For the 34-year-old rider from Münster in Germany it was a very pleasing result, as she has only recently been partnered with the horse that was previously competed successfully by her compatriot Richard Vogel. Last month it was announced that Cydello had been acquired for the Iron Dames team and that Eckermann would take up the ride.

“I’m really, really happy, it’s only our second show together, and thanks to Deborah for giving us the opportunity to come together!”, Eckermann said today. She was referring to French businesswoman Deborah Mayer who is the driving force behind the groundbreaking Iron Dames project which is committed to promoting and empowering women to compete on equal terms with men in mixed-gender fields and which is serving as a beacon of inspiration for women around the world.

 

Experience

Eckermann explained that Cydello has had a lot of experience with Vogel in the saddle, “so he’s used to doing the fastest rounds and it’s unbelievable how much power the horse has!”, she said.

She made her plan for the 12-fence track over which only 13 of the 48 starters managed to stay clear. For many, it was the penultimate triple combination that spoiled their day, and perhaps unluckiest of all was American star Laura Kraut who negotiated the track just 0.03 seconds slower than the winning rider, but leaving the last element of the combination on the ground. 

“I already had a plan, I thought it was a nice course, he’s naturally fast so it was nice just to follow with the strides and let him do his thing!”, said Eckermann who stopped the clock on 62.70 seconds to take a lead that would never be matched.

For the second time today runner-up spot went to Sweden’s Petronella Andersson, this time with Opaline de W&S who was almost two seconds behind the winning time, while The Netherlands’ Michael Greeve bagged third place with Coromont when breaking the beam in 65.14 seconds.

 

Enjoying

“I’m really enjoying being here in Rome!”, said Eckermann who will line out for Germany with Iron Dames Cala Mandia Nrw when the Intesa Sanpaolo Nations Cup kicks off later this afternoon.

“It’s my third time to be here, and this place has something so very special about it, there has been so much history here and it’s really nice that we can enjoy riding here!”, she added.

Otto Becker’s German side were winners in Rome last year, and should they produce a repeat victory they will bring their tally of Rome Nations Cup wins to 12 since it was first staged in 1926. A total of 10 teams will be chasing the 2025 title when the action gets underway at 14.30 local time.

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