In February 2025, Ride from FEI Originals presented by Longines This month’s Ride goes Dutch, sharing a passion for the Friesian breed. We salute the UK’s side saddle community, and capture the essence of the horse with Canadian equine artist Vanessa Whittell.
Under the slogan “Where nobility meets history”, the opening round of the Doha International Equestrian Tour 2025 kicked off at the glorious Longines Arena at Al Shaqab – a member of the Qatar Foundation – yesterday, Thursday, January 9
In December, Ride the “Pony Post” delivers Xmas cards in the British county of Essex, we meet UK Dressage duo Ruby and Rudi, and visit the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony’s mythical metal horse, Zeus.
Watch the LONGINES Grand Prix CSI5* A Coruña – FEI WORLD CUP 2024. Highlights programme of the CASA NOVAS CSI5*W 6. – 8. December 2024
Longines FEI Jumping World Cup in Madrid 2024. Highlights programme of the CSI5*W Winning Round 1.50m Estrella Damm Trophy held on Saturday 2nd of December.
In November, Ride goes the extra mile in the Mediterranean, on board with hosts Greece at the EEF Balkan Endurance Championship. And, in a Safari Special, we savour the sensational sights and sounds of Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve from the saddle.
Longines League of Nations Final held in Barcelona: CSIO*5 Queens Cup BARCELONA 2025: Switzerland’s Martin Fuchs and the 11-year-old Commissar Pezi won Saturday’s 1.50m Queens Cup Freixenet Trophy after an exciting winning round under the lights at the Real Club de Polo in Barcelona, Spain.
LOVE & VICTORY FOR PHILIP WEISHAUPT AT THE CHIO AACHEN
…. MET HIS GIRLFRIEND, GOT ENGAGED, WON THE ROLEX GRAND PRIX
What a story. Five years ago, Philipp Weishaupt met his girlfriend, Bliss Heers, at the CHIO Aachen –the native American is, like himself, also a show-jumper. Yesterday, the two of them got engaged and today he won the Rolex Grand Prix, the Grand Prix of Aachen.
And how he won! Two time faults after the first round, the entire world elite to follow. How high had he rated his chances of winning at that point in time? “Absolutely zero” he explained and has to laugh as he recalls the moment. Then, instead of preparing himself professionally for the second round, he chose to wonder round the CHIO Aachen Village with his Bliss. And went on to jump clear in the second round and experience how unluckily the second round ended for Martin Fuchs (SUI) and Gerco Schröder (NL) – all of a sudden his name is on the Winners’ Board of the World Equestrian Festival, CHIO Aachen: 2016 Ph. Weishaupt. Weishaupt finds this “incredible” and “awesome”.
After the victory in this first Major of the year, Weishaupt’s personal Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping has begun, a victory at the next Major – at Spruce Meadows in Canada in September – would mean his this success story would continue. And there is also a special story behind this too, because this fantastic showground at the gates of Calgary is precisely where Weishaupt prepared himself for the Aachen Rolex Grand Prix.
Amid the backdrop of a full-house, the professional rider, who is employed at the Beerbaum Stables and the just nine-year-old Holstein-bred stallion, LB Convall, rode to victory in the Grand Prix of Aachen, the Rolex Grand Prix at the World Equestrian Festival. Albeit after a competition that the course designer, Frank Rothenberger, described to be the “most curious” in his career. The Federal Defence Minister, Ursula von der Leyen, who is known to be a huge equestrian fan and regular guest at the CHIO Aachen (“It is always something special!”), summarised the atmosphere at the Soers: “I was fascinated that 40,000 people can be so quiet, when things get exciting!”
