European Eventing Championship

The European Eventing Championship, like most other European Championships, is held every two years. Today it is a three star eventing competition.

The first Championships were held at Badminton in 1953, where six teams (Britain, France, Ireland, Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland) were sent, although only Britain and Switzerland were able to get their horses fit in time to actually compete. However, 10 teams were able to compete at the 1959 competition.

The 1995 and 1997 European Championships were held as part of events open to non-European riders (in Pratoni del Vivaro, Italy in 1995 and Burghley, England in 1997) with the top three European individuals and teams receiving medals. The first woman to win the competition was Shelia Wilcox in 1957, although women were not allowed to compete in the Olympics in eventing until 1964.

There is also a Championship held for young riders, juniors and ponies.

Format

The Championships offers both team and individual gold, silver, and bronze medals.

Each nation may bring a team of four riders and two individuals. The team riders also compete for the individual gold, silver, and bronze medals. The host nation may bring up to eight individual riders, with a total squad of 12.

The best three scores among the teams—the team with the lowest number of penalty points—receive the gold, silver, and bronze medals. However, a team must have at least three riders completing the competition, or else they will be eliminated. If a team has four riders complete, there is a drop-score in their results. If three riders complete, all three scores are added into the final total for the team.

Beginning in 2005, the European Eventing Championships was held in the short-format, without the phases A, B, and C (roads and tracks, and steeplechase) on speed and endurance day. It included just the dressage, cross-country, and show jumping phases.

The competition begins with a horse inspection to make sure all competing horses are sound before beginning the dressage. Then the nations nominate their four team riders and the order they wish them to compete, before the order of nations is determined. The order of go is especially important on cross country day, when the first competitors have the best footing, but do not know how the course will ride, while the later competitors will know the tricky obstacles on course, but may have to run their horses on torn up or sloppy footing.

Past winners

Britain's Ginny Elliot is currently the only rider to have won the individual European Champion title three times in succession, in 1985, 1987, and 1989.^[1]

• 1953
  • Venue: Badminton, Great Britain
  • Team gold: Great Britain (Rook, Weldon, Hill)
  • Individual gold: Major Laurence Rook/Starlight (GBR)
  • Individual silver: Major Frank Weldon/Kilbarry (GBR)
• 1954
  • Venue: Basle, Switzerland
  • Team gold: Great Britain (Weldon, Hill, Rook, Mason)
  • Individual gold: Bertie Hill/Crispin (GBR)
  • Individual silver: Major Frank Weldon/Kilbarry (GBR)
  • Individual bronze: Major Laurence Rook/Starlight (GBR)
• 1955
  • Venue: Windsor, Great Britain
  • Team gold: Great Britain (Weldon, Hill, Rook, Mason)
  • Individual gold: Major Frank Weldon/Kilbarry (GBR)
  • Individual silver: Lt Cdr John Oram (GBR)
  • Individual bronze: Bertie Hill/Countryman (GBR)
• 1957
  • Venue: Copenhagen, Denmark
  • Team gold: Great Britain (Allhusen, Wilcox, Marsh, Tatham-Warter)
  • Individual gold: Sheila Willcox/High And Mighty (GB)
• 1959
  • Venue: Harewood, GB
  • Team gold: West Germany
  • Team silver: Great Britain (Weldon, Allhusen, Beale, Waddington)
  • Individual gold: Major Hans Schwarzenbach/Burnt Trout (SUI)
  • Individual silver: Lt Col Frank Weldon/Samuel Johnson (GBR)
  • Individual bronze: Derek Allhusen/Laurien (GBR)
• 1962
  • Venue: Burghley, Great Britain
  • Team gold: USSR
  • Team silver: Ireland
  • Team bronze: Great Britain (Weldon, Bullen, Fleet, Welch)
  • Individual gold: Capt James Templer/M’Lord Connelly (GBR)
  • Individual bronze: Jane Wykham/Musgrave Ryebrooks (GBR)
• 1965
  • Venue: Moscow, USSR
  • Team gold: USSR
  • Team bronze: Great Britain
  • Individual: Marian Babirecki/Volt (POL)
• 1967
  • Venue: Punchestown, Ireland
  • Team: Great Britain
  • Individual gold: Major Eddy Boylan/Durlas Eile (IRL)
  • Individual silver: Capt Martin Whiteley/The Poacher (GB)
  • Individual bronze: Major Derek Alhusen/Lochinvar (GB)
• 1969
  • Venue: Haras du Pin, France
  • Team: Great Britain
  • Individual gold: Mary Gordon Watson/Cornishman V (GB)
  • Individual silver: Richard Walker/Pasha (GB)
• 1971
  • Venue: Burghley, GB
  • Team gold: Great Britain
  • Team Silver: Soviet Union
  • Team bronze: Ireland
  • Individual gold: HRH The Princess Anne/Doublet (GB)
  • Individual silver: Debbie West/Baccarat (GB)
  • Individual bronze: Stewart Stevens/Classic Chips (GB)

