Classic Eventing Nation

Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Rise and shine, all my fellow eventing nerds (and good reasonable-time-of-the-morning to all of our friends tuning in from the UK and Europe!) — it’s cross country day at one of my personal favorite events, CHIO Aachen.

If you aren’t sick of hearing us say it already, definitely add this event and its weeklong festival to your bucket list. Today’s cross country is just one small part of a World Equestrian Festival that spans all major disciplines and boats the absolute cream of the crop in terms of competition.

ANYWAY, enough poetic wishful thinking about actually being there this year — for now, I’ll settle for tuning in with you all for some cross country day fun.

The course designer here at Aachen is Rüdiger Schwarz, assisted by Kai-Steffen Meier, and he’s built a 4*-S track of 25 numbered fences, comprising of 39 jumping efforts. The optimum time is 6 minutes and 55 seconds – that works out at an average speed of 570 meters per minute. You can get a bit of a view of the track here.

In most countries, you’ll want to grab a subscription to ClipMyHorse.TV to be able to view the action both live and on-demand. FYI, your USEF account connection to ClipMyHorse.TV will not grant you access to Aachen live streaming – you must have a separate subscription to CMH (monthly or annual). Click here to see ClipMyHorse.TV subscription options.

How will today’s events fit with the form? Follow along with EN’s Form Guide here.

Keep scrolling to see my live blog, and keep this page refreshed periodically for the latest updates. Here’s to safe rides to all, and Go Eventing!

EN’s Coverage of CHIO Aachen is brought to you with support from Kentucky Performance Products and Ocala Horse Properties.

CHIO Aachen: [Website] [Entries] [Schedule] [Timing & Scoring] [Live Stream] [EN’s Coverage]

6:54 a.m. ET: And that will do us for cross country at Aachen. Yasmin Ingham, who was the original leader after dressage, will claim the individual title here with Banzai du Loir, all but stamping her ticket to Europeans (with which horse though?!). Michael Jung finishes second with fischerChipmunk, and Tamie Smith will take third overall with Mai Baum (with Liz and Phillip not far behind in 5th and 6th). Team Germany will take the SAP Cup, followed by Team USA and Team GB. This is the first British winner EVER at Aachen, and what better way to do it than with the reigning World Champion! Here’s a look at the final finishing scores — and stay tuned for Tilly’s report to come later today!

6:51 a.m. ET: Tom is currently riding for both a British individual and team win here – he’s got about 4 seconds to afford to make this happen. OH NO! He has a 20 at the B of the Sunken Road, and it will be Yasmin Ingham who wins the glory individually today! That will also drop GB out of the gold spot on the leaderboard, I believe, moving the U.S. up to second.

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

6:50 a.m. ET: Oh my goodness – Michael Jung picks up just one second too many, guaranteeing Britain will win for the very first time here – either Yasmin Ingham or Tom McEwen! Here’s a quick look at Michael through the corners at 18:

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

6:48 a.m. ET: Michael is through the final water, Tom is into the Rolex water with JL Dublin.

6:46 a.m. ET: Ah man. The wheels fall off a bit for Tim Price and Falco, who pick up two late 20s, one each at the two final combinations. Tom McEwen and JL Dublin, overnight leaders and last of the day, are away!

6:44 a.m. ET: Tim Price and Falco are still flying! Michael is clear through the Rolex water.

6:43 a.m. ET: Will is well into time as he finishes and he will be sorely disappointed about this result today. Michael Jung and fischerChipmunk FRH are now on course.

6:40 a.m. ET: Oh no! Will has picked up 20 at the A element of the Sunken Road after Timmy slipped on the turn. What a bummer. Ah, he’ll be really kicking himself there. Now, for the team, this means Phillip Dutton’s score will count and Tamie’s will be the top U.S. individual score. Germany has taken over the top spot, so it will come down to Michael Jung’s finish with Chipmunk. Tim Price and Falco are clear through the Rolex water. Will was given a 40 for crossing his tracks on the long route at the Sunken Road.

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

6:38 a.m. ET: Will may not have much team pressure at the moment, but he is riding for a shot at the individual podium here this weekend. He’s only about 4 penalties out of first place as it stands right now.

6:36 a.m. ET: Kevin McNab and Miss Pepperpot run into trouble again at the A of the Sunken Road at 16. Gireg le Coz has been Eliminated for missing the jump at 21. Will is clear through the Rolex water complex.

6:34 a.m. ET: Gireg le Coz and Aisprit de la Loge pick up a late 20 and are the first to have trouble at the angled combination at 21. Will Coleman is away with Off the Record.

6:30 a.m. ET: The final pair for Australia, Kevin McNab and Miss Pepperpot are away. Next to see will be 2021 Aachen winners. Will Coleman and Off the Record, who will have little pressure riding on their shoulders with three clear rounds from the U.S. so far. Sadly Miss Pepperpot picks up 20 at the A element of 5, similarly to teammates Bill Levett and Sligo Candy Cane.

6:29 a.m. ET: Joseph Murphy and Calmaro were evidently given 15 penalties for the out of the sunken road at 16, but it was so quickly removed that I never saw it on the scoreboard. They’re home clear with time. Gireg le Coz has a bold ride through the Normandy Bank complex.

6:28 a.m. ET:

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6:25 a.m. ET: Robin Godel is the latest to just get the wider part of the second corner at 18B after taking a direct line to make the three strides happen. Grandeur du Lully CH slides over the second corner a little, and they’re given question marks for the score there. I think those will be removed pretty quickly, from my view. Joseph Murphy is clear through 14 and French rider Gireg le Coz joins us now with Aisprit de la Loge.

6:24 a.m. ET: Last out for the Irish, Joseph Murphy and Camaro are away. Really love this horse, just a real “true event horse” look about him, if you know what I’m talking about.

6:23 a.m. ET: A peek at the environment in the Aachen stadium:

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6:20 a.m. ET: A look at updated team standings:

6:18 a.m. ET: Yasmin is home with just three seconds of time! She’ll finish the weekend on a score of 27.1 and takes the clubhouse lead. Robin Godel is the final Swiss rider to start the fourth rotation, aboard Grandeur de Lully CH.

6:16 a.m. ET: Yasmin Ingham is clear through the brush corners at 18. We may see some question marks for their jump at 18B, but we’ll see. Here’s a look at her and Banzai du Loir through the Sunken Road.

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

6:13 a.m. ET: Another thing to remember here is that some of these pairs, particularly the Brits and Germans, will be looking ahead to the European Championships, which means not every round will be one that is used to chase the time and the glory this weekend. Sandra Auffarth is going to pick up enough time to give the U.S. the top spot on the podium!

