CSIO Dublin | The Netherlands are sixth in the Nations Cup, ahead of the USA ahead of Ireland
The International Horse Show Jumping competition will be held in Dublin, Ireland this weekend. On Friday, eight national teams kicked off the Nations Cup. The Netherlands, led by national coach Jos Lansink, finished sixth with a total of twenty penalty points.
Harry Smolders, Mel Thijsen, Baz Morings and Michael Grieve were drafted in by Jos Lansing for the Nations Cup. In the first round, Harry and Michael rode a clear round with their Springfield 21 and Denver. For Mel Thijssen, thirteen penalty points appeared on the scoreboard, signaling a clear end. Boss Morings and his stallion Ipstar earned eight penalty points. The Netherlands team was still in third place.
No one could stay clear in the second round. In the second round Harry, Mel and Michael received four penalty points. Bas Moerings scored twelve penalty points to secure a clear result. Thus the team reached twenty penalties in 219.45 seconds.
Both the American and Irish teams managed to finish with zero penalties after the first round. The American team, led by Robert Ridland, won four penalties in the second round, thereby winning the Nations Cup. Ireland came third with eight penalties followed by Great Britain with twelve.