No time for a nap. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Alliteration and repetition are the name of the game when discussions are had about the track at Luhmühlen. Twisty. Turny. Twists and turns. Piggy March elaborates: “Twisty, twisty, twisty all the way ‘til the end”.
So it’s twisty then.
In honor of the consensus that the Luhmühlen cross country course is indeed twisty, a musical interlude will now commence. Feel free to join, bathing suit / cocktail dress optional:
With that out of our system (for now), and before we enter the tumble dryer that is the cross country experience through the Luhmühlen trees, let’s hear from the riders who’ll be willingly tossing themselves into said tumble drier tomorrow when they take on this year’s offering at Longines Luhmühlen:
🇬🇧 Laura Collett – London 52 (1st) – Hester (13th)
Laura Collett and Hester. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Sadly [because she’s in the lead] I don’t think it’s going to be a dressage competition!
It’s very, very intense. I don’t think the time’s gettable. I think it’s going to be a real whirlwind. I just hope that they stay switched on from start to finish.
It’s beautifully built, he does a great, great job. There’s a bit of everything, a real variety of questions. I think horse and rider have got to be really on their A game from start to end.
I think the minute and a half galloping with nothing to do at the beginning lulls you into thinking you’re just going for a nice canter, but then it really hits you and it doesn’t really stop ‘til the end.
I think it’ll be a real challenge.
🇬🇧 Ros Canter – Izilot DHI (2nd) – MHS Seventeen – (12th)
Ros Canter and MHS Seventeen. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
I think it’s going to be fast, fast, fast all the way.
I think it’s going to be like riding a short-format but eleven minutes long.
It’ll be really interesting to see how switched on the horses stay all the way round.
I think each individual fence is very jumpable but put them all together and it’s intense.
🇩🇪 Malin Hansen-Hotopp – Carlitos Quidditch K (3rd=)
Malin Hansen-Hotopp and Carlitos Quidditch K. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
I walked it the first time and I was like, it’s a really, really nice course. I was a little bit like, oh the tables, they’re not too big like Kentucky!
But I think the technical stuff is tough enough for five-star – it’s a real five-star.
I have a really good feeling. I was just walking the course like, oh, cool, it’s good.
🇳🇿 Sam Lissington – Ricker Ridge Sooty GNZ (3rd=)
Sam Lissington and Ricker Ridge Sooty. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
The more I walk it the more I’m like, I’ve got to watch out for this, I’ve got to watch out for that, so I think he’s [course designer Mike Etherington-Smith] been quite clever in a few places.
I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a variety of problems around the course as a whole as opposed to one particular combination or fence.
[The time] It’s tight. We wheeled it using the app and we finished 250 meters wrong, so half a minute wrong.
🇬🇧 Piggy March – Halo (7th)
Piggy March and Halo. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Track’s good. It’s perfect for a horse starting five-star like mine.
There’s plenty of questions, technical questions.
It’s not Badminton or Burghley, you don’t get the beefy fences, but it’s twisty. Twisty, twisty, twisty all the way ‘til the end.
It’s more of a decent four-short but over eleven minutes and that’s where it’s very clever.
Don’t get me wrong, there’s a few good waters, there’s really good skinnies and lines.
🇬🇧 Selina Milnes – Cooley Snapchat (9th)
Selina Milnes and Cooley Snapchat. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
I just think it’s very intense – combination after combination and they’re just not going to get a breather. I’d like there to be just a few more galloping fences where you can just say, that was good, well done.
That one in the arena [8ABC] – it looks a hell of a long way in one stride! I think you’ve just got to jump the parallel first and then just jump them separately and give yourself time and then go. It just looks a long way.
🇬🇧 Aaron Millar – KEC Deakon (10th=)
Aaron Millar and KEC Deakon. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
It’s twisty.
It’s a good test. There’s a lot of combinations where you’re going to have to think quick about where you’re going, where you’re turning. There’s a lot of acute angles and things.
It’s going to keep us working and keep us thinking.
The angles in the Arena (8ABC) – it’s right in front of them, it’s committed, there’s quite an acute angle.
There’s a lot of questions, a lot of combinations.
🇨🇦 Mike Winter – El Mundo (22nd)
Mike Winter and El Mundo. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
We’ve rolled the dice coming here instead of Badminton. He can be a really strong horse on big open parkland, so we’ve rolled the dice hoping that the twisty turny type of track with things coming at you off the turns might make him a little bit more rideable.
🇺🇲 Allison Springer – No May Moon (25th)
Allison Springer and No May Moon. Photo by Sally Spickard.
I have to memorize the turns just as much as I have to memorize the jumps!
I like the course. I think it’s a definite five-star course.
There’s a million things that could go wrong and things will happen pretty quickly, but I think it’s fair and I think it’s a good course.
I just have to ride my best and trust in the training that I have and the partnership that I have with my horse. I feel good about trying it on her [the mare is making her 5* debut] we’re going to hope for the best.
So there you have it, straight from the horse’s mouth, so to speak.
Take a look at the fences here.
Let’s twist again, and go eventing!
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