How wide is a horse, exactly? I mean, to the nearest millimeter. Not a silly question.
The competition is well underway at Luhmühlen, with the dressage done and dusted and the cross country looming large. Tom McEwen’s not a big lad, but says he struggled to fit through the skinnies himself, which leaves us wondering whether he actually attempted to clamber over them as he jogged ‘round the course. I’m pretty certain a horse will fit through, but they are skinny, that’s for sure. (Full disclosure: I haven’t actually measured them/tried to fit through myself, but course designer Mike Etherington-Smith has been in this game for a fair while, so we’ll assume that they are, in fact, not so skinny as to need to be sat on a My Little Pony in order to squeeze between the flags. I guess time will tell…)
As well as particularly skinny skinnies, the bounce in the water “is quite something” – 17b and 18a. Notice they’re separately numbered though, so, if needs be, riders can pull a Monopoly move and use their Get Out of Jail Free card, thus allowing them to circle between the fences rather than bounce on over. All in all though, the riders seem to be quietly confident as they contemplate the task ahead. It’s “impressive” but “not impossible” and apparently “not as terrifying as Burghley”, but given Burghley is totally terrifying, I’m not sure that means it’s not a pretty darn scary prospect all the same. It’s left Emily Hamel worried she maybe should be a bit more worried. Eventers, eh?!
Click here to take a look at the whole track through Tilly’s camera lens.
I’ll be bringing you live updates from the 5* cross country as it happens, so stay tuned for that. In the meantime, you’ll find all of our Luhmühlen coverage right here.
Whilst we wait for the action to kick off, we’ve wrangled the riders up and gathered their thoughts on today’s track. Here’s the low-down, straight from the horse’s mouth, so to speak.
EN’s coverage of the Longines Luhmühlen Horse Trials is brought to you by Kentucky Performance Products, your go-to source for science-backed nutritional support across all types of horses, disciplines, and needs. Click here to learn more about what KPP can do for your horse — thank you for supporting our wonderful sponsors!
Longines Luhmühlen: Website | Entries | Timetable | Live Scores | Tickets | Livestream | EN’s Coverage
🇬🇧 Ros Canter and Izilot DHI – 1st – 24.9
Ros Canter and Izilot DHI. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Reigning European Champion and former World Champion, Ros is no stranger to a 5* podium or two, including a third place finish at Luhmühlen in 2018. She’s also pretty used to leaving the start box as the leader after dressage, as is the case today. ‘Isaac’ has already had a taste of the big time, winning Pau on his debut at the level, and Ros is in it to win it this weekend, with no intention of relinquishing her position as leader of the pack: “I’m certainly going go out with the intention of being fast and clear, to be honest. I haven’t come here to be middle of the pack”.
We’ve seen Isaac can be extremely spooky on the cross country. Massive fences: no worries. Barrels painted as pigs? You know, just for a bit of fun decoration out on course. Woah Mama, take me home. We saw it at Badminton, when he was looking everywhere but where he was going at the Lake, resulting in Ros putting up her hand. How does she think he’ll cope with the decor at Luhmühlen?
“It’s quite nice here at the start in that it’s not overly dressed and there’s no [having to go] ‘round things. Often he finds that a little bit worrying, and there isn’t any of that really – at the start anyway. So I’m going to go out and give it a good shot. He had a run at Little Downham and he was good and fine there. I don’t feel he’s lost any confidence from jumping at Badminton, so we’ll go and give it a good shot.”
🇬🇧 Tom McEwen and Brookfield Quality – 2nd – 28.3 / CHF Cooliser – 4th – 30.8
Tom McEwen and CHF Cooliser. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Today’s trailblazer (with CHF Cooliser), Tom’s been runner-up at Luhmühlen (2019) and is sitting pretty with two rides in the top-4 as things stand after the first phase. ‘Eliza’ finished on her dressage score at Pau in 2021 to take second place, and will surely have been giving 5* debutant Brookfield Quality a few tips over the stable door. Tom’s a busy boy this week, with two horses going in the 5* and Olympic nominee JL Dublin in the 4*-S, with whom he’s hoping for the chance to replicate his team gold from Tokyo, and perhaps even go one better than the individual silver he brought home from the last Games. But first there’s the small matter of a 5* cross country; what are his thoughts on what’s out there at Luhmühlen?
“Dimensionally, the width is the true 5*, and the skinnies – you can barely fit through them yourself let alone of top of a horse! I think there’s plenty to it. Real clever use of the terrain. I think it’s really clever how, especially early on, there’s quite a few intense areas – lots of different questions. Some visually look easy but actually, the way you set up, the fences before that you’ve had, actually make them a little bit tougher. But the ground is perfect and the course looks stunning. It’s a good proper, test. I think the bounce in the water is quite something [17a and 18b].
