Classic Eventing Nation

Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo. Photo by Hannah Cole Photography.

‘The morning after the night before’ takes on a whole new meaning at a three-day event, and especially at one in which the ground and terrain played as important a part as it did here at the European Championships at Haras du Pin yesterday. We saw an afternoon full of serious exertions, tired horses, and some near misses that could have led to any number of knocks, bumps, and bruises — and so all of us approached this morning’s final horse inspection with no small amount of trepidation.

Nine nations and 37 competitors — down from 38 after the withdrawal of Belgium’s Karin Donckers and Fletcha van’t Verahof, which will have no effect on the Belgian’s qualification efforts for Paris — came forward to present in front of the ground jury of President Judy Hancock of Great Britain, Katrin Eichinger-Kniely of Austria, and Seppo Laine of Finland for the final time this week.

But the scenes on the strip weren’t at all what you might, fairly, have imagined: all 37 remaining horses looked fit, well, and ready to tackle the final day of sport, which meant that every one of them was accepted on the spot, and at the end of the horse inspection, one very bored holding box vet simply shrugged and went off in search of the first grand biere of the day.*

(*This is a guess, and also a wild inaccuracy, probably.)

French hero Karim Florent Laghouag presents Triton Fontaine. Photo by Hannah Cole Photography.

Now, we’re looking ahead to the start of the showjumping, which begins at 12.00 p.m. local time (11.00 a.m. BST/6.00 a.m. EST) with the first 13 riders, and will resume at 2.00 p.m. (1.00 p.m. BST/8.00 a.m. EST) with the top 25. Currently, we have a decisive lead for Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo, who go into the final phase on 21.3 — two rails and four seconds ahead of second-placed Kitty King and Vendredi Biats, who themselves don’t have a rail in hand over Sandra Auffarth and Viamant du Matz. Similarly, in the team stakes, the Brits are well out ahead with six rails in hand over Germany, who are just 0.2 penalties ahead of France, currently sitting in bronze. You can check out the course map here, and start times are available here.

We’ll be bringing you the full story — and news on our new European Champions — shortly thereafter, so keep it locked on EN!

EN’s coverage of the FEI European Championships for Eventing is brought to you with support from Kentucky Performance Products.

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Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Yesterday, as the weather took a turn for the worst, pummelling Haras du Pin with over 15mm of rainfall, many of us turned to one another and said one thing: “this is Walter weather.” Lordships Graffalo, the eleven-year-old phenom piloted by Ros Canter, isn’t short of valuable experience in holding, saturated ground — after all, it was the very worst of that flavour of footing that greeted him as he left the startbox at Badminton this spring, and despite that, he crossed the finish line as one of very few horses to still look fresh at the tail end of his experience. Then, of course, he went on to win — and so he wasn’t so much the thinking man’s pick of today’s competitors as much as he was the man-who-doesn’t-really-need-to-think-all-that-hard-to-get-there’s choice.

But even so, after hours of shock moments and gasp-inducing tumbles — including one for overnight leader Michael Jung from fischerChipmunk FRH, who suffered a stumble at the final water, and Tom McEwen from reigning European Champion JL Dublin, who parted company at the same complex — we couldn’t quite have expected just how dominant a force the relatively inexperienced young talent would be. Throughout the day, we saw horses coming home beyond the usual level of tiredness, despite this morning’s decision to remove fences 12–16 and shorten the course by two minutes to 8:19, and double-digit time penalties still remained competitive. And then, as the penultimate pair out of the startbox, former World Champion Ros and her gritty partner proceeded to make the whole thing look, for all intents and purposes, like a bit of a joke. They didn’t just make the time — the only pair to do so today — they crossed the finish line an extraordinary nine seconds inside it, despite mixed emotions in the British team camp following Tom’s fall, Laura Collett‘s missed flag penalty with London 52, World Champion Yasmin Ingham‘s shock 20 at the tough coffin, and individual competitor Tom Jackson‘s 20 at the final water.

But though the round looked like the plainest of sailing on a day when just 51% of the field went clear, amassing average time penalties of 18.1, that faultless, time-penalty-free round still wasn’t easy, Ros explains.

“I mean, it was tough going,” she says. “Don’t get me wrong – I had a near-whoopsie at fence too and that sharpened us both up. The ground out there was hard work, but Walter is just unbelievable in his stamina and his desire to travel through ground like that. He’s so rideable, and that lets me keep travelling and lets me balance, and when you balance he has energy. So I think he’s the best horse in the world when it comes to doing something like this, and I was very lucky and unrelieved that I was able to give him a nice ride.”

Walter was also the fastest horse of the day at Badminton, and that speed — despite tough conditions — is something that Ros says comes very naturally to him, though his very varied fitness routine over the Lincolnshire hills, all undertaken on grass, has certainly helped.

“I think he’s very efficient – he’s very careful but he never balloons, and he never goes green,” explains Ros, who had held silver medal position after dressage. “He always lands travelling, which is very good. He’s extremely polite, which is unusual, to have a horse that travels at his speed that when you sit up, he’s responsive. So when he’s galloping he gallops low, but when you sit up, he punches up and his head comes up and it’s the best of both worlds. There aren’t many that can gallop low and then don’t want to stay down there and aren’t many that have their heads up to jump but then want to gallop low, so I think that’s where he’s just amazing. I’ve never sat on a horse like him that travels so efficiently and is so rideable and and brave — he measures every jump, he reads every jump beautifully, and he seems to know just how much he’s got to give everything. He really does make my job easy, because hand on heart, I’m not normally the fastest rider on the course.”

Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

As the fourth on course, Ros had initially hoped to stick to her usual system when there’s a long wait, but the problems caused on course meant she changed her plan and came out to watch much more than she ordinarily would.

“I always have idea that I watch five and then go back the lorry, have a sleep, do something else, and stay in my own zone. The reality is, that didn’t happen,” she says. “I watched quite a few, then I got a bit worried about the last water, so I went down and rewalked it, then I came back to watch a few more — then I got worried about the rail ditch brush, sp I went down and watched that, and then I watched the water again. Then I came back and went back the lorry and managed not to watch anymore. At that point, it was about time to get ready.”

Being fourth to go, she says, “is sometimes a fantastic place to be and sometimes a hard place to be — but I just had to try and stick to my own plan today. I watched quite a bit and supported the others but at the end of the day, there’s only one Walter and I had to ride him today and try and stick to everything that I knew we could do.”

Knowing the issues that some of her compatriots had faced on course, she wasn’t sure whether she’d receive team orders to go slow and steady, or be encouraged to chase the time she thought she might be able to catch.

“Just as we were walking down with Chris Bartle I said, ‘are you still happy for me to go for this?’ And he said ‘absolutely — for the team as well. You must commit; we’re going out to be the best, so ride by feel — but if it feels good, then do your thing.'”

