Lexington, KY – The two top teams from the 2005 Samsung Super League did a flip-flop from where they finished last year leaving Germany with the top honors this year, while Team U.S.A. came in a solid second after a long, tough battle, which ended with the eighth and final show in the Samsung Super League tour CSIO Barcelona, Spain (September 14-17). In Barcelona, all team points accumulated counted as double. Germany finished with a total of 65.125 points while the U.S. finished on 46 points.

The U.S. team was consistent throughout. They finished second three times (including one tie), third two times and fourth-place three times (including one tie). The Germans and the Dutch were also strong across the board this year with powerful showings at the 2006 FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG), where they finished in a mirror image of the Samsung Super League finish with The Netherlands taking the Gold, the U.S. with the Silver and the Germans with the Bronze.

A strong German team consisting of Marcus Ehning, Christian Ahlmann, Marco Kutscher and Rene Tebbel took first place in the Barcelona Nations Cup, the last competition of the Samsung Super League series. With only four penalties, the Germans were followed in second place by The Netherlands with eight faults, with third place going to Team U.S.A., accumulating 16 faults.

The U.S. team for CSIO Barcelona was none other than the Silver-medal winning WEG team of Margie Engle of Wellington, FL, riding Hidden Creek’s Quervo Gold, a 13-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding, owned by Hidden Creek Farm; McLain Ward of Brewster, NY, riding Sapphire, an 11-year-old BWP Belgian Warmblood mare, owned by McLain Ward and Blue Chip Bloodstock; Laura Kraut of Wellington, FL, riding Miss Independent, a nine-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare, owned by the Miss Independent Group; and Beezie Madden of Cazenovia, NY, riding Authentic, an 11-year-old KWPN Dutch Warmblood gelding, owned by Abigail Wexner. Ward anchored the team with a double-clear in both rounds of the Nations Cup.

This was an especially strong finish for the Dutch, who finished fifth last year. They climbed from sixth place to finish in the third position. For their accomplishments, the German team was awarded the prize of 40,000 euros as winners of the Barcelona Nations Cup, and they were also presented a check of 60,000 euros as overall winners of the 2006 Samsung Super League. Recognized as the best rider in the league by the FEI and Samsung was the French rider Stephane Lafouge.

The final standings of the 2006 Samsung Super League are as follows:

1. Germany – 65.125
2. USA – 46
3. The Netherlands – 35.125
4. France – 35
5. Switzerland – 32.125
6. Great Britain – 30
7. Sweden – 27.125
8. Ireland – 22
~~~For more information, please contact Jeannie Blancq Putney, National Marketing Manager, at (859) 225-6974, or via e-mail at [email protected].