Whoever enters the Jumping Arena during CHIO, and not only for the first time, remains stunned! This is a thought shared by all riders, including top professionals as Farrington and Guerdat.
The feeling for young athletes, at first experiences, is amplified to the nth power. This is precisely the time when strong nerves are needed ( as stated Harry Charles after last year experience), and not just to focus on performance, but also to calm horses who are always over excited on the occasion (the elimination of top riders was the case also this year). YRA group this time was made of five.
Sophie, Justine, Niklas, Guido and Christopher. All of them have proven to be technically well prepared, horses though have not always been so. Pity about the slipping of Vittorio, Sophie’s horse, during jump off, indeed it did compromise the result of a brilliant round. “I think it’s every rider dream to compete on the grass of Aachen’s big arena, so I am very thankful to have had the chance at such an early age. Can’t wait to compete there again!” commented Sophie.