As she crossed the finish, she realised — not for the first time — what a special horse she’s got in her string to fill the huge shoes left by her 2018 World Champion, the late Allstar B, even despite his young age.

“I think we’re still coming across situations that are new to him, and today was definitely the most challenging ground — we thought Badminton was bad, but I didn’t think it was a patch on how they had to travel through quite gloopy going today. He surprises me time and time again — literally, there isn’t another horse I’d rather walk a course for, and I haven’t found a course yet where I’ve thought, ‘I’m not sure how Walter will tackle this’, or ‘I’m not sure I’d want to have a go on him’. There isn’t a jump I don’t think he can jump.”

Now, Ros will head into tomorrow’s finale with 9.5 penalties — or two rails and four seconds — in hand.

Kitty King and Vendredi Biats step up from overnight ninth to second. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Apparently there’s something to be said for bookending the British team, because while the anchorman snuck in to usurp her at the end of the day, it was British pathfinder Kitty King and Vendredi Biats who held the lead throughout the day after leaving the startbox in the first half hour of the competition. Though she was initially disappointed to pick up 3.6 time penalties, fearing she’d let down the team as a result of them, theirs was one of the rounds of the day — and an extraordinary display of the kind of trust that’s amassed over a long partnership like theirs.

“We know each other inside out, so when he kind of said ‘I don’t like this very much’, I was like ‘it’s okay Froggy, we can do it together’,” says Kitty, who was surprised at how much the difficult ground took out of her Luhmühlen runner-up.

“It was hard work. Froggy lives for his cross country and today he wasn’t enjoying himself quite as much as he normally does, which is a huge shame, just because I know how much fun he normally has. Today he had to really dig deep and try hard, and he kept jumping for me even when he was finding it a little bit trickier. I’m very proud of how hard he tried for me – he’s a five-star horse; he’s done Badminton and Burghley, and this is the tiredest he’s ever finished.”

Kitty King and Vendredi Biats. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Feeling that effect on him meant that Kitty found it prudent to slightly adjust her usual way of riding to prioritise keeping ‘Froggy’ happy and comfortable in his efforts.

“I just tried to keep moving as much as I could as well as just slightly backing off him a little bit at times to try and let him find his feet — he was just unsure of the footing,” she explains. “On the approaches to the fences, he just was a bit more unsure of himself compared to normal, and his stride pattern changed a bit, which I think threw both of us — so when I’d normally set up, the stride would just kind of keep coming up nicely whereas today, we’re always just a bit of a half stride off, either half deep or long, and it was just trying to get our eye in with how the ground took their stride away from them more than normal. I was trying to just give him a little bit of time to find his feet and find his confidence with the ground. He’s normally such a springy little horse, and it just took all his all his spring away from him.”

The footing, which she described as ‘very dead’ and totally different to that of the warm-up, also required her to adjust her lines, too.

“I wanted to put a few more curves in to make some of the lines a little bit easier, but because of the ground he wasn’t as manoeuvrable, so I had to straighten a few things out,” she says. “But I know he’s really genuine, so I wasn’t too afraid that I was taking things on a little bit more of an angle than ideal, just because I know that he’ll be looking for the flags for me and he’s very experienced. So that was okay, but he just hated the ground and he didn’t travel, which was just such a shame. But I went as quickly as I felt he could go to get him home in one piece and without making any kind of horrible errors along the way.”

Sandra Auffarth and Viamant du Matz. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Haras du Pin – astutely nicknamed ‘the house of pain’ by one unnamed media representative who ‘enjoyed’ the famously wet and tough World Championships here — has been as happy of a hunting ground for Germany’s Sandra Auffarth as it can possibly be, considering how tricky it always seems to be in Championship situations: in 2014, she became the World Champion with Opgun Louvo here, and today, in not dissimilar conditions, she dashed home with just six time penalties with Viamant du Matz, helping the Germans cling on to silver medal position overnight and moving her up from eleventh to third.

“I must say, the ground was really, really deep in the beginning of the course, and so that was hard for the horses — but in the end, it did get better, and then I felt I could really fight,” says Sandra. “He’s super fit, so I think he could do the time, but I was a little shy and I didn’t want to risk anything in the beginning. It’s smart that they cut out part of the horse; otherwise, we’d have had a really hard day. Already, we saw a lot of tired horses, so it was the right decision.”

Viamant du Matz also partnered Sandra at Tokyo — though with a blip — and to an Aachen win last year, and their shared experience meant that Sandra was full of confidence today.

“He now has such good experience, and such good overview, and he’s so safe in looking for the next fence — he makes it easy for me. I was looking forward to the cross-country, because I thought, ‘he’s ready for everything’ and we have a super partnership. I’m happy to have him.”

Stéphane Landois and Chaman Dumontceau. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

There’s arguably no nation in the world that embraces eventing quite like the French, and while they were raucous in their cheers for each and every rider that galloped past them today, it was for their own that they reserved the loudest screams of ‘allez, allez!’ — and all 15,000-odd of them determinedly sprinted after them on course, too.

And at the end of the day? What a pair to have leading the home charge, having moved up from 23rd to overnight fourth with just 8.8 time penalties. Not only is this 28-year-old Stéphane Landois‘s Senior Championship debut, he was also the pathfinder for the French with his Chatsworth-winning partner Ride For Thaïs Chaman Dumontceau — again, on incredibly tough, holding ground — but the pair cruised around with a maturity well beyond their amassed experience.

No pair could have had a more committed front riding along with them, in large part because Stéphane wasn’t riding alone — not really. He’s had the ride on the gelding for three years now, taking over from his friend, Thaïs Meheust, who tragically died in 2019 at the age of 22. She’d been riding Chaman at the time of her accident, which occurred at the second fence on the French national young horse championship at this venue – but since then, the gelding has had the chance to help her family and friends see out her legacy in the most poignant of ways. She’d always dreamed of riding at the Paris Olympics, a dream that’s not looking at all far-fetched for her horse now, and this would have been an obvious step along the way, and one which Stéphane is making sure she’s well-remembered at. Along the way, they’re also helping to raise crucial funds for improved safety measures and devices in the sport, via the Ride For Thaïs Foundation that has now become the Selle Français’s namesake.

Sarah Ennis and Grantstown Jackson. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

The first horse and rider pair on course delivered one of the rounds of the day, holding the accolade of fastest time — just 2.4 time penalties accrued — right up until Ros left the startbox. That was Ireland’s stalwart team rider Sarah Ennis, piloting Championship debutant Grantstown Jackson. The swiftness of their round saw the very-nearly-pony-sized gelding and his enormously experienced jockey rocket up the leaderboard from 54th to fifth.

