Germany win Hickstead Nations Cup leg after three-way jump-off

Marcus Ehning secures Germany's win after jumping three
clear rounds with Plot Blue

The German team scored its second FEI Nations Cup win of the season after a jump-off with France and the USA. Marcus Ehning was nominated to take the pressure by chef d'equipe Sonke Sonksen. He couldn't have wished for a better result as Plot Blue jumped clear for the third time in one afternoon.

Surprise jump-off
Nobody was expecting a jump-off in the Hickstead Nations Cup until it got down to the last rider for each of the final three teams to jump in round two.

It looked, until that point at least, like France was going to gain a desperately awaited win. But after Kevin Staut was forced to retire having had three down with Silvana des Hus, Beezie Madden (Coral Reef Vio Volo) bettered her first round score of four with a clear for the USA, and Marcus Ehning produced the sole double clear of the competition with Plot Blue, all of their countries sat on 20 penalties.

"It's something you can't really plan for," said Marcus Ehning. "But that's what makes it special."

Kevin Staut and Silvana de Hus jump-off for France

Big turns
Despite an opening clear from France's Olivier Guillon (Lord de Thieze), lots of turns back to big fences took their toll on horses. It was the effort to clear the final set of Hickstead planks which claimed the most of the faulters, together with the water jump and its following double.

Just six had gone clear in round one, after which Germany and France were sitting in first on four followed by the USA on 8, Ireland 12, Great Britain 16, Belgium 20, the Netherlands 24 and Denmark 36.

Second round
This time, gates at number three, which had only fallen twice in round one, fell time and again.

The Danes could only improve on their score by three faults and the Netherlands by four. However, Ireland were 20 worse off to finish sixth overall.

Courtesy of clears from Jos Lansink (Cavalor Valentina van'T Heike) and Dirk Demeersman (Bufero van het Panishof), the Belgians bettered their first round score with a round two total of 8, leaving them on 28 overall. Meanwhile, a clear from Michael Whitaker (GIG Amai); four faults for Peter Charles (Murka's Nevada) and Guy Williams (Titus); with Robert Smith's 8 on Talan discarded, Britain secured fourth.

But then there was the matter off who was going to win, with France, the USA and Germany all sat on 20.

Choices
The choice of Marcus Ehning was an easy one for Sonke, and Beezie seemed the logical choice for American chef George Morris, but France's chef Henk Nooren's choice of Kevin Staut, the highest penaltied rider on his team, was less clear. Perhaps he was banking on Kevin pulling one of his super speedy clears out of the bag.

Beezie Madden in round one for the USA

Beezie was first to go, but she toppled the Bunn Leisure oxer, leaving the door ajar for her two male rivals.

Kevin came next. He pushed on the 12-year-old Corland daughter and came home without error this time, meaning Marcus had to go quick and clear.

But the stunning Plot Blue looked nothing like letting anybody down. Although he seems to move slowly, the 14-year-old stallion, a son of Mr Blue, was up on the clock coming to the final double and he bettered the French target by just over one second.

"We really weren't expecting a jump-off, so you just have to go with who is there and ready," said Marcus.

His team-mate Janne-Friederike Mayer (Cellagon Lambrasco), who was the winning jump-off rider for Germany her in 2009, added: "There was nobody better to do it for us."