One Horse Spun at Luhmühlen CCI5* First Horse Inspection

Ariel Grald and Leamore Master Plan. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

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There’s something special in the air at the Longines Luhmühlen Horse Trials. Perhaps it’s just because it’s the first CCI5* of the 2021 European season, but it feels more intangible than that: there’s a shared sense of camaraderie, a delicious kinship, because everyone knows all too well how long and convoluted the journey has been for everyone, regardless of whether they’ve been impacted by travel bans. Walk along any of the venue’s sandy, sun-soaked pathways and every person you meet will greet you with a beaming smile — regardless of whether you know one another or even speak the same language. The weather is tropical, the horses are bubbling with hard, fit energy, and despite the event being forced to run behind closed doors, the music never stops and the atmosphere feels thick with anticipation of the great adventure yet to come.

Jennie Brannigan and Stella Artois. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

This afternoon saw the first horse inspection take place for the CCI5* class, which shares feature billing with the CCI4*-S and German National Championship. Twenty-five horse-and-rider combinations presented to the ground jury — revised as a result of travel restrictions — of president Anne-Mette Binder (DEN), Ernst Topp (GER), and Katrin Eichinger-Kniely (AUT), and the eagle-eyed among you may notice that this is a slightly inflated number. That’s because of an eleventh-hour exemption granted to British-based competitors by the local government, which opened the tiniest window of opportunity for competitors on that enormous list of withdrawn entries.

Emilie Chandler and Gortfadda Diamond. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

With such short notice, though, only those who had got themselves organised early and had their horses’ bloodwork done and paperwork in process prior to last week’s Bicton Horse Trials were able to make use of the opportunity. As a result, we welcome British rider Emilie Chandler and Gortfadda Diamond and British-based Kiwi Samantha Lissington and Ricker Ridge Rui to our small but impressive list of runners.

Clara Loiseau and Ultramaille. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Just one drama marred an otherwise swift and straightforward trot-up. Clara Loiseau‘s Ultramaille will not start the competition after being sent to the holding box and subsequently rejected upon re-presentation, but the young French rider will continue on with her seasoned CCI5* mount Wont Wait.

Reigning champions Tim Price and Ascona M. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

The CCI5* will do dressage in its entirety on Friday afternoon, while tomorrow’s action is all about the smoking hot CCI4*-S class. You’ll be able to stream every phase of each class on Horse&Country TV, and we’ll be bringing you full reports and images galleries every day. Plus, you can get a taste of life behind the scenes with the Luhmühlen Tour Diaries, as your resident journo combines wall-to-wall coverage with being a CCI5* groom for British rider Mollie Summerland. Expect antics galore.

Until tomorrow: Go Eventing!

Longines Luhmühlen: Website, EN’s Form Guide, Entries, Timing & Scoring, CCI5* Thursday Dressage Ride Times, CCI5* Friday Dressage Ride Times, CCI4* Thursday Dressage Ride Times, CCI4* Friday Dressage Ride Times, CCI4* Live Scores, Live Stream, EN’s Coverage, EN’s Instagram, EN’s Twitter