“He’s a very fast horse, and we had a bit of ground to make up after our dressage yesterday,” says Sarah. “I knew that these conditions would suit him; he’s very light, he’s out of a Thoroughbred mare, and so speed is his thing, and catching up after the dressage.”

But even in that pathfinder position, Sarah admitted that the ground wasn’t easy.

“It is gluey — like, I was number one out and take off and landings are very sticky. But they’ve done an amazing job — they’ve dug out take offs, put gravel in,” she says, going on to describe the track as “like going round a tumble dryer. Like, it just happened so fast and you’re going round and round and round and round around and then it’s just fast and furious, really quick. I think I was as out of breath as he was coming through the finish line!”

Though the twelve-year-old gelding is relatively short on experience, with just one prior CCI4*-L run to his name, he proved on course what an asset he’s ready to be to the Irish effort, even over the toughest of questions.

“The first water, for me, was just a big question very early on,” says Sarah. “And I was worried about it, I have to say, but he was a good boy. I got one more [stride] coming in than I’d like, but I saw a lovely shot and just, everywhere I pointed him he just kept going. He was incredible. He’s very easy, very sharp. He lands and he wants to go.”

Like Ros and Walter, though, the pair nearly saw their day finish at the second fence.

“He got a bit of a fright at number two. That was the first sticky take off and he really got stuck and wore the fence, and then I was like ‘actually, you know what, you survived it, you learn from it’ — and he did. He knew from then on you have to pull out of the mud, and a couple of times I saw a flying one and I had to just sit back and help balance him a little bit because they weren’t really coming out of it.”

Christoph Wahler and Carjatan S. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Second-placed Germany were once again ably represented by Christoph Wahler and Carjatan S, the up-and-coming darlings of last year’s Pratoni team — and today’s sixth-place citizens after a four-place climb. They added 13.2 time penalties in a get-it-done round that required no shortage of grit.

“To be honest, it wasn’t the most pleasant round I ever had,” says Christoph. “I think it was super hard work for him; starting at fence one, he always felt like he had to dig really deep in the mud. But he’s the most honest horse you can wish for. Every time, I wasn’t really sure where to take off because his stride changed before the fences. He just did it because he’s got a lot of scope, and I can basically trust him with a longer rein that he’ll do his job. I think it was the most sensitive decision by the organisers to take some parts out that would have been even more wet. Even even with the ground being as it is, it was hard work for us and even harder work for the horses. So bless him for being such an honest cross-country horse.”

“There wasn’t a combination that wasn’t [hard work], to be honest,” he continues. “You know, you walk the course and it’s a big, nicely built straightforward, forward course with a lot of combinations that you have an idea about what you’re doing, but then the conditions change everything and the way your horse can cope with the conditions changes again and everything, so for me, I wasn’t really sure what kind of horse I’m sitting on today until he showed me that he’s just the most brave horse you can wish for. Even though he wasn’t the most adjustable horse today, because we basically had one speed all the way around, couldn’t change the gear down, couldn’t change the gear up, but that did everything I asked for.”

Felix Vogg and Colero. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Switzerland’s five-star champions Felix Vogg and Colero moved up from eleventh to seventh, coming home marginally slower than Christoph with 13.6 time penalties at the tail end of the day’s competition.

“It was pretty nice, but it was not the ideal conditions for him — like hills and the ground and all that stuff, but he did an amazing job,” says Felix, who let slip the rather remarkable detail that he uses a horse hypnosis to help Colero find his inner calm — and he, for his own part, took advantage of a long lie-in to keep the butterflies at bay before his late start time. Keep doing you, Felix.

Gaspard Maksud and Zaragoza. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

France had two further riders in the top ten thanks to the efforts of British-based Gaspard Maksud, who cruised home with 9.2 time penalties with his Pratoni sixth-place finisher Zaragoza, climbing from 33rd to eighth, and longtime team member Nicolas Touzaint and Absolut Gold HDC, who added 11.2 time penalties to move from 25th to ninth.

“It’s a hell of a job for the horses,” says Gaspard, “but she dug so, so deep. I held her hand the whole way around and after the final water I said, ‘come on, let’s go’.”

Jérôme Robiné and Black Ice. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

The top ten is rounded out by German debutant and individual competitor Jérôme Robiné, who proved that his top-ten finish in his five-star debut at Luhmühlen with Black Ice was no flash in the pan. They added 18.4 time penalties, dropping them from seventh to tenth, but keeping them in an extraordinarily impressive position heading into the final day.

As he tackled his debut senior appearance, Jérôme focused on making sensible choices above all.

“I think I started slow, because I felt, okay, the ground is tough for him, we have to get into this course — and I saw some before who started too fast and then at the end it was pretty hard work for them, so I just didn’t look at the watch,” he explains. “Just get your turns and try to really feel into your horse — and I think the jumps were all pretty good. He jumped very good for all the round, and was not getting tired, and of course if you know that you could go a bit faster… but in the end I’m pretty happy.”

That debut wasn’t his only first-time experience today: he also experienced his first-ever hold on course, just before the final water, after Dutch pair Elaine Pen and Divali had a crashing fall that resulted in a trip to the hospital for the rider — though we’re pleased to report that both are fine.

“It’s hard to get into it again [after a hold],” reflects Jérôme. “But all the coaches were in the ear pretty fast and told me what to do — just walk, and then start strong again, start quick, and I think he could breathe and start again pretty strongly. It’s never ever happened to me, so then that’s a good thing when people come to you just telling you what to do. You can really concentrate on all the other things and don’t have to focus on anything. I think on that point, it was positive because he really could come back a bit stronger especially for the last hill and for the finish. He could breathe a bit, so it was a bit better. I think for the final water it was not that good, because I had to go on the outside line, and actually I wanted to go on the inside line which is a bit faster. But in that moment I came on the outside because I thought, okay, just going the bit longer way is the right decision.”

That help during the hold is a reflection of the experience that the young talent, who’s based at the German Federation’s Warendorf training centre, has been living all week.

“The team just help me a lot; they are very experienced,” he says. “We all sat together yesterday evening. And there’s Michi, there’s Sandra, there’s Christoph, who have all been through these courses a few times and they just say ‘look after this, look after this. Sometimes that happens’. So yeah, that’s perfect for young guys like me.”

The field is down to a scant 38 from 56 starters, with three pairs opting to retire on course, and 13 eliminations. Three of those were horse falls, though none have been reported as injurious, and fence 18, a left-handed corner off a sharp turn into the second water, caused the most issues: six riders picked up a 20 here, while a further two fell from their horses. Otherwise, though, issues were well spread around the course, with 14 elements on course causing jumping penalties of some sort through the day.

