Olivier (H&M Legend of Love) secured the third position at the Brussels Stephex Masters on Sunday. The victory was for Ben Maher (Dallas Vegas Batilly). On Friday evening, Olivier (Le Blue Diamond V'T Ruytershof) and his teammates claimed the eighth spot in the Nations Cup.
In the lead-up to the European Championship later this week in Milan, Olivier reaffirmed his good form. On Sunday, he secured the third position in the Brussels Stephex Masters' Grand Prix with H&M Legend of Love, although it initially seemed that his competition was over after the initial round. "I had a jumping fault on the oxer after the triple combination," Olivier begins his story. "Half an hour later, I received a phone call informing me that I could still participate in the final round with twelve riders. Apparently, the rail didn’t fall due to Legend lightly touching it, but because her horseshoe that flew off. This was clearly visible in the footage. According to the rules, this wasn't considered a jumping fault, so the organization revoked that single fault, and my initial round was deemed flawless."
The second round was ridden with twelve combinations, something new in Brussels this year. The two fastest combinations with one fault were added to the ten faultless combinations. "In the end, I finished third and Legend knocked down one fence. My mare, H&M Legend of Love, is now seventeen years old. It's a special and incredible achievement for a horse of that age to still compete at the highest level. This shows that, apart from the good care each horse receives from us, we made a very good career plan for her back in the days. That third place is the same as a victory for her, I'm convinced of that."
Olivier and Nicola have now arrived in Milan where they will compete in the European Championship starting from Wednesday.
