One of the great FEI Championship events is the European Championships - this Championship title is run for all the FEI Disciplines and for any rider, the opportunity to qualify and represent their country at the Championships for their discipline is a huge honour - the medals won from the European Championships are cherished as highly as Olympic and World Games medals.
This year, for the first time two disciplines combined to share their European Championship event - the showjumpers and the dressage riders - and it is being held in one of the most amazing locations imaginable - Windsor Castle, home to British Royalty, and is literally in their "backyard" adding such class to an already classy event.
There are three medals on offer for dressage - Team medals (decided from the Grand Prix), Individual medals (decided from the Grand Prix Special) and the Freestyle medal.
The Team medals sees four riders with the lowest score being the drop score. There were 5 of the 12 teams only fielding 3 rider teams and this made it tough for them as all scores counted.
The top 30 from the Grand Prix event then go through to to compete for the Individual medals and then the Top 15 from the Grand Prix Special then go through to contest the Freestyle medals.
The countries fielding less than 3 riders also ride in the Grand Prix to try to make it through to the Grand Prix Special to have the chance to contest the Individual medals.
Some statistics from the European Championships - Dressage:
The oldest horse competing is the 19 year old Trakehner stallion, Balagur for Russia with Alexandra Korelova in the saddle - pictured below right
The youngest horses - there were four 9 year old horses - Jeroen Devroe and Apollo van het Vijver for Belgium; Katarzyna Milczarek and Ekwador for Poland; Victoria Max-Theurer and Augustin for Austria; Edward Gal and Moorlands Totilas for Netherlands.
There are 19 stallions, 30 geldings and just 5 mares competing.
The has been a great deal of discussion, heightened after Beijing Olympics about the inconsistencies in Dressage Judging - people have been disheartened and disgruntled about many results in the sport at all levels - and the FEI made the decision after the last Olympics to see changes made and strong words said to the top level judges about some of the things that have been seen by the general public as simply wrong!
One of the riders under the greatest pressure has been Dutch rider, Anky van Grunsven - a young woman with a huge talent, who has been nothing less than stalked for her method of training horses. There has been much criticism levelled at van Grunsven for marks awarded to her by the judges which didn't seem fair, correct or reasonable - for example scoring a 9 for halt which was never executed! One has to ask though, is Anky to blame for the marks given by the judges?
Perhaps, people may answer, the judges felt under pressure to give her these marks because she rode her other movements so well, and had ridden many record breaking tests - but this to me sounds like a cop out - the judges are the judges and they make the judgements and must have the courage of their conviction and mark using the full scale of marks available to them, from 0 to 10, surely.
There is no question that Anky van Grunsven - pictured left - has issues halting the hot and headstrong 15 year old gelding, Salinero and this has been evident pretty much everytime the combination enter the arena.
The FEI Dressage Committee has addressed these issues with marking and what seemed to be unfair in so many instances and this Championship was the first opportunity to see whether the judges had taken the directives given to them regarding a fair judging for all competitors regardless of who they, what country they represent and what their results have been to date.
I am happy to report that there was no negatves heard by ourselves over the past three days of dressage judging - and the marks, on display as they are given certainly did use the full range of marks.
Headed by judges held in high esteem by all countries, Stephen Clarke and Eric Lette there was only positive discussion going on.
Anky van Grunsven accepted with grace the marks given for her entry and exit in the Grand Prix test, when the horse did his usual. On entry Anky worked hard to get the horse to halt and an attempt was made and the resulting marks of 4, 4, 6, 5 and 4 were fair as were the final halt marks of 2,3,3,4,2 for a halt which barely existed.
Throughout the 54 competitors marked there were some who received 2's and there were the outstanding who were rewarded with 10's and all the marks between were used to see the public and those passionate about Dressage content that the previous marking issues seem to be well on the way to being resolved.
