Browse content similar to 2011. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
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I don't want to make you jealous, but they are having a very hot | :01:03. | :01:07. | |
September in Spain. Temperatures in Madrid are steaming at 40 degrees, | :01:07. | :01:14. | |
but it is much cooler at one of the largest sporting clubs in Europe. | :01:14. | :01:19. | |
It has 27,000 members. It is spread over 214 Heck tears, and those | :01:19. | :01:23. | |
members can choose from golf on a course designed by Seve Ballesteros, | :01:23. | :01:28. | |
football, swimming, tennis, and ordinarily, they would also be | :01:28. | :01:31. | |
riding in the woods. But not this weekend, because this place has | :01:31. | :01:41. | |
:01:41. | :01:44. | ||
The European showjumping championships have come to town. 17 | :01:44. | :01:47. | |
nations of Europe's very best riders. We will show you the final | :01:47. | :01:51. | |
round of the team jumping medals, and this is where they will ride | :01:51. | :01:54. | |
into the heat of the action. It would be a cliche to say that the | :01:54. | :01:57. | |
Great Britain team is made up of youth and experience, but in this | :01:57. | :02:02. | |
case it is true. And when I say experience, for a couple of them, I | :02:02. | :02:06. | |
mean decades. And they say that with age comes wisdom, but it also | :02:06. | :02:13. | |
brings aching bones. I broke a leg, to collarbones, to cartilage | :02:13. | :02:19. | |
replacements, a hit replacement, a broken neck, a bicep repair and a | :02:19. | :02:24. | |
rotator disc. Apart from that, I'm good. So why unearth you keep doing | :02:24. | :02:29. | |
this? Well, that's what I like to do. If you've got the horse, you | :02:29. | :02:33. | |
are keen to do it. If they weren't up to the Olympic standard will | :02:33. | :02:42. | |
good enough, you are just pushing up hill. Talk to me about him. | :02:42. | :02:45. | |
really spooky with other horses, very nervous. Another comes towards | :02:45. | :02:51. | |
him, he will dark, but the many egos in the rink he is completely | :02:51. | :02:55. | |
concentrated -- the minute he goes in the ring. Riding on the British | :02:55. | :02:59. | |
team for the first time is 40-year- old Guy Williams, a man in form, | :02:59. | :03:04. | |
and exceptionally driven. I am very competitive and sometimes I have to | :03:04. | :03:09. | |
put a brake on myself because you are playing for big money and big | :03:09. | :03:14. | |
prizes and I have to tone it down. Before I was a bit gung-ho and I | :03:14. | :03:18. | |
didn't have a real classic technique. I ride from the high a | :03:18. | :03:23. | |
lot more. Maybe I have to tone it down a little bit and hopefully I | :03:23. | :03:28. | |
will get better and better. youngest member of the team at 28 | :03:28. | :03:33. | |
is the highest ranked British rider in the world, Ben Maher. I think I | :03:33. | :03:38. | |
still have a lot to learn. I'm learning new things every day, but | :03:38. | :03:43. | |
it is quite an inexperienced horse I have this week. I had him from | :03:43. | :03:47. | |
the very beginning, so he knows all about me and I know all about him, | :03:47. | :03:53. | |
but at this level it takes a year or two to gel that combination | :03:53. | :03:57. | |
together to maybe win an individual or team a medal. I think with | :03:57. | :04:00. | |
myself and my horse, I am lacking that final piece of experience that | :04:00. | :04:06. | |
hopefully I can gain this week ready for London. And it is always | :04:06. | :04:09. | |
difficult for show jumpers, the difference between riding at the | :04:09. | :04:13. | |
shows that only lots of money and riding for Great Britain which | :04:13. | :04:16. | |
isn't going to earn you a lot of money. Where do your priorities | :04:16. | :04:22. | |
lie? The priority is always with your country. I think we have a | :04:22. | :04:27. | |
great support team around us and when we come to these championships | :04:27. | :04:31. | |
we have physiotherapists for the riders and horses, and effects, | :04:31. | :04:37. | |
secretaries, team chefs and we come as a big team. It has brought all | :04:37. | :04:40. | |
the riders together as well and we are fighting a lot more to try and | :04:40. | :04:47. | |
win a medal, and I think that changes everybody's attitude | :04:47. | :04:51. | |
towards competition, where we are prepared to sacrifice some bigger | :04:51. | :04:55. | |
competitions for prize money if we can come and win. And what do you | :04:55. | :05:00. | |
say about John Whitaker? He is 56, has been riding at the top level | :05:00. | :05:03. | |
for up over 30 years, an Olympic silver medal, a world championship | :05:03. | :05:08. | |
silver medal and won both team and individual gold medals at the | :05:08. | :05:12. | |
European Championships. He is partnered with Fourteen-year-old | :05:12. | :05:18. | |
Peppermill. He is quite unique that we can be competitive at this age. | :05:18. | :05:26. | |
I'm still hungry. If I keep enjoying it, I will carry on. | :05:26. | :05:30. | |
do you think British showjumping is right now? A I think we are | :05:30. | :05:36. | |
stronger in depth than we have been for a while. We lost two, Michael | :05:36. | :05:40. | |
and Robert Smith before the championships, and we have replaced | :05:40. | :05:44. | |
them with really good able riders. That wouldn't have happened a few | :05:44. | :05:50. | |
years ago. What has made the difference? Horsepower is the | :05:50. | :05:54. | |
difference, but it is getting good horses in the first place. The | :05:54. | :05:57. | |
foreign riders have a lot of backing behind them to keep their | :05:57. | :06:01. | |
horses and buy them in the first place. I think it boils down to | :06:01. | :06:05. | |
that a little bit, getting the good horses in the country and keeping | :06:05. | :06:09. | |
them. We will see the jumpers in action shortly, but the most | :06:09. | :06:13. | |
improved performances from British riders have come in the sport of | :06:13. | :06:23. | |
dressage. A first-ever gold medal at the team, and we have been to | :06:23. | :06:33. | |
:06:33. | :06:47. | ||
How much does all the success mean to you and the team? It was over 20 | :06:47. | :06:50. | |
years of waiting, and finally came through. For the team, it was | :06:50. | :06:54. | |
fantastic. I think we have the whole nation, the dressage | :06:54. | :06:59. | |
enthusiasts, on the edge of their seed. It was fantastic to be part | :06:59. | :07:03. | |
of it when it happened because I have been part of April Long Time | :07:03. | :07:09. | |
and I have been last on several occasions, so to actually finally | :07:09. | :07:15. | |
seeing what it turned into was amazing. I am so lucky with Utopia, | :07:15. | :07:22. | |
who is a fantastic horse. He scored over 48 scores of 10 in the | :07:22. | :07:25. | |
European Championships. I have struggled to get just one of them | :07:25. | :07:30. | |
in 20 years, so I did my last extended trot, and unbeknown to me | :07:30. | :07:34. | |
seven and came up across the board. As I turned up the final centre | :07:34. | :07:41. | |
