Christopher Burton's Fire Fly is World Champion of 6-years-old Eventing Horses

Christopher Burton's Fire Fly is World Champion of 6-years-old Eventing Horses
For another year the French city Le Lion d'Angers hosted the World Championship for Young Eventing Horses. The 6-years-old eventing prospects were the first to complete all three disciplines and crowned the first World Champion of 2016. In the end it was Australian Christopher Burton who rode the KWPN - mare Fire Fly to the title.

In the course of the event it was eventing couple Kai Steffen Meier and Lara de Liedekerke - Meier that seemed to go for the win. Following a good dressage test and a clear cross country course, the riders stayed at the lead until the final showjumping. Two jumping faults for Meier's Painter's Maxim and also for de Liedekerke's Ducati d'Arville however, passed them along the ranking to a final 4th and 6th place. They ended up with a total score of 48.3 for German Kai Steffen Meier and 50.3 for Belgian rider Lara de Liedekerke - Meier.

As completing the parcours clear was a must to become the new World Champion Christopher Burton, ranked 4th overnight, and the Zavall VDL - daughter Fire Fly delivered. The combination kept their dressage score of 44.2 until the end and set the fundament for the win. Swiss rider Felix Vogg, competing Mathurin v/d Vogelzang, secured the silver medal by finishing with his dressage score of 45.3 penalties. Izzy Taylor (GBR) and Jockey Club Fleurelle (by Vivaldi) completed the podium after adding four penalties from showjumping to their score, finishing with 47.4 penalties.

The Top 5 was wrapped up by French Jean Lou Bigot and Aktion de Belheme (by Lauterbach) who finished with 50.2 penalties on 5th place.

Click here for the results.