As September approaches, anticipation is building for the prestigious Agria FEI Eventing European Championship, which will take place at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire from 18 to 21 September. 17 Nations have released their longlists, showcasing a mix of seasoned champions and exciting new names.
Germany’s line-up features the legendary Grand Slam winner Michael Jung, who is joined by two of the recent Arville FEI Eventing Nations Cup™ winning team members Calvin Böckmann, Libussa Lübekke, alongside Malin Hansen-Hotopp, Jérôme Robiné and Anna Siemer. Great Britain had announced one of the largest longlists with 18 combinations, which was later narrowed to a squad of six combinations, with Paris 2024 gold medallists Laura Collett and Tom McEwen, World Champion Yasmin Ingham, Piggy March, Caroline Harris and Bubby Upton making the final cut.
France has put forward 15 nominated combinations, including Olympic and European medallist Nicolas Touzaint listed with his Tokyo 2020 ride Absolut Gold HDC. The Netherlands’ longlist contains the two-time Olympian Janneke Boonzaaijer, who was in the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 team with her longlisted ride ACSI Champ de Tailleur, still hunting for that big win.
Other nations such as Turkey, Finland, Lithuania, Luxembourg and Norway have put forward a sole rider for representation. Kumru Say on Baladin De L’Ocean La, will be flying the flag for Turkey’s first ever appearance at this level of the sport. Finland’s Sanna Siltakorpi, with both European and Olympic experience, remains one to watch, while Norway’s Yasmin Olsson-Payne will make her debut at senior European level riding the nine-year-old Cos Me Will.
You can find the full list of nominated entries for this year’s Agria FEI Eventing European Championship here. Look out for definite entries, due to be confirming in early September.
With the cross country course, designed by Captain Mark Phillips, already under construction and Preview Day just around the corner, Blenheim is preparing to host what promises to be a fiercely contested championship. The blend of world-class champions and first-time competitors will make this year’s European Championship one of the most exciting in recent memory.