line I had a lot of noise, gasps and laughter and I thought maybe my | :07:41. | :07:45. | |
tail coat had popped open or there was a dog behind me in the arena. I | :07:45. | :07:48. | |
started looking around and then I thought, I've just got some tens! | :07:48. | :07:53. | |
That is what they are laughing at. That is when I first realised I had | :07:53. | :07:57. | |
managed to get back great score. Does that mean the level of | :07:57. | :08:03. | |
expectation for you and the team has gone up? Definitely. Suddenly | :08:03. | :08:08. | |
we have some combinations that in the last two years, Laura has been | :08:08. | :08:15. | |
the individual medallist, and suddenly to have three people and | :08:15. | :08:18. | |
possibly more that I individual medal hopefuls as well, it is | :08:18. | :08:24. | |
unheard of. It is an absolutely brilliant time for British dressage. | :08:24. | :08:29. | |
You're not worried in these days with dressage horses exchanging | :08:29. | :08:32. | |
hands for significant sums of money that somebody might not make an | :08:32. | :08:40. | |
offer? That is always a worry. much you think Utopia is worth? | :08:41. | :08:45. | |
not telling you that, somebody might operate. I.M. Read he is | :08:45. | :08:51. | |
treated like a family pet. -- I have read. I always brought him up | :08:51. | :08:55. | |
to be like the others. He travels next door to other horses and has | :08:55. | :09:00. | |
to learn to do that. They remind he's so young. I didn't realise his | :09:00. | :09:05. | |
talent was as amazing as it was. Even my granny could jump up on him | :09:05. | :09:10. | |
and be safe. What would it mean to you to win a gold medal at London? | :09:10. | :09:13. | |
I come from a family that is not that Horsey. There are so many | :09:13. | :09:17. | |
people who have been part of the success. I would like it for | :09:17. | :09:21. | |
everybody in the yard and the owners. And I would like it for | :09:21. | :09:26. | |
British dressage because it is a nation of horse lovers and it is | :09:26. | :09:36. | |
:09:36. | :09:45. | ||
something I think everybody would Described Charlotte? She is now see, | :09:45. | :09:48. | |
she can only talk to me in the afternoon, she is great with the | :09:48. | :09:51. | |
horses and she will win a gold medal, no doubt. I wish her all the | :09:51. | :09:55. | |
best, because she deserves it and the horse is, I think, one of the | :09:55. | :10:00. | |
best in the world. This was my first year of the Grand Prix, and | :10:00. | :10:04. | |
my horses as well, so if to get all the way from the beginning, I did | :10:04. | :10:09. | |
my first one in January and then got myself to the Europeans and | :10:09. | :10:13. | |
then to get a gold medal with the team was pretty amazing. I saw you | :10:13. | :10:18. | |
with him earlier today. Giving him a bit of a shave. He had his little | :10:18. | :10:25. | |
shave because he had a holiday. She has to be a proper wife to him. | :10:25. | :10:28. | |
Getting a gold medal, the championships have been going on | :10:28. | :10:33. | |
for 25 years and it's our first ever gold, so for the team, what an | :10:33. | :10:38. | |
experience. I said to Charlotte, well, I have waited 20 years and | :10:38. | :10:43. | |
you have just walked out in six months and got one. Charlotte, this | :10:43. | :10:47. | |
is very strange, because four years ago you only came to help out for a | :10:47. | :10:53. | |
few days here. Yes, I started having lessons with Carl and I had | :10:53. | :10:58. | |
four and he asked if I could do a ten-day cover. I thought, wow, 10 | :10:58. | :11:02. | |
days with Karl, an amazing opportunity. I did my 10 days and | :11:02. | :11:08. | |
never went home. Couldn't get rid of her. She has taken all my horses, | :11:08. | :11:12. | |
or my rides. I've lost the lot. In Rotterdam I cried like a baby when | :11:12. | :11:17. | |
she did her test. It was such a relief and I was very proud. | :11:17. | :11:21. | |
asked why he was crying, and the Senate was amazing. Then I started | :11:21. | :11:25. | |
crying. It was very emotional. your mind flickered forward to next | :11:25. | :11:33. | |
year? Absolutely. We are aiming to get that gold now. That is the sort | :11:33. | :11:38. | |
of chap we like. I was really determined for the gold at the | :11:39. | :11:42. | |
Europeans, and I know our team is strong enough to get the gold at | :11:42. | :11:46. | |
the Olympics. Fingers crossed everything stays good and the | :11:46. | :11:52. | |
horses are well and we are all well. We should get that goal. You have | :11:52. | :11:56. | |
to describe him in 10 seconds. is brilliant, everybody wants to | :11:56. | :12:04. | |
watch Carl. He makes dressage dressage. For me, he is the best. | :12:04. | :12:09. | |
How many seconds was that? You see, it works better when you like each | :12:09. | :12:13. | |
other. Unprecedented success for British dressage riders. So here we | :12:13. | :12:17. | |
go with the action, despite it being early evening, still roasting | :12:17. | :12:21. | |
hot. The teams will be jumping in reverse order. They have already | :12:21. | :12:25. | |
had two rounds. At the moment, Great Britain just out of the | :12:25. | :12:29. | |
medals, but the team is led by a man who so far this week has been | :12:29. | :12:39. | |
:12:39. | :12:43. | ||
Skelton, on a Carlo, and three times he has won a team medal. 85, | :12:43. | :12:51. | |
87, 89. He said himself that he it is over 20 years later with this | :12:51. | :12:57. | |
lovely horse, Carlo, two clear rounds so far. Can he make it a | :12:57. | :13:07. | |
:13:07. | :13:17. | ||
third and really make it count to yesterday. Nick was riding for his | :13:17. | :13:23. | |
life yesterday. Absolutely on top form. And he seems to be so focused | :13:23. | :13:33. | |
:13:33. | :13:41. | ||
very hot conditions here. This horse, with a lot of blood and | :13:41. | :13:51. | |
:13:51. | :14:04. | ||
energy. Let's hope he can come out the combination. Moving round the | :14:04. | :14:14. | |
:14:14. | :14:27. | ||
corner, and he should be OK for bit close. That is where the horses | :14:27. | :14:37. | |
:14:37. | :14:44. | ||
such a trial. Coming to the triple away with it. A big jump out, just | :14:44. | :14:51. | |
the last fence. Ah yes! Nick has thrown up the gauntlet down, for | :14:51. | :14:57. | |
not only 18 a medal, but maybe an individual medal as well. He stays | :14:57. | :15:02. | |
on the individual score of 1.04. A brilliant clear round on the first | :15:02. | :15:07. | |
day. He is lying third individually, so he will stay at least there, but | :15:07. | :15:11. | |
could he climb higher? Britain has got the start they want on this | :15:11. | :15:17. | |
team final day. These two, Nick and Carlo, they are made for each other. | :15:17. | :15:22. | |
They are both drivers. Nikki so on top of his game at the moment. He | :15:22. | :15:26. | |
has been through all the problems with his No Can -- broken neck and | :15:26. | :15:33. | |
hip replacement. And there he is, riding better than ever. He is a | :15:33. | :15:37. | |
Real bionic man these days. Brilliant. When you think about it, | :15:38. | :15:41. | |
