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Jun 16, 2024
Lara de Liedekerke-Meier Takes Her First Five-Star Win at Longines Luhmühlen CCI5*-L on Homebred Hooney d’Arville
Luhmühlen, Germany—June 16—Belgian rider Lara de Liedekerke-Meier won the hearts of the Longines Luhmühlen CCI5*-L crowd on Sunday afternoon with the obvious love for her 11-year-old homebred mare Hooney d’Arville (Vigo d’Arouilles STX x Nooney Blue). Having steadily moved up the leaderboard from sixth after dressage to third after cross-country, the pair went clear in the final show jumping.
Happy, but not expecting to take the win, she retired to the warm-up for a quiet moment with “Hooney.” When the news hit, that she’d won the first five-star of her career, the first hug was reserved for her horse. “It’s hard to take in. My horse is an incredible athlete. I never thought there would be a chance to win the five-star today,” she said. “I just knew I had a good horse and wanted to jump the best round that I could. Today was our day. I just managed to put everything together. Thanks to my team and thank you Luhmühlen for organizing a show of this caliber—the public was amazing.”
Great Britain’s Tom McEwen and CHF Cooliser finished second. “I’m absolutely delighted with Cooliser,” he said. “She was brilliant yesterday and today. She’s very game and in the arena; I remembered why it’s much easier to do things her way. I wasn’t expecting to move up the ranks. [Overnight leader Ros Canter] is probably the best rider in the world, and Izilot is one of the best jumpers, so I absolutely wasn’t expecting this.”
Fellow Brit Yasmin Ingham, who climbed from 28th to third with Rehy DJ, finishing on her dressage score, was delighted. “That’s the story of eventing—it’s never over until we have finished on the final day. I was a little disappointed after the dressage because we lost some points there, but I know what to work on now. I know he’s a phenomenal cross-country horse and jumper, so I was really looking forward to Saturday and today. He was just amazing, careful, rhythmical and fast, making my job so easy. He doesn’t look fast, but he just eats up the ground and is just so ridable and adjustable, I don’t have to set him up much before the fences. We know each other inside out, because our partnership has developed over such a long time. I’ve had him for so long now, and we’ve worked our way up the ranks from novice.”
U.S. rider Katherine Coleman finished 30th with Monbeg Senna, while Emily Hamel and Corvett finished 15th.
For full results, click here.
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USEA Foundation
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Sponsor
“Happy Horse Equals Happy Judge”: Ask An Expert with Dressage Judge Peter Gray, Brought to You by Ride iQ
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