Germany remains at the top of the leaderboard in both the team and individual events at the Agria FEI European Eventing Championships at Blenheim Palace after the conclusion of the dressage phase but Great Britain are not far behind.

There was a big shake up of the leaderboard on Friday afternoon as four of the final round of riders produced tests good enough to leave them in the top five at the end of the dressage phase. 

It was reigning Olympic champions Michael Jung and Fischerchipmunk FRH who received the best score from the dressage judges, recording the only sub 20 score of the competition to lead home favourites Laura Collett and London 52 by 2.3 penalties.

Germany boasts three riders in the top six to leave them in gold medal position in the team competition just 1.4 penalties ahead of Great Britain. France is third while Switzerland sits fourth.

1, Michael Jung and Fischerchipmunk (GER)

The highly anticipated clash between Fischerchipmunk FRH and London 52 saw the 17-year-old Hanoverian gelding prevail after he produced a stunning test under the legendary German rider for a mark of 18.3.

“I’m very proud of us. It’s just lovely to ride this horse every day and to enjoy him,” said Michael who has won multiple world, European and Olympic titles.

“I’m very pleased and very happy about FischerChipmunk. He was very good, fun to train, very good collected in the beginning. I can start to ride him really well through the test with my leg. I had a little mistake after the first medium trot, this was like a wake up. I know he’s amazing horse and I really enjoy to ride him every day,

2, Laura Collett and London 52 (GER)

Britain’s final rider Laura Collett and the 16-year-old bay gelding London 52 delivered an impressive test under huge pressure to sit second at this stage on 20.6.

“The overwhelming emotion is just relief to be honest. There’s quite high expectations on horse like him, but he’s just a total showman. He goes in there and he just absolutely loves showing off to a crowd,” said Laura who took team gold and individual bronze with this horse at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

“I just can’t believe a horse can give as much as he does. He owes me absolutely nothing, yet he just keeps delivering.”

3, Tom McEwen and JL Dublin (GBR)

Tom McEwen sits in third place on JL Dublin, who won the European Championship title in Avenches in 2021 under Nicola Wilson, on a score of 26.2

“He [Dubs] loves the dressage, so it’s just up to me to make sure we get everything polished,” said Tom. 

“The trot work was brilliant. It’s hard work, especially for these big moving horses, it’s all so packed and collected and as it’s a D test, which is meant to be a bit quicker, everything’s quick and efficient.

“In some of the five-star tests, if you make a little mistake you have time to make it back up a little bit later, whereas this is bang, bang, bang. 

“It was a shame to have the obvious mistake on the centre line. We were just trying to get a bit straighter. I could see Sandy [Phillips] judging every bit of it, so I was like, ‘ooh, straight’, and then made a little mistake. 

“To have that mistake and then get back and get his [flying] change in, I’m really pleased with him and he finished brilliantly.”

4, Lea Siegl and Van Helsing P (AUT)

Lea Siegl and Van Helsing P produced a personal best in the first phase to occupy fourth on 26.9 for Austria who are in sixth position in the team event.

“It was just amazing. He came in and really tried his best. I’m so proud of him. I’m just super happy. I can’t be more happy with him. I have problems in the flying changes in Luhmuhlen, he was really good in the trot work there but I lost lots of points in the canter because of the flying changes so we worked a lot on the flying changes and we improved them,” said Lea.

5, Lara De Liedekerke-Meier and Honey D’Arville (BEL)

Luhmuhlen winners Lara De Liedekerke-Meier and the homebred grey mare Hooney D’Arville lie fifth on 27.7. This result has helped Belgium into fifth in the team competition.

“I’m so glad. She’s not a dressage horse and she really tries really hard,” said Lara.

“When Lea [Siegl, the previous competitor] went out of the arena, it felt a touch electric which may at the end of helped me because she bought a little bit up and above the bit which I think is now the image really the judges want to see. But she’s staying with me, which was really, really nice, and it was our test. There’s still much more to come but for today, I’m over the moon.”

