Pratoni del Vivaro, Italy—Sept. 19
In a week that saw some eventing powerhouses falter and others reclaim a spotlight denied them for decades, the 2022 FEI Eventing World Championship kept spectators on the edge of their seats through every phase. While Germany took its third team gold, the United States and New Zealand stood on the podium for the first time in 20 years and 10 years, respectively.
In the individual competition, young phenom Yasmin Ingham and Banzai Du Loir bested riders with far more experience to earn the gold medal. You can catch up on on all of the Chronicle’s coverage here, or scroll on for images from the week.
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Great Britain’s Tom McEwen’s mount Toledo De Kerser following his dressage test. Kimberly Loushin Photos
Andrew Hoy (Australia) and Vassily De Lassos put in a strong performance in dressage. The pair, who have not finished outside the Top 10 or had a cross-country jump penalty at an international event since 2018, had an uncharacteristic two stops on cross-country.
Harald Ambros, who works as a dentist, represented Austria with Mountbatton 2. The pair looked as if they would jump clean for their country until a heartbreaking stop at the final fence on cross-country.
Team New Zealand nervously watched Tim Price’s dressage test.
U.S. rider Lauren Nicholson hugged coach David O’Connor after her dressage test. O’Connor, who also is chair of the FEI Eventing Committee, spent part of his weekend showing International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach around the championships site.
Alex Hua Tian represented China as an individual, and scored a 23.7 to sit fourth after dressage with Don Geniro. “This may well be his last big one,” he said of the 15-year-old. “He’s getting to that stage in life and career, so we decided to bring him whether we were competitive or not.” The pair retired cross-country.
Hanne Wind Ramsgaard, who is an amateur, rode her homebred Amequ Torino for Austria.
Laura Collett (Great Britain) thanked London 52 after their dressage test, which scored 19.3 and gave them the Day 1 lead. The Tokyo team gold medalists a had a runout at the final element of the “Slide and Targets” fence cross-country.
Spanish rider Carlos Diaz Fernandez celebrated with supporters after his dressage test on Taraje CP 21.10. Fernandez fell on Saturday’s cross-country and was taken to the hospital for X-rays; it was later reported that he was not seriously injured.
A smile from Michael Jung (Germany) and a pat for fischerChipmunk FRH after a leading dressage test of 18.8.
Perfectly polished: Ariel Grald’s Leamore Master Plan competed for the United States. They were one of just five of almost 90 starters to finish on their dressage score (32.5), moving them from 50th to 11th place after show jumping.
Cross-country advisor Ian Stark (center) watched dressage alongside other members of the U.S. contingent.
Nadja Minder’s Toblerone (Switzerland) looked pleased with himself following dressage.
U.S. rider Tamie Smith took a moment with Mai Baum after scoring a 24.0 in dressage.
New Zealand’s Tim Price gave off some Men In Black vibes when he presented Falco. The pair finished on their dressage score of 26.2 to win individual bronze.
Richard Booth cheers on the U.S. team.
British individual rider Yasmin Ingham (right) talks to groom Allison Bell (center) following her dressage test.
Spectators without seats gathered along the hillside to watch show jumping, which included fences and ring decorations that paid homage to the area’s history.
Prepped and ready. U.S. rider Boyd Martin and Tsetserleg TSF watched another pair come down the Pratoni slide before heading to the startbox.
Fence 13, Willberry Wonder Pony Table, included a number of wooden creatures around the fence.
Germany’s Christoph Wahler played to the crowd after jumping clear with Carjatan S. It was his first championship, and he earned a team gold medal. “If it always goes like that, then I’ll try and do another one,” he said.
The German fans were fierce this weekend.
A pair of furry friends waited for the start of cross-country.
Great Britain’s Tom McEwen and Toledo De Kerser tackled the Pratoni slide. They knocked a flag at the second skinny at the bottom and initially were penalized for it. After a review that took much of the day, the ground jury to decide to remove the penalties from his score.
U.S. pair Ariel Grald and Leamore Master Plan showing why they were the fastest round of the day, finishing 10 seconds under the optimum time.
Will Coleman hugged Ariel Grald after he jumped double-clear in show jumping with Off The Record.
U.S. rider Tamie Smith got interviewed by FEI TV on Thursday. She and Mai Baum finished ninth after two rails in show jumping.
Groom Julia Aschenborn heads back to the barn with fischerChipmunk after he produced the leading score of 18.8 in dressage with Michael Jung (Germany).
New Zealand’s Jonelle Price headed down the first element of the Pratoni Slide with McClaren to earn a team bronze medal.
Arianna Schivo was the top-placed Italian rider. After show jumping clear, she and Quefira De L’Ormeau finished in 30th.
After Menlo Park stopped at the first element of the Pratoni Slide, Clarke Johnstone (New Zealand) elected to take the long route.
When your legs are short, the best way to walk the course is by four-wheeler.
The Chronicle is on site to bring you interviews, photos and stories daily, so follow along at coth.com. We’ll have full analysis from the competition in the Oct. 10 issue of The Chronicle of the Horse magazine.
Results and order of go can be found here.
