Blast from the Past - 1987 European Championships Goodwood

History

Rather early in the season of 1987, the European Championships took place on 8 - 12 July 1987. After the 1978 World Championships and the 1980 Olympic Festival, the beautifully located Goodwood in the South of England once again had the honour of hosting an FEI championships.

Stately Setting

This show, which was launched in 1973, soon became one of the favourites of international dressage and there was great regret when it finished at the beginning 1990s. Goodwood’s idyllically located arena in the midst of green parkland and near the 18th century old Goodwood House took care for a unique setting and relaxing atmosphere.

Thirty-eight riders and eight complete teams contested not only for European glory, but were also looking for a pre-Olympic positioning. Apart from the two classes which determined the European champions, an international small tour and Inter II as a kind of warm-up were offered for the championships horses.

The Title Favourites

After the 1986 winter circuit and into the 1987 season it became obvious that the Swiss would be a strong challenge for the German team, used to victory since 1973. Individually it looked like a duel between Swiss 1986 reserve World champion Christine Stückelberger and her 12-year-old Swiss stallion Gauguin de Lully CH (by Chagall x Gaspari) and German born French Margit Otto-Crépin and the 11-year-old Holsteiner gelding Corlandus (by Cor de la Bruyère x Landgraf I) would be the most possible scenario.

Title defender Ahlerich of Dr. Reiner Klimke had been out the whole season after having beaten Corlandus convincingly in Berlin in November 1986.

Marzog, the dominating horse of 1986, seemed past his prime, having been beaten in the 1987 World Cup finals in Essen by Gauguin de Lully and at the World Cup qualifier in Neumünster by Sonny Boy under George Theodorescu. At Goodwood the charming Danish warmblood whose elegance stamped dressage in the 1980s, could not be presented at the vet check due to lameness which was the end of the career of this enchanting horse.

Grand Prix

The Grand Prix results mirrored the head to head duel between Corlandus and Gauguin de Lully which had dominated the season so far.
In Goodwood the small but mighty bay Gauguin de Lully defeated the tall majestic Corlandus by a whisker, spearheading the Swiss’ attempt to finally beat Germany.

Rather surprising were the equal third places of German team horses Ideaal under Johann Hinnemann and team newcomer Courage under Ann-Kathrin Linsenhoff, both one point ahead of Swiss Otto Hofer with his evergreen Limandus, who at 17 years of age had already competed at the 1977 European Championships with his previous rider Jo Rutten. Ideaal had won individual bronze at the 1986 World Championships, but had not achieved such outstanding results in the running season. Linsenhoff, riding on the senior team for the first time, had surprised with a 2nd place in the Grand Prix Special at Aachen aboard the 14-year-old Swedish gelding Courage (by Ceylon).

Team-wise all four Germans and three of the Swiss placed in the top 8, leaving Germany just 3 single points ahead of Switzerland which had never been and never came that close again. Germany had to rely on two new team horses, Courage and the Hessian bred Floriano (by Fiothor) of Herbert Krug.

More than 300 points behind, the Dutch team caught the bronze medal with three very experienced, aging horses: Olympic Duco (by Duc de Normandy) with Tineke Bartels-de Vries, Olympic Mr. X (by Cobbler’s Thread xx) with Helene Aubert-Pen and the oldest horse in the field, 19-year-old Westfalian Amon (by Angelo xx) under Annemarie Sanders-Keijzer.

The fourth placed French team, which was just 22 points behind bronze, almost entirely based this success on the outstanding performance of Corlandus, as the other team riders only placed 23rd, 32nd and 35th of 38 starters.

In seventh place the first ever Finnish team which was led by Kyra Kyrklund and her young Danish bred stallion Matador (by May Sherif) who made the cut for the Grand Prix Special.

Grand Prix Special

After the course of the season and after the Grand Prix in Goodwood, it was crystal clear that the individual medals would be distributed between the Swiss, the Germans and France’s flagship, the late Margit Otto-Crépin.

