Australian Eventers Impress at 2025 Longines Luhmühlen Horse Trials

Australian riders delivered strong performances across both the CCI4*-S and CCI5*-L divisions at this year’s Longines Luhmühlen Horse Trials in Germany, standing tall among some of the world’s best. The standout result came in the CCI4*-S, where Andrew Cooper and Sharvalley Thunder secured an outstanding third place, while Isabel English recorded a top-10 finish in the five-star class.

On his first European campaign with Sharvalley Thunder, Andrew Cooper made an immediate impact, finishing on the podium in the CCI4*-S class. After a solid dressage score of 34.5, the pair sat eighth going into the cross-country phase.

They then delivered a bold and fast round over Mike Etherington-Smith’s challenging course, adding just 1.6 time penalties for a cross country score of 36.1, the third-fastest round of the day. A clear round in the final showjumping phase saw them hold their position and finish on that same score, clinching third place in a world-class field.

It was a significant achievement for the Australian-based combination, proving their ability to compete at the top level internationally and offering a glimpse of what may lie ahead.

Three-time Olympian Shane Rose also contested the CCI4*-S aboard Easy Turn. The mare posted a dressage score of 40.2 to sit 30th, before delivering a smooth and penalty-free round over the jumps on cross-country, adding 7.6 time penalties in a time of 7:10.

A faultless jumping performance capped off their weekend, and they completed on a final score of 47.8, finishing 13th overall, a valuable result for the developing partnership.

In the headline five-star class, Isabel English and Cil Dara Dallas flew the flag for Australia with a ninth-place finish. After a dressage score of 34.0, they moved into cross-country ranked 14th. They added 8.8 time penalties, finishing strong with a final jumping round that incurred just 1.6 time faults for a final score of 44.4.

Fellow Australian Samantha Cesnik also took on the CCI5*-L with Graftango. The pair posted a dressage score of 38.6, but unfortunately retired on course during the cross-country phase. While not the result they had hoped for, the experience will no doubt be valuable.

Congratulations to all combinations: Full results at: https://tgl.luhmuehlen.de/en