Weishaupt and LB Convall were clearly the best pair in this class. They reached the finish line double clear with just two time penalties. Predominantly, what Weishaupt saw from the tent city and afterwards from the stands was that his fellow competitors were picking up faults. Weishaupt’s colleague at the Beerbaum Stables, Henrik von Eckermann, had already prophesied in advance that the course was extremely tricky. von Eckermann particularly thought that the time was going to be the problem. How right he turned out to be! Those riders, who jumped clear, all had time faults. Besides Weishaupt, these were Gerco Schröder (NED) with Cognac Champblanc and Martin Fuchs (SUI) with Clooney.
SOURCE: CHIO AACHEN NEWS
DEUTSCHE BANK PRIZE WITH RECORD SETTING DRESSAGE MOMENTS
In the history of German dressage in Aachen this has never happened before: Three pairs over 80 percent in the Grand Prix, the Prize of the Tesch Family, three times over 80 percent in the MEGGLE Prize, the Grand Prix Spécial. That is an absolute record. And then the same three even took it a step further in the Deutsche Bank Prize by claiming the top three rankings there as well.
Kristina Bröring-Sprehe and Desperados won the most famous prize in the dressage sport in the most famous dressage arena in the world with a score of 88.825 percent, a personal record. Isabell Werth came second with Weihegold OLD on a score of 86.950 percent, followed closely by Dorothee Schneider with Showtime FRH on 86.925 percent. Rio here we come!
Kristina Bröring-Sprehe reported to the National Coach (who couldn’t watch her, because she was helping her two other protégés warm-up for the competition – “But I heard the music and knew exactly where she was in her choreography!”) after her ride somewhat timidly about the only mistake that she had made in the first double pirouette. But then when the scores flashed up, this moment was forgotten. “I am delighted,” sighed the number one in the world rankings, who almost beat the multi-championess Charlotte Dujardin (GBR) with Valegro at the European Championships last year. She came just a few points behind her. The two will come up against each other again soon…
Isabell Werth’s world was back in order again today. She was eliminated from the WOTAX Prize yesterday, because she made two errors of course – totally untypical for the many-time Olympic gold-medallist, World and European Champion! Today, she knew what route to take – even though she rode the slightly revised freestyle routine to new music, a 1970s Italo pop medley, for the first time today with Weihegold. The highlights of the freestyle have a special soundtrack: “Dance Samba with me” – very fitting!
Dorothee Schneider and Showtime FRH were the next pair to provide goose-bump moments today. Showtime performs to a piece of music that couldn’t be more fitting for the stately dark bay horse: the E guitar sounds of the queen classic “The Show must go on”. One can hardly believe Schneider that this show-maker used to be a rather shy and introverted horse. She has turned the 10-year-old gelding into a world-class horse that hasn’t reached the zenith of his ability by a long way yet! We look forward to welcoming Showtime at CHIO Aachen 2017 – let’s wait and see if he can perhaps leave his colleagues trailing behind him then.
America’s Steffen Peters finished fourth again, this time on a mark of 76.627, and Team USA’s combined total of 437.139 saw them line up second ahead of Denmark in third on 430.418 and Spain in fourth on 425.316. Sweden finished fifth on a final tally of 425.186, and when the overall calculations were done, the Americans were declared the first-ever FEI Nations Cup™ Dressage series champions. Just four points separated them from the runners-up from Sweden in the final analysis, while Denmark was another seven points adrift in third.
Team Australia Wins Aachen CICO3*, Michael Jung Individual Winner, Ingrid Klimke 3rd and 4th in Cross Country
TO WATCH THE WHOLE EVENT AGAIN: RELIVE AVAILABLE ON DREAMSPORTS.TV
Expectations were high for the Swedish Team before the Cross Country event. But the challenges of the course – and especially the Fendt Complex took it’s toll on the Swedish team during the 4000 meter cross country course. First Ludwig Svennerstål had to retire with a dramatic stop on top of the fence. 
Then Niclas Lindbäck also had to retire in the Fendt Complex,Linda Algotson finished the course but due to 2 refusals her finalising time set her back in the results – last team mate Anna Nilsson did not start.