there are two of the team that won those three European titles on the | :15:41. | :15:46. | |
trot, John Whitaker, Nick Skelton and Michael Whitaker was on the | :15:46. | :15:49. | |
team, and they are still writing contention and riding as well as | :15:49. | :15:59. | |
:15:59. | :16:02. | ||
The work Nick puts in behind the scenes. He produced that horse for | :16:02. | :16:10. | |
today perfectly. Well, Nick Skelton is 53. This man | :16:10. | :16:19. | |
is 63. You talk about Nick Skelton being bionic, this man is super | :16:19. | :16:24. | |
bionic. He is right at the top of his game still. He is hard to beat. | :16:24. | :16:29. | |
He is ranked 33 in the world. Nick Skelton 35 in the world and this | :16:29. | :16:34. | |
man's career also goes back into the 80s and further back because he | :16:34. | :16:44. | |
won the World Title back in Dublin in 1982. He won numerous European | :16:44. | :16:50. | |
championship medals, two bronze Olympic medals in Seoul in 1988 and | :16:50. | :16:54. | |
Barcelona in 1992. He has been part of French success throughout that | :16:54. | :17:03. | |
period of time. An amazing man. This is a descent horse, too, Andy. | :17:03. | :17:08. | |
Just had one fence down and a time fault yesterday. He looked capable | :17:08. | :17:17. | |
of jumping a clear round. And what a stylish rider he is. His | :17:17. | :17:22. | |
horse is always flowing forward. There is not much of him, he is a | :17:22. | :17:27. | |
fitness freak. He does yoga behind the scenes and he keeps himself | :17:27. | :17:35. | |
very slim and his horses go forward beautifully balanced. | :17:35. | :17:40. | |
Well, let's just remind you that the team situation is that France | :17:40. | :17:46. | |
are ahead of Britain by less than a fence. So this is a key round if | :17:46. | :17:56. | |
:17:56. | :18:06. | ||
Britain is going to be in there A lovely round. A lovey, lovely | :18:07. | :18:14. | |
round. France who have not won a European title for more than 20 | :18:14. | :18:21. | |
years, quite amazing. They've certainly got a team here hol be | :18:21. | :18:26. | |
reckon - who will be reckoned with, but whether they will climb to a | :18:26. | :18:34. | |
European title this afternoon. was at his best. He had a silly | :18:34. | :18:39. | |
fence yesterday, but never looked like having one today. Clean as a | :18:39. | :18:49. | |
:18:49. | :18:49. | ||
hissle. He got -- whistle today. What an incredible sport. There he | :18:49. | :18:59. | |
:18:59. | :19:04. | ||
Nick, let's get your reaction? was fabulous. I was slow to the | :19:04. | :19:12. | |
triple bar and when I led him, I had to lead him a bit. Once I | :19:12. | :19:19. | |
jumped the double, I had an extra one. I knew he would come up and | :19:19. | :19:22. | |
jump that one well as long as I held him well. | :19:22. | :19:28. | |
He is class? He jumped flawless. He didn't put a foot wrong. He has to | :19:28. | :19:32. | |
keep doing it in two more rounds. In In terms of the team, you put | :19:32. | :19:39. | |
them in a very, very strong position? The first French jumped | :19:39. | :19:42. | |
clear and you know, we're just behind them. We are fighting for a | :19:43. | :19:46. | |
bronze. We could have done with them having a fence down, but there | :19:46. | :19:56. | |
:19:56. | :20:05. | ||
second place. The last time they won the title was in 2005. 2005 in | :20:05. | :20:15. | |
:20:15. | :20:15. | ||
Italy. And this now is the first jump. | :20:15. | :20:20. | |
He is riding the lovely grey. He is very, very capable. He had two down | :20:20. | :20:26. | |
yesterday. Germany who were leading, but yesterday let the Dutch | :20:26. | :20:36. | |
:20:36. | :20:36. | ||
overtake them. They are less than a fence behind | :20:36. | :20:40. | |
the the Dutch. You see how effortless he is here. He started | :20:40. | :20:50. | |
:20:50. | :20:51. | ||
like that and booted a couple of fences out. | :20:51. | :20:55. | |
This stallion, such a gorgeous type, he really does have masses amount | :20:55. | :21:01. | |
of scope and talent. If he is on form, he can make mince meat of | :21:01. | :21:07. | |
this course. He started well there. Now, this | :21:07. | :21:13. | |
next line, a triple bar, got to stretch here. | :21:14. | :21:23. | |
:21:24. | :21:34. | ||
We haven't had the Germans in top form on the Nations Cup series, but | :21:34. | :21:38. | |
they have been saving themselves for this. They would love to win | :21:38. | :21:43. | |
this title back and they're right in there and suddenly we're turning | :21:43. | :21:48. | |
the temperature up with these clear rounds, Andy? We're seeing more | :21:48. | :21:52. | |
clear rounds and the water is obviously one factor. The riders | :21:52. | :21:56. | |
know the course. They know what to expect. They know how the distances | :21:56. | :22:04. | |
are going to ride. A gorgeous horse. He looked like he | :22:04. | :22:10. | |
should have jumped clear, but made a number of bad mistakes. He never | :22:10. | :22:20. | |
:22:20. | :22:22. | ||
looked like doing that today. A big overnight Last Night. Again another | :22:22. | :22:32. | |
:22:32. | :22:36. | ||
man with huge experience a couple of years he had a star of a horse | :22:36. | :22:40. | |
called Tom Boy who was sold to the United States of America and one | :22:40. | :22:47. | |
thought his chances of an Olympic Games or a European Championships | :22:47. | :22:52. | |
might have gone, but this mare was waiting in the wings and she has | :22:52. | :22:57. | |
been consistent. The team manager, a very shrewd managerment they won | :22:57. | :23:05. | |
three -- manager. They won three of the nation Cups. He looked the hot | :23:05. | :23:12. | |
team of Europe. But over the last few competitions, they have eased | :23:12. | :23:22. | |
:23:22. | :23:39. | ||
front of the Germans. There is another gone. | :23:39. | :23:49. | |
:23:49. | :23:49. | ||
Yes, the back end not quite free behind. | :23:49. | :23:58. | |
At this level they have to let the back end go. | :23:58. | :24:08. | |
:24:08. | :24:22. | ||
He worked hard to get out over that German's stranglehold by winning | :24:22. | :24:27. | |
the World Title and beating the Germans on their home ground and | :24:27. | :24:30. | |
then they won the Europeans and they have been battling this out | :24:30. | :24:37. | |
ever since, haven't they? Just watching Eric, he had a couple of | :24:37. | :24:42. | |
fences down with the back legs. Whether this horse is just slightly | :24:42. | :24:45. | |
sore after yesterday. He will be disappointed with that. | :24:45. | :24:50. | |
Now for Ireland. Another from the United States of America actually | :24:51. | :24:55. | |
Nicola Fitzgibbon. Nicola who has been with the Irish team for the | :24:55. | :25:02. | |
first summer this time. A big powerful jumping horse. She has a | :25:02. | :25:06. | |
wonderful record in North America, but this is putting her under | :25:06. | :25:15. | |
pressure. She yesterday was the discard score for the Irish. | :25:15. | :25:25. | |
:25:25. | :25:49. | ||
had 21 faults yesterday. the vertical after the water and | :25:49. | :25:56. | |
didn't manage it and she is struggling a bit here. | :25:56. | :25:59. | |