Great Britain remains at the forefront of the team competition, sitting on 98.7 even after penalties for both Yasmin Ingham and Laura Collett, while Germany lags behind on 126 — or six rails and change. France sit in bronze, currently, just 0.2 penalties behind Germany, while Ireland is waiting in the wings in fourth on 136.4. The team bids for those two Olympic qualifications, which began as a four-way race between Italy, Austria, Belgium, and the Netherlands, has been sewn up: after none of the Austrians completed, and two Italians failed to complete, it will be Belgium and the Netherlands who will head to Paris next year.

Tomorrow’s finale begins with the final horse inspection at 9.00 local time (8.00 a.m. BST/3.00 a.m. EST), and will be followed by the first jumping session, fielding just thirteen horses and riders, from 12.00 to 12.30 (11.00 a.m. BST/6.00 a.m. EST). The top 25 will jump from 2.00 p.m. local time (1.00 p.m. BST/8.00 a.m. EST). As usual, you can watch on ClipMyHorse — and tune back in to EN for all the news as we crown our new European Champions. Until then: Go Eventing!

The individual top ten after cross country.

The team podium at the end of a dramatic day of cross-country at the European Championships.

EN’s coverage of the FEI European Championships for Eventing is brought to you with support from Kentucky Performance Products.

#Euros2023 : Website | Live Stream | Entries | Startlists & Scoring | EN’s Ultimate Guide | EN’s Form Guide | EN’s Coverage

Photo courtesy of FEI Eventing on Facebook.

View more cross country photos from the above post here.

It’s cross country day in France, and I couldn’t be more excited to bring you a live blog from the action at this year’s FEI Eventing European Championships. We’ve already got a monster of a competition on our hands, though the current frontrunners aren’t exactly surprising: we’ve got the British in team gold position and multi-European Champion Michael Jung in the individual gold driver’s seat with fischerChipmunk FRH. Don’t forget to catch up on Tilly’s Friday dressage report here for the latest on who stands where.

You can find the full starting order for today here. The riders will run in team order (I’ll list the team draw below), with individuals filling in after each rotation of riders. The final riders out of the box for each team are considered “anchor” riders and are typically experienced, reliable pairs who can deliver a clean round when it matters most.

The first pair to see today will be Ireland’s Sarah Ennis and the 12-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Grantstown Jackson, stepping up to make his Euros debut. This is a talented younger horse who’s got a bright future ahead of him, and you can expect to see Sarah prioritize getting home with valuable intel for her teammates over pressing for the quickest time. Of course, turn of foot will matter today for team scores, but with conditions seeming a bit holding and with the grueling nature of the design, we may not see many catch the optimum time.

Team order:

1. Ireland
2. Belgium
3. Germany
4. Netherlands
5. Italy
6. Switzerland
7. Sweden
8. Poland
9. Denmark
10. France
11. Great Britain
12. Austria
13. Denmark

Want to study up on the pairs we’ll see today? Click here to view our Form Guide. You can also read up on what’s at stake for each nation here.

We’ll kick off with our first pair at 2:00 p.m. local time / 1.00 p.m. BST / 8:00 a.m. EST / 5:00 a.m. PST. Hang on to your hats — it’s bound to get a little insane out there, especially considering changes made to the cross country with the ground conditions and weather in mind. You can read the update from Tilly here.

PS: My live blogs are admittedly awesome, but it’s also much better to watch the action live yourself — you can catch the live stream (or the on demand, if you have the right membership tier) here.

Get a glimpse around Paris 2024 designer Pierre Le Goupil’s track in our Instagram walkthrough below (or click here if the embedded post does not display in your browser).

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A post shared by Juliane Barth aka Julis Eventer (@julis_eventer)

#Euros2023 : Website | Live Stream | Entries | Startlists & Scoring | EN’s Ultimate Guide | EN’s Form Guide | EN’s Coverage

EN’s coverage of the FEI European Championships for Eventing is brought to you with support from Kentucky Performance Products.

12:26 p.m. EST: Here are a few quick figures from today:

51% of the starters jumped around clear, with an average of 45 seconds (18.1 time penalties) accumulated.

One pair – Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo managed to come inside the shortened optimum time of 8:19

3 pairs retired on course, and 13 were eliminated. There were three recorded horse falls – two at fence 19 and one at fence 24. At this time, no reports of injuries to horses or riders have been made.

The most influential fence was fence 18, a left-handed corner into the final water that came off of a slick, sharp turn. 6 riders picked up 20 penalties here and two fell from their horses.

There were two 15-penalty flag penalties handed out at the open left-handed corner at 20B. The MIM-pinned oner at 22A came down twice and was tapped behind several times but not activated.

Aside from the repeat offenders, the problems were scattered throughout the course, with a total of 14 elements ultimately causing some sort of jumping penalty throughout the day.

12:14 p.m. EST: So that brings us to a close for the day, and what a day it was. We got to glimpse inside the mind of the incoming Olympic designer, and we learned a lot about some tough, brave horses and riders in some really trying conditions. We’ll be in for a thrilling finish tomorrow. Ros is the only person with a measure of safety ahead of the show jumping phase, and while the Brits hold a healthy lead for team gold now it’s still anyone’s game for the top honors.

Tilly will be along later today with the final report from France, and I’ll add some statistics and numbers into this report. Thank you for following along with me!

12:13 p.m. EST: Lea Siegl and Van Helsing P grind to a halt in front of the ditch nearing home and come around to do the long option. I think she is going to call it a day now.

12:11 p.m. EST: Here’s a look at your top 10 after an expectedly influential cross country:

Here’s a look at the team standings ahead of tomorrow:

12:10 p.m. EST: SHE’S DONE IT! Ros stops the clock INSIDE the time and adds no penalties to her score of 21.3. She is now in sole position of a strong lead and will take individual gold position into tomorrow. Austrian Olympian Lea Siegl is the final rider to see today, leaving the box with DSP Fighting Line. Austria is out of team competition now with the elimination of their other two riders, so this trip will be more about building for next year for this pair.

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV

12:08 p.m. EST: Ros is through the tough final water and Walter’s got the bit in his teeth taking her home. Gosh I just love this horse.

12:07 p.m. EST: What a feeling it must be to ride in front of a home crowd like this!

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV

12:05 p.m. EST: Put this man on the Paris squad! Gaspard lays it down with some time added but no big deal — 9.2 time added. That puts France into bronze position now. Germany also now moves back into silver.

12:02 p.m. EST: Gaspard gives Zaragoza a strong ride at 15 as Sara finishes with Dynamite Jack, who will have gained a lot of valuable experience in the tough going today. Ros and Walter are full of it as they come down the drop at 6 into the first water.

12:01 p.m. EST:: And here comes Ros Canter — let’s see what Lordships Graffalo, her Badminton winner, has to say about this track today.

11:59 a.m. EST: Another good one from Lucinda: “Whenever you’re in trouble, ride forward!” – as exemplified by Gaspard and Zaragoza through the first water. They’re keen and enthusiastic for the task at hand and were super impressive over the twisting hills at Pratoni last year. Can they repeat that performance today?

