Young Jumping talent shines in Lier
The FEI Jumping Nations Cup Youth Final took place in Lier, Belgium today after four days of hard-fought competition amongst some of the world’ top young riders. There was a strong showing for Great Britain, Ireland, and Belgium in particular, but each of the riders and horses showed exceptional skill and talent for the future.
In each category, four riders competed for each team, with the top three scores counting towards the team’s total each day. In the one-round final today, all teams started with a clean slate of 0 points, with the potential for a jump-off if teams were tied after the first round.
Children
The top 6 teams competing for the title were Sweden, Poland, The Netherlands, Great Britain, Ireland, and Italy. It was nail biting until the very end, with the outcome hinging on the very last fence. There was a possibility for a straight win, or a two, three, or four-way jump off all possibilities until the fourth rotation of riders. In the end, it was the Dutch team who took the title for the third time in a row, on a perfect score. In second place was Great Britain and the Irish team in third.
Sweden kicked off the action. Maisie Riley and Lorenzo of Great Britain faced a setback with a refusal at the water, giving them 15 penalties in total and putting some pressure on the remaining team members with the best potential score of 4 from their opening rider Emily Gulliver’s score.
The team from The Netherlands finished on a total of 0, with only one rider – Joep Schaap – picking up four penalties in total. The final Dutch rider, Stella Heijligers, had retired from yesterday’s competition to save her horse for the final. A clear would ensure that the Italians had to go clear too, having lost one rider to elimination and therefore having no dropped score available to them. Her decision was a good one, with a clear securing their place on the podium.
Gabriel Zagni Minucci had no wiggle room whatsoever, knowing that a clear would secure a jump off, whereas two poles would completely put them out of medal contention. He was clear until the very last and then a hesitation from the pair and four faults plus time penalties put them into fourth place overall.
Ponies
The pony teams competing for glory were Italy, Switzerland, Denmark, Ireland, Great Britain, Belgium, Sweden, and The Netherlands.
Great Britain emerged victorious with a consistent performance, finishing with just one fault across the entire three rounds of jumping. This victory follows their success at the FEI Jumping European Championships for Ponies. Neighbours Ireland came in silver, and Belgium third.
The Netherlands – always hot favourites at any Jumping event – ended up 4th after a shaky start. First rider Bethany Vos and third rider Mienie Vos had expensive rounds with 23 and 10 penalties respectively – putting one of the favourite teams out of medal contention despite a stellar start to the competition earlier in the week.
The Swiss team had an unlucky day at the office, with an elimination and two expensive rounds putting them on a final score of 24, at the bottom of the table. The Irish, having won the competition four times in the past, were hoping to add a fifth gold medal to their tally. Their six penalty score, however, wouldn’t be quite enough to take another win.
Third last to go was Robin Vermier, who had the luxury of being able to finish ahead of the Dutch even with one pole down. Her calm, collected clear aboard Kristal Sparkle Van Begeveld secured a podium finish.
Young Riders
In the young rider category, the six teams competing for glory were Belgium, Austria, the USA, Great Britain, Italy, and Switzerland. The Young Rider winning team – Belgium – was crowned after a three-way jump off for the podium positions with each team’s total points and time counting towards the win.
The Austrians were at a disadvantage with only three available riders throughout the day. Despite that, they managed to advance to the jump-off but faced immense pressure without a discard score when it reached the second round.
Belgium’s Mathieu Guery set the tone for the jump off with a clear round on Callac de Cyrmanol, helping his country to a third win at home in Lier for the Young Rider FEI Nations Cup Final, with the first rotation riders for Italy and Australia chalking up clears too – albeit slower.
Antonia Weixelbraun of Austria clocked up a fast round with four penalties. Both the Belgian and Italian teams had three clear rounds on the board by the conclusion of the jump off, automatically putting Austria into bronze medal position without the ability to drop Weixelbraun’s four-penalty round. Italy’s final combination; Martina Simoni and Dalvaro 2, needed to jump an incredibly fast clear to clinch first, shaving off over three sounds. They delivered a collected and well-ridden round without a pole, but weren’t fast enough to match the pace, meaning Italy had to settle for silver.
Juniors
The final competition of the day was the Juniors title, which was contested by the USA, The Netherlands, Czech Republic, Belgium, Ireland, and Sweden. Once again, the order of the podium came down to the very last set of riders, in an ‘anything could happen’ race to the finish line which ultimately saw the USA take gold, Sweden silver, and the Czech Republic bronze.
A flurry of clear rounds from early on kicked off the event in style, with teams USA and Netherlands edging themselves out as contenders for the win with a perfect 0 on the scoreboard for both teams following the third rotation of riders.
The penultimate rider, Jules Denutte of Belgium, required a clear to stay ahead of The Netherlands and the Czech Republic, keeping them on the podium. One fence came down, which edged the Czech Republic into bronze place thanks to their quick pace.
Elise Stephens, as the USA’s fourth rider, delivered a clear to force Sweden’s hand. The last rider of the day, Liam Nilsson, couldn’t afford even a time penalty if they were to secure a jump off for the gold. When Nilsson cantered into the arena, the challenge was simple – jump a clear and secure the jump off with the USA. Have a pole or penalty, and the USA would take the victory. Having ridden in three European championships, he’s no stranger to pressure – but faced a setback when his mare Ulla Bella Hastak got strong into the double and tipped a rail, meaning the Swedes would settle for silver.