Four British falls, shades of 2005 and a leaderboard in turmoil: everything you need to know about Blenheim Europeans cross-country day

Well, cross-country day at the Agria Blenheim European Championships is over and the results are in. It was exciting, action-packed and, for British fans, slightly traumatic.

There were shades of 2005 with a British rider galloping through the rain to hold individual gold overnight but, sadly, falls for a number of home side competitors have taken a team medal off the table. Meanwhile Germany continue to hold the team gold – while behind them, the rest of the countries have shifted around. Read on for all the news…

Britain’s day got off to an unfortunate start when team pathfinder Yasmin Ingham fell.

• Where did Yasmin run into problems and what did she say caused the fall?

Meanwhile trailblazers for the other teams had mixed fortunes.

• How did the first German fare and how did the course ride in the initial stages?

British individual Caroline Harris also came to grief in the early part of the day.

• More on Caroline’s round

And Britain’s day continued on a downward streak when second team rider Piggy March was eliminated.

• Find out about Piggy’s problem

Germany was holding firm and Switzerland was on the up in the second rotation of team riders.

• What did Malin Hansen-Hotopp say about her round?

Tom McEwen provided a bright spot for Britain with a fast round on JL Dublin.

• Did Tom change his approach because of the team situation?

Jérôme Robiné kept Germany’s hopes high in this part of the day, with the reliable Black Ice.

• But what happened to Ireland’s Aoife Clark and Switzerland’s Robin Godel?

Fans found it hard to believe their eyes when a fourth British rider, Bubby Upton, fell.

• Where did Bubby’s competition come to an end and what did she have to say afterwards?

But Britain’s day ended on a high when Laura Collett stormed round with the second fastest round of the day.

• Find out what Laura said about her performance today

Michael Jung was the only rider who could go ahead of Laura in the Blenheim European Championships cross-country results, but in the end his slower round meant he slotted in behind her.

• How the final rider rotation affected the team standings

It wasn’t the Brits day today. But we still salute the work of all the British team, riders and backstage staff. Over the past two days, we’ve caught up with those grooms who are at their first championship.

• Hear from Caroline Harris’ groom Nellie Smith
• Read about Piggy March’s groom Hannah Chowen

Britain’s eventing performance manager Dickie Waygood reflected on today’s performance and looks ahead to tomorrow.

• “The sign of a true sportsperson is being able to turn disappointment into a strength”

The top four after dressage in the GFS Saddles eight- and nine-year-old CCI4*-S have not changed after showjumping.

• Catch-up on today’s action in this highly competitive young horse class

The second horse inspection will get underway at 8am on Sunday morning, followed by the all-important showjumping phase to decide the final individual and team medals. The H&H reporting team will be here to bring you all the news as it happens.

• To stay up to date with all the breaking news from the Blenheim Europeans, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website

You may also be interested in:

How to watch the European Eventing Championships at Blenheim live, wherever you are

‘I had the naivety of youth’ – Zara Tindall relives her week winning double gold at the 2005 European Championships at Blenheim

Why is Blenheim Palace covered in white wrapping? Here’s everything you need to know

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Pippa Roome

H&H magazine editor and eventing editor

Pippa is a true eventing geek and has been H&H’s eventing editor since 2005. She has first-hand experience of competing up to British Eventing intermediate and international CCI2*-L level, and has worked in the industry on a top event yard. Pippa enjoys nothing more than immersing herself in the sport at the highest level, reporting from the five-stars and international championships, including the Olympics.