America’s Rich Fellars created a huge sensation when finishing second with Flexible, a horse who has achieved success against the most incredible odds, while Heinrich-Hermann Engemann and Aboyeur W slotted into third to under-pin his utter reliability when the chips are down. “We have seen extraordinary sport over this weekend” said FEI First Vice-President Sven Holmberg this evening. “I’ve been to many World Cup finals over many, many years and this was the hardest ever” - few of the riders would disagree……

Course-designer Rolf Ludi presented two more fascinating tracks on the final afternoon. They asked huge questions about the rider’s ability to be accurate and the horse’s willingness to stretch themselves to their limit, but when it comes to limits Shutterfly does not seem to have any at all…..Meredith left the 15 year old gelding with a lot to do at the triple combination in today’s opening round but the horse just opened up his jump a little more to bring her home clear. Shutterfly was relaxed and it all looked so very easy - “he’s been in a great mood here all week and he wasn’t nervous at all. He enjoyed working in the warm-up ring which was very quiet and he reflected that in the ring” she pointed out later.

The first two of the 24 starters retired in the opening round, Judy-Ann Melchior and the adorable stallion Levisto Z after hitting two elements of the treble at fence eight and America’s Todd Minikus and Olinda after lowering the narrow vertical at fence six. These were just two of the traps in the cleverest of courses, the former approached off a left-hand turn after a big oxer and the latter following the triple bar that would put an end to Kuerten’s dominance. In the lead after the first two legs and having won the Grand Prix with Quibell on Saturday night the Irish rider looked like a runaway train that just couldn’t be stopped. But as all top riders are only too aware, including the eventual winner, show jumping is an entirely unpredictable affair and the World Cup format leaves absolutely no room for error…..

Fourth to go, Belgium’s Patrick McEntee produced the first fault-free round with Ever Mury Marais Z and when the Swedish duo of Helena Lundback with Madick and Rolf-Goran Bengtsson with Ninja La Silla did likewise the packed stadium went wild with excitement. However they were all lying a distance off the main contenders, carrying double-figure points when the results of Thursday’s Speed and Friday’s Jump-Off classes were calculated.

Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat did his chances no harm however when, lying ninth, he left the course intact with Tresor and Engemann then kept a clean sheet to hold on to his seventh place on the leaderboard. He began to move up as Ludger Beerbaum fell victim to the middle-element of the treble with All Inclusive NRW and the defending champion, Beat Mandli from Switzerland, left two on the floor with Ideo du Thot. Fourth-last to go however Michaels-Beerbaum piled on the pressure when foot-perfect and when the following three got into trouble she was in the driving seat. The relatively novice 10 year old Esplanade began to show her lack of experience when collecting 12 faults for America’s Peter Wylde, Fellar’s stallion hit the vertical at six and then Kuerten lost her grip with a mistake at the same spot on the track. Standing off the previous triple bar, the Irish rider’s mare Castle Forbes Libertina landed short and hit it and then found the three-stride distance to the following vertical just too long and crashed through that too, although the partnership recovered their equilibrium quickly to finish without further incident. The die was cast however, and there would now be no way back……

The second-round track was shorter with just nine fences but the questions were still big ones and course-builder Ludi admitted afterwards that he might have been a little kinder with the distance to the very final fence. This asked for either three very forward and long, or four short and snappy strides from the previous big oxer and, time and again, the riders just couldn’t master this one. Not until Wylde returned to show the huge promise of this amazing mare Esplanade who has come out of the blue to sparkle at this World Cup final, going clear this time out. Mandli mastered the last distance too but Guerdat, now lying sixth, kicked out the final vertical as did Beerbaum when both attempted the distance on three strides while Kuerten, now fourth, slipped further down the order with a frustrating mistake at the very first fence. With just two coming after him, Fellars chipped in an extra stride on the last line and Flexible showed exactly how he earned his name when snapping up and over to hold his position with a clear round.

An error at the first element of the double at fence three hampered Engemann but, last in, Shutterfly was like a piece of precision equipment and the crowd rewarded the German partnership with a huge roar as the horse and rider executed the last distance to perfection on four strides. It just looked simple in the end….but Meredith insisted these were some of the toughest days jumping she had ever experienced, and she was very glad to slay the dragon of last year’s final when she disappeared from the reckoning due to a freaky fall.

‘I’m very proud to win my second World Cup title and the first Rolex-sponsored World Cup final” said the rider who previously topped the line-up in Las Vegas in 2005. “Shutterfly showed he was in great form over three days and at 15 he is not young - he was super and he never had a rail down. I’m pleased with myself today too, and glad I got him around safely” she added.