6:12 a.m. ET: Looks like the way things are shaking out, the U.S. will finish at least on the podium as a team, and they’re currently in silver position. They could yet improve this stead if Germany picks up any jump penalties or a significant amount of time.

6:11 a.m. ET: Caroline Powell is home with 7.6 time faults. Yasmin is away!

6:10 a.m. ET: Catching up a little — things move fast here! — Sandra Auffarth and Viamant du Matz, 2022 winners at Aachen, are on course for Germany and New Zealand’s Caroline Powell is making her way home on a clear with Greenacres Special Cavalier. Reigning World Champ Yasmin Ingham and Banzai du Loir will be the next starters.

6:08 a.m. ET: Tamie is home clear with 2.8 time! She’ll finish at least in the top 10 on a final score of 33.7 and keeps Team USA in the running to at least hang on to third as a team.

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

6:05 a.m. ET: Tamie is probably going to get into time here as well; they’re approaching the final combination before the arena and are clear at 21.

6:03 a.m. ET: Shenae Lowings has also been given 15 now for fence 18. An influential one this year! Caroline Powell and Greenacres Special Cavalier are on course and clear through 4. Tamie is clear through 16.

6:01 a.m. ET: Haven’t seen her yet, but Tamie is on course and clear through 6. Shenae Lowings is clear through 16, and Ben is home clear with some time.

5:58 a.m. ET: Ben Massie has taken some interesting and economic lines here, so we’ll see if he can get a little closer to that time. Australia’s Shenae Lowings is on course and at the Rolex water with the OTTB Bold Venture. Tamie Smith will be the next starter.

5:55 a.m. ET: Cathal is another pair to not hang around one bit, but yet will still get into time faults as he heads to the arena questions. No one has made the time here at Aachen in at least the last two years, to give you an idea of how influential it is.

5:54 a.m. ET: Clear jumping with time for Melody Johner and Toubleu de Rueire for the Swiss. We’re also joined by our next French rider, Benjamin Massie and Edition Fonroy. Cathal Daniels is clear through 15. We are just one more rider away from our next U.S. pair, Kentucky winners Tamie Smith and Mai Baum.

5:50 a.m. ET: Great Britain drops into bronze position now — pending Gemma’s 15 penalties, if those were to be removed. Cathal and Rioghan Rua are clear through 5.

5:49 a.m. ET: Cathal Daniels and the #supermare Rioghan Run are next away.

5:48 a.m. ET: Next out for the Swiss and clear through the water complex at 8-10 are Melody Johner and Toubleu de Rueire. Kirsty Chabert and Classic VI are making their way towards the arena now.

5:47 a.m. ET: And now the Germans go into gold as Kirsty Chabert and Classic VI have a very surprising 20 at the Normandy Bank. This is also contingent on Gemma Stevens’ 15 penalties, which are still on the scores right now.

5:45 a.m. ET: Christoph and Carjatan S are among the quickest of the day, stopping the clock at 6:59 just four seconds over. This will slot him in front of Liz Halliday-Sharp and Miks Master C and also keep the pressure on for the current silver-placed Germans.

5:43 a.m. ET: Also on course now are the next for the British, Kristy Chabert and Classic VI, who were also at Kentucky this spring.

5:41 a.m. ET: For Germany, Christoph Wahler and Carjatan S is having a cracking round thus far and is clear through the Normandy Bank at 11. Here’s a look at Jonelle’s tumble, which she valiantly tried to save!

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

5:40 a.m. ET: Here’s an updated look at the team standings in the SAP Cup competition:

5:37 a.m. ET: Liz is clear through the brush corners at 18. It looks like Jonelle has fallen from Mclaren at the Rolex water at 9. Noooo! This will be a big blow for the Kiwi team. Liz Halliday is nearly home, she’s going to have several seconds of time as Mikki looks quite strong still. She stops the clock 11 seconds. This clear, plus Jonelle’s fall, puts the U.S. back into a podium spot. Liz will take the clubhouse lead on a score of 36.5.

5:36 a.m. ET: Here’s a replay of what happened with Liz at fence 6:

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

5:35 a.m. ET: Jonelle Price and Mclaren are next away, riding the wave of a stellar show jumping round yesterday. Liz is through the Rolex water and clear through 11. Bill Levett finishes with the 20 penalties and a little over 40 seconds of time.

5:33 a.m. ET: Iiiinteresting — I am going off commentary here as I didn’t see it fully in real time, but it looks like a part of the MIM rail at the vertical MIM rail at 6 dropped when Liz jumped it. But since the top rail did not break, this should not be 11 penalties. I’ll have a GIF shortly.

5:32 a.m. ET: Carouzo Bois Maroutin slips a little on the turn to the final fence, but he and Maxime are home clear with just a bit of time. Liz Halliday-Sharp is now away for the U.S. aboard Ocala Horse Properties’ and Debbie Palmer’s Miks Master C.

5:30 a.m. ET: Patrick Ruegg’s elimination has been updated to a fall of rider instead of a fall of horse. Gemma’s 15 penalties are still present on the live scores. Maxime Liven and Carouzo Bois Maroutin have about 20 seconds as they enter the arena.

5:29 a.m. ET: Sligo Candy Cane is another to look almost a little surprised by the ditch at the coffin at 4, but he and Bill use their footwork and experience to navigate safely. Now they actually slide past the A element of 5 — perhaps just not seeing the fence in time after a quick turn? They’re clear with a hard ride on the direct route. This will drop the Australian’s pretty well out of the sights of a podium finish.

5:28 a.m. ET: 10 seconds over for Susie, plus she now has question marks for that moment at 18. Bill Levett and Sligo Candy Cane are now away for the Aussies, now without a drop score after the elimination of Bec Braitling and Caravaggio.

5:27 a.m. ET: Susie kicks out the right flag at the brush corners at 18 — honestly hard to tell in real speed if the horse’s shoulders were over the fence or off to the right.

5:25 a.m. ET: Next out for the French are Maxime Livio and Carouzo Bois Marotin, who some U.S. fans will recognize as one of the top 10 finishers at Kentucky this spring. Here’s a belated look at the speedy Gemma Stevens and Flash Cooley:

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

5:23 a.m. ET: After a couple of hairy moments, now it looks like Patrick Ruegg and Fifty Fifty have fallen at fence 15, a Trakehner fence. It looks like they are both up and walking away.

5:21 a.m. ET: This could be important – Gemma comes home just 3 seconds over, but she’s been given 15 for a missed flag at 18B. We’ll see if that stands! The next of the Irish is away in Susie Berry with Kilcandra Capitol.

5:20 a.m. ET: Gemma gives Flash Cooley some vocal encouragement as she comes through the angled combination at 21. She’s still flying as she comes into the arena and is going to be fairly close to the time.