Really fighting down the line to the double. One the balance has | :25:59. | :26:05. | |
gone, the horse gets it wrong. No chance at all. | :26:05. | :26:10. | |
One has to say it is not looking a good afternoon for Ireland at the | :26:10. | :26:20. | |
:26:20. | :26:36. | ||
vertical. From then on after jumping the water, he got strong. | :26:36. | :26:40. | |
Nowhere near jumping either part of that double and leaning all over | :26:40. | :26:45. | |
towards the entrance, the last fence. Took that one out. There is | :26:45. | :26:51. | |
the double again. Hit both parts really hard. | :26:51. | :26:59. | |
Well that really is disappointing Now we have Great Britain's second | :26:59. | :27:02. | |
rider, Guy Williams. It has been a difficult week for him. He is | :27:02. | :27:12. | |
:27:12. | :27:17. | ||
looking to improve on that in his fourth, less than a fence behind | :27:17. | :27:24. | |
the third placed team, France. A clear for Nick Skelton. | :27:24. | :27:29. | |
A clear for France. Now it is round two of that battle and it is | :27:29. | :27:36. | |
Britain, Guy Williams. The first championship. Nick Skelton felt the | :27:36. | :27:42. | |
course was jumping a shade easier and he would have conveyed that to | :27:42. | :27:46. | |
Guy Williams. A huge experience for this man. A big winner, of course, | :27:46. | :27:50. | |
not only at home but on the European circuit, but it is a | :27:50. | :27:54. | |
different ball game here. Really one felt that yesterday he was | :27:54. | :28:00. | |
finding it a difficult change to come to this level. He was the | :28:00. | :28:06. | |
discard score yesterday with three three fences down on Titus. | :28:06. | :28:11. | |
Well, in a sense, he is under less pressure today because yesterday's | :28:11. | :28:14. | |
round didn't really work out for him. In a way he has got nothing to | :28:14. | :28:17. | |
lose. If he can contribute with a clear round or four faults today, | :28:17. | :28:24. | |
that's going to be fantastic, but as you say, it didn't work out. He | :28:24. | :28:28. | |
had the first fence down. Thankfully, he hasn't had that | :28:28. | :28:38. | |
:28:38. | :28:55. | ||
of horses than he ever had in his life. He has always been a very | :28:55. | :28:58. | |
hard-working man from Kent, of course. A huge opportunity if he | :28:58. | :29:03. | |
can grab it. He takes the forward strides. That's the option he took | :29:03. | :29:08. | |
yesterday. He has to be careful he doesn't get | :29:08. | :29:15. | |
strong into the double. Just getting him back. Oh | :29:15. | :29:22. | |
brilliantly ridden there. Just the last, he is a bit close... | :29:22. | :29:26. | |
brilliant ride. He might have got a time fault there, but don't worry | :29:26. | :29:29. | |
about that, that clear round is the important thing and that's a huge | :29:29. | :29:34. | |
boost for the British team and must take the pressure offer the last | :29:34. | :29:40. | |
two riders away a little bit. Absolutely. What Guy has done there, | :29:40. | :29:44. | |
because he had a bad round yesterday, if he was able to do | :29:44. | :29:48. | |
something in a sense that was a bonus and he has come come out and | :29:48. | :29:52. | |
ridden brilliantly and that could be valuable. Well done, Guy. | :29:52. | :30:02. | |
:30:02. | :30:03. | ||
That's a huge plus for Britain. Make no mistake about that. | :30:03. | :30:11. | |
here is the very stylish horse for France. France have been | :30:11. | :30:14. | |
inconsistent, amazingly. They won the silver medal behind the | :30:14. | :30:21. | |
gemplans in the -- German in the worlds last year. On the first day | :30:21. | :30:26. | |
the French went well, but yesterday they dropped back, off the pace, | :30:26. | :30:29. | |
came a little closer to Great Britain. Britain putting the | :30:29. | :30:35. | |
pressure on now. Can France resist that pressure? | :30:35. | :30:45. | |
:30:45. | :30:46. | ||
The French got off to a good start. absolutely is, what a talented | :30:46. | :30:52. | |
horse. So capable of jumping clear. He actually kicked the ball out and | :30:52. | :31:00. | |
made a sloppy mistake, but nowhere near it -- kicked ball -- kicked | :31:00. | :31:10. | |
:31:10. | :31:11. | ||
of situation, she is called, stylish and very effective on this | :31:11. | :31:21. | |
:31:21. | :31:24. | ||
goes, he makes a mark on the sport. Will he do it for the French this | :31:24. | :31:34. | |
:31:34. | :31:43. | ||
afternoon? That was close. Just all -- can she get it under her? She | :31:43. | :31:52. | |
has done that. Just want to go. -- just one fence to go. France at the | :31:52. | :31:57. | |
moment answering every call from Britain. At the moment it is parity, | :31:57. | :32:02. | |
meaning France stay ahead. In fact they gained just one at a time | :32:02. | :32:12. | |
:32:12. | :32:12. | ||
fault. The one thing you can say is that yesterday it was Guy Williams | :32:12. | :32:17. | |
and he has put us in with a good score that arguably strengthens the | :32:17. | :32:26. | |
case. The discard score for France was Kevin Staut, and he will come | :32:26. | :32:30. | |
as rider number three. Penelope there, or you can say, that was | :32:30. | :32:37. | |
class. She never looked like having a fault. Stylish, scope p, very | :32:37. | :32:42. | |
elegant. OK, from a British point of view, not what we wanted, but as | :32:42. | :32:52. | |
:32:52. | :32:55. | ||
a spectacle, that was something to time I did a bit for the team. | :32:55. | :33:00. | |
you feel about -- a bit of pressure? Not really. Why did the | :33:00. | :33:03. | |
worst of it on the first two days so I thought I would concentrate | :33:03. | :33:08. | |
and do something for the team, and luckily he has jumped clear. I had | :33:08. | :33:12. | |
a time fault, but he jumped the fences. In terms of the weight the | :33:12. | :33:16. | |
week has gone, will you come out of this stronger? I don't think it | :33:17. | :33:21. | |
will affect me, it just annoys me I didn't get it to work earlier. A | :33:21. | :33:27. | |
horse took a couple of days to settle, but he is another source, | :33:27. | :33:37. | |
but we have jumped clear -- a Carsten-Otto Nagel, one of the | :33:37. | :33:43. | |
senior riders from Germany. But this is a dream horse. He was in | :33:43. | :33:52. | |
the winning a gold medal team in 1999. He really has not had a world | :33:52. | :33:58. | |
class horse since then, but this horse definitely is. Part of the | :33:58. | :34:02. | |
gold medal team in Kentucky and he has looked well here. Marco | :34:02. | :34:09. | |
Kutscher got Germany after way clean start. -- off to a clean | :34:09. | :34:19. | |
:34:19. | :34:23. | ||
always seems to be within herself. And when she needs to do a little | :34:23. | :34:30. | |
bit more, there seems to be a lot of power in the tank to jump the | :34:30. | :34:40. | |
:34:40. | :34:43. | ||
big fences. But she has got an for the German team, but this is | :34:43. | :34:47. | |
the man heading the individual leader board at the moment. Nick | :34:47. | :34:57. | |
:34:57. | :34:59. | ||
Skelton currently adding the to work hard to get the five | :34:59. | :35:05. | |