Runner-up, Rich Fellars, was bombarded with questions because his second-placing came as a big surprise - even to him it seemed. The Oregon-based rider is also a trainer and horse agent and prefers to live a quiet life with his family in the US rather than travelling the international circuit - “I have two wonderful children and being with them is my priority” he pointed out. However he has benefitted from the temporary arena created in Thermal, California where Flexible has produced some good results. Even the 49 year old American was surprised by the Irish-bred 12 year old stallion by Cruising out of a mare called Flex which was ridden by Edward Doyle. “You don’t know what they can do until you ask them, and when I asked him this week to jump higher and go wider he just kept saying OK” the rider pointed out. His success was all the more remarkable however for the fact that Flexible was found to have a blocked artery in a fore-leg which caused persistent lameness some years ago. Having sorted that out surgically the stallion then got loose while over-nighting at Barney Ward’s stables and galloped into a fence breaking his shoulder. To come back from that almost three years later and finish a close second in the World Cup final is little short of remarkable….

Engemann meanwhile knew that he also achieved some special this weekend. There has never been any question about his horse’s courage but he also showed that he could jump the biggest of tracks - “I am very happy to be third - my horse did a great job” he said.

And Meredith could now laugh about the 2007 final, safe in the knowledge that both she and Shutterfly are right back on top of the world…

Dutch star Gerco Schroder scooped maximum points in the Rolex FEI World Cup™ Jumping qualifying leg in Bordeaux, France tonight with a stunning performance from Eurocommerce Milano.

Second-last into the ten-horse jump-off he ousted Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat from pole position, and Schroder said afterwards that he now has his sights firmly set on a place at the series final in Gothenburg, Sweden in April. “Until last week I only had one point” the 29 year old World and European gold medallist explained, “but then I was second with Monaco in Amsterdam and now I have the win here with Milano so I have almost enough points - this changes my plan” he added.

The big, tough track set by Frank Rothenberger was plenty testing as competition pathfinder, the new bright star of British show jumping William Whitaker, demonstrated. The course-designer set them a particularly difficult question with the distance between the oxer at fence three and the following triple combination and William’s evening ended here. The 18 year old rider, who grabbed the headlines when winning the seventh round of the 2007/2008 series at Mechelen in Belgium in December, was having his first Rolex FEI World Cup™ run since then but, attempting to go down the line on four strides he arrived too far off the first element of the treble and Arielle ground to a halt for eventual elimination.

“You needed a long four strides or a very short five” said Schroder afterwards. “This was a very difficult line because the oxer was big and it was only the third fence so the problem was very early on the course. But Frank said before the competition that he didn’t want too many clears and that, with so many good riders in the class, he didn’t know what he needed to do to avoid getting too many!” the Dutch man said.

There were four retirements before the first round concluded, while the home side’s Michel Robert (Mme Pompadour) and Belgium’s Patrick McEntee (Ever Mury Marais Z) were left kicking themselves for having collected a single time-fault each as the 74-second time allowed proved tight.

The jump-off line-up was top-class however and it was Germany’s Lars Nieberg and Lucie who led the way, leaving two fences on the floor in 36.05 seconds. Patrice Deleveay was the first of the two French representatives in the closing stages but a pole down for his 10 year old Calvaro mare Katchina Mail drew a sigh from the home supporters so it was Britain’s Tim Stockdale and Fresh Direct Corlato who set the first real target when crossing the line clear in 35.15 seconds.

Then Kevin Staut and Kraque Boom Bois Margot set off for France, also however lowering one along the way and when Switzerland’s Daniel Etter and Peu a Peu did likewise then Stockdale still held the advantage at the half-way point.

Germany’s Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum would make no mistake with Le Mans, slotting in behind the Englishman when more than a half-second slower but Steve Guerdat raised the temperature dramatically when galloping home to take the lead with Jalisca Solier who stopped the clock on 33.78 seconds.

Christian Ahlmann’s clear in 35.58 seconds with Lorenzo would now put him comfortably into the ribbons without challenging the leader, but a place in the line-up was never going to satisfy Schroder who entered the arena filled with determination to win.

“I saw a bit of Steve’s round and it was very fast - I thought I will try to see if I can be faster and my mare - she gave me everything!” he pointed out.

It wasn’t quite over yet because last into the ring was the formidable British partnership of Michael Whitaker and Suncal Portofino, but a fence down saw them having to settle for sixth place behind Ahlmann in fifth, Michaels-Beerbaum in fourth, Stockdale in third and Guerdat in runner-up spot.