5:19 a.m. ET: For the Swiss, Patrick Ruegg and Fifty Fifty hesitate a little at the ditch at 4A, but they’ve over it without penalties. Gemma Stevens and Flash Cooley should be making their way into the final part of the track at the arena now.

5:17 a.m. ET: Malin Hansen-Hotopp and Carlitos Quidditch K makes her smashing Aachen debut complete with just 5.6 time collected today. Nicely done!

5:15 a.m. ET: Gemma is certainly not out to hang around and have a walk in the park today, and she’s got Flash Cooley thinking forward and bold from the beginning. Malin lives a little dangerously at the Sunken Road but gets away with it!

5:14 a.m. ET: Clarke Johnstone is home with a little more time than Phillip. That puts Clarke and Menlo Park onto a finishing score of 45.5. Next out for the Brits are Gemma Stevens and Flash Cooley. Malin is clear through 15.

5:13 a.m. ET: 5.2 time and a total score of 38.0 for Phillip and Z, confirmed.

5:12 a.m. ET: Phillip’s time is currently listed as 10:03, which definitely isn’t right so we’ll see if he actually got a little closer to the optimum. Germany is on course now, with Malin Hansen-Hotopp and Quidditch K clear at the Rolex water.

5:10 a.m. ET: Phillip is clear and adds 15 seconds of time; he will have wanted to go a little quicker, but that’s a good score to go on for the U.S., currently the drop score for the Americans.

5:09 a.m. ET: First of the Kiwis is underway, Clarke Johnstone and Menlo Park. Phil is clear through 21 and should be in the arena by now.

5:06 a.m. ET: Ah no! Bec and Caravaggio part ways at these tricky corners at 18, when they just got off their line and “Ernie” twisted a little in the air to make the wider part of the corner happen. Bec tumbles out the right door and she looks no worse for the wear but will be bummed to end her first trip overseas this way. Here’s a look at Phillip into the Rolex water:

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

5:04 a.m. ET: Bec is clear through 13, while she’s joined by the first U.S. team rider, Phillip Dutton and Z.

5:01 a.m. ET: U.S.-based Australians Bec Braitling and Caravaggio II are now on course, making their Aachen and senior squad debut this weekend.

5:00 a.m. ET: Sarah Ennis and the very keen Action Lady M are home with no jump penalties added, coming home about 35 seconds over the clock. Here’s a look at this pair through the penultimate combination at 21:

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

4:59 a.m. ET: Nadja Minder now has 15 penalties showing on her card at fence 18A, the first of two brush corners.

4:57 a.m. ET: Nadja Minder and Aquila B puts in a good round for the Swiss, collecting just a few time penalties to go onto her mark. Right now, she’s the drop score for the Swiss but that could change depending on how the rest of her teammates’ rides go. For France, Luc Chateau is away with Cocorico de L’Ebat.

4:55 a.m. ET: The first Irish rider, Sarah Ennis and Action Lady M, are on course now and navigating the big, circular water at fences 8-10 (that’s how you know you spend a lot of time at one complex, when there are 3 questions in one place!).

4:53 a.m. ET: Frida Anderson’s 15 penalties have been removed, which puts her into the clubhouse lead on a score of 39.7.

4:51 a.m. ET: Cross country adrenaline, in one video:

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4:50 a.m. ET: Frida Anderson adds 4.8 time to her score as she crosses the finish. We now move into the team rotations, with Switzerland first of the bunch, sending Nadja Minder and Aquila B first away. Here’s a look at team standings ahead of cross country:

4:48 a.m. ET: Frida Anderson and Box Leo have question marks on their score box for fence 8, likely the B element of the water combination, a narrow arrowhead in the water.

4:46 a.m. ET: Lara is the quickest of the bunch so far, stopping the clock just 2.8 time penalties’ worth ahead of the optimum time. Belgium will be eyeballing the riders here as potential European Championships representatives as they aim for Paris qualification this year — and Lara just made more than a small statement.

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

4:45 a.m. ET: Lara Liedekerke-Meier also takes a left-handed line to the second corner at 18 with Ducati d’Arville, jumping just the wider part of the second corner with a big effort.

4:42 a.m. ET: A couple finishes to update you on — Jarno Verwimp and Mahalia are home clear, as are Hector Payne and Dynasty. Frida Anderson and Box Leo as well as Lara Liedekerke-Meier and Ducati d’Arville are out on course and both clear so far.

4:36 a.m. ET: Hector Payne and Dynasty, the first of our British riders, are the next away. Church’lle rattles the MIM-clipped vertical at the final combination, but it stays up and they’re home safely with about 51 seconds of time.

4:35 a.m. ET: I didn’t see either on the live feed, but Arthur Marx has been assessed 15 for a missed flag at 12B and a 20 penalty incurrence at 16B.

4:33 a.m. ET: Dan and Carmango are safely home, and he’ll be more than irritated about that 20 but he still pumps his fist with a finish at his first CHIO Aachen!

4:32 a.m. ET: Also on course now are France’s Arthur Marx and Church’lle as well as Jarno Verwimp and Mahalia.

4:29 a.m. ET: Dan and Carmango have picked up a 20 at the brush arrowhead at 16A, part of the Sunken Road. This is a tricky area of the course, that sits right in the middle of a combined driving obstacle, and it looks like “Fritz” just didn’t quite lock on to the strategically narrow and easy-to-miss fence.

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

4:27 a.m. ET: Dan Kreitl is clear through the ring-around-the-rosey Rolex water at 9 and 10.

4:27 a.m. ET: You can see how gray it’s looking out there today in this shot of Samantha Lissington at fence 5.

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

4:25 a.m. ET: And here is our first U.S. rider! Dan Kreitl and Carmango are on their first big overseas trip and represent the U.S. as individuals this weekend. Nicolai Aldinger and Timmo are home with about 29 seconds of time.

4:23 a.m. ET: Ricker Ridge Sooty has to get his front end up quick to nip over the MIM Rail at 6, with Samantha glancing back to make sure the rail has stayed up (it did).

4:22 a.m. ET: Our next individual representatives to see will be New Zealand’s Samantha Lissington with Ricker Ridge Sooty GNZ. I really hope his barn name is Sooty.

4:20 a.m. ET: Timmo leaves a bit of a knee jumping into the Rolex water but he’s safely clear through here. I know almost nothing about this horse, but he looks like a good, agreeable type that I’d quite like to ride around a big track like this.

4:19 a.m. ET: It looks like both Calvin and Altair de la Cense both took a tumble at the A clement of the Rolex water, but they both look to be ok. Our next starters are Nicolai Aldinger and Timmo for Germany.

