GERMANY’S Richard Vogel was crowned European Champion at last Sunday’s Longines FEI European Jumping Championships in A Coruña, Spain after five flawless rounds with the remarkable 13-year-old stallion United Touch S, finishing on his opening day score of 0.01 – the lowest ever winning score.

He saw off Britain’s Scott Brash who won the silver medal with the 10-year-old championship debutante Hello Folie (1.08) while Belgium’s Gilles Thomas added to his team gold medal when taking individual bronze aboard Ermitage Kalone (1.37).

Kilkenny’s Seamus Hughes Kennedy jumped a remarkable five clear rounds, with just one time fault in Sunday’s individual final, to finish in fifth place with ESI Rocky (ISH, Stakkato Gold x For Pleasure), bred by Ennisnag Stud, on 2.16, just ahead of teammate Darragh Kenny from Offaly who was double clear aboard Eddy Blue to finish seventh.

Britain had four riders in the top 11. Ben Maher was just out of the medals in fourth with Dallas Vegas Batilly. Donald Whitaker finished 10th with Millfield Colette and Jessica Mendoza was 11th with In The Air.

Vogel was second in the week’s opening speed class to Ireland’s Daniel Coyle and Legacy. When that leading pair withdrew before the second round, Vogel took over the top spot and never relinquished his gold medal position with the 13-year-old Westfalian stallion by Untouched x Lux Z.

With the gold medal around his neck, and a bronze in the cabinet from the team final, Vogel said: “I think everyone knows United Touch and how amazing he is. We’re a partnership for a few years and when we first started, his enormous stride and enormous scope was a big strength of his, but also a weakness because in those technical courses there is always some lines where we have to shorten our strides and where he needs to slow down.

“And for him, that’s certainly not easy, but I am just so happy how he managed it here and he jumped amazing and performed better than I could wish for.”

Richard Vogel and United Touch S clearing the last to win individual gold \ Tomas Holcbecher

Asked about what’s next for the big stallion, Irish fans will be glad to hear that there is a possibility he could be at the Dublin Horse Show. “The plan for now is to get home safe, that’s my priority,” Vogel said at the post-event press conference. “Then he will have a couple of easy days with Felicia [Wallin, groom], she will hack him in the forest.

“Originally, the plan was to do Dublin and Calgary but we have to see how fresh he feels next week. I think you really should make the plan depending on how your horse feels. He jumped in Aachen and then came here so if he feels slightly tired then we will skip Dublin and go to Spruce Meadows.”

Folie fanclub

Brash was fifth after the opening day with the 10-year-old mare Hello Folie (Luidam x Diamant de Semilly). With two more clear rounds in the team competition to help Britain win the team silver, they found themselves in second place on Friday evening, despite some hairy jumping moments. The mare, who was making her championship debut, likes to pull Brash into the root of the fence and caused plenty of gasps around the arena.

However, the pair held their nerve in Sunday’s two final rounds to complete on their opening score. “It was eventful,” said Scott with a laugh after winning his second silver of the week.

“I was glad I managed to keep hold of the reins today! To the triple combination, I wanted to come in not too quick, but I actually waited one too many strides, and she just shows such fight and spirit to jump through it; what an incredible mare.

“She’s just showed the world how talented she is this week. I’ve always felt that she’s going to be a top, top horse, but until they actually come and do it this level, you don’t really know.”

Scott Brash (GBR) riding Hello Folie to the silver medal \ FEI/Benjamin Clark

For Gilles Thomas, similar to Vogel, the world was watching as he is sitting on one of the most impressive horses in the sport. The pair started the competition in 10th place after day one, rose to seventh and then fourth by Sunday morning. When third-placed Steve Guerdat faulted at the last fence in the first round, Thomas moved up to bronze and that is where he stayed.

“I started with him when he was just three, so we’ve really grown up together,” said the 27-year-old. “I think I met him and he made me. He’s been a life changer for me and now to be here at the Europeans, it’s really made me step up and that’s only possible thanks to him. It’s a very great trust I have in him in him. I’ve never had it with any other horse before. I always dreamed of having a medal in a big championship - and now I have two!”

How it played out

Seamus Hughes Kennedy and ESI Rocky started the day in seventh place on their first day score of 2.16 and looked like they were home and hosed over Santiago Varela’s first round only to just exceed the time allowed of 76 seconds and pick up a single time fault. It would move them one spot behind Britain’s Ben Maher on 3.16 but keep them well in the hunt for a medal. At the end of the round, they remained in fifth place and still within a fence of the gold. “I just hope that doesn’t cost me too much,” he said immediately afterwards.

Likewise, going into the final round, Darragh Kenny was also within four faults of the leader on a score of 3.91 and produced his third clear of the week with Carol Sollak’s 13-year-old gelding Eddy Blue. “He jumped great, as he has been the last two days. He is coping really well and I am very happy with him this week,” Kenny said.

Asked about the course and number of clear rounds, he added: “The jumps are quite big. I think there are a lot of very good horses in very good form and they are jumping it really easy and that just seemed to have happened this week.”

Final round

The top 12 went through to the final round over a 10-fence track and some 10 of those combinations jumped clear. The only faults came from Guerdat (eight faults) and Jessica Mendoza (four faults). The top eight remained the same; Kenny again jumped a phenomenal clear round with Eddy Blue to cement their seventh place – their only fault came in Wednesday’s first round when the horse stumbled slightly and had a tricky distance to a vertical.

Hughes Kennedy rode like an athlete far beyond his 22 years and again, despite getting deep to the oxer at fence four, guided ESI Rocky home to finish on 3.16 in fifth place. In the end, the time fault only cost him one place – fifth instead of fourth – and not a medal. Britain’s Ben Maher had another agonising fourth place finish.

There were 18 clears from 25 starters in the first round of Sunday’s final over the track built by Santiago Varela. That is a 52% clear rate, by far the highest in the last eight European Championships. In Milan two years ago, there were just five clears in the first round (21%), followed by four in the second top 12 round (26%). Last Sunday, 10 of the final top 12 jumped clear – 83% strike rate.

Seamus Hughes Kennedy (IRL) riding ESI Rocky during the Longines FEI Jumping European Championship \ FEI/Benjamin Clark

AFTER the initial disappointment of missing out of a medal by such a small margin, Hughes Kennedy was delighted with the finish and his horse. “It’s a pity not to get a medal in the end after doing the full week without knocking a jump.

“The plan the first day, everything came off exactly the way we wanted and in the end that wasn’t quite enough to win a medal. We were expecting a few more people to have a mistake here or there.

“I was delighted with the way the horse jumped, delighted with the opportunity that Michael Blake has given us to come and be on the team.

“It was unfortunate to just miss out on a medal for the teams and to also just miss out on a medal in the individual result as well but we couldn’t ask for any more.

“It was great especially for our first senior championship. I look forward to the future with such a special horse.”