“Milano is only just back after a break and this was her first show with big classes so I am very happy with her” Schroder said, and when asked if the 14 year old is the best of his superb string of rides he answered - “Milan, Berlin, Monaco - I love them all!”

So now with 38 points on the Western European League leaderboard he is just a few points short of a qualifying place for the final. The top-18 will go through from this hard-fought league, but something in the region of 40 points is required to comfortably make the cut. Guerdat’s second placing today has rocketed him up to joint-third place on the leaderboard which continues to be headed by Ireland’s Jessica Kuerten while Michaels-Beerbaum has now moved into second.

For those still seeking those elusive points however time is quickly running out. Next weekend there is another chance in the Spanish town of Vigo but then only s’Hertogenbosch in The Netherlands remains before the complete line-up for the 30th finale to the world’s most exciting indoor jumping series is decided…….

RESULT: 1, Eurocommerce Milano (Gerco Schroder) Ned 0/0 33.52; 2, Jalisca Solier (Steve Guerdat) Sui 0/0 33.78; 3, Fresh Direct Corlato (Tim Stockdale) GBR 0/0 35.15; 4, Le Mans (Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum) Ger 0/0 35.54; 5, Lorenzo (Christian Ahlmann) Ger 0/0 35.58; 6, Suncal Portofino (Michael Whitaker) GBR 0/4 35.59; 7, Katchina Mail (Patrice Deleveau) Fra 0/4 35.83; 8, Peu a Peu (Daniel Etter) Sui 0/4 35.92; 9, Kraque Boom Bois Margot (Kevin Staut) Fra 0/4 37.67; 10, Lucie (Lars Nieberg) Ger 0/8 36.05; 11, Mme Pompadour (Michel Robert) Fra 1/74.55; 12, Ever Mury Marais Z (Patrick McEntee) Bel 1/74.64;13, Jovis de Revel (Roger-Yves Bost) Fra 4/66.32; 14, Butterfly Flip (Malin Baryard-Johnsson) Swe 4/68.99; 15, Kanthaka de Petra (Julien Epaillard) Fra 4/69.35; 16, The Sixth Sense (Thomas Fruhmann) Aut 4/69.64; 17, Couleur Rubin (Ludger Beerbaum) Ger 4/69.79; 18, Gitania (Marcus Ehning) Ger 4/70.23; 19, AD Picolien (Alvara de Miranda) Bra 4/70.39; 20, Sam (Albert Zoer) Ned 4/71.11; 21, Isaac du Jonquet (Mikael Forsten) Fin 4/71.13; 22, Ilostra Dark (Eugenie Angot) Fra 4/71.19; 23, Nirmette (Markus Fuchs) Sui 4/71.91; 24, Isovlas Socrates (Edwina Alexander) Aus 4/72.27; 25, Castle Forbes Vivaldo VH Costersveld (Jessica Kuerten) Irl 8/67.96; 26, L’Espoir (Geir Gulliksen) Nor 8/72.48; 27, Jadis de Toscane (Philippe Rozier) Fra 8/73.33; 28, Meautry’s Locarno (Luciana Diniz) Por 9/75.03; 29, Van Schijndel’s Rascin (Piet Raijmakers Jr) Ned 9/75.10; 30, Lord du Mont Milon (Jesus Garmendia) Esp10/78.05; 31, Tinka’s Serenade (Billy Twomey) Irl 13/74.38; 32, Cornet Obolensky (Marco Kutscher) Ger 15/101.79; 33, Gabelou des Ores (Stephan Lafouge) Fra 16/73.01; 34, Hamilton de Pheret (Juan Carlos Garcia) Ita 17/77.69; 35, Vodowaldo (Edouard Couperie) Fra 21/74.65; 36, Arielle (William Whitaker) GBR Elim; 37, Valentina Van’t Heike (Jos Lansink) Bel, Levisto Z (Judy-Ann Melchior) Bel, Zamiro (Tina Lund) Den, King Solier (Penelope Leprovost) Fra Ret.

Check out horsegirltv.com

“It is a dream come true,” a delighted Meredith said. Back in 1988 in Aachen, when she as a little kid had seen the European elite jump, she had pledged to herself that one day she would be out there competing with them. “And today, having Ludger on one side and Jos on the other, but standing lower than me, was the greatest feeling.” Meredith paid tribute to Shutterfly whom she called a spectacular animal and an amazing athlete. “He has very delicate nerves,” she explained, “and Mannheim with its large training arenas was perfect for him as it allowed him to relax and concentrate.” Meredith is only the second woman to win the European title in a mixed European championship after France’s Alexandra Ledermann had taken the title in 1999 and the fact that she and Shutterfly are now a real team and have never felt better together has certainly contributed to this success.

