The yield was plentiful: silver for the team (126.0 minus points), bronze for Sandra Auffarth on Viamant de Matz, fourth place for Christoph Wahler (Carjatan) and fifth place for Jérôme Robiné (Black Ice). In the end, the German bush riders had achieved more at the European Championships in Haras du Pin (France) than it seemed after the elimination of three-time Olympic champion Michael Jung and Chipmunk. With a narrow gap of 0.2 points, the team moved ahead of the French, who came in third. The Brits had already gained a comfortable lead after the cross-country and won the title by a wide margin (103.9). Rosalind Canter on Graffalo and Kitty King on Vendredi Biats won individual gold and silver.
It was no mean feat for the 54 horses and riders on the terrain course in the rolling park at the foot of the château once built by Louis XIV and for centuries the center of French horse breeding. Times are changing, there is no longer a king and in Haras du Pin only draft horses, donkeys and mules. Only for the annual great eventing come again horses from all directions.
This year at the European Championships, riders and horses had to work really hard, the ground was heavy and sticky after days of rain. The route was shortened by almost 2,000 meters to 4,800 meters before the stage in the morning, and a whole loop with four obstacles was removed. At times, even demolition was considered. The hilly terrain was not only a problem for many of the horses, who, visibly exhausted, galloped up the last mountain to their destination.
Sandra Auffarth’s promise to the horse: No dressage for the next three months
Apparently, some riders had not trained enough and could not help their horse on the last few meters. The trend in versatility towards shorter and shorter distances, on the most perfect springy ground possible with obstacle complexes that follow each other in rapid succession is having an effect, especially when it gets really difficult like in Normandy: massive obstacles that fit into the landscape, not just placed in the area, for courageous horses and riders who use their brains as well as their buttocks. And scarcely a gallop to level ground.
“Every kilo counted too much here,” says Chris Bartle, the coach of the British winners, who led the German team to many medals until 2016. He also demands top fitness from his riders. The new European champion Rosalind Canter (37), who is also Bartle’s private student, weighs less than 50 kilos. Her horse Graffalo, called Walter, was happy about the lightweight on his back and was the only one to gallop easily in the allowed time of 8:18 minutes. The daily long training on grass, sand or hard ground, uphill and downhill has paid off.
Michael Jung was on his way to his fourth title. Then his gelding unloaded him in the water
Few rides looked as effortless as Canter’s. For example that of Sandra Auffarth. Haras du Pin was familiar territory for the 36-year-old, where she became world champion nine years ago with Opgun Luovo. This time she was sitting on another French chestnut, 14-year-old Viamant de Matz, not as gifted in dressage as his former stable mate but with similar potential in cross-country. “The ground was even worse than I had thought,” said Auffarth, “there were always slippery spots, so I didn’t take the full risk.” 13.3 time errors were still enough for the third-best cross-country result, which Auffarth was able to keep with a flawless jumping course. Dressage, which was very good by Viamant de Matz’ standards, provided the right start. “I had to promise my horse that it wouldn’t have to go into the dressage arena for three months,” she said. Apparently that helped. The exertion of the cross was not visible to Viamant at the vet check on Sunday morning, he still felt like bucking and fooling around.
Auffahrt, who was already involved in the Olympic gold medal in London 2012, is of course the first choice for Paris 2024. She leaves it open whether she will then lose eventing and switch to pure show jumping. “It depends on my horses,” she says. “At the moment I have more show jumpers in the stable, but if I get a really good eventing horse again, who knows?” She will no longer be satisfied with mediocrity. She has proved several times that she is also at home in the show jumping saddle with top places in the Hamburger Derby and its counterparts in Falsterbo (Sweden) and Hickstead (England).
For Michael Jung, who was in the lead after dressage, it initially looked as if he would bring home his fourth European Championship title safely. But towards the end of the stretch before the last water obstacle, the gelding stumbled, got on his knees and unloaded his rider in a high arc in the water. Nothing happened to rider and horse, only the nagging question remained: Why? Had the gelding misjudged the ground? Hadn’t he reacted quickly enough? Couldn’t his legs support the weight at that moment? The question should be clarified by the Olympic year.