🇬🇧 Laura Collett and Hester – 3rd – 30.6
Last year’s champ, Laura’s back for another go at the title, this time with her unicorn, Hester. This lovely mare made her 5* debut at Badminton this season, but Laura decided to save her for another day when she felt a bit green. And that day is today. She looked every bit the 5* star in the first phase, leading overnight after the first day’s competition and remaining in a podium place once all was said and done in the dressage ring. Like Tom, she’s got one eye on the 4*-S, also hoping for another Olympic medal for her trophy cabinet, but she’ll be locked onto the 5* as she leaves the start box, hoping to add to her hattrick of top-level wins. How does she think things compare to last year?
“I think it’s a great track. Fairly similar-ish to last year, but with a few tweaks here and there. I think the first water is serious [Fences 13 & 14]. It comes very much up in your face. But I think they’ve been very kind and there’s a Get Out of Jail – if things go wrong at the first part, you can do a long route [as they’re separately numbered, similar to the second water, Fence 17b & 18a]. So I think that’s fair – it’s obviously still a 5* question, but it’s fair. There’s questions the whole way round to be honest; I wouldn’t really say there’s one that stands out particularly, you’ve got to be on your game the whole way ‘round, right till the end and that’s what a 5* track is, isn’t it?”
Indeed it is, Laura, and it’s why we love ‘em!
🇩🇪 Nicolai Aldinger and Timmo – 5th – 30.9
Home crowd hero Nicolai is in a great spot with game contender, Timmo. And it feels very much deserved, given the unlucky circumstances they’ve faced at the gelding’s previous attempts at the level. They were spun at the First Horse Inspection at Luhmühlen last year, and then, on the lead-up to what should have been their second first 5*, Kentucky, a minor injury involving a pulled shoe prevented him from taking his spot on the plane. But he’s here and he’s put himself well within contention after the first phase. How does Nicolai feel about the track this time around?
“It’s pretty big. I think when you ride it, it’s always a little bit more than the last year. Last year I walked it, just not so good because I was a bit sad because of the trot up. [🙁] I went home and I stayed at home for two days because I didn’t want to talk to anybody. [Somebody give this guy a hug.] But it’s a proper course. The end is really nice for the horses, I think, with the long gallop. The beginning is pretty strong, so I want to give him a good feeling. He’s not like a crazy cross country machine, he is really, really honest on the technical questions, so I hope I find a good rhythm, give him a good feeling and have some fun.
🇧🇪 Lara De Liedekerke-Meier and Hooney d’Arville – 6th – 31.6
Lara de Liedekerke-Meier and Hooney d’Arville. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Lara’s lovely mare has had a great start to her 5* debut to sit in 6th after the first phase. Being her first time at the level, there will be questions out there that have a, well, question mark on them, but she was clear inside the time at the Nations Cup 4*-L at Boekelo last season, and Lara’s brought her up through the levels over the last five years, so it’s safe so say she knows her pretty well. How does she think the mare will find her first 5*?
“I think the track will suit her. It requires a lot of forward riding, there’s a lot of technicity with that. I’m confident if I ride well, she will be good. I’m not sure about the speed though; she has blood but she needs a lot of preparation for every combination, where I lose a bit of time. I didn’t have the gallop I wanted [in the lead-up to Luhmühlen] because of the rain we’ve had in Europe, but she has a lot of stamina. The last two minutes could be, for her, quite something, but I’m confident she won’t be tired at the end. I never did an eleven minute course with her, so I still have a lot of question marks, but I’m sure if I ride her well she might be really good.”
🇩🇪 Libussa Lübbeke and Caramia 34 – 7th – 31.9
Libussa Lubekke and Caramia 34. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Libussa and Caramia 34 are having a superb first 5* and sit well inside the top-10 after dressage. They’ve got the home crowd advantage as they head out onto the biggest track they’ve faced thus far. She’s got to be feeling just a little nervous about what’s to come, surely? Um, no, not at all. They’re made of tough stuff, these eventers (although math seems to be a slight problem, unless it’s intended as hyperbole, which is 1000% OK).
“I feel quite good, I have to say. She’s a real cross country machine and I can trust her 200% and that’s a really good feeling. I’m very looking forward to it.”
🇬🇧 Mollie Summerland and Flow 7 – 9th – 33
Mollie Summerland and Flow 7. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Former Luhmühlen winner (in 2021) Mollie’s back, this time with 5* first-timer Flow 7. This guy is stun-ning and has danced his way into the top-10 going into the cross country. Flow may not know what’s coming when he leaves the start box, but Mollie’s got his back. How does she think this year’s track compares with the one that she, well, won?
