Showjumping is a tough sport and championships are the pinnacle of that, for all those on the ground as well as the riders in the spotlight day after day.
H&H caught up with Henrik Ankarcrona, chef d’equipe of the Swedish team that has maintained its gold-medal position since the first day of competition at the Agria FEI World Showjumping Championships.
The Olympic champions are in the lead with 3.69 penalties, with France snapping at their heels on 5.44, and Henrik said although the mood in the Swedish camp is very good, “It’s tense”.
“There are a lot of feelings, and we came here with a high goal and we’re still aiming for that,” he said. “And competitions like these are like rollercoasters; you’re up in the sky and then you hit the floor like crazy, and then you’re trying to get up again. And we know this.”
Henrik added that the team has talked through all these issues “but still it’s emotional”.
“And it’s tough, and as a leader you want it so bad that it hurts; you want the success but you want the rider to perform because I know all the work behind it and I know the whole teams and there are so many people that put a lot of hours into this so it’s just great when they have come up with a good round and the horse jumps great and looks good and that’s what they want, in the end.”
Henrik, who competed himself to five-star level and represented Sweden, added that it is almost harder to watch his riders jump than to do it himself.
“It’s terrible and it’s not getting any easier!” he said. “It’s the feeling you want. You want them to go clear but you want them to come out with a good feeling. We all know that you can have a fence down so easily; it’s a matter of a split second. The horses should jump well and as you should have a good feeling; that’s the most important thing.”
Asked about the thriller of a competition so far at the World Showjumping Championships, Henrik added: “Well, we try to keep it exciting, so we don’t get cold!”
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