11:57 a.m. EST: Felix is home just over 30 seconds over the time, picking up 13.6 time penalties with no jumping penalties added.

11:56 a.m. EST: Sweden’s Sara Olgotsson Ostholt and Dynamite Jack pick up a 20 in the water a 7 for crossing their tracks. Felix Vogg is still looking strong with Colero and are heading home after the final water. The final French rider will ride to hold a podium spot — or even move up, depending on how the day shakes out. Gaspard Maksud and the impressive Zaragoza are away!

11:50 a.m. EST: Susanna Bordone’s Imperial van de Holtakkers skids to the left to avoid the corner at 18. They come around for the long option and are clear there. It looks like Susanna has actually opted to call it a day now. That will officially drop the Italians out of the team competition with two riders not finishing. The Italians now have two routes left to earn qualification for Paris: win the FEI Nations Cup this year, or win the final showdown at Boekelo in October.

And actually as I am reading the team scores again, I *believe* Belgium and The Netherlands will achieve their qualification if they can finish the weekend. The top two non-qualified teams would earn berths this weekend, and they are the only two teams remaining with enough members to complete a team tomorrow. Austria and Italy were the other two teams seeking qualification and will not complete teams. Team standings as they update are here.

11:49 a.m. EST: 2022 Luhmühlen winners Felix Vogg and Colero – anchor riders for Switzerland – are out of the box now and will look to give the Swiss a push to potentially move up the standings another spot or two.

11:47 a.m. EST: Here’s a look at just how influential the loss of Michael and fischerChipmunk was for the Germans:

11:45 a.m. EST: Final Italian rider Susanna Bordone and Imperial van de Holtakkers are our latest starters. I am still smarting over the Michael tumble, but probably not as much as he is at the moment.

11:42 a.m. EST: Merel Blom-Hulsman has opted to retire, perhaps looking to save her younger horse as the Dutch team have sadly gone out of contention already.

11:40 a.m. EST: MICHAEL IS DOWN. Chipmunk just loses the footing on the landing at the final water, and Michael can’t save it. Chip is caught and Michael is sheepishly on his feet and wow what a turn here. This opens the door back up for the British, and also opens the door for the likes of Ros Canter to take over the lead. Merel picks up a 20 at 10B.

11:38 a.m. EST: Here’s a better look at that corner into the water that’s caused some trouble today:

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV

11:36 a.m. EST: Dutch rider Merel Blom-Hulsman and Vesuve d’Aveyron are underway. Karin Donckers is making her way home with Fletcha van’t Verahof — a really nice round from these two.

11:34 a.m. EST: Karin Donckers looks behind her to ensure the pin at the corner at 15 stays up but it looks clear. I didn’t quite catch it, but Michael really showed off his experience and reaction speed after Chipmunk stumbled following the drop at 6. Whew! Here’s a look at them over the airy fox’s tail:

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV

11:32 a.m. EST: Joseph Murphy and Calmaro are still riding strong, though they’re feeling the effects of the going like most everyone else. The final Belgian rider, Karin Dockers and Fletcher van’t Verahof are also on course, and we’re now joined by our leader Michael Jung and fischerChipmunk FRH. This pair has won at this venue in the past, which could work to their advantage here.

11:27 a.m. EST: Big news: Laura has been assessed 15 penalties for the flag at 20B. Germany now moves into gold medal position — current standings below:

Capels Hollow Drift runs out of steam at the final water and lands awkwardly on top of the jump but is able to safely move off and continue. The sticky ground, I think, is mostly to blame for this but there have been several instances like this — a loss of power, I would label it.

11:26 a.m. EST: It looks like Nicolai Aldinger parted ways from Timmo at the C element of the s-turn/coffin.

11:25 a.m. EST: Our final rotation is now underway as Ireland’s Joseph Murphy and Calmaro leave the box and are over fence 2.

11:23 a.m. EST: Nicolai Aldinger and Timmo get off their stride and can’t make it to the open corner where Laura had her question mark. They come around to present for the alternate long route. Tom Jackson and Capels Hollow Drift make nice work of the oxer to corner combination at 10.

11:20 a.m. EST: Here’s a nice galloping overhead of Nicolai Aldinger and Timmo. We’re also joined by British individuals Tom Jackson and Capels Hollow Drift — a really impressive pair I’m excited to watch today.

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV

11:16 a.m. EST: Hmm.. Katrin finishes with Oklahoma 2, but she shows as eliminated. Perhaps due to an issue with fence 26, the log after the water – perhaps she missed it? Next away are Nicolai Aldinger and Timmo, competing individually for Germany.

11:14 a.m. EST: Our next Belgian rider is Tine Magnus, riding Champagne Pia Z. We’re into our final round of individual pairs before we get down to the wire with the anchor riders for each team.

11:12 a.m. EST: No score yet at the corner where Laura had that questionable flag. Katrin has backed off the gas pedal with her mare, who’s looking quite tired in the sticky going.

11:10 a.m. EST: Katrin smartly decides to go long at the tough water up at 18. She’s got quite a cute, small mare who’s very game for the task at hand.

11:09 a.m. EST: 9.2 time for a strong riding Laura Collett and London 52. They used everything they had to get that done. Nice job.

11:08 a.m. EST: Here’s a look at the corner:

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV

11:08 a.m. EST: Oh man I don’t know – Laura may pick up a flag penalty at the corner after the tent fence. Dan is definitely getting a little stuck in the mud here, but he’s got his ears back and he’s digging deep for her — that foundation of fitness he has is going to come in handy here.

11:04 a.m. EST: Austria’s Katrin Khoddam-Hazrati and Oklahoma 2 are our next away as Laura approaches the corner to the water at 18 — she growls at him but they’re over it.

11:02 a.m. EST: London 52 has repeatedly shown his versatility, but the conditions today will pose a big test. He’s done hard things in hard conditions, so this isn’t a new experience, but Laura will need to be sensible to balance the clock and the going.

11:01 a.m. EST: 11.2 time for Nicolas to keep the pressure on the British as Laura Collett is away and strong over the first two with London 52.

11:00 a.m. EST: Absolut Gold HDC is also looking a little short on wind as he comes toward home. They use all of their experience to get the coffin done:

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV

10:59 a.m. EST: Amanda Staam does finish, and she’ll be supremely frustrated with the result but she does get home. We will soon be joined by Laura Collett and London 52 and the pressure is on the remainder of the Brits to deliver strong rounds. Otherwise, they’ll relinquish their position to the charging Germans and French.

10:57 a.m. EST: As always, the French indicate where Nicolas is on course with their cheering.

