little Delarado, who posted a 29.2.

“I think he’s got a lot more to give, and at the moment, he’s just developing that confidence in the ring,” says Sam. “I think there’s heaps in there, though, once we’ve got that all really established. For now, the goal is just to stay level throughout the test, which we did today, so that was great.”

Compared to Miss Reliable, as Sam calls Delarado, “he’s more on high alert – and he’s very horse-shy, so it requires a bit of tact to develop a warm-up programme that doesn’t involve other horses. We’ll usually try to ride early in the morning, before the arenas get busy, because he doesn’t even like horses walking towards him – but then, when he gets into the arena, he takes a bit of a breath and it’s like, we’ve got our own space, we’re not trying to dodge anyone.”

The top ten at the end of dressage in the CCI4*-S.

Tomorrow’s sizzling hot cross-country day begins at 10.00 a.m. local time (9.00 a.m. BST/4.00 a.m. EST), starting with our twenty CCI5* competitors. Then, we’ll head into the CCI4*-S cross-country from 13.25 p.m. (12.25 p.m. BST/7.25 a.m. EST), wherein 51 horses and riders will compete for the title, the attention of their respective selectors and, in some cases, the German National Championship. We’ll be bringing you a look at the course that awaits our five-star competitors, and some thoughts from the riders themselves, soon – and if you want to plan your Saturday viewing schedule, you can tune in on Horse&Country TV to catch all the action. Until next time – Go Eventing!

Longines Luhmühlen: [Website] [Tickets] [FEI Schedule] [Entries] [Ride Times/Scoring] [CrossCountry App XC Map] [H&C+ Live Stream] [CCI5* Form Guide] [Ultimate Guide] [EN’s Coverage]

Hallie Coon and groom Conor Coomey, with Kapriccio. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

From the moment Hallie Coon first sat on the then-ten-year-old Kapriccio, she says, “it was weird – it was just like meeting your soulmate, as cheesy as that sounds.”

The British-based US rider isn’t prone to excesses of emotion, but when she tries to explain what the gelding means to her, she has to fight back a groundswell of tears.

“I’ve had a lot of horses that I’ve loved in my life, and this one tops them all,” she says. “I’ve only had him for a year, but he’s just like – you hold his hand and he’ll give you every bit of his heart. He means the world to me.”

Their fledgling partnership began when neighbour Julia Norman received the shock news that a fall while training, which rendered her unconscious for 45 minutes, had left her on the precipice of a life-altering brain injury, and she could risk no further accidents. The Zimbabwean five-star rider wanted to ensure her horses went to riders who wouldn’t just carry on their career trajectories, but would love them as she had done – and so, with her two top horses in mind, she picked up the phone to Hallie.

Now, a year down the line, Kapriccio makes his five-star debut with Hallie in the irons. And at the end of day one at Luhmühlen? He’s leading the charge. The pair sit on a score of 27.8 overnight, the only sub-30 score of the day.

“To be honest, he did exactly what I thought he was going to do [in the ring], and it’s so special that I’m able to do it with him,” says Hallie.

Part of that consistency, Hallie explains, comes down to a new working relationship with dressage trainer Lisa White, with whom she’s been training for just three weeks – but who, she tells EN, has already been revolutionary to her system.

“Lisa has come into my life and changed a whole lot of my thinking in three weeks. I think I’ve learned more in that time about dressage than I have in the last five or six years – she’s just so strategic and so about the horse being happy and comfortable and feeling their best.”

It is, she says, “not just an amazing system – it also suits ‘Bruno’ down to the ground. I don’t think I’ll be going anywhere without Lisa now; she’s my emotional support person!”

Hallie Coon and Kapriccio. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Although Lisa couldn’t make the trip out to Germany with Hallie, she’s been instrumental in the lead-up to today’s test, and coached the rider through a lesson yesterday via iPad, gamely assisted by groom Conor Coomey.

“She’s always at the end of the phone whenever I need her,” says Hallie. “She’s just immense.”

Her system has also helped Hallie to find her own mental equilibrium before a test. Whereas before, she admits that she could “go in the warm-up for 45 minutes before my test and not have any idea what I was trying to do,” Lisa has helped her to set and realise concrete objectives.

“I could make the horses look pretty in the warm-up but not really get to the bottom of them, and not necessarily be able to present it in the ring, but Lisa’s so objective: she’s like, ‘okay, this is what we’re doing, this is the plan, this is what we’ve prepared for, so if you go out there and do this and this, this is what will happen.’ It really helps my brain.”

