Marcus Ehning of Germany Wins Budweiser Show Jumping World Cup Final

There was much to think about on the final day, as competition was extremely fierce. The top three were less than a rail apart in placings with Ehning and Pessoa tied for second place with two faults and Baryard in the lead with a perfect score of zero.

Ehning was the first of the top three to go as they were riding in the reverse order of merit. Ehning, a Sydney Olympic team Gold Medalist, went clear putting the pressure on the top two. Pessoa did not have the same luck as he did three years ago when he won in Las Vegas and he had a rail down in the first round giving him a score of six faults with only Baryard to go.

“I had a silly fault,” said Pessoa. “But it caught a lot of horses.” That included Baryard who also had a rail, which moved her down to second for the final round with a score of four faults.

“The mare was too fresh and difficult to ride,” said Baryard. “It was unlucky, but other times I have had luck on my side, so you just have to take the good days with the bad.”