10:56 a.m. EST: Amanda Staam picks up a 20 at the A of the twisting coffin at 22. She’s a team rider and will be needing to do her best to finish, so she’s gone around for the long route and appears to have gotten through based on the live scores.

10:52 a.m. EST: It was definitely a good decision to shorten this track today. The majority of these horses are finishing looking like they’ve done a very long track. We’re joined by French team rider Nicolas Touzaint and Absolute Gold HDC — veteran campaigners at this competition. Amanda Steam and Corpoubet AT seem to have some sort of tack malfunction that causes the horse to start bucking madly. Amanda sits well and is able to settle him, and we see her reaching down to try to fix what looked like a broken breastplate or martingale.

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV

10:50 a.m. EST: A peek into the warmup at Haras du Pin:

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10:49 a.m. EST: Sweden’s Amanda Staam and Corpoubet AT are away now, as Nadja survives a hairy moment at 17 and carries on.

10:46 a.m. EST: New on course are Switzerland’s Nadja Minder and Toblerone.

10:43 a.m. EST: Sanne de Jong’s Enjoy runs through the right shoulder to the final element of 22 and picks up 20. They’re clear on the second attempt at the alternative.

10:42 a.m. EST: Italian pair Fosco Girardi and Euphoria are the next to see as we make our way through this third team rotation.

10:40 a.m. EST: Here’s a peek at Sandra through the S-turn at 22. Note the natural oxer at the A element, which is MIM-pinned and has come down more than once today. Sandra is one of the speedier of the day, adding 15 seconds and 6 penalties to her score. That puts her onto a 34.6.

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

10:39 a.m. EST: A very athletic Sanne de Jong and Enjoy make their way through the first water as Sandra and Viamant du Matz choose the left hand option at the final water and pogo over the skinny out but are clear! “Mat” looks to be handling this going quite well.

10:38 a.m. EST: Jarno Verwimp and Mahalia had a great ride through the final water, and add about a minute of time to their score.

10:37 a.m. EST: Sandra has to set up a bit for the tough-riding corner into the water at 18, but they’re neatly through there. We’re joined on course by Dutch team rider Sanne de Jong and Enjoy.

10:33 a.m. EST: 11.2 time added for Susie and Clever Trick. Also impressed with the Irish so far today – looking quite strong at the end on a day when some are looking particularly tired from the ground.

10:33 a.m. EST: Here’s one I think might do quite well today, as Germany’s Sandra Auffarth and Viamant du Matz are strongly away.

10:32 a.m. EST: Belgian pair Jarno Verwimp and Mahalia are on course now, while Susie continues her track and is clear through 28 and is nearly home.

10:26 a.m. EST: Aisprit de la Loge slithers through the flags at the corner at 20 but I think he was clear through them. He’s now clear through the S-turn at 22 to the absolute delight of this French crowd. It’s giving Normandy 2014!

10:23 a.m. EST: Ay-yai-yai — Tom has the MIM rail down at the 22 and then later shockingly pops off Dublin at the final water. Ever the horseman, Tom bounces to his feet and immediately goes to loosen Dublin’s girth. This does not affect the British medal position, fortunately, as this pair was competing as an individual. We now move into the third team rotation with Susie Berry and Clever Trick.

10:22 a.m. EST: A look at Tom and Dublin through the first water:

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV

10:20 a.m. EST: French pair Gireg le Coz and Aisprit de la Loge are our next to see.

10:18 a.m. EST: Sorry, I was mistaken and it looks like Jennifer actually has withdrawn, as have Polish pair Joanna Pawlak and Fantastic Frieda.

10:16 a.m. EST: A strong performance from Jerome Robine, who had 10 or 12 minutes or so to catch their breath on course but were already having a strong run, adding 18.4 time to their penalty score. We’ll move next into the third rotation of team riders soon, and we are joined by Tom McEwen and JL Dublin on course now.

10:13 a.m. EST: Still on a hold here and I’m trying to see if I can get any news from on the ground about Elaine and Divali. They fell at the final water, I believe. And actually it looks like Jerome has been restarted. I’ll keep trying to get information on Elaine and her horse.

10:05 a.m. EST: Sadly Federico Sacchietti and GRC Shiraz’s week comes to an end at the corner into the water at 18. That’s a tricky question that’s caused its fair share of trouble today. I think we…may actually have a hold on the course back where Elaine and Divali fell, as it shows Jerome as not having reached that fence on the live scores.

10:03 a.m. EST: Elaine Pen’s score shows a horse fall at 24 – Jerome and Black Ice are approaching this point and I haven’t seen them held so they must have been up and off the track quickly enough. We’re also joined by Italian individual Federico Sacchetti and GRC Shiraz.

9:58 a.m. EST: Lina Forsberg’s score won’t reflect this, but I thought they had a really nice round and finished looking fitter than some of their predecessors. Nicely done.

9:57 a.m. EST: Jerome Robine gets a big pull in before the tricky second fence – a very upright table – with Black Ice. He’s riding as an individual for Germany this weekend. Dutch rider Elaine Pen and Divali are on course and clear through 18.

9:55 a.m. EST: Lina Forsberg and Kaizen come to a halt at the corner into the water at 18, but they have a positive ride through the alternative and are quickly back on their way.

9:53 a.m. EST: Here’s a look at your very early top 5, with the quicker riders ranking in with those valuable rounds:

9:51 a.m. EST: Swedish individual rider Lina Forsberg is our next on course with Kaizen, while Hanne and Emiliano make their way ’round and are nearly finished.

9:41 a.m. EST: Austria’s Olympic qualification chance now closes with the unfortunate elimination of Daniel Dunst and Chevalier 97. They first made a great save after Daniel almost came off down the bank at 6, and then on the jump in to the alternate route they had too big of a leap in (the horse is a show jumper, and his style shows here) and unfortunately Daniel couldn’t save it that time. Yasmin Ingham finishes in just under 9 minutes, but she’ll be quite disappointed with the 20 on course. The British are well within themselves to still finish strongly without needing her score, but the pressure does mount now. We now move into the next rotation of individuals, with Denmark’s Hanne Wind Ramsgaard and Amequ Torino next on course.

9:39 a.m. EST: Oh man – Yasmin picks up another surprising 20 here, this time at the final element of the S-turn at 22. She’s clear on the second attempt and is the first issue we see at that question. She’ll now become the drop score for the British.

9:37 a.m. EST: Triton Fontaine seems to have really run out of gas toward the end here. They’ve just got the last and are home safely. Yasmin is clear through the second water. Here’s a look at this ice-woman’s game face:

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV

9:34 a.m. EST: Triton Fontaine trips between the tent and the corner at 21 and recovers well enough to jump the corner — Karim gives a big fist pump as he gallops away. Yasmin is clear through 9. Here’s a look at Karim earlier on at the first water:

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

9:33 a.m. EST: And away she goes! I’m too deafened by this amazing French crowd cheering Karim around the track, though — next year in Paris is going to be insane!

