“I’M JUST as much in love with that horse as I am with my wife,” was how the newly crowned European Champion, Andre Thieme, described his relationship with DSP Chakaria on Sunday afternoon in Riesenbeck, Germany.

The home crowd, capped at 2,100 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, went wild when, last to go in the final round, Thieme secured the title, turning the tables on the overnight leader and 2019 champion Martin Fuchs who had to settle for silver with the nine-year-old gelding Leone Jei. It was the first European title for a German rider since Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum won in 2007 with the great Shutterfly.