Show jumpers pursue World Cup qualification across Europe

There are 13 qualifiers in Western Europe’s World Cup show jumping league, which began earlier this month in the Norwegian capital Oslo before heading east across Scandinavia to Helsinki. Yet riders do not have to take their horses to each show, as it is the pairs’ seven best results which count towards their total. In the end, 18 of them (plus non-Europeans living in countries on the continent) will earn a spot in the global Final next April in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Athletes can thus plan their itinerary of competitions based on various factors: their physical condition and that of their mounts, convenience, position in the standings, and so on. In any case, a victory at any of the stages can shake up the standings considerably, as with Patteet’s 20 points in Helsinki – which added to her previous point in Oslo for a current total of 21. By contrast, Dreher’s sixth place in Norway and second in Finland with Embassy II were worth 11 and 17 points respectively, for 28 so far. In third is Italy’s Luca Maria Moneta, also possessing 21 points (13 + 8) but to date no World Cup victory like Patteet’s. Ireland’s Denis Lynch is currently in a tie for 13th while there are presently no British riders on the leaderboard.

Horses and riders are now in or en route to Verona, Italy, for the third showdown in the continental league. The following stage will take place across the Alps in Lyon, France from October 31–November 4. From there, the circuit will criss-cross Europe north to south, east to west, with stops in Stuttgart, Madrid, La Coruna, Spain, London, Mechelen, Belgium, Basel, Leipzig, Amsterdam and Bordeaux.

Last year, it was Sweden’s Henrik von Eckermann who came in first in Western Europe, with a total of 84 points after a win at home in Gothenburg at the concluding stage before the Paris Final. France’s Kevin Staut was second with 79, while Germany’s Marcus Ehning rounded out the top three (67).

Typically, around 40 points has been enough to earn a ticket to the Final out of Western Europe, and in the 2017/2018 season, two non-Europeans (Australia’s Edwina Tops-Alexander and Colombia’s Carlos Enrique Lopez Lizarazo, in fourth and 11th respectively) also qualified through the league, opening up additional spots beyond the top 18 (the lowest-placed of whom had accumulated 39–40 points).

And while in the end Von Eckermann made it onto the podium in the French capital, finishing third, the two riders above him – Americans Beezie Madden (first) and Devin Ryan (second) – reminded the Europeans that while qualifying in their continent is already a big challenge, it is only the start of the battle. And this weekend, riders on the East Coast of North America are facing off in their own World Cup qualifier on Saturday evening at the Washington International Horse Show in Washington, DC.