The European Championships began in Tuesday, 25th August and the Dressage riders were showcased first up. Due to the large numbers of riders, Tuesday saw the first half of the field of 54 riders doing their Grand Prix test and the first day produced a test which was so far ahead of those behind her, it had everyone talking on Tuesday night - Dutch rider, Adelinde Cornelissen and the 12 year old Jazz/Ulft gelding Parzival produced an 80.638 % result, which stood streets ahead of second place on day one.
Second place on day one went to the Dutch as well with Imke Bartels-Schellekens who produced a 73.149% score riding the 15 year old Singular Joter/Werther mare, Hunter Douglas Sunrise and Britain's Carl Hester produced a 72.085% test with Leibling, a 12 year old gelding by Lorentin out of a Lonigspark mare.
Normally this would be the winners - but these scores were only from the first half of the field!
The conditions were definitely not all that friendly on Tuesday, but at least the rain only came in short, light bursts so all went off without a glitch.
Wednesday was not so kind and the rain was heavy and made the day not too pleasant as it was extremely humid, which many of the horses found tough going.
The Grooms were kept busy constantly wiping the sweating horses down - and the sweat was coming from the weather, not from harsh or unneccessary riding!
The first rider entered the arena on both days at 9.30am with the day finishing around 4pm each day - and on Wednesday the rain starting in earnest around 2pm, sending everyone for cover!
The tests just got better and better as the day went on - but it was surely Ireland's Anna Merveldt who had the toughest call of the day, sandwiched between British superstar, Emma Hindle and her 16 year old stallion Lancet and Edward Gal and Moorlands Totilas, in the last group of the competition.
Anna Merveldt, based in Italy rode a super test on her 13 year old Coriolan/Gajus gelding Coryolano - pictured below left - and she was delighted with her 68.426 % result which saw her qulified for the Grand Prix Special.
Merveldt commented later that she was glad she rode before Gal, as really "nobody can follow that with confidence - you can only go in and do your very best."
Gal and Totilas came into the arena to huge applause and cheers and this only seemed to wind up these two performers - and make no mistake, the horse loves the crowd and attention as much as any stage performer - the more applause the more he performs!
Gal and Moorlands Totilas broke the long standing Freestyle record at Hickstead just a few short weeks ago and today her smashed the Grand prix record when he recorded a score of 84.085 % today.
One could only feel sorry for the final three riders from France, Spain and Portugal as all eyes were on Gal and the black stallion as they left the arena and went through the FEI gear check on the completion of their test.
The spectators knew they had just seen something that was so close to perfection, performed with such rhythm and passion showing true co-operation between man and horse that few could concentrate or talk of anything else.
The final tally saw the Dutch reign supreme, with a record broken and a Gold Team medal, along with all four riders going through to the Grand Prix Special - what a huge celebration was in store for the many orange clad Dutch supporters!
The Silver medal went to a jubilant British Team, who saw the medal clinched by a super ride from the ice cool, German based Emma Hindle and Lancet who scored 72.936 %.
The German team had to settle for a Bronze team medal today and were pleased for that as they had the Swedes breathing down their necks.
The proof of just how much dressage has come on is that the drop score for the Dutch was Imke Schellekens-Bartels with (73.149 % and Anky van Grunsven who finished on 73.872 % was only just in the scoring results.
For the full list of results click here
And now please enjoy our pictorial of some of the beautiful horses that we had the honour of watching as they did the Grand Prix test.
Pictured above left - Victoria Max-Theurer and the 9 year old bay stallion, Augustin for Austria. This wonderful young stallion is by August der Starke out of a Rhodiamant mare.
Pictured above right - Sweden's Patrick Kittel and the 10 year old stallion, Watermill Scandic HB by Solos carex DVH out of an Admiral ZWPS mare really impressed us and also the judges liked this combination as they were the second highest placed in the 4th placed Swedish team with 72.255 %.
Pictured left - one of the beautiful PRE horses, who found favour with the judges today, Fuego XII, an 11 year old stallion was ridden for Spain by Juan Manuel Munoz Diaz.
This beautiful stallion is by Uterano VII out of an Elegido mare scored 69.745 % and made it through to the Grand Prix Special.
