Michael Jung and La Biosthetique Sam FBW. Photo by Julia Rau.
In a shocking turn of events, Michael Jung will not be riding his Olympic, World and European champion La Biosthetique Sam FBW at the World Equestrian Games due to a hoof issue that flared up today in German team training camp, the German Equestrian Federation announced via press release.
The German team has been training at Bonn Rodderberg Training Center in Wachtberg-Niederbachem, Germany, in preparation for WEG next week. Though the lameness issue is not serious, it’s enough to keep Sam from competing.
Michael will now ride fischerRocana FST, a 9-year-old German-bred mare owned by Joachim and Brigitte Jung, who placed second in her first CCI4* at Luhmühlen earlier this year.
It just goes to show that even the best in the world aren’t immune from last-minute lameness issues. And don’t count Michael out just because he’s no longer riding Sam. He won individual gold at the Europeans last year aboard Halunke FBW with Sam sidelined, so he’s no stranger to riding a different horse to victory.
The German Equestrian Federation press release is in German (surprise!), and Google Translate garbles Michael’s quotes a bit, but here’s the rough translation:
The 14-year-old gelding Württemberg Sam FBW cannot compete at the World Equestrian Games in Normandy. The horse of the reigning Olympic gold medalist, World and European Champion Michael Jung has an inflammation in one front hoof.
Michael Jung responded very disappointed: “It would have been really nice to restart with Sam after 2010 at the World Championships.” On Wednesday, the training was quite normal at the Bonn Rodderberg, on Thursday morning the most successful eventer in the world showed lameness due to a hoof problem.
“Fortunately, it is nothing serious, but the World Cup has gone,” says Jung. For him the championship takes place nevertheless. He is now with the nine-year-old former Bundeschampionesse FischerRocana FST at the start.
Stay tuned to EN as we be bring you all the breaking news from WEG as we count down the days to the start of eventing next week.
