Despite four jumping faults, the young Swedish rider and her Hanoverian horse won the World Championship for young 7-year-old eventing horses.

Many spectators were present for the show jumping test for 6-year-old horses in the morning and in the afternoon the stands were jam packed for the show jumping test for 7-year-old horses. 

Like for the 6-year-old horses, the cross country test had also affected the 7-year-old horses physically, as there were only 7 riders with clear rounds out of a total of 53 who were still in the competition.

It could be said that some of the riders lost out after this test and others missed the occasion to have a good performance. Didier Willefert, for example, did not hide his disappointment when he added 4 faults to his score with Nessie de Preuilly, the 2008 French Champion for 7-year-old horses. In the end, the French rider and his horse finished in 5th position.

The British rider Polly Stockton was clear with Wetswood Mariner. She was unable to hide her satisfaction, even if she did not finish on winner’s podium.



Pippa and Redesigned were not fast enough



Pippa Funnell was the most experienced of the last three riders to compete in the show jumping arena. The two-time European Champion is used to major competitions and she knew that if she was clear with Redesigned she could be the winner of the competition. She took care when she was riding with the chestnut horse which reminds her so much of Supreme Rock. In fact she was so careful that she had a clear round, which urged on the spectators, but she was not fast enough and ended up with two time faults. Two penalties which allowed her to hold on to her 3rd place and gave Ruth Edge and Nick of Thyme a bit of breathing space. Despite four faults for one down, the British rider and her horse managed to hold on to their 2nd place.

The Swedish rider Malin Larsson almost cracked under the pressure with her superb horse Walter Von der Vogelweide, even if she had more than four faults less than Ruth Edge. Walter only knocked down one obstacle, to Malin’s delight which she expressed when she crossed the finish line. She is an amateur rider who outdid the great names in this discipline thus allowing her Hanoverian horse to become the new World Champion for young 7-year-old eventing horses.