4:18 a.m. ET: Looks like Calvin and Altair de la Cense will end their day much earlier than planned with a parting of ways at the Rolex water at fence 10. Rebecca-Juana Gerken and TSF Solara are home clear with some time, but they were also pretty speedy especially as one of the earlier pairs to see.

4:15 a.m. ET: Anna Siemer shows us that the time may be gettable today, stopping the clock just a few seconds off the optimum. Calvin Böckmann and Altair de la Cense are our next to see and our penultimate Germany individual pair.

GIF via ClipMyHorse.TV.

4:13 a.m. ET: FRH Butts Avondale jumps more the left side of the righthand corner at 18, and Anna’s foot actually hits the white flag as a result. She gives FRH Butts Avondale a big pat, and they actually aren’t too bad on time here with about 35 seconds to get home as she enters the arena. The rain is a little heavier now!

4:11 a.m. ET: Anna Siemer and FRH Butts Avondale are clear through the Rolex water complex at the top of the track and are joined by Rebecca-Juana Green and TSF Solara — who has a U.S. sire in the great Windfall II. Pathfinders Lubissa Lubekke has been assessed 15 penalties for missing a flag at this time, at the right-handed corner at 18B.

4:07 a.m. ET: Next to see as Lubissa makes her way home via the questions in the arena — she’s clear with about 34 seconds of time — are Germany’s Anna Siemer with FRH Butts Avondale. They also rely on a bit of footwork to navigate the early coffin at 4.

4:04 a.m. ET: Lubissa is having to ride in some morning rain, but it’s not enough to have a huge effect on the going right now. This track, with its notoriously tough time, is a tricky balance between riding forward and boldly, while also maintaining the ability to control and turn tightly. Not every horse will be suited for this track, but the ones that will will really relish the challenge.

4:01 a.m. ET: And we are officially underway as Libussa is away and has a bit of a rough ride through the first combination at 4AB but is on her way!

3:59 a.m. ET: The CrossCountryApp preview of the 4*-S course here is now available! Click here for a fence-by-fence preview. Our first riders to see today will be the individual riders, with the team rotation starting a little later. Germany has the largest number of individual slots as host nation, and we’ll see a handful of their riders out first beginning with Libussa Lübbeke and Caramia 34.

Tom McEwen and JL Dublin take the CHIO Aachen lead. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

While this evening’s showjumping phase at CHIO Aachen’s CCIO4*-S may not have been enormously difficult by the numbers – 20 of the 44 starters jumped clear rounds, with 17 of those doing so inside the time, and just 40 rails falling throughout the breadth of the class – it certainly was influential on the leaderboard. That’s because this morning’s dressage scoring was more than a touch reminiscent of that at Luhmühlen a couple of weeks ago: just nine pairs were awarded sub-30 marks, and tenth through 35th place sitting within the scope of five penalties. And so if a pair were to pick up a time penalty or two – or, heaven forbid, a rail – it would cost them dearly.

Yasmin Ingham and Banzai du Loir. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

It was the former, rather than the latter, that saw our first-phase leaders, World Champions Yasmin Ingham and Banzai du Loir relinquish the top spot and hand it, instead, to teammates Tom McEwen and JL Dublin. They opted to play it just a touch safe in the spooky Turkish Airlines Stadium, with its 40,000 seats, its busy, bustling arena, and its capacious spookiness, and while that allowed them to pin down a classy round without any jumping penalties, it did see them add two penalties for finishing five seconds over the time allowed. Now, they head into cross-country in third place – Germany’s Michael Jung and fischerChipmunk FRH, last year’s two-phase leaders, step up to second after a penalty-free round – but they’re not far from that top spot, even so: they’re just 1.2 penalties, or three seconds, behind first place.

Michael Jung and fischerChipmunk FRH. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Tom, for his part, was delighted to get the job done with twelve-year-old Holsteiner ‘Dubs’, who he inherited from fellow British rider Nicola Wilson in the latter part of last year.

“He jumped fantastically, to be honest,” says Tom. “He loved the main arena, which is always great, because you’d be hard-pressed to find a better championship-style arena. It’s amazing to get in there — it’s very open and flowing. I found that this year there wasn’t so many turn backs. It wasn’t too technical.”

Tom McEwen and JL Dublin. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Tom finished third here last year with long-time partner Toledo de Kerser, but found that this evening’s course had a very different feel to the one he’d jumped last year, which was much more centre-weighted in the arena, maximising tight lines and turns.

“I thought maybe it was a bit easier this time, but sometimes with good horses, like Dubs, it can lure you in a little bit,” he says. “And he was jumping so well that it did lure me in a bit, because I decided to take a stride out and go to the planks at seven on five strides. I’d already told Dicky [Waygood, British team performance manager] that I had a fear that I might do something like that. I landed from six and thought, ‘I’ll sit up and get the six’, but then when I saw the five, I thought, ‘well, I might as well keep going!’ Luckily, he’s got plenty of scope and actually, that nearly made him more aware of the course, because he was like, ‘what are you doing?!’ He jumped amazing – he’s a pleasure to ride, and I’m looking forward to being in this position tomorrow.”

Tom McEwen and JL Dublin. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Tom and Dubs haven’t yet celebrated the first anniversary of their partnership, but already, they’ve finished second at Boekelo’s CCI4*-L last October – their first international outing together – and second at Kentucky CCI5* this spring. At each milestone, Tom has been able to chart the progression in their communication levels as they adjust to one another.

“This morning’s test was the same test as I did at Boekelo, and the difference between tests was near enough polar,” he says. “It’s just learning small quirks. He’s the nicest, calmest, coolest person but there’s a few things I’ve learned. One is that he does actually need a bit more work than I thought – he sort of lures you into allowing him to have an easy time , and actually, he just needs a little bit of work. It’s all been about getting to know him as a person, and he’s been amazing, so we’re starting to get there. This is another step in our learning curve.”

Whatever happens tomorrow, Tom is counting it all as a positive – because win or learn, he knows the ‘five-star short’ course will help him reach the next level of communication and partnership with ‘Dubs’.

“While we came here as a learning experience, we did so knowing that we can be very competitive at the same time – it’s just putting those two together,” he says pragmatically.

Will Coleman and Off The Record. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Seven of the newly-reformed top ten put faultless rounds on the board: beyond our new top two – who have just a tenth of a penalty between them and thus absolutely no margin for error tomorrow – we saw New Zealand’s Tim Price do the same with his World Champs bronze medallist Falco, which allowed them to retain their fourth place standing; 2021 winners Will Coleman and Off The Record did it, which pushed them from seventh to fifth and now has them best of the US contingent; pathfinder and young German rising star Libussa Lübbeke did it without the benefit of any rounds to watch first, which boosts her and Caramia 34 from ninth to sixth, and her fellow Warendorf student Calvin Böckmann from thirteenth to eighth with Altair de la Cense; and finally, France’s Gireg le Coz did it with his five-star ride Aisprit de la Loge, which saw them step up from twelfth to seventh.