• 1973
  • Venue: Kiev, USSR
  • Team gold: West Germany
  • Team silver: Soviet Union
  • Team bronze: Great Britain
  • Individual gold: Alexander Evdokimov/Jeger (USSR)
  • Individual silver: Herbert Blocker/Albrant (FRG)
  • Individual bronze: Horst Karsten/Sioux (FRG)

• 1975
  • Venue: Luhmühlen, W Germany
  • Team gold: USSR
  • Team silver: Great Britain
  • Team bronze: West Germany
  • Individual gold: Lucinda Prior-Palmer (now Green)/Be Fair (GB)
  • Individual silver: HRH The Princess Anne/Goodwill (GB)
  • Individual bronze: Peter Gornuschko/Gusar (URS)

• 1977
  • Venue: Burghley, GB
  • Team: Great Britain
  • Individual gold: Lucinda Prior-Palmer (now Green)/George (GB)
  • Individual silver: Karl Schultz/Madrigal (FRG)
  • Individual bronze: Horst Karsten/Sioux (FRG)

• 1979
  • Venue: Luhmühlen, W Germany
  • Team gold: Ireland
  • Team silver: Great Britain
  • Team bronze: France
  • Individual gold: Nils Hagenson/Monaco (DEN)
  • Individual silver: Rachel Bayliss/Gurgle the Greek (GB)
  • Individual bronze: Rudiger Schwarz/Power Game (FRG)

• 1981
  • Venue: Horsens, Denmark
  • Team gold: Great Britain
  • Team silver: Switzerland
  • Team bronze: Poland
  • Individual gold: Hansueli Schmutz/Oran (SUI)
  • Individual silver: Helmut Rethemeier/Santiago (FRG)
  • Individual bronze: Brian McSweeney/Inis Meain (IRE)

• 1983
  • Venue: Frauenfeld, Switzerland
  • Team gold: Sweden
  • Team silver: Great Britain
  • Team bronze: France
  • Individual gold: Rachel Bayliss/Mystic Minstrel (GB)
  • Individual silver: Lucinda Green/Regal Realm (GB)
  • Individual bronze: Christian Persson/Joel (SWE)

• 1985
  • Venue: Burghley, GB
  • Team gold: Great Britain
  • Team silver: France
  • Team bronze: West Germany
  • Individual gold: Virginia Holgate (now Elliot)/Priceless (GB)
  • Individual silver: Lorna Clarke/Myross (GB)
  • Individual bronze: Ian Stark/Oxford Blue (GB)

• 1987
  • Venue: Luhmühlen, W Germany
  • Team gold: Great Britain
  • Team silver: West Germany
  • Team bronze: France
  • Individual gold: Virginia Leng (Elliot)/Night Cap ll (GB)
  • Individual silver: Ian Stark/Sir Wattie (GB)
  • Individual bronze: Claus Erhorn/Justyn Thyme (FRG)

• 1989
  • Venue: Burghley, GB
  • Team gold: Great Britain
  • Team silver: Netherlands
  • Team bronze: Ireland
  • Individual gold: Virginia Leng (Elliot)/Master Craftsman (GB)
  • Individual silver: Jane Thelwall/King's Jester (GB)
  • Individual bronze: Lorna Clarke/Fearlieth Mor (GB)

• 1991
  • Venue: Punchestown, Ireland
  • Team gold: Great Britain
  • Team silver: Ireland
  • Team bronze: France
  • Individual gold: Ian Stark/Glenburnie (GB)
  • Individual silver: Richard Walker/Jacana(GB)
  • Individual bronze: Karen Dixon/Get Smart (GB)

• 1993
  • Venue: Achselschwang, Germany
  • Team gold: Sweden
  • Team silver: France
  • Team bronze: Ireland
  • Individual gold: Jean-Lou Bigot/Twist La Beige (FRA)
  • Individual silver: Kristina Cook/Song & Dance Man (GB)
  • Individual bronze: Eddy Stibbe/Bahlua (NED)

