It was a tussle for the top between Germany and Team USA in the fourth leg of the FEI Eventing Nations Cup, held at the stunning venue of Arville in Belgium this week. With less than two penalties separating the two teams, it was always going to be a nail-biting finish. Consistent performances in the jumping phase saw Germany finish on a score of 104.1, putting them ahead of overnight leaders USA, who ended on a total of 112.7 penalties. Team Australia claimed third place with 131.0, a strong results from 11 teams.
Olympian Kevin McNab was the highest placed Australian team member riding Faro Imp in the CCIO4*S. Tenth after the dressage on 28.5, the pair accrued 5.6 time penalties on the cross country to finish the second phase in 11th. A clear show jumping round with just 1.2 time faults saw the combination rise to seventh place from over 100 entrants to end the competition on 35.3 penalties.
Fellow Australians Olivia Barton and APH Sodoku jumped clear to finish 22nd on 47.8, with Isabel English and Cil Dara Bombay S were just behind them in 23rd place on 47.9. Grace Kay and Bluefields For Cello finished on 80 penalties in 56th place.
In addition to the Australian team combinations, there were also horses with Aussie links posting impressive results. Clever Louis — formerly ridden by Australian Olympian Chris Burton — placed ninth on 36.4 for US rider Cosby Green, while Seattle Park — an Australian off the track Thoroughbred produced by Sophia Hill and recently sold in Europe — placed 13th for French rider Jillian Giessen on a score of 40.6
Germany’s rising stars take the crown
Germany’s winning team, a group of rising stars, delivered an impressive performance. Calvin Böckmann and his striking chestnut gelding Phantom of the Opera finished second individually on a score of 32.8. Libussa Lübbeke and the 15-year-old mare Caramia 34 took sixth, while Arne Bergendahl was eighth with Luthien NRW, finishing on 36.1. Nicolai Aldinger and Timmo were the drop score despite placing 10th individually on 38.5.
Speaking about the team’s performance, German Chef d’Équipe Annette Wyrwoll was thrilled—and acknowledged the selection headache now facing her ahead of next month’s FEI Eventing European Championship at Blenheim Palace (GBR).
“Our top three individual combinations — Michael Jung, Malin Hansen-Hotopp, and Jérôme Robiné —we told them they could ride how they wanted, as they’re already selected. The others, we wanted to test for Blenheim,” she explained. “It’s unfortunate we couldn’t enter five combinations in the team, because we would have included Anna Siemer as well. We’ll select the team on Tuesday night via Zoom. Sometimes it’s better to sleep on it a few times — especially when you have five riders and only three spots. It will be tough for two of them. We don’t know yet which ones, and even then, we’ll wait until Blenheim and see the course before finalising the team and individuals.”
Arville was perhaps the most hotly contested FEI Eventing Nations Cup leg of the season, featuring a star-studded lineup of combinations from around the world. Eleven nations and 102 combinations entered — making it the largest field of the series — with many riders using the event as a key selection trial for the upcoming FEI Eventing European Championships.
The quality of the field was matched by the technical challenge of the cross-country course, designed by Marcin Konarski — who is also organiser and course designer at the international events in Strzegom, Poland. This demanding track caught out even some of the most experienced combinations, and the time proved particularly hard to make, with only four athletes in the CCIO4* finishing inside the optimum.
Wyrwoll described the course as ‘tough but fair’: “You could see the refusals weren’t concentrated on just one or two fences — they were spread across the whole course. Riders had to stay focused right to the end. Even the small drop at the finish caught some out, as did the coffin and the corners. But it was good — congratulations to the course builder. The time was tough, but the days before were dry and hot. The ground was hard, but the organisers did everything they could — they spiked and watered, even during the night. The Americans are here preparing for Burghley, and the Europeans for Blenheim, so no one wanted to jeopardise their chances.”
Wyrwoll also highlighted the value of the series in developing future talent: “The Nations Cup is important, especially right before a championship. We wanted to see how our younger riders performed under pressure. Riders like Libussa Lübbeke and Calvin Böckmann have experience at Pony, Junior, and Young Rider level — but not yet at Senior. So we added a little pressure to see how they’d react in the ‘real world.’”
While this was their first win of the 2025 series, Germany now extend their lead in the overall FEI Eventing Nations Cup standings, sitting on 270 points. After a disappointing performance in Arville, France trail in second with 200, but the competition is far from over. The series now heads to Lignières, France (25–28 September), before the Final, once again hosted at the popular Dutch venue of Boekelo (9–12 October).
Full results can be found here.
Source: FEI press release by Eleanore Kelly