Hallie Coon and Kapriccio. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Hallie and Bruno’s test was a clear outlier from the first movements: they scored a 9 from Christian Steiner at M for their decisive, confident entry, and followed it up with no less than 14 8s over the course of the ride.

Their result doesn’t just represent the best ride of the day; it’s also Bruno’s personal best at the upper levels. He hasn’t previously broken the 30 barrier at four-star and has done it just once at three-star and once at two-star, though he’s certainly been inching closer this season. He posted a 31 en route to winning the Oudskarpel CCI4*-S in April, and a 30.2 at Royal Jump last month, where he finished seventh in the same class.

“He’s just been perfect from the beginning, and we’ve worked really hard to get where we are, but I don’t think we could suit each other down to the ground anymore,” says Hallie. “I mean, he reads my mind, I read his – he’s just the best thing in the world, and every opportunity he’s just shown up and exceeded my expectations. He’s just so genuine, and obviously physically he’s so talented, but his brain is what makes him special – he’s so, so trainable.”

Hallie finishes Thursday at Luhmühlen sitting pretty on a nearly four-point margin ahead of the rest of the field.

“Those four marks are all Lisa’s,” she grins. “It’s been a good three weeks – imagine what another two months will do!”

Tim Price and Happy Boy. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Tim Price arguably started the day as the favourite to lead Thursday’s dressage, but the mercurial Happy Boy is nothing if not a bottomless well of surprises. Though the 2022 Boekelo champions produced some very smart work in the latter half of their test, the trot work – ordinarily a highlight for the fourteen-year-old – was marred by a break into canter in both the medium and extended trot.

It’s a departure from form for Happy Boy, whose greatest uncertainties are ordinarily on cross-country.

“He’s a bit of a Rubik’s Cube, this fellow,” says Tim. “I was walking the course with James Avery earlier, and I was saying that everyone always asks, ‘where is his issue?’ and I’m like, ‘well, it’s sometimes here and it’s sometimes there…!’ I’ve got to predict the unpredictable in terms of what would be the next little issue with him, so I’ve just got to do a good job and find a clever way around the course.”

Ordinarily, says Tim, “he’s one of mine that I can actually put together in the trot and do a little bit of a fancy step, actually. And that’s quite fun, and it’s something I use in the turn before a medium. With a horse like him, with smaller movement, it’s so much about the transition, so I want to do a good job with the demonstrating the transition, and then go into a medium or an extended that I have it from the beginning and then maintain it. With something like Vitali, you can build on it and go for more, and the balance gets better, but I really want to set this guy up from that turn.

“That was my plan today: come around the corner and establish it, and then there was a canter step. And then to make the same mistake again… it’s a bit weird, but he’s a bit of a weird chap!”

With two early mistakes on his score sheet, Tim had to quickly reestablish his own headspace.

“The movement’s gone, and it’s almost me that has to recover more than him, because you come around to the first shoulder-in thinking, ‘well, you’ve well and truly fucked it now, haven’t you?’” he laughs. “You think, ‘is there any point in even trying to do a good shoulder-in?’ But actually, he was good everywhere else, and he’s got a very safe, reliable flying change, so everything else I was really happy with.”

Tim Price and Happy Boy. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

The redemptive second half of the test allowed them to regain some purchase on the leaderboard, and they brought their mid-30s trotwork trend down to a final 31.7 for second place overnight – the gelding’s first 30s score in nearly three years.

Happy Boy comes into Luhmühlen with a fourth-place finish at Pau under his belt at the tail end of last year, as well as a slightly more complicated twentieth at Kentucky last spring – but his most recent run, in the CCI4*-S at Kronenberg, saw him retire on course after picking up 60 penalties.

It might not seem like a traditional entry point into a five-star, but it’s not Happy Boy’s first rodeo.

“It wouldn’t be him if he didn’t have a little blip, and we had one in our last run before coming here – and that’s fine, because we’ve done some homework and it’s a new day,” says Tim. “He had the same result [a 60 and retirement] at Saumur before winning Blenheim in 2024. Optimism serves you very well in this sport. It might have looked a couple weeks ago like I should put up and go home and forget about it, but you know, having a healthy horse at the start gate of a five star that’s been there, done that, and I’ve been there, done that, is sometimes 90% of the battle. The rest is just one foot in front of the other.”

Steve Heal and Hagonda. Photo by Hannah Cole Photography.

Third place overnight is the domain of Great Britain’s Steve Heal and 14-year-old Hagonda, who he co-owns with Heather Chapman and runs with the support of the BettaLife Holly Hub, a pay-to-play experience group that brings eventing enthusiasts behind the scenes and into the fray even if traditional ownership is out of reach.

