Last weekend, the European-based showjumping enthusiasts flocked to Milan to crown their newest European Champions. Without reigning Champions, Andre Thieme & DSP Chakaria among the contenders, we were sure to find a new European Champion.
For which horses has this major Championship been a place to showcase their talent and potential? And which horses have seen a slight loss of form on the world stage?

The Climbers

Zineday (+ 46)

At just nine years of age, Philipp Weishaupt’s Zineday took the Jumping world by storm two weekends ago to win the individual silver medal in Milan. The Junior of the German team produced a beautiful championship, knocking just one rail out of the cups over 5 rounds of jumping. This superb achievement gave Zineday’s Elo a boost of 46 points, currently landing on an Elo of 740. That is the highest Elo of all nine-year-old horses in the world this year, and the 13th highest Elo achieved by a nine-year-old since 2015. 

GL Events Dorai d’Aiguilly (+35)

Entering the championship as an individual combination, Olivier Perreau & his homebred GL Events Dorai d’Aiguilly were perhaps the biggest revelation of the Europeans. The 10-year-old mare showed her quality by being one of just 4 horses that hadn’t knocked a fence over the first three rounds of competition, only incurring 1 penalty for time. One rail in each of the Final rounds saw them finish in eighth place individually. A more than respectable finish for this pair’s first championship together. It gave GL Events Dorai d’Aiguilly an Elo boost of 35 Elo points, now ranking among the Top 10 highest-rated ten-year-old horses in the world.

Dubai du Cedre & Mila (+31)

Two horses experienced a significant Elo boost of 31 Elo points thanks to their performances at the Jumping European Championships. Bronze medalist Dubai du Cedre has climbed up the ranks & is now the 6th highest-rated 10-year-old in the world, joint with Rodrigo Pessoa’s Major Tom. 
Eoin McMahon has only had Mila in his string for a couple of months but the pair have built up a strong partnership allowing them to finish in the Top 10 of their first major Championship together and boost their Elo.

Dynamix de Belheme (+19)

This list would not be complete without a mention of our newly crowned European Champion. At 10 years old, Steve Guerdat’s Dynamix de Belheme was the only horse to not knock a single rail over 5 rounds and 4 days of jumping. With this incredible achievement, Dynamix’ Elo gained 19 points, now standing at 765, which has allowed the mare to enter the Top 10 highest Elo-rated horses in the world right now. 

The Sliders

Kasanova de la Pomme (-13)

Alongside the highs, we also see the lows. Koen Vereecke’s Kasanova de la Pomme entered the European Championships with great hopes, but unfortunately luck wasn’t on their side in Milan. A couple of rails saw their Italian fairytale end prematurely and cost them 13 points on Elo. 

Dialou Blue & Dexter Fontenis (-12)

The French team riders also had a disappointing weekend in Milan. Seasoned championship riders Simon Delestre and Kevin Staut each brought forward their most promising 10-year-olds. It was not to be for these French talents as each of them lost 12 points on Elo after knocking a couple of rails.