Michae Jung and Halunke FBW are tied for the lead on a 39.
Good morning from Aachen! After the first 11 horses and riders have performed their dressage tests, we have a German tie for the lead, as Michael Jung and Halunke FBW and Benjamin Winter and Revenue 12 both scored a 39. Michael and Halunke FBW are fresh off a win in the Luhmühlen CIC3* and really stepped up today in front of an elated German crowd. Benjamin Winter and Revenue 12, a chestnut Westphalian mare, looked equally fantastic to tie Ze Terminator. This is the first time I’ve seen this mare in person, and she is a real show stopper who seemed to thrive off the atmosphere. Benjamin and Revenue 12 are not competing as part of the German Nations Cup team, but they still gave the crowd plenty to cheer about. Niklas Jonsson and First Lady, a lovely black Swedish Warmblood mare, put in a very strong test for the Swedish team, scoring a 45 to sit in third place.
Benjamin Winter and Revenue 12 are tied for the lead on a 39.
It’s a very chilly 50 degrees here, and while it rained this morning before the dressage started, we just have cloudy conditions right now. That said, the cold temperatures and wind are making for a tense atmosphere for the horses, and we’ve seen some bobbles because of it. Ingrid Klimke and Hale Bob 3 had some uncharacteristic trouble right off the bat when the horse swapped leads in the collected canter down center line. He also took a step forward before the rein back; they scored 49.6 to sit in fourth place. While Clark Montgomery struggled to keep Universe relaxed at Badminton — due in large part to a horse throwing a rearing fit right as Buzz was entering the ring to start his test — the horse looked brilliant today to score 50.6 to sit in fifth place. Clark talked to me at Badminton about how Buzzy is slowly developing the muscle memory to stay relaxed in tense situations, and his performance today shows a lot of progress.
Niklas Jonsson and First Lady are in third place on a 45.
Germany currently leads the team competition, with Sweden in second and the U.S. in third place. We’re on a 15-minute break right now, and Tiana Coudray and Ringwood Magister will kick off the second group at 10:03 local time. It’s going to be a long, action-packed day here at Aachen, so be sure to stay tuned to EN all day for updates. The dressage goes through 3 p.m. local time (9 a.m. EST) and show jumping starts in the main stadium at 6:15 p.m. local time (12:15 p.m. EST). The dressage is being held in the smaller Deutsche Bank Stadium, and it’s going to be a major change tonight for the horses to jump inside the massive main stadium, which seats 40,000. It’s going to be a very exciting day!
Ingrid Klimke and Hale Bob 3 are in fourth place on a 49.6.
I have to apologize for the total absence of Aachen updates yesterday. I had intended to arrive in Germany very early yesterday morning with plenty of time to walk the course, catch up with our U.S. contingent and take photos of the first horse inspection. But intense thunderstorms in the midwest and on the East Coast ended up delaying my flight out of Harrisburg, which caused me to miss my connection in D.C. to Brussels, which meant I had to ultimately connect through Heathrow in England, making for 23 hours of total travel by the time I reached my hotel late in the afternoon. I arrived too late to make the inspection and accomplish much of anything else aside from passing out from sheer exhaustion. But I’ll be doing my best to make up the lack of coverage yesterday by bringing you every second of the action today!
Clark Montgomery and Universe are in fifth place on 50.6.
My adventures continued this morning when I dutifully parked my car exactly 1.1 kilometers away from the competition venue in my assigned parking lot. I know this precise distance because I read in my press kit that the shuttle service would conveniently take me all the way into the center of the venue. So you can imagine the look of horror on my face when a kind volunteer saw me standing at the shuttle stop only to inform me that it was not due to start pick-up service until 8:30 a.m. — the exact time Clark and Universe were set to ride their test as the first pair to go today. Cue me sprinting the entire 1.1 kilometers all the way to Deutsche Bank Stadium in the rain. By some miracle, I made it just as Clark and Buzz were entering the arena. Go eventing, and stay tuned for much more from Aachen.
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