It’s not hard to see why ‘Holly’ might be a particularly appealing horse for them to get behind: she’s flown up the levels despite a late start in life, and was purchased for peanuts from a field as a backed but barely-ridden seven-year-old.

“A friend of a friend owned her, and she’d had some kids and various things, so Holly just got picked up and put down – she had about six months of work across the first four years of her ridden life,” says Steve. “The owner then texted a friend of mine and said she had a nice horse in the field not doing anything, and did she know anyone who was looking for a project? [Heather and I] went out to see her and thought, ‘well, she’s nicely bred – if it doesn’t work out, she’s not expensive, so she can become a broodmare or a fun horse for someone. I did a couple of laps of trot, attempted a canter, thought ‘this isn’t really going anywhere,’ so I just trotted her down the road and thought she had such a nice outlook that we’d give it a go.”

Since then, though, “she’s just carried on and on and on.”

The pair made their five-star debut together at Pau last year, finishing 30^th with a clear across the country.

This year, though her 33.6 is nearly bang-on the same score she received at Pau, Holly’s first phase has levelled up in consistency.

“She always classically used to go into a test and sort of not really let me in or let me ride her or things like that,” explains Steve. “Today, it felt like I could actually be quite brave in there, almost to the point where I was a bit like, ‘come on, Holly!’”

“Everything just feels a bit more secure [this year]. She just feels a bit stronger, and a bit more like there’s a leg in each corner. She’s always felt like a bit of a weaker horse – she’s very long, and it just now feels like when you ask her to shoulder-in, you actually get steps of shoulder-in, whereas it used to be like one step, then straight, then one step. There’s still loads more to come, but it just feels like she’s building on it all the time now.”

Like Hallie, Steve has a relatively new dressage trainer in his corner – four-time Olympian Richard Davison.

“I’ve been training with him for the last year or 18 months, and he’s just really helped, to have her whole body a bit softer,” he says. “She can get quite tight and tense when you start asking her things that are a bit harder, whereas he seems to be able to get so much out of her, but in such a relaxed, soft way. I’ve tried to replicate that at home, and when I ride her on my own, and it just feels like she’s taken it all in because she’s not stressed and wound up about it.”

Jonelle Price and Grappa Nera. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Pathfinder Jonelle Price holds fourth overnight on a score of 35.5 with 2022 Pau winner Grappa Nera, who has often been tricky in this phase, but looked harmonious throughout her work today. We didn’t get a chance to catch up with Jonelle in today’s whirlwind-quick nine-horse dressage session, but she returns tomorrow with second ride Capitaine de Hus Z, who has been a frequent flyer in the 20s at four-star.

Sian Coleman and Carrowgar Je Taime Max. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Ireland’s Sian Coleman rounds out the top five with Carrowgar Je Taime Max, who makes his five-star debut in just his third year eventing. The thirteen-year-old previously showjumped to 1.35 with Robyn Moran in the irons, before joining Sian’s string in 2023. She, too, began showjumping him for owner and breeder Gina Heaps, but before long, the pair decided to try him out in a new discipline. In 2024, he made his FEI debut.

“He’d just kind of reached his max in the show jumping, and I think Gina had just started to notice about the eventing model that there’s just a bit more diversity for the horses,” says Sian. “She loved the idea of him going out hacking and jumping random things and having a bit more variety, so she said, ‘we’ll just give him a try.’ I think he was going to go back and do a bit more jumping, and then we just did a few events, and he did really well – so we were like, ‘sure, we’ll just keep going!’ It just shows you that when they’re polite and they want to do it, it’s amazing what they can do for you.”

Today’s test was the rangy gelding’s first time in any kind of atmosphere, but he was wholly unruffled by the buzzy, busy main arena here.

“I’m used to producing them myself, and then you can think, ‘okay, well, they’ve been to Le Lion, they’ve been to Boekelo, they know about crowds’, but he’d done nothing other than some Irish jumping shows,” says Sian. “In a way, though, it’s quite nice, because he’s not had any bad experiences either – he’s just an older man saying, ‘huh, what is all this, then?’”

Sian Coleman and Carrowgar Je Taime Max. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

“I’m so proud of him,” she continues. “He’s come up the levels quickly, but he stays so with me. We know the changes will be expensive, because he has jumper changes, but he loves to show off and he has a massive trot. He’s just such a pleasure – today he did the nicest bits of lateral work he’s ever done, and on Saturday he’ll go cross-country in an eggbutt snaffle.”

