Sandra Auffarth and Opgun Louvo Photo: Libby Law
The German team for London 2012 was named following Aachen CICO 3* as;
Michael Jung (La Biosthetique Sam FBW)
Sandra Auffarth (Opgun Louvo)
Ingrid Klimke (FRH Butts Abraxxas)
Dirk Schrade (Hop And Skip or King Artus)
Peter Thomsen (Horseware's Barny)
Dirk Schrade and King Artus Photo: Libby Law
First reserve: Andreas Dibowski (FRH Butts Avedon)
Second reserve: Frank Ostholt (Little Paint)
Third reserve: Andreas Ostholt (Franco Jeas)
Not surprisingly World Champion Michael Jung heads the list with his highly successful horse, La Biosthetique Sam FBW (pictured above, photo Libby Law). The pair finished second in the Individual at Aachen and galloped over the finish line in a time of 7.11 minutes, bringing their total score to 40.60 minus points, however he obviously was not happy with his dressage as he commented;
“I was very satisfied with our performance here. No, I didn’t take any real risks, in fact I took plenty of time for certain obstacles. The course here in Aachen is super, you can always keep up a nice forward gallop. The crowd are 100 percent behind you, the conditions are excellent. Regarding the Olympic Games, we have still got some work to do. We have all seen that things don’t always go as planned in the dressage. We have got to improve our fitness. I think I have a good chance of being on the team in London, coming second in Aachen means you can take things a little more relaxed. We have a very strong team that is in great form and mentally very strong.”
Ingrid Klimke’s horse Butt’s Abraxxas (pictured above, photo Libby Law) was 3rd after dressage at Aachen but unfortunately ran out at one of the water jumps in the Rolex Complex. “I drifted to the side slightly before the obstacle. It was simply bad luck. The rest was really easy”
