Summer Dream in Luhmühlen: Mollie Summerland wins Longines CCI5*-L

The British rider added only 1.2 points to her dressage score and finished the Longines CCI5*-L with 30.2 points. Christoph Wahler (GER) and Ariel Grald (USA) finished the competition in second and third place with 32.1 and 37.4 points respectively.

When 23-year-old Mollie Summerland entered the arena, the atmosphere was sizzling despite the lack of spectators. The British rider kept her cool  during  the  challenging  show-jumping  course, but after crossing the finish line, the rider hugged her 12-year-old horse “Charly” and was still visibly moved during the award ceremony: “I don’t ever want this day to end. It’s been the most amazing experience. The first people I want to thank are the organisers.  With  all  the  things  going  on  in  the  world  right  now it’s amazing what you have achieved. It’s hard to sum up how I feel right now but this horse has changed my life.”

The young British rider bought her horse as a five-year-old, trained it herself and could hardly believe the joint success: “I would rather have ridden dressage or cross-country again today, I don’t feel so experienced in show jumping and was a little nervous today but my horse is simply amazing. I’ve never won three-day-event, that’s something I used to dream about. ”

Local rider Christoph Wahler made the course look easy with Carjatan S and finished the Longines CCI5*-L  in  an  excellent second place: “I tried to ride as if it was a training course. I know that my horse can jump very well and it is indescribable how he jumped today. You can’t ask for a better finish to a five-star premiere.”

Ariel Grald (USA) and Leamore Master Plan have worked their way up from eleventh to third place during the competition. The American had planned her start in Luhmühlen carefully: “I am very happy to be here. This event is simply fantastic. Luhmühlen’s cross- country course is different to anything I have ridden before, so I came here to gain experience. My horse gave me a  beautiful ride and we both gained confidence on the course.”

Irish Entries

Today’s final phase had only 15 starters, all that remained after yesterday’s challenging cross country. Both Irish entries completed the 5*, with Cathal Daniels and LEB Lias Jewel finishing in 9^th,  2 poles down in the show jumping unfortunately moved him down from his overnight position of 5^th place after a perfect clear round within the time allowed on the cross country. and Mike Ryan and Barnahown Cornhill, finishing in 13^th.

This was the first step-up to 5* for both horses.