Individual gold for Margit Otto-Crepin on Corlandus

Three Swiss, four Germans, two Dutch, Kyra Kyrklund, and surprisingly Brit Jane Bartle-Wilson entered the Grand Prix Special.

A member of the British team for many years with the small and very charming Belgian bred gelding Pinocchio (by Magneet), Bartle-Wilson remained in the shadow of her brother Christopher and his Irish gelding Wily Trout, who was retired in a ceremony during these European championships. In the autumn of his career, Pinocchio, a chestnut with a lot of white, made the ride-off which he had missed a year before at the World Championships by just one place.

After winning the Grand Prix, Christine Stückelberger went for a third European title, having won already in 1975 and 1977. However it was not to be. Her main rival, Margit Otto-Crépin, presented the tall and yet incredibly light-footed Holsteiner gelding Corlandus with such brilliance that their victory was never in danger. There was a sixty-one points' difference between the French and the surprise of the Special in silver position, Ann-Kathrin Linsenhoff. Her dark-brown Swedish gelding Courage achieved respectable results in the shows leading up to Goodwood, but the silver in Linsenhoff’s first senior championship was rather unexpected. At 14 years of age, Courage came into the prime of his career.

Doping

Four points behind in bronze medal position were Christine Stückelberger and her Swedish bred, but Swiss registered Gauguin de Lully CH.

With 33 points leeway both were clearly ahead of Johann Hinnemann and the Doruto-son Ideaal, but were later disqualified when the stallion tested positive for theobromine, a substance containing cocoa which has a stimulating effect. Even though it was later found out that the positive test came from contamination through the horse’s feed, the medal was lost and Hinnemann got bronze.

-- Text by Silke Rottermann

All photos © Elisabeth Weiland - NO REPRODUCTION ALLOWED !!

Gina Capellmann and her Dutch bred gelding Ampère were once again on the victorious German team.

Ingamay Bylund and her longtime partner Aleks, 4th at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, could not repeat this feat in Goodwood

Chris Bartle’s sister Jane Bartle-Wilson and her small Belgian bred gelding Pinoccho getting ready for their start in front of Goodwood House.

The oldest horse at the Europeans 1987: The 19-year-old Westfalian Amon (by Angelo xx-Donar) was on Dutch senior teams since 1978. His full-brother Ahlerich would’ve been the title defender, but stayed absent.

16-year-old Danish bred Aleks (by Aleksander) was a mainstay on Swedish teams from 1982 on. Goodwood was his last international championships with Ingamay Bylund.

Herkules, the blue-black Swedish breeding stallion with the huge neck, was the last of legendary Gaspari’s offspring in international dressage sport. Lars Andersen, now judging internationally, rode him on the Swedish team.

Chris Bartle retired his wonderful Irish gelding Wily Trout in front of his home-crowd in Goodwood. Strict selection criteria prevented the highly successful combo to be one last time on the British team

Swedish evergreen Ulla Hakanson on the colored Swedish stallion Cesam (by Ceylon) whom she then also showed at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul.

German Johann Hinnemann and the Dutch bred Doruto-son Ideaal repeated their individual bronze medal from 1986, after the substance of theobromine was found in Christine Stückelberger’s stallion Gauguin de Lully and he got disqualified

Born in 1975 Ideaal, just like numerous horses of his time, had a long and successful international career and won medals with three riders: Johann Hinnemann, Sven Rothenberger and Gonnelien Gordijn (Rothenberger).

An incredible career came to an end: The Dutch bred gelding Limandus (by Markies) was first shown for The Netherlands at the Europeans ten years earlier with his trainer Jo Rutten. Otto Hofer bought the horse and won several individual and team medals with the sturdy looking gelding.

Limandus' last start for Switzerland, even though he served as reserve horse for Seoul 1988. The gelding with the wonderful character lived a long and spoiled retirement at Hofer’s place well into his 30s

After having become team Olympic champion with Muscadeur 1984 and team World champion with Dukat in 1986, the Hessian winegrower and horse dealer Herbert Krug rode a third horse to golden glory: Hessian bred Floriano who was by the Trakehner Fiothor.