Jos was also understandably pleased with his medal. “I know that Cumano is not the fastest horse but we didn’t have a single fence down and am very happy with the silver.” Virtually nothing has changed in Cumano’s preparation since the great success in Aachen. At the beginning of the year, he had been used for reproduction and the championship is only the fifth show he does this year.

Ludger was also a happy man “despite that this is ‘only’ bronze,” he said. “The championship has been successful for Germany and we didn’t lose the gold, we won the silver, which under the circumstances was an achievement,” he explaining referring to the disasters that had befallen team mate Marcus Ehning and Küchengirl. “Germany shouldn’t be the country which always wins. The sport is open and this is what it makes it exciting. And it certainly has been exciting here,” he declared.

The 25 best placed combinations after the speed competition and the two Nations Cup rounds took part today. The competition was held in two rounds over two different courses. The first round’s course was 500m in length. An absolute masterpiece of course building, it comprised 12 obstacles (15 jumping efforts). It was much more technical than the previous two courses requiring absolute concentration and precision. The very colourful and innovative design – indeed how often does one see guitars, musical notes, bicycle wheels and the huge red number 400 paying tribute to the 400th anniversary since the creation of the city of Mannheim – was visually challenging for the horses.

Despite the fact that the second round’s course was shorter – 440m, 10 obstacles (12 jumping efforts) – and much more straightforward, the four days of intense jumping made themselves felt and clear rounds were less frequent than in the first one: 9 clears in round one; 4 clears in round two.

Course designer Christa Jung, who has made history for herself by being the first woman to design a European Championship, said she was very happy with the super sport that had taken place during the week.

The 2007 FEU European Jumping Championship has certainly been a thrilling one and now that all the teams to compete in next year’s Olympic Games are known, eyes are slowly turning to Hong Kong where the next battle of the titans will be staged.

The silver and bronze were decided through a jump off. Germany’s Carolin Zell on the 13-year old gelding Wombel 17 had finished today’s two-round competition on 8 penalties (4 from the 2nd round of the Nations Cup and 4 from today’s first round) and had tied with James Smith of Great Britain who was the only rider to start the day with a clean slate and had a bar down in each of today’s rounds. The jump off was held over a five-fence, six-jumping effort course. Carolin Zell had a clear round in 34s19. James followed and scored a clear round too but in 34s40. So, for 0s21 the silver medal is German and Great Britain wins an individual Jumping bronze medal.

The drama of the day was the elimination of 13-year old Constant van Paesschen on the 15-year mare Angel. With only four penalties, he was the last to go in the second round. A first refusal at the second element of the triple combination unsettled the pair and they were eliminated after a second refusal at the very last fence.

The 2007 FEI European Pony Championships ends in much celebration. God Save the Queen was the song of the day and the Union Jack could be seen everywhere in all its bright glory. It has been an edition of good sport and also one of many innovations. For the first time the ponies taking part in the event were measured on site prior to the competition to ensure their size was in compliance with FEI’s definition of a pony. A new Jumping format was used and only three riders per nation could participate in the individual Dressage final. Are there reasons for satisfaction? We believe there are as many changes have been successfully introduced in only one year. However, improvements will be pursued in the near future so that those who love and practise pony sport can do so fairly and honestly.

Under the FEI’s Equine Anti-Doping rules, the FEI Investigating Body (composed of its Veterinary and Legal Departments) are responsible to conduct follow-up investigations which may be required following the receipt of test results. Based on a number of factors related to the testing procedure and integrity of the samples in this case, the Investigating Body has determined that it cannot assert that a rule was violated in this case, and the rider has been informed accordingly.

Under the FEI’s Equine Anti-Doping rules, which were adopted last year further to the recommendations of an FEI Task Force on Anti-Doping and Medication Policy and within the framework of the World Anti-Doping Code, the FEI must meet a specified standard of proof when alleging a doping violation, in order to safeguard the rights of athletes. Issues that concern the integrity of blood or urine samples can prove material to whether this standard can be met.

The FEI does not, as a matter of policy, announce the existence of positive test results until it has received and assessed the results of the confirmatory (”B”) analysis and determined that they confirm the presence of a prohibited substance, or the rider has waived the right to such an analysis. Unfortunately, news of the positive test result in this case became public through third parties.