Tamie Smith and Mai Baum. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

The spooky, busy arena with its technical lines and big, square efforts did exert its influence on some otherwise excellent jumpers, though: Tamie Smith and Mai Baum, arguably one of the very best in the field in this phase, knocked the planks at fence seven, which fell just twice throughout the class – and that was enough to drop them from fifth to ninth.

Liz Halliday-Sharp and Miks Master C. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Liz Halliday-Sharp and Miks Master C (owned by Ocala Horse Properties and Deborah Palmer) also picked up a rail at 10a, the first of two back-to-back doubles (the course had no treble combination, interestingly, but instead featured three doubles; two of these came consecutively at the tail end of the course, causing ten rails – 25% of the phase’s tally – among them.) That, plus her 0.8 time penalties, saw her move from first-phase sixth to two-phase fourteenth.

US individuals Dan Krietl and Carmango, too, had two rails – the fourth, and the first part of the first double at 5a – which saw them slip from 31st to 35th going into cross-country.

Phillip Dutton and Z. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Phillip Dutton was able to lay down a fault-free round for the US with Z, who’ll be the team pathfinder across the country tomorrow; they now sit eighteenth, up from 24th, thanks to their efforts.

The top ten going into tomorrow’s cross-country.

Though Aachen’s ‘Nations Cup’ isn’t actually a Nations Cup – that is, it’s not part of the official FEI series, which counts towards coveted rewards such as a team qualification for Paris. But even though it can’t be used to get that job done (and, actually, it couldn’t anyway; every nation with a team entered here is already heading to next year’s Olympics), it’s still seriously important, because it’s a chance to see how some iteration of each country’s A-team stacks up against its closest competitors.

With all that in mind, is it even worth mentioning that the Brits retain their first-phase lead going into tomorrow’s cross-country. Hardly: we all already know that they’re on extraordinary multi-year form, even if Pratoni didn’t quite go to plan for them as a team. (For what it’s worth, though, if Oliver Townend had had even half the rails he’d had, they’d have won gold, which might be a bit of an if-my-grandmother-had-wheels-she’d-be-a-bike sort of argument, but it does prove just how fine the margins are between medals and nothing that one round can make such an enormous difference, and it can, as such, hardly be held against the Brits as a loss of form.) Today, just one of their riders – Gemma Stevens, aboard the young, talented Flash Cooley – tipped a rail, giving them an aggregate score of 80.8 after two phases, which puts them 8.3 penalties, or twenty seconds, ahead of now-second-placed Germany, who stepped up a placing after three clears. The home nation did suffer some disappointment: Malin Hansen-Hotopp and Carlitos Quidditch K, eighth after dressage, became the team drop score and slid to 24th after knocking two rails.

New Zealand, too, climbed a spot and now sit third, taking full advantage of an open door left by the US team, who moved from second after the first phase to fourth after the second, though by a small margin: between second and fourth place, there’s just two penalties, or five seconds tomorrow.

Tomorrow’s cross-country, designed by Rudiger Schwarz, begins at 10.00 a.m. local time (9.00 a.m. BST/4.00 a.m. EST). It’ll all be streamed live via ClipMyHorse.TV, and we’ll be bringing you the low-down and analysis, plus chats with plenty of the riders, after the action wraps. Stay tuned tonight, too – we’ll have a preview of what’s yet to come heading your way soon. Until then: Go Eventing!

The team standings after showjumping in CHIO Aachen’s Nations Cup.

EN’s Coverage of CHIO Aachen is brought to you with support from Kentucky Performance Products and Ocala Horse Properties.

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Yasmin Ingham and Banzai du Loir. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

It’s as much of a treat for eventing fans to get to watch World Champions Yasmin Ingham and Banzai du Loir as it is for the talented pair to ride in the most prestigious competitions in the world – and certainly, the young rider is as well known for her gratitude for these opportunities as she is for her extraordinary abilities in the saddle. And where gratitude is given room to flourish, so, too, is grace under pressure, even when things might go a bit pear-shaped – as they did for the pair at Kentucky this spring. They returned to the five-star a year after taking second in the French-bred gelding’s debut there, but after being held indefinitely at the start box, Banzai dropped off the boil just a touch, and they had a shock early run-out before regrouping and going on to finish the competition in fine style.

Now, they’re back at a major competition, and neither looks ruffled by what may be seen as a crucial opportunity to prove themselves ahead of this summer’s European Championships, for which they’ll be hoping for selection. Nor do the British powers-that-be seem concerned: they’ve put the pair in the hugely pressurised anchor slot for the team this week, which means they’ll be the last Brits to head out of the start box and, as such, will need to be prepared to save the day if one of their teammates has a tricky round.

There’s cool under pressure, though, and then there’s this girl. Riding in the final session of today’s dressage, Yas and Banzai danced their way to the lead on a sparkling score of 23.5 – though the margins are so tight today, even with tough marking across the board and an extraordinary number of people sitting in the 30-32 zone, that they’ve got less than a penalty in hand going into today’s showjumping.

“It’s amazing to be here – I feel very, very lucky, and it’s just so special to be at this sort of calibre of event, especially with my number one boy Banzai,” says Yas. “It’s amazing to be able to show him off on a stage again – and obviously, it’s been a couple of months since Pratoni, so it’s so nice to bring him to these big shows. When he performs like that it’s… well, I’m pretty speechless, to be honest!”

Yasmin Ingham and Banzai du Loir. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Though their test was without errors, Yas still quickly picked out areas that she’d like to improve on for their next outing: “He was really great out in the warm-up, and then just went slightly flat in there. I probably could have had a little bit more tempo and cadence in the trot, and a couple of his changes needed to be a little bit more expressive, but I can’t be too disappointed with that! But obviously, I’m a perfectionist and I like things to be as good as they can be.”

Though she’d been able to see the harsh marking all throughout the competition, which had several riders wondering what the judges were looking for, exactly, Yas stuck to the plan she’s developed with her coaches in order to lay down the marks.

“I try and stick to the way that I know, that myself and Chris Bartle and Richard Davidson have created to get the best out of him,” she says. “I think we just try and stick with that trend, really. It’s worked before in the past, so we try and keep everything fairly similar with his prep and the work in and then obviously going into the ring, we try and ride the test for maximum marks.”

Now, there’s the small matter of tonight’s showjumping – and tomorrow’s cross-country – to deal with.

