GERMAN studbooks were the clear winners in the breeding stakes at the FEI European eventing championships at Blenheim Palace last weekend. With just days remaining to the end of the World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses (WBFSH) rankings calendar, those individual gold and bronze medals won by the Holsteiner pair of London 52 and JL Dublin could well seal this year’s WBFSH eventing studbook title race.

While the ISH studbook maintains its formidable lead in the Hippomundo prize money-based rankings, there is a much tighter margin in the WBFSH penultimate results.

These showed the Holsteiner Verband on 1,113 points and the Irish Sport Horse close behind on 1,073, the same order as last year’s final rankings. We can expect to see the German studbook consolidate that end-of-August lead after the Blenheim results are factored in. The final WBFSH rankings, based on the top-six performers from each member studbook, will be revealed next month.

There was good news too for Irish Sport Horse breeding with two Irish-breds - Chance Encounter and Millridge Atlantis - on the silver medal team and, once again, Black Ice was the top ISH at the European championships.

Individual seventh with Germany’s Jérôme Robiné in the 2023 equivalent, hosted at Haras du Pin, the Co Down-bred kept up his top-10 strike rate by finishing eighth this year and was part of the gold medal team performance.

Chris Ryan was one of the first to spot Black Ice’s potential and recommended him to a German client. In an Irish Horse Board interview this springtime, Ryan had flagged him as one to watch in this championship year.

There to witness the Vechta x Touchdown gelding deliver again and to help claim Germany’s seventh team gold medal in the history of the European championships was his delighted breeder Judith McClelland (see Breeders’ 10 on page 84).

Past German medal-winning teams often featured an Irish Sport Horse in their ranks and Black Ice is amongst a group of European team medal-winning horses, such as Sam The Man (silver, 1999), plus Twinkle Bee and Ringwood Cockatoo (bronze, 2005).

Historically, our cross-channel neighbours’ teams have fielded a high proportion of Irish Sport Horses. Times and fashion change; the German team now consists of predominantly German-breds - which makes Black Ice’s inclusion particularly noteworthy.

The best-placed Irish Sport Horse at the Agria FEI Eventing European Championships was Black Ice, ridden by Jerome Robine (GER) to eighth place and the team gold medal \ Nigel Goddard

How many Irish-breds?

British teams have featured up to 75% Irish-breds at previous European championships, although the 2023 line-up had no Irish horses. Rehy DJ (Tinarana’s Inspector x Big Sink Hope. Breeder: Noel Russell) was the sole ISH on this year’s team and was in ninth place post-dressage before his and Yasmin Ingham’s chances faded on cross-country day.

Rehy DJ was one, how many other Irish-breds lined out at Blenheim? Black Ice (eighth) was the sole ISH in the top 10. He was followed by Millridge Atlantis (Dinan Cascaletto - Kereen Sue, by Warrenstown U Two. Breeder: Sean O’Loughlin. Rider: Ian Cassells (IRL)) and Dourough Ferro Class Act (Creevagh Ferro - ISHD Class Act, by O.B.O.S Quality 004. Breeder: Gordon Drury. Rider: Sarah Ennis (IRL)) in 14th and 15th places respectively.

Then in 18th place was another member of the Irish silver medal team in Robbie Kearns, with one of two Irish Sport Horses bred on traditional Irish lines at these championships: Chance Encounter (Creevagh Rebel - Camedia, by Lord Americo. Breeder: Robin Johnston).

There was one more ISH in the top 30: Piltown Harry (Harlequin du Carel - Cavalier Mare, by Cavalier Royale. Breeder: Patrick Doody. Rider: Noe´mi Viola Doerfer (HUN).

Another ISH finisher was Clever Trick (Financial Reward - Bonnie Dolly, by Bonnie Prince. Breeder: Vincent Cousins). The 13-year-old mare finished 33rd with Susannah Berry and this combination recorded their second European championships appearance after their Haras du Pin debut two years ago.

