Unstoppable Werth and Fuchs in Lyon qualifiers

Lyon was the chosen scenery for the FEI Dressage World Cup 2021/2021 and Longines FEI Jumping World Cup Western European League qualifiers. 

For the fifth time in a row, Isabell Werth won the FEI Dressage World Cup 2021/2022 Western European League qualifier in Lyon, France. She did it with 16-year-old mare Weihegold OLD, with whom she's claimed the past three series titles. 

Twelfth to go in the 15 rider competition, the pair earned a score of 84.910. Denmark’s Nanna Skodborg Merrald and Atterupgaards Orthilia came close when putting their personal best of 83.695. 

Dufour ends fourth in Lyon

Cathrine Dufour rose to the top of the game by winning the first leg of the new series with 18-year-old Atterupgaards Cassidy. This time she competed with the nine-year-old Vamos Amigos, and their passage and piaffe work got them 81.135 points. 

This got them in fourth place at the end of the second leg, and currently she lies second on the leaderboard, ahead of Thamar Zweistra in third and Nanna Skodborg Merrald in fourth. The FEI Dressage World Cup Final in Leipzig will take place next April, so there is still a long road ahead for the top nine finishers on the Western European leaderboard. 

As Werth is the defending champion, she is automatically qualified for the Final with a horse of her choice. However, it does not look like Weihegold will be fighting at the Final in 2022. 

Fuchs delivers cracking performance in show jumping

“My horse gave me his all today - he has such a big heart!” -Martin Fuchs

The Swiss rider has won the second leg of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup 2021/2022 Western European League after partnering with the 14-year-old stallion Chaplin. Brazil’s Eduardo de Menezes finished second with H5 Chaganus while Max Kühner and Elektric Blue P ended up third. 

French course designer, Grégory Bodo set another clever track that saw Argentinians Jose Maria Larocca and Finn Lente, British Smith and Denver and Switzerland’s Balsiger and AK’s Courage knock fences down. When De Menezes stepped a brilliant clear, stopping the clock on 35.14 seconds, the audience roared. 

A brilliant jump-off

Even world’s number two, Germany’s Daniel Deusser knocked the first element of the double with Killer Queen VDM. Max Kühner and Elektric Blue P were fourth-last to go, breaking the beam in 35.87 seconds but not reaching De Menezes who was still on the lead. 

Then Fuchs and Chaplin set off at a beaming speed, and even though several fences did not come up as the pair would have liked, they finished in 34.50 seconds. Chaplin is also owned by Clooney 51’s owner, Luigi Baleri. 

However the pair could not relax yet as compatriot and defending Longines FEI Jumping World Champion, Steve Guerdat, followed into the ring with Victorio des Frotards. However, the pair lowered both the first element of the double and the final fence, so Fuchs was celebrating his third consecutive Longines FEI Jumping World Cup victory in Lyon. 

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