strides and wait too near to the vertical. She got away with that. | :35:05. | :35:09. | |
But they you see the scope, she made the second part of the double | :35:09. | :35:17. | |
so effortless. She is so careful. It is a clear round for the second | :35:17. | :35:22. | |
time for the Germans. There is Marco Kutscher coming down and | :35:22. | :35:26. | |
Carsten-Otto Nagel says, yes, what a wonderful horse. She is the star | :35:27. | :35:36. | |
here. He stays on at 0.69 ahead of Nick Skelton on up 1.04. At the | :35:36. | :35:39. | |
moment it will be Carsten-Otto Nagel going into Sunday with the | :35:39. | :35:44. | |
best score at the start of the individual competition. It is | :35:44. | :35:49. | |
poetry in motion. Effortless, balance, comfortable. A little | :35:49. | :35:54. | |
snaffle in the mouth, but she does not fight for her head. What more | :35:54. | :35:58. | |
can you want from a show jumping horse? 13 years of age and as good | :35:58. | :36:08. | |
:36:08. | :36:14. | ||
and Britain for the bronze, and it looks like Germany and the | :36:14. | :36:22. | |
Netherlands. Yes, we think you're pretty good as well. And it is the | :36:22. | :36:32. | |
:36:32. | :36:36. | ||
young 23-year-old, Maikel Van Der Vleuten. He has been part of two of | :36:36. | :36:41. | |
the three Dutch victories on the senior Nations Cup this year. Very | :36:41. | :36:48. | |
talented. He was the discard score yesterday with nine. He will want | :36:48. | :36:54. | |
to do better than that. What we must do is the mathematics, with | :36:54. | :36:58. | |
the Netherlands going back, because if they do, Britain perhaps might | :36:58. | :37:08. | |
:37:08. | :37:12. | ||
go up. That is a sum we must keep ability in the world. The French | :37:12. | :37:18. | |
Dalian, used a lot in Holland -- stallion, so it is almost like a | :37:18. | :37:23. | |
cross between a French and Dutch course. It shows how the studs have | :37:23. | :37:29. | |
taken the best. That is not a fence he would have expected. A lazy jump | :37:29. | :37:33. | |
into the combination, falling all over the back rail. This makes it | :37:33. | :37:43. | |
:37:43. | :37:46. | ||
That is for certain. It puts them back on 11.42 and Germany into the | :37:46. | :37:55. | |
box seat. It now means that the Dutch are just under two fences | :37:55. | :38:05. | |
:38:05. | :38:14. | ||
are going to have to count eight, and they are on 15.42 and within a | :38:14. | :38:17. | |
French -- a fence of Britain. Two riders to come from each team, game | :38:17. | :38:23. | |
on. How all this European Championship is swaying backwards | :38:23. | :38:30. | |
and forwards. It certainly is. That was quite dramatic. We really did | :38:30. | :38:37. | |
not expect three France's -- fences down from Michel Van Der Vleuten. | :38:37. | :38:42. | |
He seems to be worrying about something. Sometimes the horses | :38:42. | :38:46. | |
come out on the second day after jumping well on the day before, | :38:46. | :38:50. | |
maybe a bit of stiffness. Did not quite used the back end and did not | :38:50. | :38:55. | |
stretch for the combination. By the time they got to the last double, | :38:55. | :39:03. | |
not really leaving the for at all. -- before. After two riders from | :39:03. | :39:13. | |
:39:13. | :39:17. | ||
spectator. It is amazing on the British team, John Whitaker, Nick | :39:17. | :39:24. | |
Skelton still going. Did you retire too soon? I know, I call them the | :39:24. | :39:30. | |
golden oldies. They have been riding together for a long time. We | :39:30. | :39:34. | |
learn the trade, all brought up together, and they still have it in | :39:34. | :39:37. | |
stock. Unfortunately there is not a lot coming along to knock them off | :39:38. | :39:44. | |
their perches. Let them keep going. Did you come along just for fun? | :39:44. | :39:51. | |
Yes. I follow Show jumping quite a bit and we were all on holiday in | :39:51. | :39:54. | |
Spain, so we jumped on the train just to watch a couple of days and | :39:54. | :39:57. | |
then we shall go back on holiday. Your son Robert could have been on | :39:57. | :40:02. | |
the team. He could have been, but the horse went lame and so did | :40:02. | :40:06. | |
Michael Whitaker's. Let's hope they are 100 % for next year, because if | :40:06. | :40:10. | |
those two are ready for the Olympics, and you see what we have | :40:10. | :40:15. | |
got here, then they have a really good strong squad of six to pick | :40:16. | :40:20. | |
from. Then it will be upwards and onwards. I think the gold medal is | :40:20. | :40:23. | |
in the back if they look after their horses a bit better. In the | :40:23. | :40:33. | |
:40:33. | :40:37. | ||
back? I wish that were true. Thanks but if ever Ireland wanted a clear | :40:37. | :40:41. | |
round the two-star -- stop the slide they wanted from this man. | :40:41. | :40:48. | |
Shane Sweetnam on eight and Nicola Fitzgibbon on 20. Those were the | :40:48. | :40:53. | |
two scores recorded on the final team day. We had two down and a | :40:53. | :41:00. | |
time fault and he has set off a lot quicker today. Lantinus is a horse | :41:00. | :41:03. | |
with all the ability but frustrating. Just occasionally | :41:03. | :41:12. | |
untidy. With these modern jumps, just a slight dangling leg, the one | :41:12. | :41:22. | |
:41:22. | :41:32. | ||
coming down, just not quite tight the strides to the vertical after | :41:32. | :41:37. | |
the water. And now it gets difficult for Denis Lynch. He has | :41:37. | :41:47. | |
:41:47. | :41:53. | ||
to try and get it back here. Steady. well. It is not a clear round, but | :41:53. | :42:01. | |
just buy one at fault. -- et is just the one fault. Ireland won | :42:01. | :42:11. | |
:42:11. | :42:19. | ||
the body high enough for the oxer he had down. And then Dennis wrote | :42:19. | :42:24. | |
his life down the last line. A huge improvement for him. Just one | :42:24. | :42:31. | |
unlucky fence. Now, will this man deliver Britain's challenge | :42:31. | :42:41. | |
:42:41. | :42:41. | ||
further? It is, of course, Ben Maher, with his home-bred Triple X | :42:41. | :42:46. | |
three -- Triple X 111. The only problem he has at was the foot- | :42:46. | :42:51. | |
fault on the water yesterday. Nick Skelton was very vocal about how | :42:51. | :42:55. | |
unfair the water was and was one of the masterminds of perhaps | :42:55. | :43:00. | |
developing the change to the water jump today. Over half the field had | :43:00. | :43:08. | |
a foot on that. Can Ben Maher really sealed a medal prospect for | :43:08. | :43:18. | |
:43:18. | :43:39. | ||
championship team. He is running close to the oxer. That was | :43:39. | :43:49. | |
:43:49. | :43:55. | ||
surprising. Jumping so clean jumped ran for just the one time | :43:55. | :44:01. | |
fault will be so influential in the final tally. He is over the water | :44:01. | :44:09. | |
today. Beautifully written. Balance for the five strides. It is really | :44:09. | :44:19. | |
:44:19. | :44:30. | ||
important he stays on just four four, because there Horse has | :44:30. | :44:38. | |
jumped so clean and so far. -- the horse. Britain will now have to | :44:38. | :44:43. | |
