NEIGHbourly Newsletter - Masters Edition
This was the 49th year of the world-renowned Spruce Meadows Masters tournament in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. One of the four Rolex 'Majors' in Equestrian Show Jumping, bringing many of the world's best together for five days of heart-stopping action and brilliant performances by the top horses and riders. Here are some observations from the world's second most famous horse show ( Aachen, Germany is #1 ).
For only the second time in the history of the Masters signature event, a horse and rider combination emerged victorious in consecutive years. Leone Jei ( Baltic VDL x Corland ) and his rider Martin Fuchs of Switzerland bested 39 competitors and won in a stunning third-round jumpoff. The 5th place finisher at the Paris Olympics watched nervously as German superstar Daniel Duesser and Killer Queen VDM ( Eldorado Vd Zeshoek x For Pleasure ), the 2022 Champions of the CPKC Grand Prix in Calgary, galloped flat out to the famous Beijing wall. Showing that even the world's best occasionally succumb to pressure, Duesser tried to leave from too far away to the last fence and incurred a dramatic 8 faults in the jumpoff, securing the victory for Fuchs.
Is Leone Jei on his way to being an all-time great horse in the sport? Well, he may already be there. The 14-year-old gelding has amazing scope, technique, and incredible footwork. He also has the ultimate intangible, a fierce desire to win. With this historic victory, he enters rarified air for certain. If Fuchs hadn't lost a stirrup in Paris at the Olympics, there's a good chance they medal. While he doesn't have the stunning style of United Touch S, he comes out on top more often than not.
The other 2 time victors in this famous class were Gandini Lianos ( Landlord x Landego ) with Rodrigo Pessoa in 2000 and 2001, and the Canadian super horse Hickstead ( Hamlet x Eckstein ) in 2007 and 2011.
Incumbent course designer at Spruce Meadows Leopoldo Palacios did possibly his best work in this year's class. Known for pushing horses to the extreme limits, the designer who revolutionized the time allowed on course for Show Jumping presented a fair but challenging test for the 39 starters. Five clear after round one and three double clears advancing to the jumpoff were ideal numbers for the packed stadium of 40,000 fans.
American superstar Mclain Ward had a disappointing day when his mount Ilex misread the takeoff spot at fence #1. This resulted in a fall and elimination for one of the favorites. Even the all-time greats have bad days. Both horse and rider were not injured and walked out of the stadium, Mclain with a wry smile on his face.
I mentioned the fans earlier. A couple observations. When every single horse was on course, the stadium was absolutely silent. There were no distractions whatsoever for the athletes. Every rider walked out of the ring to loud applause and extended cheering. The occasional time a rider chose not to complete a course, the applause and appreciation was heartfelt. The sport has come a long way from when riders in this class were financially rewarded to make it to the finish line. Great to see!
The gender breakdown of the horses in the CPKC presented by Rolex went like this; 20 geldings, 9 mares, 10 stallions. The average age of the horses is 13.1 years. This is a remarkable number, great to see the wonderful care these world-class athletes are receiving.
Germany won the Nations Cup. It was a great performance that required the final rider to jump clear, 3 faults would have given Ireland the victory. Otto Becker's squad comprised of Andre Thieme on Paul S ( Perigueux x Sir Shutterfly ), Jorne Sprehe on Toys ( Toulon x Quidam de Revel ), Daniel Duesser on Gangster vh Noddevelt ( Eldorado vd Zeshoeve x Carefull ), and Jana Wargers on Dorette Old ( Dollar Du Murier x Fighting Alpha 3 ) beat the teams from Canada, Spain, France, Switzerland, Ireland, and Great Britain.
Ireland finished second in the Nations Cup and Great Britain third. The remarkable 2024 season continues for the Irish squad. They have been the dominant team, except for the Paris Olympics where they came up short. The parity in Show Jumping is exceptional. There are so many strong Nations who are consistently fielding top teams, it's great for the sport.
Speaking of top teams, Canada is not having a good 2024. A fifth-place finish at home is a poor result, and they were never in this Nations Cup. Leadoff rider Erynn Ballard did not make it to the finish line in round one and essentially the team was done. After a weak 12th place showing at the Paris Olympics, it will be interesting to see if Chef d'Equipe Ian Millar can lead the squad back to being a medal contender.
Spruce Meadows Nations Cup stalwarts USA and Mexico did not compete this year. I do not recall the Americans ever not fielding a team in Calgary. It was surprising to see, but Olympic years can lead to odd scheduling.
Is the "fun" class event completely over at North American horse shows? The Friday night Six Bar class had over 20,000 fans, beautiful weather, and 7 horses? Yes, only seven riders chose to participate. Spruce Meadows did a great job of still making it fun and entertaining, but the reality is it may not be back. The fan favorite Double Slalom is gone, the Puissance classes which used to pack arenas are ancient history, what happened to the fun? Well, the answer is the horses today are so specialized and so valuable that priorities for the owners and riders have changed. Sad to see but all sports evolve.
Please visit our brand new website at https://www.safehorse.ca/ to learn more and to support these wonderful animals. #alwaysrespectthehorse #safehorse #sprucemeadows