“There’s absolutely no catching up to be done at the end of the cross-country,” she says. “I think you really need to be up on those minutes early on. Time will be of the essence tomorrow, and here’s some tricky technicla questions scattered around the course. But I like how in the main field, there’s two quite big opportunities to have a good gallop and  ride away from your fences quickly and make up a bit of time there and I’m very lucky to be sat on a big rangy, galloping horse so I’m going to try and make the most of those big stretches and then hopefully we’ll be there or there abouts with  the time

Tom McEwen and JL Dublin. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Further bolstering British team efforts is Tom McEwen, also returning to the world stage after a trip to Kentucky this spring with the former Nicola Wilson ride, reigning European Champion JL Dublin. The pair very nearly managed to take the lead, but as they had been at Kentucky, they were just pipped at the post by Yas and Banzai, and had to settle for a close second place on their score of 24.3.

“I thought, apart from the first halt, that he was so relaxed and in harmony and absolutely loving what he was doing in there – so he was a pleasure to ride, to be honest,” says Tom. “We both had great fun; he’s loving the show, and he definitely enjoyed the appreciation from the crowd afterwards. He’s a truly special horse.”

Tom has had the ride on ‘Dubs’ for less than a full year, but today, they got the chance to revisit the early part of the partnership and evaluate how much they’ve progressed.

“Funnily enough, we did this test at Boekelo when I’d first got him,” he says, recalling the Dutch event in October, where they finished second on the same score as the winners. “Now, I’ve started to understand him, and we’ve really gelled – which is thanks, obviously, to Nicola and all her hard work. All that hard work she’s put in is really paying off.”

Tom, who finished third here last year with Toledo de Kerser, is prepared for a totally different challenge in tomorrow’s cross-country finale.

“It’s very different to last year,” says Tom. “There’s some real galloping sections with no fences, and then some places like the first water, where we’re doing circles within the water. It’ll be really interesting to see how it rides – we might find that it’s a little easier to get the time, but we might also find that it’s a lot harder.”

Michael Jung and fischerChipmunk FRH. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

It’s not often we don’t see Michael Jung in the lead here, particularly when he brings out the big guns – which Olympic mount and five-star winner fischerChipmunk FRH most definitely qualifies as. But although the pair trended in the top spot for part of their test, and then flitted, occasionally, into second, a late miscommunication and several subsequent erroneous transitions just moments before the final centreline proved expensive, and the 5s and 4s they earned their pushed their score to a still very respectable 24.4. That sees them head into showjumping in third place, just a tenth of a penalty behind Tom and JL Dublin.

Tim Price and Falco. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

The last rider in the ring this afternoon put a pin in a seriously smart final session: Kiwi anchors Tim Price and Falco, who were victorious at Pau’s CCI5* in 2021, and took individual bronze at the World Championships last year, took hold of fourth place provisionally with a score of 26. But though the quirky 14-year-old delivered all the right kinds of dance move in his test, the moment his final halt and salute was behind him, his inner wild-child came out, and Tim cantered back out of the arena laughing at the gelding’s much-improved sense of timing.

“In contrast to that, though, his work in his test was some of his softest, most on-side work I’ve had with him,” says Tim. “I think that’s the mark of a proper good horse – he tries so hard, and he does everything through partnership and training, and if I stick closely to that in the ring, then as soon as he has a moment to take in his surroundings, he’s like, ‘woah!’ He becomes very sharp.”

Though the horse is in his mid-teens, he’s a type that looks as though he’s improving year on year – and Tim agrees that he’s a classic late bloomer, as so many sharp-brained horses are.

“I said to [groom] Kerryn [Edmans] on the way over, he’s got quite a lot of old man qualities, and I think he’s going to be a very cool old man, actually, in a couple of years,” laughs Tim. “He’s starting to just go through the motions of the job; he knows where we are in the week, and when the right occasion comes – he knows where to put his flamboyance now a bit more.”

This is Falco’s third trip to Aachen, and Tim’s hoping that it’ll be a case of third time lucky – because previously, it hasn’t gone quite to plan for the gelding.

“The first time it blew his mind; the second time, it was a little better – but we got stuck on the keyhole on cross-country,” remembers Tim. “So we’ll see! The course has been stiffened up this year; it’s bigger, and there’s a couple of places with proper questions that have to be ridden in a certain way. It’s always nice to have a contingency plan B and C, but there’s a couple here where there’s really only one way to make it work well – though I’m sure we’ll see a few versions! The Kiwis are good at being underdogs, so I’m sure we’ll go out and give it a good go.”

Tamie Smith and Mai Baum. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Kentucky winners Tamie Smith and Mai Baum return for their first outing since that momentous win, and will go into showjumping sitting in fifth place – and best of the US team – on a 26.9. While fans of the 17-year-old German-bred gelding will recognise that the score awarded isn’t on even keel with his usual low-20s efforts, Tamie explains that that’s because she’s trying some new tactics in the ring – and those led to some visible early tension, which she deftly rode through.

“I felt wild,” she says with a laugh. “I’m trying to leave a little bit to chance and I had bobbles because of it, but I’m on the right track – I think he’s more in front of me and not just hovering around, which is where I think he loses points. So I experimented a little bit to see, and the beginning was a little frazzled: when he’s tense, he starts throwing one front leg a bit unevenly, but he has to just learn to push and engage, so I went for it and had mistakes, but I’m happy with him.”

Even the most consistent of performers can have days when the buzz of the situation bubbles over, and ‘Lexus’ felt that today – and when he does, Tamie says, it’s not always a straightforward job to get him back on terra firm. Instead, it’s all about the fine art of compromise — and the slimmest of margins – especially in the fishbowl of the Deutsches Bank Stadium.

“He’s a funny horse – he’s awkwardly hot and sensitive but then he’s also behind me,” she says. “It’s a weird mix of knowing how much is enough or not enough, and  it’s millimetre by millimetre; I just kind of corrected him a little bit, more maybe too much. But that’s the sport – they’re pretty electric in there. He halted before I went to go in, and he reared, and he doesn’t ever do that. So he was just feeling it in there. It feels very closed in and claustrophobic, and I think it’s hard on a horse with movement, who needs room to move. They feel like they’re getting swallowed up a bit.”

Liz Halliday-Sharp and Miks Master C. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Liz Halliday-Sharp and Miks Master C, who she rides for Ocala Horse Properties and Debbie Palmer, find themselves in sixth place after earning a 27.3 – a score that the rider felt didn’t quite reflect the horse’s work in the ring. Nevertheless, she was delighted that the talented gelding’s rideability – an ongoing work in progress – continued to head in the right direction, despite the challenging, compact stadium setting of this first phase.

“I was really pleased with him; he’s still a relatively young, inexperienced horse,” she says. “He’s only eleven, and we’ve only been together a year so I’m happy. This would probably be the most challenging ring he’s been in, so I had to ride what I had a little bit, but I was very, very pleased with him. The scoring has been really tough, so I obviously came here hoping for a better mark because he’s a really talented horse, but there’s plenty to do still and he did a lot of great things in there.”

