Laura Kraut and Kent Farrington set the tone Wednesday for Team USA at the CHIO Aachen, running through Sunday in Aachen, Germany, when each rider won a class.
Kraut rode Emeraldo 4 in the Prize of StädteRegion Aachen amidst a downpour that forced the organizers to pause the class.
“After leaving the arena, I joked that I had only ridden so fast because I wanted to get out of the ring,” she said.
Kraut, Royal Palm Beach, Florida, started showing the 9-year-old Oldenburg (Emerald—Reviera, Narcos II) owned by Stars and Stripes at the start of this season.
“He is simply wonderful,” she said. “Every time I jump him, he tries to do everything right. He simply has a remarkable attitude toward everything—including thunderstorms, as I now know.”
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Kent Farrington scored his second career victory in the evening’s featured class, the Turkish Airlines-Prize of Europe, when he guided Myla to the win.
Last to go in the jump-off, Farrington and the 10-year-old Holsteiner (Crunch 3—Dinara I, Quadros) owned by Haity McNerny knocked 0.28 seconds off Daniel Bluman and Corbie V.V.’s time to take the title.
“They are super riders, so it was a challenging task,” said Farrington. “But I knew exactly what I had to do. I trust my horse and her speed. Even if I do one stride more, she has a faster footstep.”
In the dressage competition Kevin Kohmann (Scala) and Marcus Orlob (JJ Glory Day) competed in the Prize of VUV Vereinigte Unternehmerverbände Aachen Prix St. Georges CDI1*, finishing fifth and sixth respectively behind winner Frederic Wandres (Quizmaster FRH). Orlob also rode Jane in the Havens Horsefeed-Prize CDI4* Grand Prix, finishing 10th on a score of 70.91%.