6, Malin Hansen-Hotopp and Carlos Quidditch K (GER)

Thursday dressage leaders, Malin Hansen-Hotopp and Carlos Quidditch K end the first phase in sixth place on 27.8. Blenheim has been a happy hunting ground for Malin and the 13-year-old Holsteiner gelding as the pair won the CCI4*-L title here in 2022.

“I’m really happy. I was a little bit afraid that he’s too much ‘on’ because when I came down [to the arena] he was just getting up and up with the head and just looking around but then I really pushed him forward and he was okay,” explained Malin. 

“It’s really special [to be back here]. I didn’t feel the pressure to be on the team or not because I just thought, ‘okay, I was a winner here so it doesn’t matter if I’m coming back or not, because it won’t be better than that’. I had just a fabulous week here. I think with Kentucky together last year, it was one of my greatest competition weeks.”

7, Libussa Lubbeke and Caramia 34 (GER)

In seventh position is German rider Libussa Lubbeke, who is making her senior debut this week, and her homebred mare Caramia 34. They are pathfinders for the German team.

“I was really happy with the walk and how concentrated the horse was. It’s just a pleasure to be here with her,” said Libussa. 

8, Bubby Upton and It’s Cooley Time (GBR)

Bubby Upton made her senior championships debut on home soil an impressive one when she piloted It’s Cooley Time to a score of 28.9 and ninth place.

“It’s Cooley Time was fantastic in there. He’s a very sharp, sensitive horse so the timing of the warm-up was really important with him today,” said Bubby. 

“We were lucky enough to have test practice at Burghley a few weeks ago which was incredible because we were able to realise where we missed things and what we need to do more of or less of and I feel like we really got it right today, me and my coach, Amy Woodhead. I’m so grateful to her for everything she’s done. She’s seen him right from the start and knows what we’ve come through to get here. 

“He had a very big stumble into his halt which was a real shame, because his trot halts are a big highlight for him. That obviously interrupted the halt and then also the rein back as well so that was a real shame but obviously no fault of his own. It’s just one of those things. 

“In his medium canters, he saw the [hospitality] boxes, saw the crowds, and was like ‘oh!’ I was like ‘no, concentrate,’ and I’m just so proud of him. Honestly, it’s such a fine line with him because of his sharpness and sensitivity so overall we’re thrilled with how he coped and I guess, more than anything, how exciting it is for the future.

“It’s so special [to be competing here]. It’s been a dream of mine for forever. I grew up watching Pippa [Funnell] and Piggy [March] doing all the championships and I’ve been pushing like mad over the last few years to try and get here. We’ve come close a few times and been a bit unlucky with the timing of accidents and things like that which have kind of prevented it from coming true so to be here is just incredible and on home soil as well is even more special.”

9= Yasmin Ingham and Rehy DJ (GBR)

Yasmin Ingham piloted the 15-year-old gelding Rehy DJ into equal ninth along with France’s Sebastien Cavaillon on Elipso De La Vigne. 

“His test was great today. I thought there was lots of highlights in there and he tried super, super hard, so I was delighted,” said Yasmin, who is the reigning world champion with Banzai du Loir.

“We’ve been working super hard with Chris Bartle and Sarah Higgins on the flat. They’ve been instrumental in my dressage training just trying to gain those small margins, because that’s all it takes. I’m not riding a big, flashy horse, so I need to be accurate and try and maximise each mark for each movement the best we can.

9= Sebastien Cavaillon and Elipso De La Vigne (FRA)

Sebastien, who is making his senior championship debut for France this week, was disappointed with his dressage mark with the 11-year-old Selle Francis gelding he has been riding for six years, but it is still good enough for him to sit in the top 10 at the end of the dressage phase.

“Everybody tells me that is was a fantastic test but the score was not good for me, 29 is a bad score for him. This year in Bramham he made a score of 26 and here was better for me,” said Sebastien.

The remaining British team rider Piggy March and Halo are 12th on 29.4 while British individual Caroline Harris and D Day sit 30th on 34.4.

Cross-country will get underway tomorrow (Saturday 20 September) at 1100 when Switzerland’s Nadja Minder and Toblerone take to Mark Phillips’ cross-country track.

For the full list of results click here.

Images by Tim Wilkinson/Your Horse.

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