Though Mikki has certainly seen atmosphere before – he finished third at Kentucky on his five-star debut this spring, and so logged plenty of time in that venue’s sprawling stadium – Aachen, Liz explains, has a very different feel.

“I think it’s very tight. It’s very closed in – they feel really like the whole stand is on top of them. But he was actually fabulous, and he didn’t really react to it that much,” she says.

Mikki’s a horse that’s firmly on the Paris pathway, and every outing gives Liz a chance to revisit his educational checklist and work on the marginal gains that’ll help him peak at the perfect moment.

“I think he still just needs more strength,” she says. “He offers a lot and when he gets a little tired in the ring he gets a little strong on me, so I have to just keep working away and training him. I need about another six months and then we’ll really have it where we need it, but but he’s got a lot to come still. We have a lot more of a partnership now and I definitely know him better, and I’ve changed what I’m doing as a result: I’ve got him back in a snaffle because I just wanted to try and go there. So we’re kind of working through that a little bit, but everything is so much more solidified than it was – and there’s still another level to come, which is actually exciting. I believe he’s capable of doing a sub-20s test – he’s a gorgeous horse, and I’ve just got to keep plugging away.”

Will Coleman and Off The Record. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

In 2021, they rose to the top spot here and became the first-ever American winners of CHIO Aachen – and this year, Will Coleman and Off The Record are back, another year older and wiser, for their third consecutive visit to this German crown jewel. And the great news? They’re only getting better. They sit seventh going into showjumping on a smart score of 28.1, which continues a trajectory of improvement from the 29.7 they posted in the year that they won, and the 28.5 they put on the board last year, which helped them to an eventual sixth place.

The German team, currently sitting in bronze position on the podium, is helped along enormously by the efforts of 2022 Blenheim CCI4*-L champions Malin Hansen-Hotopp and the expressive Carlitos Quidditch K, who sit eighth on 28.9, while the day’s pathfinders, young Warendorf trainees and German individuals Libussa Lübbeke and Caramia 34, hold onto ninth on 29.5. Tenth place is held by Australia’s Kevin McNab on his relatively new ride, the former Caroline Harris mount Miss Pepperpot, who earned a 30.2 with a sweet, workmanlike effort in the ring.

Phillip Dutton and Z. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Phillip Dutton sits 24th at the end of the first phase, having posted a 32.8 with his experienced Olympic mount, Z.

“I was hoping for better score,” he admits, “but I was really pleased with the way the way Z went — he went in the ring and was very workmanlike, which is rewarding.”

Despite their long partnership and extraordinary wealth of shared experience, Phillip explains that scenarios such as Aachen, with its combination of atmosphere and team pressure, can still throw challenges, curveballs, and chances to learn and improve in the pair’s direction.

“You’re constantly trying to improve and understand what he’s going through, and how to get him there and to be at his best, and so it’s always a balance of making sure he’s not going to be too fresh and too on edge, but then still having plenty of pizzazz and plenty of activity and sparkle in the test,” he says. “I thought I got it about right, but when you go a bit early [in the day], you’re trying to figure out what the judges are actually looking for as well. So maybe I should have gone for a little bit more and made it a little bit more expressive.”

Though his first-phase score might feel a touch disappointing, as a hugely decorated stalwart of the sport, Phillip is all too aware that the competition doesn’t end in this stadium – and both phases yet to come pose significant challenges, beginning with tonight’s showjumping in the 40,000 capacity stadium.

“Jumping in that main arena is a little bit different for us, because it’s such a big, expansive arena,” he says. “So we have to be on our game there, and then cross country is an interesting track. There are galloping patches, but then there’s quite intense patches where the time is going to be very influential. At a lot of the events you just try to stay on your minute markers, whereas here, some parts you’re going to be way up on your minute markers, but some minutes you’re going to be way down. It’s going to be interesting, and you’ll need a horse that’s really adjustable, but fast and obviously brave. The challenges keep going right through to the end.”

Dan Krietl and Carmango. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

US individual competitor Dan Krietl is having one heck of a summer: the CCI4*-L National Champion hadn’t competed in Europe – nor, in fact, even visited – before this year, but now, he’s practically an honorary resident after having flown over a couple of weeks ahead of Luhmühlen with Carmango. First, they logged some valuable training with their hosts, Belgium’s Lara de Liedekerke-Meier and her husband, Germany’s Kai-Steffen Meier, at their home base, Arville; then, they moseyed on over to Germany to tackle the CCI4*-S at Luhmühlen, which is one of the toughest and most hotly-contested events of the level on the continent. That didn’t quite go to plan – a battle of wills against a seriously influential double of angled hedges in the arena led to the hard decision to retire – but if education is the name of the game this year, then he’s collecting a wealth of the stuff, all of which he hopes will pay off in the long run as he continues to develop his talented young horse.

“I was so disappointed out in Luhmühlen, because I’ve never had a stop with him in his whole career,” says Dan. “He’s just gotten a little spookier and sharper over here – partly, I think, because I switched his feed and didn’t realise it’s, like, jet fuel for horses!”

That, he explains, created a bit of a perfect storm when the horse met the busy arena, its two angled hedges, and, crucially, the water trays beneath them: “He’s a little spooky with liverpools, and that jump scenario will be hard to recreate. But I also I think I’ll plan to ride a little ‘be ready’ here, and if he wants to look or spook, I’ll say, ‘Boy, you can get in there and do it.’ Normally,  he actually loves the job. If you point him he’s going to jump, no matter what, and so maybe I took it for granted a little too much. I’ve just got to be ready to give him a good ride.”

That lesson isn’t the only valuable intel Dan’s picked up since coming over – he’s also been refining this first phase, and though today’s score of 34.8, which puts him 31st after dressage, doesn’t necessarily reflect a huge change on paper since Luhmühlen, Dan can feel the gains being made.

“We’ve worked a lot on his dressage and just improving the basics — that throughness, and kind of putting a few pieces back together. I feel like the horse is going better here this weekend,” he says. “I was really proud of him; he tried so hard. I messed up the first flying change, so I’m disappointed about that, but the rest of it, we didn’t really have mistakes, and so I was really happy with that. I think we’re improving from  Luhmuhlen — our score wasn’t much better, but the coach and everybody thought we’re moving in the right direction, and for a ten-year-old and in the atmosphere, I was really happy.”

Dan’s been trying a unique tactic to get ready for this evening’s second phase, which takes place in the unique and enormous main stadium: “I’ve been walking the 1.60m jumping courses,” he laughs, “because then, I’m hoping ours might look small!”

The individual top ten after the first phase of competition.