Other ISH starters included Its Cooley Time (Quality Time TN - Arabella, by Heartbreaker. Breeder: Ennisnag Stud. Rider: Bubby Upton (GBR)), Stonehavens Baby Blue (Bonmahon Master Blue - Hugginstown Betty, by Carrick Diamond Lad. Breeder: Daniel Irish. Rider: Frida Andersen (SWE)) and another for the Swedes: Govalent (Valent - Bellaney Jewel, by Roselier. Breeder: JW (Woods) Rosbotham. Rider: Sofia Sjöberg (SWE)).

So, a total of 10 Irish Sport Horses appeared at these European championships; three more than in 2023 and five more than the 2021 championships in Avenches. The Holsteiner studbook was the sole one with two horses in the top 10, which had a real pan-European flavour; mostly German studbooks (Holsteiner x 2, Hanoverian, Deutsche Sportpferde), plus the Irish Sport Horse, Selle Français, Belgium’s sBs, the KWPN and Spain’s CDE (Asociación Nacional de Criadores del Caballo de Deporte Español).

An ecletic mix, although the Holsteiner Verband not only claimed two individual medal winners but also reinstated Germany’s gold medal run. The recent Burghley winner Lordships Graffalo (Sport Horse Breeding (GB)) had interrupted this pattern of German-bred gold medal-winning horses, such as JL Dublin (2021) and Horseware Hale Bob (2019).

Robbie Kearns with Chance Encounter during the cross country at the FEI Eventing European Championships \ Pam Cunningham/Irish Eventing Times

Recent medals

The most recent individual medal win by an Irish Sport Horse was recorded by the John Mulvey-bred Brookfield Inocent (Inocent - Shalie’s Pet, by Kings Servant) that won individual silver with Piggy March at Avenches (2021).

Prior to that, the Margaret Kinsella-bred Rioghan Rua (Jack of Diamonds - Highland Destiny, by Flagmount King) and Cathal Daniels claimed bronze at the 2019 European championships in Luhmühlen.

That result bridged a 10-year gap since the previous Irish-bred individual medal win: another silver for Piggy March but on that occasion in 2009 with Some Day Soon (Kiltealy Spring - Hope 2, by Diamond Lad. Breeder: Donald Murphy).

Only one stallion - Yarlands Summer Song (Fleetwater Opposition - Welton Gazelle), complete with his own Olympic-level performance career - had two championship offspring in Alertamalib’Or and Toblerone. Otherwise, there was a very wide spectrum of sires, mostly with show jumping pedigrees.

Three (the same number as at the 2023 championships) of the 55 starters were by thoroughbred sires: the aforementioned Clever Trick, by the 2011 Croker Cup champion Financial Reward, Erin (Meneusekal) and Duke Of Champions (Duke Of Hearts).

The thoroughbred percentage of the three individual medallists hovers between 52.75% (London 52), 53.41% (fischerChipmunk FRH) and 44.08% (JL Dublin). Is the thoroughbred percentage as critical at European championships level as it is at five-star level, including the toughest of all: Burghley?

Also on that list of requirements for a medallist wonder horse in the short format era is one capable of producing a dressage score in the low 20s (or below, in the case of fischerChipmunk FRH last week), being a cross-country specialist and boasting impeccable show jumping form.

A tall order and one ticked off in capital style at the 2025 European championships by London 52.

2025 individual medallists

Gold

London 52 (HOLST) 16yo g by Landos (HOLST) - Vernante (HOLST) by Quinar Z (HOLST). Breeder: Ocke Riewerts. Rider: Laura Collett (GBR).

Silver

fischerChipmunk FRH (HANN) 17yo g by Contendro I (HOLST) - Havanna (HANN) by Heraldik (TB). Breeder: Hilmer Meyer-Kulenkampff. Rider: Michael Jung (GER).

Bronze

JL Dublin (HOLST) 14yo g by Diarado (HOLST) - Zarina (HOLST) by Canto (HOLST). Breeder: Volker Götsche-Götze. Rider: Tom McEwen (GBR).

The Irish team of Padraig McCarthy, Aoife Clark, Robbie Clark and Ian Cassells after winning team silver European Eventing Championships held at Blenheim Palace \ Nigel Goddard

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