Ever dominant in this discipline, every member of the team - Luise Nehls, Maike Mende, Semmieke Rothenberger and Nadine Krause - also finished in the top 10 individually, all on scores of over 70%.

Finishing on a total score of just over 3% behind the German victors, the British team of Rebecca Bell, Alexandra Hellings, Bethany Rose Horobin and Phoebe Peters improved on last year’s bronze medal to take second place. Tineke Bartels’ strong Dutch side took bronze.

The best combinations in Europe showed top quality work over the two days of the team competition, and marks were very tight at the business end of the leaderboard. The distribution of the medals hung on the performances of the anchor women of the German and British sides, Semmieke Rothenberger and Phoebe Peters respectively, and it was Rothenberger who managed to edge ahead of the reigning European champion.

These riders appear to be in a league of their own, and have been challenging each other for dominance on the international scene all season. At last year’s championships Peters could not be caught and Rothenberger brought home silver and bronze individual medals. Peters then started her campaign this year in similar form, with a winning performance on home ground at the Addington CDIP in April.

When the pair met at Saumur CDIO in May, Peters again took the honours in the team test. However, Rothenberger reversed the placings to win the individual test at this French show, so the upcoming individual and freestyle classes hold the promise of thrilling competition.

Just six months after taking on the newly established role of HSI high performance pony dressage squad manager, Anne Marie Dunphy fielded Horse Sport Ireland’s first ever pony team in this discipline. The marks earned by Linnea Larkin, Alana Cazabon Sullivan and Katie Burns earned them eleventh place in the team competition.

A recent winner at the Hickstead Masters, Sligo-based Alana Cazabon Sullivan finished best of the Irish in 36th. She scored 66% for her ride on her grandmother Judy and David Patrick’s Schermeer’s Hof Arendsoog. Her performance divided opinion however, with British judge Jo Graham placing her 30th on 67.949%, while judge at C Victoire Mandl had her in 42nd on 65.385%.

Katie Burns finished six places behind her team mate on a mark of 65.308%, while Linnea Larkin had the unenviable task of being pathfinder for the Irish, and she put in a competent performance with Goofy to score 62.410%.

Speaking afterwards, squad manager Anne Marie Dunphy commented on how well the team acquitted themselves given their collective inexperience: “Our high performance squad is still in its infancy; we only came together a few months before these championships, and our riders are relatively inexperienced at international level. I was very happy with how they acquitted themselves and I feel there is much more to come from these girls.

“Unfortunately this is Linnea’s last year as a pony rider, but both Katie and Alana can build on this experience and as we also have some exciting combinations on the development squad I am looking forward to next year.”

All three Irish riders were due to compete as individuals as we went to press yesterday.