A dramatic start to the final day at Luhmuhlen

The final day of competition at the 2025 Longines Luhmuhlen Horse Trials started with plenty of drama at the second horse inspection on Sunday morning. 

Four horses were held at the CCI5* inspection with Declan Cullen's Seavaghan Ash passed on re-inspection but three not making it through. Kitty King’s Vendredi Biats, in fourth place after cross country, Janneke Boonzaaijer's I'm Special N.O.P. (19^th) and Noor Slaoui's Cash In Hand (29^th) did not pass on re-inspection and are unable to continue the competition. Last year’s winner Lara De Liedekerke-Meier, seventh after Saturday's cross country, withdrew her horse Origi before the start of the inspection.

It is obviously desperately disappointing for any rider when this happens, but it also wrecked an interesting statistic by Equiratings as, prior to the loss of Kitty and Lara from the Top 10 after cross country, it was the first all-female top 10 heading into showjumping since Adelaide in 2018 and, as it turned out, it was an all-female top 10 finish at Adelaide. 

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1^st: Hazel Shannon and Willingapark Clifford

2^nd: Muzi Pottinger and Just Kidding

3^rd: Sonja Johnson and Misty Isle Valentino

4^th: Emily Gray and Jocular Vision

5^th: Hayley Frielick and Class Action LP

6^th: Gemma Tinney and Annapurna

7^th: Emma Bishop and CP Issey Miyake

8^th: Lauren Browne and Skys Da Limit

9^th: Madeline Wilson and I’m Bruce

10^th: Jessice Woods and Just De Manzana

Now however we have one male, Ireland’s Robbie Kearns riding Chance Encounter joining nine ladies at Luhmuhlen with Germany’s Malin Hansen-Hotopp also moving into the top 10.

The CCI4*-S horses also trotted up with one of the first presented not passing in Maartje Van Riel's (NED) horse Eppo. From then it was all smooth sailing with all horses, including the Australian and New Zealanders, passing with flying colours.