Dr Simone Konopka was there in person as Holstein horses and their riders secured both team and individual gold and bronze medals in Blenheim – and enjoyed some unforgettable days that once again impressively demonstrated to her that it’s well worth following an event away from the screens.

“It was an incredibly wonderful few days in England! I’d never been to an eventing competition in England before and was very excited to see what lay in store for me. The European Eventing Championships in Blenheim then exceeded all my expectations. An incredible setting: the show jumping arena right in front of Blenheim Palace, the seat of the Duke of Marlborough, who, as host, also helped organise the welcome ceremony and the prize-giving, and invited the riders and their teams to an evening reception in the palace library. On Thursday and Friday, dressage was held on grass in front of the palace, and the Holstein horses already caught my eye here. Five Holsteins were among the top twelve, and there were even more if Holstein genetics from other breeding associations were taken into account. 

Moments of joy on the cross-country course
Saturday’s cross-country day proved to be an unforgettable experience. The 5,800-metre-long and very hilly course wound its way through the 850-hectare grounds of Blenheim Palace, with riders having to cross the River Glyme twice. The course was very challenging and demanded top physical condition from both riders and horses. As a spectator, you had to get used to the fact that a cross-country day in England attracts roughly the same number of visitors as the Wacken Open Air festival and requires massive logistics and organisation from the organisers. I hadn’t previously imagined such crowds lining the cross-country course at an eventing competition, and they did sometimes call for a bit of patience when riders had to cross the only bridge over the river. However, the huge crowds also created a fantastic atmosphere, and every rider-horse combination that overcame a difficult combination was cheered on. The European Championship favourites from England had a day to forget, and after two of their four team riders were eliminated, the dream of a medal for the otherwise virtually unbeatable British team was shattered. After the cross-country, three Holsteiners were among the top seven: Carlitos Quidditch K with Malin Hansen Hotopp, Tom McEwen on Dublin, and Laura Collett on London all produced fast and confident cross-country rounds that were simply thrilling to watch. It was a real goosebump moment, especially for the breeders Miriam Kühl and Volker Göttsche-Götze, who had travelled to the event to cheer on their former foals. A fantastic Saturday!!! 

We’ll be back
! Ahead of the final show jumping round, the German riders had a very comfortable lead, which they capitalised on to become European team champions by a wide margin. In the end, four Holsteiners – including, alongside those already mentioned, Nico Aldinger and Timmo – finished in the top 13 and won gold and bronze in the individual standings. The English hospitality and the atmospheric days filled with great sport and superb Holsteiner horses made it hard for us to say goodbye, but I don’t think this will be our last visit to English cross-country competitions. It was simply too wonderful.”

An unforgettable experience against a fantastic backdrop in Blenheim

Photos: Private