9:31 a.m. EST: An update on the other two riders who were out: Sofia finished quickly and it looked like Belle handled the going quite well — they pick up 10.4 time. Mélody Johner finished with 15.6 time. Our reigning World Champion and most recent Aachen winner Yasmin Ingham is next to see with Banzai du Loir.

9:28 a.m. EST: Our next French rider, Olympian Karim Florent Laghouag and Triton Fontaine are away! This should be a fun pair to watch.

9:24 a.m. EST: With a clear round, Mélody Johner will help the Swiss’ current assault on the podium, currently in fourth behind France with one score reported so far.

9:21 a.m. EST: I think it’s a day for the Anglo or French-bred horses today, as Evelina Bertoli brings Fidjy des Melezes home well over the time but looking pretty strong given the conditions. They pick up 20.4 time penalties.

9:20 a.m. EST: Sweden’s Sofia Sjoborg and Bryjamolga VH Marienshof Z are the next to see. This horse’s stable name is “Belle” so we’ll go with that!

9:17 a.m. EST: Janneke finishes well with 19.2 time, while we’re joined by the next Swiss rider, Mélody Johner and Tousle de Rueire.

9:15 a.m. EST: “Footwork is what saves the day, every day.” – wise words from Lucinda after Evelina and Fidjy display some lovely adjustability and quick feet through the first water. Dutch rider Janneke Boonzaiijer has a bold ride through the final water, taking the most-chosen right handed loop.

9:14 a.m. EST: Christoph Wahler finishes with 13.2 time penalties added. We also see Italy’s Evelina Bertoli and Fidjy des Velezes, another French-bred horse, join us on course.

9:10 a.m. EST: Lara de Liedekerke-Meier and Hermione d’Arville come home with just under a minute’s time and those 20 penalties. This does open the door for Belgium to relinquish their team standing after dressage, and the onus now lies with the rest of the team to deliver clear rounds.

9:09 a.m. EST: Next out for the Dutch are Janneke Boonzaijer and ASCI Champ De Tailleur.

9:05 a.m. EST: Lara growls at Hermione to encourage her over the corner at 18 into the water, but the mare ducks out to the left, forcing her to go around to the long option, where they are clear. Christoph’s horse is keen and strong, having jumped quite powerfully over the fox’s tail at 6. He hesitates just a bit into the next water but they get the job done. Here’s a look at the tail end of the leap over the fox tail:

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV

9:05 a.m. EST: German team member Christoph Wahler and Carjatan S are the latest to have a hairy fence at the second — riders beware of that one!

9:02 a.m. EST: Oh no! It looks like Felicity Ward and Regal Bounty fell at 19 — my live feed has cut out now, but I saw her walking with the horse.

9:01 a.m. EST: Belgian rider Lara di Liedekerke-Meier and Hermione d’Arville are the next out of the box.

8:59 a.m. EST: Back into the team rotation now with the second round and we’re back with Ireland and Felicity Ward with Regal Bounty.

8:57 a.m. EST: Looks like Jordy opted to call it a day after the trouble at 6B (the single I mentioned earlier). Ben was assessed a refusal at that corner at 18, so assuming that stands that will be 31 penalties plus time added to his dressage score.

8:54 a.m. EST: Ben looked to jump the corner into the water at (I think) 7, but then comes back and jumps the longer route — it’s hard to see the corner from the camera angle, so perhaps he felt he didn’t clear the flags.

Oh my goodness. Jordy Wilken made the absolute save of the century and I missed the GIF opportunity. I’ll see if I can get it back. It was at the second fence, which has actually almost tipped more than a couple pairs over. They later have a refusal at the downhill single (I’m so sorry I’m screwing up the numbers so badly – I can’t tell you how hard it is to keep up with!). Ben Massie activates the frangible pin at the S-turn (22) and will pick up 11 penalties there.

8:53 a.m. EST: A look at Ben Massie jumping into space as Edition Fonroy takes just a bit of a peek at the ditch underneath this jump:

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV

8:48 a.m. EST: French individual Ben Massie with the 9-year-old French bred mare, Edition Fonroy — another one who’ll be learning her way around here but who might be keen to take on this challenge of stamina.

8:47 a.m. EST: Senne lets Google van Alsingen find his feet and understand the question down the bank at 6 — I love this type and his eagerness to understand and answer the questions. He’s also quite light on his feet, and I’ll be interested to see how he finishes.

8:45 a.m. EST: Belgian individual pair Senne Vervaecke and Google Van Alsingen are our next away.

8:41 a.m. EST: 8:27 and 3.6 time penalties for Kitty King, who sets a great tone for the Brits as the pathfinder. We also see Ian Cassells parted from his horse — looks like they fell at the corner coming into the water at 18 (or at least what’s labeled as 18 on the live scores, but is probably differently numbered with the changes – sigh). It looks like they also had a breastplate malfunction ahead of the fall, though it didn’t look to be a factor in the mishap. Both Ian and his horse look to be no worse for the wear.

A look at Kitty King:

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

8:39 a.m. EST: We’re now back with the Irish, but an individual in Ian Cassells and Woodendfarm Jack O D. Kitty King takes the slightly longer right hand route at the final water. “Froggy” looks like he’s got plenty left, and they almost have a parting of ways at the log in the shade after this question, twisting a bit to get their feet underneath them. Kick on, girl!

8:37 a.m. EST: And just like I was hoping, the French bring their first pair home second-quickest of the day so far with 8.8 time penalties added for Stephane Landois and Ride for Thais Chaman Dumontceau. Kitty King is clear through 22.

8:36 a.m. EST: I’ve been a little plagued by GIF issues of late, but I’ll try to bring you some peeks at the track here and there. Here’s a look at Stephane Landois navigating the tricky twist at 22:

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV

8:34 a.m. EST: Box Leo finishes strongly for Frida Andersen, adding 14.4 time.

8:32 a.m. EST: Frida Andersen is the second rider to take the left handed option at the water at 27, which is certainly a bit quicker but hasn’t been the popular choice so far. Stephane Landois is clear through 18, with loud cheers tracking his progress. The first British rider now joins us, Kitty King and Vendredi Biats.

8:29 a.m. EST: K, Stephane calls his horse “Chaman” so that’s what he is to me now. Thanks, Instagram. Robin Godel finishes with 20.4 time penalties. I think I spoke a little too soon earlier, though we will likely see others start to ask for some more speed as the rotations proceed, as Sarah Ennis’ horse continues to hold the standard for skipping over this tacky going.

