THE life of tee-shirts and shorts enjoyed by those attending the inaugural Portugal Winter Tour in Barroca d’Alva changed dramatically for last week’s final event of three when heavy rain, and even hailstones, replaced the sunshine.

As the rain soaked into the ground it wasn’t surprising that the time on the cross-country phase proved very influential at CCI4* level with no one managing to beat the clock over a very technical track in the short-format class while only one rider, Ludwig Svennerstal, did so in the long-format section.

The Swedish rider finished third on Balham Mist (37.9) as Australia’s Sammi Birch completed the tour with a win on Hunter Valley II (32.9). New Zealand’s Sam Lissington also had a good conclusion to her visit to Portugal when placing second with Ricker Ridge Sooty GNZ (37.8).

The rain also caused changes to the layout at the event and Ireland’s Cathal Daniels decided to withdraw My Lucky Day from this class as the former racehorse wouldn’t settle in the dressage arena which had been re-sited beside the cross-country track on which horses were galloping by.

Having placed fourth in the CCI3*-S during week one of the tour, Jenny Kuehnle had her first, and possibly final, taste of four-star eventing action last weekend in the CCI4*-S, 24 cross-country time penalties with Polly Blue Eyes seeing her finish 13th. Belgium’s Karin Donckers dominated this 26-runner class, winning on Fletcha van’t Verahof (37) and placing second with Leipheimer van’t Verahof (39.5).

Kuehnle’s 16-year-old brother Brian has really gelled well with their father Hans’s Irish Sport Horse gelding Tullibards Now Or Never. Last weekend, he and the Capitalist 10-year-old, who was bred in Co Wexford by Austin Quigley out of an unraced thoroughbred mare by Pistolet Bleu, finished fifth, on their dressage score (37.5) in the CCI3*-L. Here, Jenny was 16th on Nekita.

The 20-runner class was won by France’s Regis Prud’hon whose total of 33.6 on Bennix de Bory included 1.2 cross-country time penalties, while Co Kildare-based Daniels claimed the runner-up spot on his flat work mark of 34.2 with the ISH mare Shannondale Mari. This was a good end to the season for Sarah Hughes’s Shannondale Sarco St Ghyvan mare who had started her campaign at the Portuguese venue in late February when she won the CCI2*-S.

Daniels placed fifth in the CCI3*-S with CDS Boleybawn Freedom and was fourth and seventh respectively in the CCI2*-L with CDS Cairnview Romolu and The Little Lion Man.

Speaking to The Irish Field as he drove up from Portugal to Calais, Hans Kuehnle expressed his pride in his children’s performances at Barroca. Like many other parents this year, he also said how disappointing it was for them not to have the chance to compete in their underage European championships with Brian now out of ponies and Jenny having moved into the young rider category.

“In fact, Jenny has decided that she is going to give up eventing to concentrate on show jumping,” said Hans. “She will be going back to join Richard Howley as she had great success when based with him before. I don’t know what we will be doing with Nekita but Polly Blue Eyes (a German-bred daughter of the thoroughbred stallion Concinales), who is now 16, is going to be retired to stud. Brian was sensational as he is only 16 and did extremely well competing against those senior riders.

“As we three have been on the road for the past six weeks since Jenny was show jumping first in Belgium, I have to thank my wife Julia and elder daughter Jessica who have looked after everything at home.”