Austria go for gold in Gorla

Team Austria finished with an incredible four fences in hand to win the second leg of the Longines EEF Nations Cup in Gorla Minore (ITA). Chef d’Equipe Angelika May chose a strong quartet of riders with championship experience, who showed their abilities by finishing on a completely clean sheet of zero with double clears for all four riders. Switzerland lagged behind with a team total of 16 penalties and Germany wound up in third also on 16 but a slower time. The home nation of Italy were sixth on 28 faults.

Following on from Lier last week, this was the second leg of the Longines EEF Series but the first qualifying competition for the Southern region which was once again hosted by this wonderful Italian venue of Gorla Minore. Spectators were bathed in spring sunshine as they watched a morning of great sport which saw some beautiful clear rounds but plenty of faults, particularly towards the end of the course which included a number of technical jumping efforts and combinations. This challenging 1m50 course was set by Andrea Colombo for this CSIO3* competition. This height of course is a new development for the EEF Series which was previously smaller in dimensions but was well received by competitors many of whom are aiming for the FEI European Championships later this year. The competition consists of two rounds jumped over identical courses by each team and on this occasion a jump-off was not needed to establish the winner.

Austria was likely to be the team hard to beat, given the combined experience of their riders. The team included all three members of their Jumping team who competed at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Gerfried Puck, Max Kuhner and Katharina Rhomberg were joined by Christoph Obernauer who competed on the Austrian team at the FEI World Championships in Herning (DEN) in 2022.

Now in its fifth year, the Longines EEF Nations Cup Series is growing in popularity, and Gorla saw eleven nations come forward, with a number of top-ranking riders competing against leading Young Riders and lesser-known names from emerging nations in the sport. These included Turkey, Ukraine and Bulgaria alongside the more established Jumping nations like Switzerland, Germany, Great Britain and Belgium. The EEF Series prides itself on nurturing both emerging showjumping nations as well as young riders and horses, giving them an opportunity to compete for their nation and showcase their talent to selectors.