It was Royal International Horse Show disappointment for Great Britain in the second round of the Meydan FEI Nations Cup at Hickstead this afternoon.
Lying in equal fifth after round one, the odds were stacked against the British team from the outset as Tim Gredley’s Omelli (12 faults in the first round) had a filled leg and couldn’t be risked to jump again.
The remaining three riders (Robert Smith on Raging Bull Vangelis S, Ben Maher with Robin Hood W and Peter Charles riding Murka’s Pom D’Ami) notched up a total of 31 faults — all incurring time penalties — leaving them in seventh overall.
At the top of the table on a high-faulting day, France and Germany jumped off for first place. Germany’s Janne-Friederike Meyer (Cellagon Lambrasco) rode her third clear round of the day to win the competition. This was no mean feat bearing in mind the challenging ground conditions and the fact her horse stands just 16hh.
Listen to interview with Janne-Friederike Meyer
This result leaves Great Britain in ninth place in the league table and still firmly in the relegation zone.
Nations Cup results
1 – Germany (24) J/O = 0 (52.12)
2 – France (24) J/O = 4 (47.96)
3 – Ireland (40)
4 – Sweden (45)
5eq – USA (52)
5eq – Belgium (52)
7 – Great Britain (59)
8 – Netherlands (62)
Don’t miss next week’s Horse & Hound (out 30 July) for the full report.
