Roeser, Luxemburg – The European CSIO3* tour for the U.S. Jumping Team concluded with a tenth-place finish in the Longines EEF Jumping Nations Cup Roeser CSIO3* on 30 total faults, providing invaluable European Nations Cup experience for some of U.S. Jumping’s up-and-coming combinations. The Grand Prix of Luxembourg CSIO3* showcased the team’s talent and ability with four combinations finishing inside the top fifteen finishers. The team was led by Chef d’Equipe Anne Kursinski.

“Although the results were disappointing for us in the Nations Cup, the experience gained is critical and we are on the right track to continue building for the future. I was extremely impressed by how well our riders finished in the Grand Prix. It was an extremely challenging course 1.55m and a qualifying competition for Paris,” said Chef d’Equipe Anne Kursinski. “They really rallied, and it was great to see them all grow on this 3* tour. It’s so important for our program and helps contextualize a lot of skills for our developing athletes. There is a tremendous amount of learning they will take back home with them as they continue their work and preparation to ultimately represent the U.S. on senior and championship teams in the future.”

In the Nations Cup, Kelli Cruciotti-Vanderveen (Wellington, Fla.) started the day as first in the combination order aboard Gideon. The U.S. were the sixth team to contest the course, designed by Peter Schumacher (GER) out of the total 13 teams participating. The pair were strong in their pathfinding for the team, notching a clear round and starting the team off positively.

As second in the order, Coco Fath (Fairfield, Conn.) and Aventador 5, were efficient in their round, but rails at the oxer at six slipped from the cups, as well as the front rail of the final oxer in the triple combination, which was positioned just before the last fence on course, meaning the pair would add eight faults in total.

Making her debut on the tour for the team, Elena Haas (Oakland, Calif.) and Claude, were forward and confident in the first round. A late back rail at the oxer at six and a foot in the open water pushed their score to eight faults as they finished through the timers in 76.22 seconds, putting the team on a minimum of eight faults for the second round. 

The anchor combination of Michael Hughes (Franklin Lakes, N.J.) and Kashmir van d’Oude Pastory have the most experience the team combinations, but the A element of the double combination after the open water caught the pair out with the tall vertical dropping. They had a great ride into the triple towards the end of the course, but the B element, which was a tall vertical unfortunately dropped, adding another eight faults added to the team score.

Cruciotti-Vanderveen looked strong in the second-round return with Gideon, a 2014 Zangersheide gelding owned by Serenity Farms and cared for by Martin Galvin, both efficient and poised through their round. Taking the inside line after the water, the pair just nudged the A element of the one-stride combination at 8 out of the cups, adding four faults to their otherwise consistent round.

After a forward start to their second round, Fath and Aventador 5, a 2012 Rhinelander gelding owned by Hillside Farm, LLC and cared for by Kendall Smith, dropped the tricky uphill oxer at six but recovered well with a strong approach to open water and the careful one-stride combination. The duo knocked the plank rail from the top cups at fence ten to finish with another eight-fault score.

Improving on their first-round trip, Haas and Claude, a 2012 Westphalian gelding owned by Haas and cared for by Rachel Mikoff jumped an excellent round their second effort around the track. The pair were sharp and careful with just the front rail of the oxer at nine falling from the cups. The pair crossed through the timers in 78.07 seconds and added a single time penalty to their score for five faults.

To conclude the team order and finalize the team’s standings, Hughes and Kashmir van d’Oude Pastory, a 2010 Belgian Warmblood gelding owned by Stephex Stables and Vital Van Ham and cared for by Millie Schneider, rode a precise round, nearly producing a clear for the team in the second round, but dropped the final oxer to add four faults and a time-fault to their score for a total of five. The team ultimately finished with 30 faults for tenth place. The team from Belgium took first on a final score of four, with the Irish in second on a slower four faults, while Great Britain secured third with nine faults overall.

In the Grand Prix of Luxembourg CSIO3*, Hughes and Legolas ter Wilgen, a 2011 Belgian Warmblood stallion owned by Stephex Stables, rode to a competitive third place finish after stopping the timers just .02 seconds behind Spain’s Pello Elorduy Ibarzabal. Ansgar Holtgers and Good Morning B, his mount from the Nations Cup in Peelbergen, finished in 11th overall, earning a ticket to the jump-off where they only added four faults. Cruciotti-Vanderveen and Haas rode to 13th and 14th place respectively, each just adding four faults in the first round.

Results

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