Ludger Beerbaum makes thrilling return to German team at Hickstead – will there be more? ‘We’ll see’

Six years after announcing his retirement from team competitions, the legendary German rider Ludger Beerbaum made a welcome return to the national squad, finishing an agonisingly close second to France after a three-way jump-off for the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup of Great Britain at the Longines Royal International Horse Show on Friday (29 July).

Ludger, 58, and the 10-year-old mare Mila (Monte Bellini x Linton) jumped an immaculate clear in round one, just picking up four faults in the second round of the team competition. The pair were joined on the German side by Marcus Ehning (A La Carte NRW), Philipp Weishaupt with Asathir and Tobias Meyer on Greatest Boy H, who just lost out to Frenchman Marc Dilasser by barely one second in the jump-off to decide top honours.

“It feels really, really nice – it doesn’t feel like I’ve been out for six years,” Ludger told H&H. “But I think that’s also because of the horse – she does it really easy and she gives me a very secure, good feeling. It’s simply a pleasure.

“We four riders were fighting together – Nations Cups really bring the riders who are selected together, I think it’s really cool,” he said.

Ludger Beerbaum was only drafted back on Germany’s Nations Cup team for Hickstead after chef d’equipe Otto Becker found himself struggling for contenders due to the event’s close proximity to the world showjumping championships in Herning, Denmark, at the start of August.

“Otto was a bit short of people – the others are heading to Herning and didn’t really have a second or third horse,” said Ludger. “In the end I called Otto to say ‘Listen, if you’re short of someone, I’d like to go back to Hickstead’.

“We didn’t quite win, but it was all good – if you’d said to me the day before that we’d finish second, I’d have signed for it.”

When asked if Friday’s comeback for Germany could mark the start of some more team appearances, the four-time Olympic gold medallist said: “That’s not planned, no, but we’ll have to see – if another time he’s short of people or horses again, we’ll see.”

You may also be interested to read…

Thriller of a three-way jump-off decides Hickstead Nations Cup

Ludger Beerbaum, 58, makes German team comeback – for one day only

‘I had to keep up the family name’: John makes it a Whitaker four-timer at the Royal International

‘I didn’t think I’d do another World Championships’: John Whitaker looks ahead to joining Team GB in Herning

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Jennifer Donald

H&H showjumping editor

Jennifer is passionate at showjumping and her role as H&H’s showjumping editor has taken her around the world reporting from shows and interviewing riders, connections and those involved behind the scenes. Since joining H&H from BBC Sport in 2005, she has written on every subject across the equestrian sphere — from turnout rugs to stable management — and has interviewed gold medallists, world champions and winners galore. She also has first-hand experience of working in the equestrian industry as a riding instructor and yard manager.