Their extraordinary first-phase efforts put the British team in the lead going into jumping, though they’ve not quite got a rail in hand: with their aggregate score of 78.8, they’re 3.5 points ahead of second placed team USA on 82.3, who themselves are just 2.1 penalties ahead of third-placed Germany on 84.4. From there, the margins get a bit wider – fourth placed New Zealand is 5.9 penalties behind Germany, which puts them 11.5 penalties – or two rails and just over eight seconds – off the lead.

Now, with the first phase behind us, we meet one of CHIO Aachen’s great anomalies: we’re not done for the day, because there’s showjumping yet to come tonight in the extraordinary main stadium here. That’ll begin at 17.45 local time (that’s 16.45 BST/11.45 a.m. EST), and will run in the same order as this morning – that is, individuals first, and then in rotations through the team draw. You can find the order of go here, and to tune in to watch the action live, click here. We’ll be bringing you further news on all the movers and shakers later on this evening, plus plenty of photos of our stars of the sport in action. Until then: Go Eventing!

The team standings after the first phase.

EN’s Coverage of CHIO Aachen is brought to you with support from Kentucky Performance Products and Ocala Horse Properties.

CHIO Aachen: [Website] [Entries] [Schedule] [Timing & Scoring] [Live Stream] [EN’s Form Guide] [EN’s Coverage]

2021 Aachen champions Will Coleman and Off The Record. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

There are certain competitions that we find ourselves counting down to each year, and CHIO Aachen — northern Germany’s ‘World Equestrian Festival’ — is absolutely one of them. This brilliant, buzzy celebration of horse sport – and the people who love to watch it – feels a bit like Disneyland for the horse-obsessed, and we really can’t get enough of it, nor of the serious battle of the titans it puts on for us eventing folk.

So what’s the big deal with Aachen, anyway? Simply put, it’s the closest approximation to a major championship that we get in this sport, without actually being a major championship. There’s tonnes of atmosphere, a huge amount of buzz, and a Nations Cup-style team competition (though it’s not, crucially, a part of the FEI Nations Cup series, so any successes earned here won’t count towards the efforts being made by unqualified countries to earn a spot at Paris next year). Plus, now that the World Equestrian Games of old no longer exists, it’s also the only show in which the very best of all the FEI disciplines is showcased in one venue, which lends it a uniquely special feeling, if you’re into the idea of, say, grabbing a coffee next to Steve Guerdat or following Jessica von Bredow-Werndl into a spinny door, which we very much are. More pertinently, though, all these factors combine to create a great, pressurised litmus test for horses and riders who may go on to fight for medals at the real deal championships, and so each invited country’s selectors tend to put forward their creme-de-la-creme, and we get the chance to see, for example, the likes of fischerChipmunk go head to head with Banzai du Loir. It’s a seriously cool teaser – and performance indicator – ahead of this summer’s European Championships, and it’s also a great way to see which horses are being developed on the Paris pipeline with a year to go.

World Champions Yasmin Ingham and Banzai du Loir. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

This week’s ground jury is made up of Judy Hancock of Great Britain, President Christian Steiner of Austria, and Edith Schless-Störtenbecker of Germany, who’ll pick up a gamut of vital roles: most immediately, they’ll be our judges for tomorrow’s dressage, which begins at the bright and early hour of 8.30 a.m. local time (that’s 7.30 a.m. BST or – prepare yourself, folks – 2.30 a.m. EST time). Then, it’s on to showjumping in the capacious, floodlight main arena with its 40,000 seats for the showjumping tomorrow evening, starting at 17.45 local time (16.45 BST/11.45 a.m. EST) – and that’ll set us up nicely for Saturday morning’s cross-country from 10.00 (9.00 a.m. BST/4.00 a.m. EST), which that busy ground jury will have signed off and approved earlier in the week, and in which we’ll crown our Aachen SAP Cup Champions of 2023.

But all of that is still yet to come: today, our ground jury had another, very important matter at hand — that of the first horse inspection, in which 44 horses were presented for ten assembled nations, plus a further six for Saturday night’s Jump & Drive relay competition, which pits teams of eventers, show jumpers, and carriage drivers against one another under the lights of the main arena.

Arthur Marx and Church’Ile. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Though all the presented horses were accepted into the competition — eventually — there were two tense moments: firstly when Belgium’s Lara de Liedekerke-Meier was asked to immediately re-present Ducati d’Arville, and secondly, when France’s Arthur Marx was asked the same while trotting up his Church’Ile. Though the former was then accepted into the competition, the latter was sent to the holding box; after a closer inspection by the resident vet, and a further re-presentation, he was then given the go-ahead.

The day will begin with a batch of twelve individual riders, before moving onto the eight teams. The first rider in the ring will be young German rising star Libussa Lübbeke, who rides Caramia 34, while US individuals Dan Krietl and Carmango will be seventh to go at 9.12 (8.12 a.m. BST/3.12 a.m. EST).

Ireland is first in that team draw, and their pathfinder will be a seriously reliable combo in Cathal Daniels and Rioghan Rua, who come down the centreline at 10.09 a.m. (9.09 a.m. BST/4.09 a.m. EST). They’ll be followed by a seriously competitive German team, and then by the on-form young Swiss team, before it’s the turn of the USA and their own pathfinders, Phillip Dutton and Z, who start at 10.30 (9.30 a.m. BST/4.30 a.m. EST). Our last pair in the ring will be Kiwi anchors Tim Price and Falco, who start at 14.19 (13.19 p.m. BST/8.19 a.m. EST). The US is seriously well-represented this week: as well as individual Dan and pathfinder Phillip, we’ve also got Liz Halliday-Sharp and Ocala Horse Properties and Debbie Palmer’s Miks Master C, who were third at Kentucky this spring; Tamie Smith and the Ahearn family’s Mai Baum, who were victorious there, and 2021 Aachen champions Will Coleman and Off The Record. Plus, there’s a more-than-honorary American on the Aussie squad: Cali girl Rebecca Braitling steps up for the team with Caravaggio. You can meet all the teams and their riders in our comprehensive form guide, and check out the full times for tomorrow here.

We’ll be bringing you full reports and galleries at the culmination of both phases tomorrow – plus lots of behind-the-scenes action and glimpses at the other world-class sport on show at this extraordinary show throughout the days to come, so keep it locked on EN to scratch all your Aachen itches. Plus, you can tune in to ClipMyHorse.TV to follow all the action – in eventing and elsewhere! – live. Go Eventing!

EN’s Coverage of CHIO Aachen is brought to you with support from Kentucky Performance Products and Ocala Horse Properties.

CHIO Aachen: [Website] [Entries] [Schedule] [Timing & Scoring] [Live Stream] [EN’s Form Guide] [EN’s Coverage]