carry at least one up time fault, but it will depend on John Whitaker, | :44:43. | :44:51. | |
the last man. Let's have another look. Just clipping the front rail. | :44:51. | :44:55. | |
Triple X jumped extravagantly yesterday. Not quite jumping as | :44:55. | :45:00. | |
well today. A little bit tired, probably, in the heat. He is a | :45:00. | :45:04. | |
young horse, a big horse. Whether the effort he made yesterday has | :45:04. | :45:08. | |
had an impact on him. Just not quite as extravagant as yesterday, | :45:09. | :45:12. | |
but a good solid ground, four faults and could still be very | :45:12. | :45:19. | |
useful to help the team. The French at the moment have macro two clear | :45:19. | :45:25. | |
rounds from Michel Robert and Penelope Leprevost. Clinging on to | :45:25. | :45:29. | |
the bronze medal. But the Dutch are very close to them indeed. They | :45:29. | :45:39. | |
:45:39. | :45:45. | ||
inconsistent this year. A little bit like the French team, you never | :45:45. | :45:50. | |
know what to expect. Yesterday, jumping a good round. He had the | :45:50. | :46:00. | |
:46:00. | :46:07. | ||
of the horses have gone into it. You would expect him to jump it | :46:07. | :46:17. | |
:46:17. | :46:18. | ||
today. Yeah, no problems at all. | :46:18. | :46:22. | |
I just noticed the shadows getting a bit longer. | :46:22. | :46:31. | |
Yes, just the light changing in the arena with the sun going down. Very | :46:31. | :46:41. | |
clean over the double, no problems with the time.. That shows why he | :46:41. | :46:45. | |
has been the world number one for the last year. France with three | :46:45. | :46:52. | |
clear rounds. They will stay for certain on 15.95. They now will | :46:52. | :46:58. | |
definitely win a medal. The question is whether it will be | :46:58. | :47:02. | |
silver or bronze? A very good performance. | :47:02. | :47:08. | |
You have got to hand it to Kevin, he hasn't had a good a year by his | :47:08. | :47:13. | |
standards as he would have liked. Under Under pressure will, he had | :47:13. | :47:17. | |
two fences down yesterday. He jumped a clear round. He kept his | :47:17. | :47:24. | |
nerve. He got the water. He has done everything right so the French, | :47:24. | :47:30. | |
they have come out today. They've jumped their three clear rounds. | :47:30. | :47:40. | |
:47:40. | :47:42. | ||
Definitely, as you say, they're going to get a medal. | :47:42. | :47:48. | |
This horse done look small, but it is small. The Germans have jumped | :47:48. | :47:58. | |
:47:58. | :48:16. | ||
yesterday. He has been in outstanding form all year and just | :48:16. | :48:22. | |
had the one time fault in yesterday's round. | :48:22. | :48:25. | |
He is one of those little horses, you look at him going around and | :48:26. | :48:32. | |
you don't realise he is small, he just has so much power and so much | :48:32. | :48:42. | |
:48:42. | :48:59. | ||
stride. He made that combination doesn't need the extra stride, he | :48:59. | :49:05. | |
gets to the floor easily. They make a cool partnership. This | :49:05. | :49:12. | |
is the for the European title, to win it back. | :49:12. | :49:22. | |
:49:22. | :49:23. | ||
Oh, she's had one. It is one fence down for Germany. | :49:23. | :49:28. | |
But it is still good enough to keep the Germans at the top of the | :49:28. | :49:34. | |
European championship team leaderboard. They are the champions. | :49:35. | :49:39. | |
Let's look at that. Jumped the first part so well. Got balance and | :49:39. | :49:43. | |
one fence you wouldn't expected to have the front rail coming out of | :49:43. | :49:53. | |
:49:53. | :50:10. | ||
the ship and get a silver or a bronze for the Dutch? He really is | :50:10. | :50:19. | |
fighting that as they dropped off. This could be the deciding round of | :50:19. | :50:29. | |
:50:29. | :50:41. | ||
going to win a medal, unless German, in fact Germany can't come unstuck | :50:41. | :50:46. | |
either. This is the key round whether Britain wins a medal. | :50:46. | :50:51. | |
Way he started off, it is looking like a stroll in the park. | :50:51. | :50:57. | |
A little bit of extra leg to jump the water. Still very much in the | :50:57. | :51:07. | |
:51:07. | :51:07. | ||
comfort zone. A brilliant round in Rio. This | :51:07. | :51:14. | |
looks like London form, doesn't it? Well, here he is coming to the last, | :51:14. | :51:24. | |
still clear and he has jumped that inside the time. So the Dutch stop | :51:24. | :51:32. | |
the rot. It is not over yet for the dusmt they say -- Dutch, they stay | :51:32. | :51:36. | |
on 15.42, but the last man has to jump clear to achieve that so it is | :51:36. | :51:46. | |
:51:46. | :51:51. | ||
not all over. That last round will be crucial for | :51:51. | :52:00. | |
the Dutch. He has jumped as effortless round as we have seen. | :52:00. | :52:05. | |
Just look at coming over the double there, classic shape, such a | :52:05. | :52:15. | |
stylish rider. Very stylish and very popular Billy | :52:15. | :52:25. | |
:52:25. | :52:29. | ||
Twomey with Sue and Eddie Davis's Tinker's Serenade. | :52:29. | :52:38. | |
He needs to jump clear to stay ahead of Nick Skelton, but the | :52:38. | :52:44. | |
German mare all ready, will be the leader when the individuals starts | :52:44. | :52:51. | |
on Sunday. Now Ireland at the moment, they have eight, they want | :52:51. | :53:01. | |
:53:01. | :53:18. | ||
to disguard the 20 from Nicola This is an interesting horse to | :53:18. | :53:23. | |
watch. Not the most tidy with the front legs, but she has got that | :53:23. | :53:33. | |
:53:33. | :53:34. | ||
one vital ingredient. She has got ambition to clear the fences. | :53:34. | :53:39. | |
Her and Billy really developing into a world-class combination and | :53:39. | :53:44. | |
they are right up there in the hunt. Still clear with just this last | :53:44. | :53:53. | |
line to jump. Oh, triple bar. Just falling apart at the end, running | :53:53. | :53:57. | |
out of petrol. That's a big disappointment for Billy and it was | :53:57. | :54:06. | |
looking so good for him. 12 more to add. That's 4 to add to | :54:06. | :54:16. | |
:54:16. | :54:17. | ||
-- 24 to add to their score. So that means they go on 54.12. It | :54:17. | :54:22. | |
is no qualification for London here. I looked at Billy's face, he was | :54:22. | :54:26. | |
clear until that last line and then the pin dropped out big style. She | :54:26. | :54:32. | |
started to run out of petrol. Billy, very, very disappointed. | :54:32. | :54:42. | |
:54:42. | :54:43. | ||
Rob, how do things stand at the moment? The first two medals have | :54:43. | :54:48. | |
gone. We are looking for for bronze. We need the Dutch to knock a fence | :54:48. | :54:52. | |
now. How frustrating is it for you | :54:52. | :54:56. | |
watching? The horses are jumping great. The other teams are jumping | :54:56. | :55:00. | |
well. The Dutch look vulnerable, but they have got a good last rider. | :55:00. | :55:05. | |
We have a top rider who needs to jump as well, so it is very | :55:05. | :55:15. | |
:55:15. | :55:35. | ||
likes of John Whitaker and Nick Skelton, John 56 now and still as | :55:35. | :55:41. | |
enthusiastic as ever, riding at the top of his form. Just had a little | :55:42. | :55:51. | |
