No equestrian nation has celebrated as many World Cup victories as Germany. A home win also beckons at this year’s final tournament in Leipzig.
What is the significance of the World Cup final?
Among the show jumpers and dressage riders, the final is considered the unofficial World Indoor Championships. In contrast to other sports, the World Cup winners in equestrian sport are only determined at the last event. The previous World Cup tournaments were only used for qualification. It starts from scratch for everyone.
Which German show jumper is one of the favourites?
Marcus Ehning has already won the World Cup three times. However, the show jumper from Borken cannot use his top horse Stargold. The 47-year-old rides Calanda. The mare “is a very fast horse,” said Ehning before the first ride on Thursday.
Other starters are Christian Kukuk (Riesenbeck) with Checker, David Will (Dagobertshausen) with C-Vier, Philipp Schulze Topphoff (Havixbeck) with Concordess and Gerrit Nieberg (Sendenhorst) with Ben.
How do show jumpers determine the winner?
The final consists of three parts. The first two tests on Thursday (2:35 p.m.) and Friday (2:00 p.m.) are a time competition and a competition with a jump-off. If no decision has been made after the two more rounds on Sunday (2:45 p.m.), there will be another jump-off.
What is the mode in the dressage final?
The final consists of the Grand Prix on Thursday (6:30 p.m.) and the Freestyle on Saturday (7:00 p.m.). The Grand Prix is the qualification, the result is not included in the rating. The only thing that matters is the freestyle.
Who is the favourite?
The top favorite is Jessica von Bredow-Werndl. The 36-year-old is expecting her second child in August and is starting despite her pregnancy. The double Olympic champion from Tuntenhausen and her mare Dalera could not be beaten either in Tokyo or at the European Championships in Hagen.
The defending champion is Isabell Werth. The rider from Rheinberg uses the mare Weihegold for the last time in Leipzig, with whom she recently won the finals in Omaha, Paris and Gothenburg. The third German starter is Helen Langehanenberg, the 2013 World Cup winner.