This week marks Sian’s return to the top level after her five-star debut at Pau in 2018 with Kilroe Hero.

“It’s so cool to be back at five-star,” she says. “I only had a small taste of it, obviously, but it’s been hard work to come back. You see your friends go back year after year and think, ‘how do they keep doing this?!’ This is my third attempt now – sometimes horses have gone wrong, and there was some time out when I had [my son] Fred. It’s amazing many ups and downs there are along the way, and you just really need people around you who don’t waver when it goes a bit off-kilter.”

In Gina Heaps and her husband Emelyn – “I’m not the owner, I’m just the Colombian drug mule; I carry things and pay for everything,” he laughs – Sian’s certainly found the right sort of people. And in Max, there’s plenty of hope for the future.

“He’s proof that you can teach an old dog new tricks,” she says with a grin.

Tomorrow’s five-star dressage sees ten further horses and riders come forward, following the withdrawal of Australia’s Bill Levett and RNH Tom Tom R, who were accepted at yesterday’s horse inspection but removed themselves from contention this morning. You can take a look at the starting order here.

The leaderboard after day one of dressage in the CCI5*.

Julia Krajewski and Tullabeg Platinum. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

This morning’s competition focused on the CCI4*-S, incorporating the German National Championships, and after 23 tests, it’s Julia Krajewski who’s once again on top.

But her ride today, the twelve-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Tullabeg Platinum, might not be a familiar entity to many fans of the Olympic champion.

The pair posted a 27.2, one of just two sub-30 scores today, to take the lead, shaving over three marks off the gelding’s previous level best in a fluid, harmonious test that belied how tricky he’s previously found this phase.

“He’s been a bit of a funny horse to ride in the dressage, really,” says Julia. “In Germany we’d say he’s been ‘rumpelig’ in the trot and the canter and also, okay, the walk. It took a while for him to go from, ‘okay, I can trot along and canter along’ to working with some kind of collection and self-carriage.”

He is, she points out, “built with very straight hind legs, and we’ve had to figure out how to bend them. I’ve spent a lot of the last year really working on getting him more supple and getting him to come through, but the very positive thing is that he’s always trying. He doesn’t get tense in the arena and actually, he’s even better in there than outside, because he comes up a bit and you can push through. Today was his first time in this kind of atmosphere and he really rose to it – that was very cool.”

Julia Krajewski and Tullabeg Platinum. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

His owner, Michael Sperl, “is probably crying right now,” laughs Julia. “One year ago he was getting so many 33s and 34s, which is nothing bad but nothing special – he was a 6.5 horse. But I always said a 28 has to be possible for him because any horse that behaves can do a 28. We’ve come close to sub-30 a few times but just had a little blip here or there that gives us a 5, and so it’s very nice to do it today.”

Sam Lissington and Delarado. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

New Zealand’s Sam Lissington sits second overnight with Delarado, who put a 29.2 on the board early in the draw. The pair were originally entered in the five-star, but Sam opted to swap the pint-sized Strzegom CCI4*-S winner into this class late in the lead-up.

“I wanted to secure everything for the Worlds and really focus on that,” explains Sam, who has some incredible strength in depth in her string at the moment but rates the twelve-year-old as a team horse in the making.

“She’s always under the radar because she’s not as flashy as some of the others, so she’s not leading from day one, but she can finish on it. She’s a quiet achiever and our Miss Reliability, so while we’re thinking about the future, she’s ready if she’s needed this year.”

Today’s test marks Delarado’s first four-star sub-30.

“We’re forever fighting for it, and she’s just getting to the stage now where she’s so established – she’s got no buzz about her; she just goes and does her job,” says Sam. “So it’s really nice to hit that milestone and break that barrier.”

Cosby Green and Highly Suspicious. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Third place is held by British-based US rider Cosby Green, who rerouted the sixteen-year-old Highly Suspicious from Bramham after an uncharacteristic result in the dressage put them out of the hunt.

“It was 8 o’clock in the morning and really windy, and I think I tried to give him a little bit of the benefit of the doubt and perhaps underprepared him,” says Cosby. “His trot and canter work were lovely but we didn’t do too much walking in the walk, and it just wasn’t quite what we’re capable of, so I did a quick reroute. He’s working the best he ever has – it’s so nice to have a sixteen-year-old that’s still changing and evolving, and we just have to adapt and change with them.”

Today, that flexibility yielded a smart 31, their best score in a year.

