Hickstead, Great Britain – The NetJets U.S. Jumping Team finished in fifth place overall at the 2023 Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup of Great Britain CSIO5* at the Royal International Horse Show, completing on a final team score of 31. Great Britain took the top podium position on a score of four over two rounds, while Ireland finished in second on 12 faults, and France in third on 16 total faults.

“We always strive to hit the podium but sometimes it does not happen and today was one of those days. It was an interesting class because when you looked at it on paper, Germany and Great Britain had the strongest teams. The British were great and deserved the win. As we know, winning on home soil is good for the sport,” said Chef d’Equipe Robert Ridland. “It was both a challenging but also a rewarding day. Everyone had something they needed to change from the first round, and they made those changes happen and improved their performances in the second round. We are leaving with some more experience, both for our horses and riders, and it’s a part of the building process as we look ahead.”

With a mix of veterans and talented up-and-coming combinations representing the United States, the team found more of their stride in the second-round while testing the 1.60m course designed by Kelvin Bywater and set on the historic derby field at Hickstead. The team was led by Laura Kraut (Royal Palm Beach, Fla.) and Dorado 212, cared for by Alex Tyler Morris, as the trailblazers in the rider rotation, producing a lovely round, before tapping the final oxer on course to add four faults to their trip. Alessandra Volpi (Woodside, Calif.) and Berlinda, cared for by Emmanuelle Malbouef, followed as the second combination for the team, finishing their round in quick time to cross the timers in 70.96 seconds, but added eight faults to their initial score.

In her return to the NetJets U.S. Jumping Team for the first time since 2017, Paris Sellon (Los Angeles, Calif.) and Attoucha, cared for by Johanna Mattila, added eight faults in their first trip around the track, but looked to bounce back in the second round, while anchor combination Devin Ryan (Long Valley, N.J.) and Eddie Blue, cared for by Angela Baugh, had an uncharacteristic rail at the big oxer at the second fence on course. They crossed through the timers with an additional three-time faults to finish on a score of seven, pushing the team forward into the second round on 19 faults.

Returning for their second trip, Kraut and Dorado 212, a 2013 Oldenburg gelding owned by St. Bride’s Farm, nearly mirrored their first round, this time dropping the tall vertical of the one-stride combination, and finishing in 74.28 seconds, with three riders left to come. Volpi and her own Berlinda, a 2008 German Warmblood mare, improved on their first-round score, just rubbing one of the tall verticals on course, but finishing quickly to complete their round with just four faults.

Trying keep distance between the German, Brazilian, and Italian teams, Sellon guided Attoucha, a 2012 Zangersheide mare owned by Willow Grace Farms, to a four-fault round for the team, keeping them just ahead of the ensuing three teams. As the final combination for the U.S. in the second round, Ryan and Eddie Blue, a 2012 KWPN gelding owned by LL Show Jumpers LLC, rubbed the third fence on course out of the cups, but continued to finishing a strong ride through the remainder of the course to complete with just the four faults, with the team finishing on 12 total faults in the second round, combined with their 19 from the first round for a final score of 31.

Results

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