Who Jumped it Best: Aachen Edition

After a couple of days of processing time (read: a couple of days of driving around Germany, eating every sausage I could get my grubby little hands on and mourning the end of the CHIO for another year) I’ve reached something like terra firma, a sense of self that isn’t defined by a comically oversized accreditation pass around my neck, and a place of mental calm from which I can process, analyse, and compartmentalise the incredible week of competition.

Nah, I’m just kidding. I’m still loopy with overstimulation and as heartbroken as a girl whose long-distance boyfriend just boarded a plane home to California. I want to get straight back into my car and move into the Champions Circle, growing increasingly feral and subsisting entirely on free mojitos and Ritter Sport bars until the whole thing begins again next summer. Aachen, you have bewitched me body and soul and I, I, I … love you.

With a magnum opus of a reporter’s notebook on the horizon, I’ve got a veritable mountain of extra content to sift through and emotions (SO! MANY! EMOTIONS!) to process. So in the meantime, let’s turn to a comforting favourite. It’s time to decide which horse and rider jumped the second element of the SAP Water Combination best.

This combination came at the tail end of the tough course, just before the influential skinny tractors of the Stawag question, and featured a beefy rolltop into the water followed by a bending line to this sizeable brush. Once clear of the brush, they had to continue that bending line to the right and pop over a square house, tucked right into the heart of the crowd. With that slight bending line over the brush fence in mind, take a look at the following group of horses and riders, and then scroll down to log your vote for your favourite duo!

Pawel Spisak (POL) and Banderas. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Gemma Tattersall (GBR) and Jalapeno. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Caroline Martin (USA) and Islandwood Captain Jack. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

James Avery (NZL) and Mr Sneezy. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Michael Jung (GER) and Star Connection. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Sandra Auffarth (GER) and Viamant du Matz. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Malin Josefsson (SWE) and Golden Midnight. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Kevin McNab (AUS) and Willunga. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

Julien Guillot (FRA) and Elvis. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

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