Aachen, August 29th, 2006

Excitement in the Nations' Cup: Dutch team ahead after the speed competition
Germany just four faults behind the Netherlands

The World Show-jumping Championships kicked off to an exciting start. 116 riders from 40 nations participated in the first rating competition, the speed competition - Prize of the Sparkasse - in front of a crowd of 38,000. The Dutch team took a narrow lead in the team classification ahead of the USA and Brazil; the US American rider Beezie Madden achieved the best individual result with her horse Authentic. However, everything is still open after the initial speed competition. Less than four faults separate the first five teams and the best 31 riders are even closer than that.

Beezie Madden has been one of the best female riders in the USA for many years. The 42-year-old from Milwaukee, Olympic gold medallist with the team in Athens, praised the demanding course designed by the course builder, Frank Rothenberger: "The course is perfect for horses who like to canter rhythmically forward." This is just right for the Dutch-bred 11-year-old gelding, Authentic. The pair completed the 600 m long course comprising of 13 obstacles and 16 fences in 77.62, almost two seconds faster than the Canadian rider, Eric Lamaze, who also had a Dutch bred horse under his saddle, the stallion Hickstead (78.40). The third best rider of the day, Gerco Schröder/NED, took seven hundredths of a second longer than Lamaze to cross the finish line. Schröder rides the Holstein stallion Eurocommerce Berlin here in Aachen. The 28-year-old is the youngest member of the experienced Dutch team, which additionally comprises of Piet Raymakers with Van Schindel's Curtis, Jeroen Dubbeldam with BMC Up and Down and Albert Zoer with Okodoki.

The World Equestrian Games didn't get off to an ideal start for the German show-jumping team. National Coach, Kurt Gravemeier was disappointed about Marcus Ehning's performance with Noltes Küchengirl (24th place). The nine-year-old Bavarian mare jumped clear in a fast time and in good style until the last two fences, then Ehning didn't quite find the right take-off and collected faults at both of the last two jumps. Marcus Ehning was annoyed at his own error. Ludger Beerbaum finished as the best German rider (19th) with the Zangersheider gelding, L'Espoir. His team colleagues, Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum with the Hanoverian Shutterfly and Christian Ahlmann with the Holstein gelding, Cöster, came 30th and 32nd respectively.

The Danish rider Thomas Velin was also unlucky. The 31-year-old experienced Championships rider, didn't harmonise with his 12-year-old French stallion, Godsend Du Reverdy, today and chose to retire.

The battle for team gold continues on Wednesday (starting 12 noon) with the second rating competition. The deciding competition for the team medals will take place on Thursday evening under floodlit conditions.