Germany’s Marco Kutscher and Austria’s Julia Kayser, the only two riders in the Bic Select Christmas Eve Six Bar to go clear in the fourth round, agreed to share first prize instead of jumping a fifth round in which the last fence would be raised to 6ft 6in.
Marco, the reigning European Champion, explained: “Once you get as high as that it does make a difference to a horse. Mine (Nabab’s Son) is relatively inexperienced and I decided I would rather not push him any further. Fortunately Julia agreed with me.’
Julia, who has had an injury-prone year with a broken shoulder in March and a broken leg in June, said that her horse, Alarm, had not done this type of competition before.
Both riders are paying their first visit to Olympia. “I’d heard so much about the show that I really wanted to come,” said Marco. “I’m most impressed with the organisation. There’s something for everyone.”
The favourite, Nick Skelton, who won the class last year on his six-bar specialist Russel, went out in the fourth round with William Funnell on Cortaflex Amber du Montois and Beat Mandli on Liberte Courcelle.
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