“It’s so lovely here that we get to ride in the arena and practice, and he’s such a nervous horse that I can really just focus on giving him confidence in there,” she says. “I don’t think there’s any huge flaw in the work we’d been doing, or the preparation we’d been doing before the test – it’s just about being able to get him comfortable in the arena.”

The top ten at the end of day one in the CCI4*-S.

The four-star will return tomorrow morning at 9.00 a.m. local time (8.00 a.m. BST/3.00 a.m. EST), while the five-star commences at 14.00 (13.00 BST/8.00 a.m. EST). You can follow along live on Horse&Country TV, and tune back in to EN for all the stories you need to know. Go Eventing.

Longines Luhmühlen: [Website] [Tickets] [FEI Schedule] [Entries] [Ride Times/Scoring] [CrossCountry App XC Map] [H&C+ Live Stream] [CCI5* Form Guide] [Ultimate Guide] [EN’s Coverage]

Ireland’s Sian Coleman returns to five-star with Carrowgar Je T’Aime Max. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Since the rise of short-form video on social media, it often feels like we watch the sport in 30-second increments. At today’s CCI5* first horse inspection at the Longines Luhmühlen Horse Trials, we truly kind of did.

Just 21 horses and riders presented in front of the ground jury, comprised of President Nick Burton (GBR) alongside Christian Steiner (AUT) and Edith Schless-Störtenbecker (GER) – a significant dip down from the 31 initially entered for this week’s competition.

Boyd Martin and Shanroe Cooley. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

But while this might be the smallest Luhmühlen field in recent memory, it’s also an interesting one, and since the late withdrawal of 2025 champions Ros Canter and Izilot DHI, it’s one that’s wide open to win. There are two five-star winners still in the mix; Jonelle Price comes forward with 2022 Pau champion Grappa Nera as one of her two rides, alongside 2024 Pau victors Caroline Harris and D. Day.

Seasoned five-star campaigners Emily King and Valmy Biats, who finished fifth at Badminton last year, also made the trip after a slightly topsy-turvy spring campaign, and will look to set the record straight this week, as will Tim Price’s Happy Boy, who was fourth at Pau last season, after an up and down spring.

Hallie Coon and Kapriccio. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

There are also some very competitive first-timer entrants in the hunt: Boyd Martin will campaign the former Liz Halliday ride Shanroe Cooley as part of a US two-hander, which also features an exciting entry from British-based Hallie Coon and Kapriccio, who she took on from Zimbabwe’s Julia Norman and with whom she’s won at four-star already this spring. Great Britain’s Sam Ecroyd has been busy making a name for himself as a preternaturally efficient cross-country rider, and will bid to catch the time once again – as he did at Pau last year with Boleybawn Lecrae – aboard the delightfully-named Mister Big Ears.

If this seems like a lot of lead-up to a buried lede, that’s because not an awful lot happened at this afternoon’s trot-up. It came, it went, everyone passed, and now we’re looking ahead to a grand total of… nine tests tomorrow in this class. Our pathfinder will be Jonelle Price and Grappa Nera at 14.30 local time (13.30 BST/8.30 a.m. EST); we’ll see US representative Hallie Coon at 15.26 (14.26/9.26 EST); we’ll wrap up with Tim and Happy Boy at 15.34 (14.34/9.34 EST).

One of two German entrants in this class: Heike Jahncke and Mighty Spring FRH. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Fortunately, in the interest of balance and filling out a live-stream – it’s Horse&Country TV this week, if you want to plan your viewing schedules now! – we’ll also have eyes on the CCI4*-S, which runs throughout the morning on both dressage days. That class is always a hugely important one here, as it incorporates the German National Championship and serves as a final selection trial ahead of this summer’s FEI World Championships. We’ll see 23 of that classes competitors deliver their tests tomorrow, beginning at 9.30 a.m. local time (8.30 a.m. BST/3.30 a.m. EST) with Germany’s Malin Hansen-Hotopp and Callfield first up to bat.

Jonelle Price and former Pau winner Grappa Nera. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

We’ll be bringing you plenty of stories from across both classes tomorrow, plus a look at the course that awaits our small but mighty field on Saturday. In the meantime, you can check out our Ultimate Guide to Longines Luhmühlen right here. Keep it locked onto EN – and as always, Go Eventing.

Longines Luhmühlen: [Website] [Tickets] [FEI Schedule] [Entries] [Ride Times/Scoring] [CrossCountry App XC Map] [H&C+ Live Stream] [CCI5* Form Guide] [Ultimate Guide] [EN’s Coverage]