Ampère was a KWPN gelding by the Trakehner J.Amagun who also sired Tineke Bartels 1992 Olympic mount Courage.

In Goodwood 1987 Ampère was only 9 years of age, but already competing in his 3rd international championships. With his previous rider and trainer Jo Rutten he had been the youngest horse at the 1984 Olympic Games in L.A.

Talk about a happy athlete: Ampère after his ride

The magnificent Holsteiner Corlandus (by Cor de la Bruyère x Landgraf I) finally realized the promise so many had seen in this outstanding horse.

The bronze medal winning Dutch team who mainly relied on very experienced horses.

Italian Daria Fantoni on the 11-year-old Dutch bred Sonny Boy (by Jashin xx) who was first trained and successfully competed by George Theodorescu He carried his rider to three Olympic Games, the last one in Atlanta 1996. Retired at age 20, he enjoyed a long and happy retirement.

British team rider Trish Gardiner showed the then rather inexperienced thoroughbred Wily Imp xx, owned by her student Bill Noble.

Herbert Krug and the elegant Hessian gelding Floriano who was later a British team horse with Annie MacDonald-Hall.

How pictures are alike: Swiss cavalry rider Ulrich Lehmann and the Danish bred gelding Xanthos. 9 years earlier Lehmann had achieved a 4th place at the Worlds in Goodwood with another tall chestnut coloured army mount, Widin.

Another team medal for Ulrich Lehmann from the Swiss cavalry depot in Berne and Xanthos.

They never came closer to team gold: The Swiss team missed team gold by 3 single points. The late Hermann Lüthi could still be proud with his equipe.

Silver for the strongest Swiss team in history: Christine Stückelberger (left) with Gauguin de Lully CG, Otto Hofer and Limandus, Daniel Ramseier and Orlando and Ulrich Lehmann with Xanthos.

A successful junior rider and 4th at the first World Cup final in 1986, Ann-Kathrin Linsenhoff made her debut at a senior championships team in Goodwood. On her heart horse, the Swedish gelding Courage (by Ceylon), she took an unexpected individual silver.

The individual podium: Princess Anne presents silver to Ann-Kathrin Linsenhoff, Gold for Margit Otto-Crépin and supposedly bronze for Christine Stückelberger.

Danish Morten Thomsen with last minute preparations of his horse Diplomat whom he also rode a year later in the Olympic Games.

Gauguin de Lully CH, imported in utero from Sweden to Switzerland, was one of the most successful horses in the second half of the 1980s

Daniel Ramseier still rode the Swiss bred gelding Orlando CH on the team, a very reliable horse.

Swiss Daniel Ramseier showed the Danish bred gelding Random (by Weinbrand) in Goodwood in the small tour. The elegant gelding would become a very successful Grand Prix in the years to come.

Annemarie Sanders-Keijzer who built her career on the Westfalian Amon, showed the most beautiful KWPN bred Vincent in the small tour

Member of the British team on Dutch Gold, Jennie Loriston-Clarke showed his sire Dutch Courage (by Millerole xx) in long-reins during the breaks. Both had been the sensation of the 1978 World Championships in the same place, winning individual bronze.

European eventing champion in the 1950s, then turned dressage rider: The late Diana Mason on her last international horse, the Anglo Arab Prince Consort x.

Diana Mason’s British bred Prince Consort who competed in two Olympic Games (1984 and 1988)

Austrian individual rider Regina Moldan warming up on Dacapo.

Swedish Louise Nathhorst and the beautiful looking Swedish bred stallion Chirac (by Chagall).

Warm up anno 1987: Margit Otto-Crépin and her Hanoverian hopeful Maritim before their start in the small tour.

The brown Hanoverian gelding Maritim (by Matrose) had been the top priced Verden auction horse in 1981. Although he never achievef the same brilliance like his predecessor Corlandus, he became Margit Otto-Crépin’s 1992 Olympic horse.