8:28 a.m. EST: Robin and Grandeur de Lully CH have a lovely trip through the final water, looking like they’ve still got enough in the reserve tank to make a strong run for home. Stephane Landois is the next to see for France, riding Ride for Thais Chaman Dumontceau, who I’m going to call…. something else for the remainder of these updates.

8:27 a.m. EST: The French will be the next away and I’m very keen to see how their notoriously fit and bloody horses handle this track, which will be a more familiar feel given their proximity to Pierre’s designs and this venue.

8:25 a.m. EST: First for the Swedes is now away: Box Leo with Frida Andersen — who – wow – almost comes to grief very early at fence 2. Luckily they both right themselves in time, but that’s an early save of the day. Robin Godel is clear through 19. Giovanni Ugolotti wasn’t shown a ton, but he’s finished with 18.8 time. Another one that was looking to be feeling the effects of the terrain and ground at the final water. A big test today!

8:22 a.m. EST: Andrew Heffernan finishes with that 20 jumping penalties and just under a minute of time.

8:20 a.m. EST: Andrew Heffernan narrowly misses a loose dog who came out from under the ropes — hang on to your dogs, people. A rule that shouldn’t need to be spoken! I have to say — the ground is definitely tiring the horses so far, at least from what it looks like on my view. The decision to shorten the track looks to be smart so far. Many horses are finishing looking like they’ve done a 10-minute track. The first for the Swiss, Olympian Robin Godel and Grandeur de Lully CH are away.

8:17 a.m. EST: Oh yikes, Carlitos Quidditch K doesn’t quite read the ditch in the shade after a hop-jump over the hanging rail ahead of it. He lands pretty funky on top of the fence but he somehow slips through and they’ve now finished. Andrew Heffernan looks to have picked up 20 penalties at fence 18. I apologize for not knowing the course super well — there haven’t been many resources posted as to the layout of the track! We are also joined by the first Italian pair, Giovanni Ugolotti and Swirly Temptress.

8:15 a.m. EST: Malin has to really package the long and rangy Carlitos Quidditch K through the winding S-turn at (I think…?) fence 22. This horse really reminds me of Sara Gumbiner’s Polaris in type, who went to Kentucky once and is sadly no longer with us but lives on in our memories.

Sara Gumbiner and Polaris. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.

8:14 a.m. EST: Pathfinder for the Dutch (and also team manager when he’s not in the saddle) and very experienced Andrew Heffernan is away with Gideon as Cyril finishes on a tired-looking Elmundo De Gasco.

8:08 a.m. EST: Sarah has just two fences to go, and she’s set a strong tone to give a jolt of confidence to her fellow riders in the warm-up. She’s not too far off the time, she’ll finish about 2.4 seconds over — I think with that information we’ll see more than a few catch it. The first German rider, Malin Hansen-Hotopp and Carlitos Quidditch K, is away. This is a pair who’s won the tough and terrain-heavy Blenheim 4*-L, so I’ll be keen to see how they take to this track today. Cyril Gavrilovic and Elmundo De Gasco also opt for a long route at 20, a pair of upright tent fences.

8:05 a.m. EST: Sarah is giving Grantstown Jaguar a great ride so far, having a strong line through the second water, which now comes up quicker thanks to the shortening of the track. We’re also joined by the first Belgian rider, Cyril Gavrilovic and Elmundo de Gasco. Sarah opts for a long route at 20.

8:02 a.m. EST: Co-commentator Lucinda Green makes some shrewd notes about today’s track, which has been shortened by just under 2 minutes because of the holding, rain-sodden ground. Lucinda notes that the sticky, holding ground will tire some horses quickly — you’ll want to know whether your horse can skip across the ground in conditions like this. I’ll be curious to see how this 8 minute+ track will shake up the leaderboards, and what riders will say once their rounds are through.

8:01 a.m. EST: And our first pair, Ireland’s Sarah Ennis and Grantstown Jaguar out of the box. This will be an important round for the Irish, as the pathfinder’s duties will include getting home safely to bring home information for their teammates.

7:57 a.m. EST: The live leaderboard is now up for today — you can follow along here for up-to-date scoring (my updates are based on the live feed on ClipMyHorse.TV, which may be slightly behind live scores at times) and fence analysis.

7:55 a.m. EST: The team competition — for glory, as well as the ever-important Olympic qualification for some — is as intense as ever, with Belgium currently in third as the top-ranked team without a current Paris berth. The top two placing teams here that were not otherwise qualified for the Olympics will earn their spots here, so this is a big weekend for the likes of Austria, Belgium, Italy, and The Netherlands. You can view full team standings here.

7:48 a.m. EST: Good morning, everyone! I woke up just in time for the original start today, only to find out there were some pretty significant changes made to the course with the ground conditions and yesterday’s weather in mind. You can catch up on what you missed in Tilly’s update here. The below photo that she sent me shows you the loop that’s been cut off, shortening the optimum time to 8 minutes, 18 seconds.

An updated map of the cross country course after some major changes.

According to a quick interview with Irish chef Dag Albert, the start time was at least in part pushed back to give the hardworking grounds and course crew time to bolster footing on takeoff and landing at some of the questions, as well as make the adjustments for shortening the track. Take a listen to the interview below (or here). At any rate, we now find ourselves just a few minutes away from the start and we can’t wait to see exactly how the day, which has already had its share of surprises, will shake out. Thanks for being here with me!

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Though the sun is shining bright and strong over Haras du Pin, the site of the FEI European Eventing Championships, today, yesterday was a very different story – the already soft ground took a serious hammering that continued well into the night, prompting concerns from chefs d’equipe, riders, and media alike about the conditions over today’s tough track, which has been described as ‘Luhmühlen technicality over Bramham terrain’.

This morning, we’ve had some crucial updates on how the organising committee is proposing to mitigate these issues. Firstly, the 12.00 p.m. intended starting time has been pushed back to 2.00 p.m. local time (1.00 p.m. BST/8.00 a.m. EST) to allow for further drying and, at least, hopefully make the pedestrian pathways through the course a touch safer to traverse. That means we’ll be out on course until roughly 6.30 p.m., holds notwithstanding.

A loop of the course has also been removed due to waterlogging. Fences 12AB, a pair of airy upright rails over ditches, 13, a hanging brush-topped log, 14, a wide box hedge, 15, a house, and 16, a skinny in water, which represented the furthest loop on the course, have been removed, and the optimum time has been shorted to 8:18 to reflect the new 4730m distance.

Further changes are being debated for fences 5 and 25AB, a brush fence and a pair of offset brushes, respectively, and we’ll keep you updated in due course with news of these changes.

In the meantime, check out riders’ opinions of the track to come, and stay tuned for live updates throughout the day’s action as we get to grips with the inner workings of designer Pierre le Goupil, who will also be our Paris course designer next year.

EN’s coverage of the FEI European Championships for Eventing is brought to you with support from Kentucky Performance Products.

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