Equestrian sport: Werth rides to second place at the World Cup qualifiers

Isabell Werth took second place in the first test of the second World Cup competition. The most successful rider in the world rode at the Nations Cup tournament in Hagen However, not her top horse Wendy, but the young hopeful Viva Gold.

Katharina Hemmer, who was part of the victorious European Championship team last year, took first place in the Grand Prix. Hemmer missed the first World Cup sighting at the German championships in Balve because her horse Denoix had a thick leg. With good performances in Hagen, she can still secure a place in the team for the World Cup in Aachen in August.

Several absences from the national team

The four couples who are riding with the host team in the Nations Cup on Friday are currently in the lead. In addition to Werth with Wendy, the team includes Olympic champion Frederic Wandres with Bluetooth, Semmieke Rothenberger with Farrington and Raphael Netz with Great Escape Camelot.

There were several cancellations in the run-up to the tournament. Ingrid Klimke, who was part of the German gold team at the European Championships in France last year, had to cancel the start because her horse Vayron was not fit. Another failure is Charlott-Maria Schürmann. She was originally nominated for the national team in Hagen, but had to cancel at short notice because her Dante’s Pearl was damaged.

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