:55:52. | :55:51. | ||
touch there. And this horse is so exuBrant when | :55:52. | :55:55. | |
you watch him land, he lands steeply and John has to work hard | :55:55. | :56:01. | |
to keep his balance. Oh and the planks have gone. | :56:01. | :56:05. | |
That makes it harder to win a medal. They have got three fence, not four | :56:05. | :56:15. | |
:56:15. | :56:29. | ||
the doubles. It is academic, we have got four faults and he has now | :56:29. | :56:32. | |
had another one. It is not going to be a medal, I wouldn't think now. | :56:32. | :56:42. | |
:56:42. | :56:45. | ||
He is all right on time. It is eight to add for Britain's John | :56:45. | :56:55. | |
:56:55. | :56:55. | ||
Whitaker. 22.46 with those five to add. So it means that the last | :56:55. | :57:02. | |
Dutch rider has got more in hand now. There is just a little flick | :57:02. | :57:06. | |
with his front legs on those delicate planks and the second part | :57:06. | :57:10. | |
of the double, seen that come down more in the second round than we | :57:10. | :57:20. | |
:57:20. | :57:32. | ||
another round for the individual, the team competition is done for | :57:32. | :57:36. | |
France. They have got three clear rounds. They finish on that team | :57:36. | :57:44. | |
score of 15.95. They finished in style. Can they finish off in super | :57:44. | :57:54. | |
:57:54. | :57:59. | ||
style by having four riders. Olivier Guillon was the leader on | :57:59. | :58:05. | |
the first day. Still very much in contention for the individual. He | :58:05. | :58:15. | |
:58:15. | :58:15. | ||
has been in great form. A lot of people felt that Olivier Guillon | :58:15. | :58:20. | |
could be a contender for the title. France will win a medal, will it be | :58:20. | :58:28. | |
bronze or silver is still in the mix? | :58:28. | :58:34. | |
As you say, he is riding now very much for himself. He cannot improve | :58:34. | :58:39. | |
their score.. But with just the four penalties overall he is right | :58:39. | :58:49. | |
:58:49. | :59:00. | ||
all. A brick out of the wall. So individually dropping right down.. | :59:00. | :59:04. | |
Well be very close for that individual. A mouth-watering | :59:04. | :59:10. | |
competition to look forward to. It is so very tight up the top | :59:10. | :59:14. | |
there, but I think the medal winners are going to have to jump | :59:14. | :59:21. | |
clear from now on in for the individuals. We saw him jump the | :59:21. | :59:31. | |
:59:31. | :59:44. | ||
water yesterday and he just plays last line. Here he is insideted | :59:44. | :59:47. | |
time -- inside the time. That's the only mistake the French | :59:47. | :59:56. | |
team have had on the final day. It's nothing to add, 15.95, France | :59:56. | :00:01. | |
will win a bronze. They could win a silver and it will depend on the | :00:01. | :00:06. | |
last rider of the competition from the Netherlands. | :00:07. | :00:11. | |
It has been a funny jump that wall. Most of the time the horses are way | :00:11. | :00:15. | |
over it. Every now and again the horses seem to misjudge it. It has | :00:15. | :00:19. | |
the little gaps in it and they just flick out one of the bricks. | :00:19. | :00:29. | |
:00:29. | :00:31. | ||
It is a very interesting design. You have to say that we are set up | :00:31. | :00:35. | |
for a grandstand finish in the individual. Two of the best in the | :00:35. | :00:45. | |
:00:45. | :00:49. | ||
world to finish Ludger Beerbaum. He twice won the individual title. | :00:49. | :00:59. | |
:00:59. | :01:01. | ||
With two lovely mares and here he is on a super mare. | :01:02. | :01:09. | |
This is another big winner. He had one down yesterday and a time fault. | :01:09. | :01:17. | |
Germany have already got the European title in the the bag. This | :01:17. | :01:27. | |
:01:27. | :01:33. | ||
yesterday, and I would be surprised if he did that again. Ludger | :01:33. | :01:37. | |
Beerbaum is known for training his horses to jump the water really | :01:37. | :01:41. | |
well. We will have a look at him has he comes up to the water now. - | :01:41. | :01:47. | |
- as he comes up to the water. What can you say about Ludger Beerbaum? | :01:47. | :01:52. | |
48, lean and fit. You can see him being in the sport for a long time. | :01:52. | :02:02. | |
:02:02. | :02:08. | ||
I don't think he will go into the for one of the true greats. He | :02:08. | :02:18. | |
:02:18. | :02:19. | ||
already has more than anyone else. And over the last! Nothing to add | :02:19. | :02:24. | |
for the greater look good beer down. Germany confirmed, they win the | :02:24. | :02:30. | |
title -- Ludger Beerbaum. It has been a fine victory. The Dutch got | :02:30. | :02:34. | |
after them, but the Germans kept their cool and repeat their victory | :02:34. | :02:39. | |
of last year in Kentucky. They are back of champions of the world and | :02:39. | :02:44. | |
Europe. It makes for fascinating situation for the Olympics next | :02:44. | :02:49. | |
year, and one thing is for certain, they will be one of the favourites | :02:49. | :02:59. | |
:02:59. | :03:14. | ||
win a silver for the Dutch. Or a The French on 15.93. The Dutch have | :03:14. | :03:24. | |
:03:24. | :03:26. | ||
had eight from Van Der Vleuten, clear from Gerco Schroder. Now, if | :03:27. | :03:34. | |
they had eight, they would have to carry a score of 16 and then | :03:34. | :03:40. | |
Britain would be the bronze medallist. But it is a big ask. | :03:40. | :03:48. | |
This man has won Olympic gold. That was in Sydney in 2000. He is part | :03:48. | :03:52. | |
of the gold medal team for the Dutch in 2006. Very, very | :03:52. | :03:58. | |
professional and that the top of his professional -- profession. | :03:58. | :04:02. | |
is unlikely. He jumped a superb clear round and is not getting near | :04:02. | :04:12. | |
:04:12. | :04:13. | ||
anything today. Halfway around the course. He's in the water. It means | :04:13. | :04:23. | |
:04:23. | :04:35. | ||
another, Britain will win the unexpected! Can you believe it? He | :04:36. | :04:43. | |
is inside the time. Another eight to add 4 Jeroen Dubbeldam. The | :04:43. | :04:49. | |
Dutch are 16, and Britain get bronze at the very last gasp. We | :04:49. | :04:54. | |
hoped and we thought it had gone, but they you are. Right on the wire. | :04:54. | :05:00. | |
That was extraordinary. When you see the way his horse started, and | :05:00. | :05:03. | |
he suddenly looked in trouble at the water. He was kicking on the | :05:03. | :05:12. | |
last stride and landed well short. Well, well, well. Just the back | :05:12. | :05:20. | |
legs on the dreaded double. Just The poor were Dutch dropped from | :05:20. | :05:25. | |
first to 4th. Bronze for Great Britain, and all three nations | :05:25. | :05:30. | |
already qualified for the Olympics. So, the magic three extra spots go | :05:30. | :05:33. | |
to the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland. But unfortunately | :05:33. | :05:38. | |
there will be no Irish team that London 2012. They dropped down to | :05:38. | :05:44. | |
9th place and failed to qualify. It just didn't go right for you today, | :05:44. | :05:51. | |
did it? It didn't and I'm extremely disappointed we didn't qualify. It | :05:51. | :05:55. | |