• 1995
  • Venue: Pratoni del Vivaro, Italy
  • Team gold: [Open] Great Britain
  • Team silver: France
  • Team Bronze: Ireland
  • Individual gold: Lucy Thompson/Welton Romance (IRL)
  • Individual Silver: Marie-Christine Duroy/Ut to Placineau
  • Individual bronze: Mary King/King William (GB)

• 1997
  • Venue: Burghley, GB
  • Team gold: [Open] Great Britain
  • Team silver: Sweden
  • Team Bronze: France
  • Individual gold: Bettina Overesch (Hoy)/Watermill Stream (GER)
  • Individual silver: William Fox-Pitt/Cosmopolitan (GB)
  • Individual bronze: Kristina Cook/General Jock (GB)

Note: The Burghley event was won by New Zealand's Mark Todd, as top European finisher Bettina Overesch won the European title.

• 1999
  • Venue: Luhmühlen, Germany
  • Team gold: Great Britain
  • Team bronze: Belgium
  • Individual gold: Pippa Funnell/Supreme Rock (GB)
  • Individual silver: Linda Algotsson/Stand By Me (SWE)
  • Individual bronze: Paula Tornquist/Monaghan (SWE)

• 2001
  • Venue: Pau, France
  • Team gold: Great Britain
  • Team bronze: Italy
  • Individual gold: Pippa Funnell/Supreme Rock (GB)
  • Individual bronze: Enrique Sarasola (ESP)

• 2003
  • Venue: Punchestown, Ireland
  • Team gold: Great Britain (Funnel, Law, Fox-Pitt, Brakewell)
  • Team silver: France (Touzaint, Boiteau, Teulere, Force)
  • Team bronze: Belgium (Donckers, Bouckaert, Desmedt, Van Rijckevorsel)
  • Individual gold: Nicolas Touzaint/Galan de Sauvagere (FRA)
  • Individual silver: Linda Algotsson/Stand By Me (SWE)
  • Individual bronze: Pippa Funnell/Walk On Star (GBR)

• 2005
  • Venue: Blenheim, Great Britain
  • Team gold: Great Britain (Phillips, Fox-Pitt, Brakewell, Law)
  • Team silver: France (Boiteau, Willefert, Viricel, Touzaint)
  • Team bronze: Germany (Ostholt, Romeike, Warnecke, Hoy)
  • Individual gold: Zara Phillips/Toytown (GB)
  • Individual silver: William Fox-Pitt/Tamarillo (GB)
  • Individual bronze: Ingrid Klimke/Sleep Late (GER)

• 2007
  • Venue: Pratoni del Vivaro, Rome, Italy
  • Team gold: Great Britain (King, Phillips, Berkeley, Townend)
  • Team silver: France (Touzaint, Vigeanel, Dhennin, Boiteau)
  • Team bronze: Italy
  • Individual gold: Nicolas Touzaint/Galan de Sauvagere (FRA)
  • Individual silver: Mary King/Call Again Cavalier (GBR)
  • Individual bronze: Bettina Hoy/Ringwood Cockatoo (GER)

• 2009
  • Venue: Fontainebleau, France
  • Team gold: Great Britain (Cook, Fox-Pitt, Wilson, Townend)
  • Team silver: Italy (Rotatori, Garcia, Brecciaroli, Bordone)
  • Team bronze: Belgium (Donckers, Van Springel, Caulier, Van Rijckvorsel)
  • Individual gold: Kristina Cook/Miners Frolic (GBR)
  • Individual silver: Piggy French/Some Day Soon (GBR)
  • Individual bronze: Michael Jung/Sam FBW (GER)

• 2011
  • Venue: Luhmühlen, Germany
  • Team gold: Germany (Ingrid Klimke, Michael Jung, Sandra Auffarth, Andreas Dibowski)
  • Team silver: France (Donatien Schauly, Nicolas Touzaint, Stanislas de Zuchowicz, Pascal Leroy)
  • Team bronze: Great Britain (Mary King, Piggy French, William Fox-Pitt, Nicola Wilson)
  • Individual gold: Michael Jung/Sam FBW (GER)
  • Individual silver: Sandra Auffarth/Opgun Louvo (GER)
  • Individual bronze: Frank Ostholt/Little Paint (GER)

• 2013
  • Venue: Malmö, Sweden
  • Team gold: Germany
  • Team silver: Sweden
  • Team bronze: France
  • Individual gold: Michael Jung//Halunke FBW (GER)
  • Individual silver: Ingrid Klimke/FRH Escada JS (GER)
  • Individual bronze: William Fox-Pitt/Chilli Morning (GBR)

References