“This one feels more twisty, really; I did feel that when I walked it. Before, we jumped into the Meßmer water first, so it’s got quite a different feel to it [this year, the LeMieux Lagune comes at Fences 13 & 14, and the Meßmer water is at 17ab &18ab]. In the first couple of minutes, I’ll know how he’s feeling with the crowds and everything, so it’s just giving him a chance to settle and take it all in really. I’m definitely not going to come out the start box hassling him too much. I want to let him settle and find his way and then I’ll see what I’ve got after the first couple of minutes.”
🇺🇲 Katherine Coleman and Monbeg Senna – 16th – 34.2
Katherine Coleman and Monbeg Senna. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
British-based (for the summers, at least) American Katherine, hunted her way through the mud at Badminton last year with this gelding and jumped clear ‘round the tough – even when there hasn’t been 25,000,000 mm of rain in the lead-up – track, which has got to give her confidence coming into the cross country at Luhmühlen, a course famous for its perfect going, whatever the weather (truly, even if the rest of the site is flooded). (In the interests of science, my guestimate regarding the total mm of rainfall in this example is for the purpose of entertainment only, I actually have no idea how much rain fell, but it was a lot.) Katherine’s planning on having no regrets when she crosses the finish line later on today:
“For me, with him, I think it’s like a 4-star plus. What I need to work on with him the most, his kind of weakness – Achilles heel – basically, is his speed, right? He’s just a little slow and he spends a lot of time in the air. So this, to me, is a wonderful course. It’s well within his jumping abilities, where I’m like, actually, this time I’m going to go out and try and be a little bit quicker. That’s the main goal this weekend. At Badminton, which was his first 5-star, nobody was getting around. I started out like, okay, I just want to finish, because you don’t know what you’re going to have [at the end]. He finished there so full of running and with so much energy. I was like, “Oh, I could have gone faster”. This time I don’t want to finish and think, “Oh, I could have gone faster”.
🇳🇿 Samantha Lissington and Lord Seekönig – 18th – 34.7
Although this is a first 5* for ‘Mr Charles’, it ain’t Samantha’s first rodeo – she was seventh at Luhmühlen in 2021 and has completed at Burghley, Pau and Adelaide, so she’s aware that the crowds a 5* event draws in will be something the gelding’s not seen before:
“To be honest, the first walk, you just walk and pretend like it’s tomorrow’s problem! So I walked around it, and thought it all looked impressive, but nothing stood out as impossible, which which was positive for a first walk. I think that the crowds are going to be a new element for him – I’m thinking I’m going to have to make sure I channel him through the middle, but Luhmühlen’s great in that you’ve got those twisty turnies through the trees, and it actually makes a little bit of a tunnel for the horses to go through. I think he’s a big, bold, galloping horse and I’m going to have to use up the few bits of galloping ground that they’ve allowed for us. The rest is quite twisty, turny, and the water is massive. So it’s going to be kicking on and go from there.”
Tomorrow’s problem is now today – let’s hope it’s no problem!
🇺🇲 Emily Hamel and Corvett – 35th – 38.7
High jump specialist ‘Barry’ is sure to delight the spectators with his signature style as he hops his way ‘round the Luhmühlen track. This pair are adding another 5* to their card this week, making it five out of seven – they’ve completed at both the US 5*s and both of the British ones too. At 17, Barry’s not actually the oldest horse in the field, but he’s sure got a whole lotta miles under his cinch, which makes for a very confident rider:
“I’m feeling pretty good about it. I think I have a good plan at the moment. I’m going to walk it again later today and then again in the morning. It looks like a good test, but doable. It’s not as terrifying as Burghley, but I do think that Mike [Etherington-Smith] did a good job with the course. There’s lots of options everywhere, which is great for different horses and their experience level. It is a little bit interesting because at some events, you’re just like, “It has to be a four,” and this one you’re like, “Well it could be a four or a five,” and so I think the biggest thing is that I’ve got to be on my game and be able to make a decision pretty quickly, based on my jump in. But I’m looking forward to it. We do know each other really well, so it just feels really comfortable going out there – maybe I should be a bit more nervous! But I just trust him and I know he can jump anything, from anywhere. Hopefully he doesn’t have to jump from anywhere, but he’s a good boy and I trust him completely.”
And there you have it. The inside intel into what’s in store for the 5* cross country at the 2024 Longines Luhmühlen Horse Trials.
Go Eventing!
EN’s coverage of the Longines Luhmühlen Horse Trials is brought to you by Kentucky Performance Products, your go-to source for science-backed nutritional support across all types of horses, disciplines, and needs. Click here to learn more about what KPP can do for your horse — thank you for supporting our wonderful sponsors!
Longines Luhmühlen: Website | Entries | Timetable | Live Scores | Tickets | Livestream | EN’s Coverage