would have been the closest we would have ever had for our | :05:55. | :06:01. | |
neighbours, Great Britain. As a country, we wanted to be there. | :06:01. | :06:05. | |
Sadly we won't be. Individuals can still get there, can't they? Yeah | :06:05. | :06:10. | |
so, they can. There is the Olympic ranking list which runs from the | :06:10. | :06:15. | |
1st January to next March. That is four riders from countries which | :06:15. | :06:19. | |
have not qualified, so a lot of the major countries have qualified, | :06:19. | :06:24. | |
which gives us a chance of getting maybe one and I would be very | :06:24. | :06:30. | |
hopeful we will get one or maybe two through. No Irish team, a great | :06:30. | :06:39. | |
How important a successes this or Germany? Really important. It is a | :06:39. | :06:45. | |
big competition. After the World Championship we thought we had to | :06:45. | :06:49. | |
win, but it is not so easy to get a good team together. So we are | :06:49. | :06:54. | |
really happy with this result from yesterday. It works really well for | :06:54. | :07:00. | |
us. For you, you could end up with two gold medals. Yes, it looks good, | :07:00. | :07:05. | |
but there are to be grounds on Sunday and I think it is close. The | :07:05. | :07:11. | |
first seven or eight riders. My horse is unbelievable and hopefully | :07:11. | :07:17. | |
he will make some good jumps on It got to the stage when none of | :07:17. | :07:20. | |
this lot expected to get a medal, but it has happened, and a bronze | :07:21. | :07:25. | |
medal at that. I can't believe it, really. I thought we would | :07:25. | :07:29. | |
definitely done for. I was convinced he would jump a clear | :07:29. | :07:35. | |
round. Jerome's Tours is a top horse, but things happen and we had | :07:35. | :07:41. | |
luck on our side -- Jerome's horse. The eight faults did not matter in | :07:41. | :07:45. | |
the end. I was disappointed at the time. He was jumping really well | :07:45. | :07:50. | |
and I don't think I have seen the planks for all day. Then I thought | :07:50. | :07:55. | |
we had blown it. It is fantastic to get a bronze. Very good. | :07:55. | :07:58. | |
Williams, your first experience on the team and you are going home | :07:58. | :08:02. | |
with a bronze medal. It is really good, and I am happy. That is all | :08:02. | :08:06. | |
we have to say. Ben Maher, we didn't talk to you after the fence | :08:06. | :08:10. | |
when down. It was disappointing, because I thought that was the | :08:10. | :08:13. | |
medal chance gone. But luckily we had a second chance and I'm happy | :08:13. | :08:19. | |
with the horse this week. Rob, how do you reflect on this and what do | :08:19. | :08:23. | |
you learn looking ahead to the Olympics? We had a fantastic week | :08:23. | :08:27. | |
in preparation and felt we would win a medal. It just kept getting | :08:27. | :08:32. | |
away from us and in the end we had a bit of luck, but bad luck for the | :08:32. | :08:37. | |
Dutch. I think we deserved it. The horse has jumped great. We have not | :08:37. | :08:41. | |
had many jumps down, but a couple of feet in the water that put us | :08:41. | :08:44. | |
down. But it looks good for next year and we are looking forward to | :08:44. | :08:48. | |
it. We wish you well for next year, but well done out here. Enjoy the | :08:48. | :08:58. | |
:08:58. | :09:00. | ||
occasion that calls for celebration, and who knows? Nick Skelton has | :09:00. | :09:07. | |
been very much the leading force in this team performance here. He will | :09:07. | :09:12. | |
step up for that bronze medal. double clearance was quite | :09:12. | :09:16. | |
incredible. He is obviously in the hunt for the individual, and that | :09:16. | :09:21. | |
is something exciting. Three clear rounds, in fact. That is what wins | :09:21. | :09:25. | |
medals. Ben Maher's horse, he has proved himself a championship | :09:25. | :09:31. | |
course. And that very gritty performance from Guy Williams. | :09:31. | :09:34. | |
Putting the bronze medal in the context, we had huge disappointment | :09:34. | :09:38. | |
just two or three weeks before we came here in losing two of the | :09:38. | :09:42. | |
horses we wanted on the team with Robert Smith and Michael Whitaker. | :09:42. | :09:50. | |
That makes this medal even more special. Present in the medals is | :09:50. | :09:55. | |
John McEwen, the head of the Veterinary Department for the | :09:55. | :09:59. | |
international federation, and also the vice-president to the President | :09:59. | :10:09. | |
of the International Federation. And John McEwen has been in with | :10:09. | :10:12. | |
the dressage and jumpers. He will be highly delighted with Britain's | :10:12. | :10:22. | |
performance. So, one has to say it, incidentally, Nick's second horse | :10:22. | :10:26. | |
has been jumping here in lesser competitions and have been placed, | :10:26. | :10:34. | |
and that is a very good back-up course for Nick. Here are the | :10:34. | :10:38. | |
French stars. We think John Whitaker is such a good start at 56, | :10:38. | :10:45. | |
but what about Michel Robert, getting his medal pinned on. And on | :10:45. | :10:53. | |
the left, and definitely winning coach. Everywhere he gauche -- egos, | :10:53. | :11:01. | |
Let's congratulate Rob Hoekstra at once more. He has renewed the | :11:01. | :11:08. | |
enthusiasm of the older riders, owners are on board. There is | :11:08. | :11:12. | |
better spirit and communication. I think he has done a very good job. | :11:12. | :11:15. | |
I couldn't agree more, and he is introducing in some of the younger | :11:15. | :11:20. | |
ones, which I think is good. French, they have also built on | :11:20. | :11:26. | |
their reputation. They wanted to try and win this title and builds | :11:26. | :11:33. | |
towards next year. They have certainly builds towards next year | :11:33. | :11:36. | |
they raised blood but -- Ludger Beerbaum, throwing his hat in the | :11:36. | :11:40. | |
air. You will have a job keeping him out of the team next year. He | :11:40. | :11:48. | |
is as hungry as ever. You can see Ludger Beerbaum. It means a lot to | :11:48. | :11:51. | |
him. When he has won as much as he has in the past, he is hungry for | :11:51. | :11:58. | |
more. And Carsten-Otto Nagel, who gets the first of the gold medals, | :11:58. | :12:04. | |
he has probably the one horse beyond all else that is the envy of | :12:04. | :12:13. | |
the world. What a lovely man. The coach knows what it is to win | :12:13. | :12:23. | |
:12:23. | :12:25. | ||
himself. But he is proving a very Worse the of the title, and it will | :12:25. | :12:29. | |
be some competition -- worthy of the title. It will be some | :12:29. | :12:36. | |
That gold medal for Germany and bronze for Great Britain means they | :12:36. | :12:42. | |
are the only two nations to have won medals in all disciplines, | :12:42. | :12:46. | |
dressage, eventing, showjumping and Paralympic dressage, and Nick | :12:46. | :12:50. | |
Skelton could add to the haul of medals, lying in second behind | :12:50. | :12:53. | |
Carsten-Otto Nagel in the race for individual medals. Coverage of that | :12:53. | :12:57. |