Brash bags a second silver for Britain at the FEI Jumping European Championships
Sunday 20 July 2025
Three world-class jumping rounds over three days had whittled a starting field of 89 horse and rider combinations down to Europe’s top 25 on this final day of the Longines FEI Jumping European Championship, which would culminate in the awarding of the individual medals. The weather – which had been mixed across the week – held fair, as the enthusiastic Spanish crowd were treated to masterclass in championship riding at Casas Novas in A Coruña.
As one of only two nations with four riders qualified for the individual final – the other being Germany – British hopes were high that the afternoon might end on the podium. This last day is spread across two rounds of jumping, where the initial 25 combinations are further distilled down to an elite group of 12, who jump again to decide the medals.
Donald Whitaker would be first in for Britian in overnight 18th, then Jessica Mendoza in 16th, followed by Ben Maher lying eighth and, finally, Scott Brash in silver medal position heading into the final rounds.
Donald Whitaker and Millfield Colette
Donald Whitaker and Millfield Colette, who he owns with Reitsportanlage Dagobertshausen GmbH, have really come of age at this championship and won a legion of fans. Donald has shown heartfelt emotion when chatting to the media about his equine partner and it’s clear what the mare means to him and what a privilege he feels it is to ride her. A fence down in Friday’s team final and individual qualifier, which knocked them down the rankings when they had been second individually, will have weighed heavily in his mind with thoughts of what might have been. However, his other two superb clears were essential to winning the team silver, so there was much to take heart from, and today was about securing himself a top placing on Europe’s biggest stage.
World-renowned course designer Santiago Varela Ullastres always comes up with something ingenious for a final day and this was no exception. It was bang up-to height, with many fences topping out at 1.60m, and there were options for routes and striding spread around the course. Many felt he might measure it tight to make time a factor and, as the first few went, it proved to be a good balance of making the riders mindful without unduly pushing.
As they entered the arena, Donald gave ‘Ellie’ a good look around and a reassuring pat before setting off. In her own indomitable style, the striking grey mare took charge as they jumped the first few well, Donald working in harmony with her. He really opened her up towards the water, which she cleared easily, before steadying for the double of uprights which quickly followed on a short six strides. They eased around the course and just caught the top pole of fence 10, which bounced but stayed in the cups, and then it was down the final line in front of the main public grandstand – a treble with an exceptionally wide triple bar, two strides to an upright and then one stride to a parallel out, which he met perfectly. They sailed over the lightweight plank that topped the final fence to secure another faultless round to stay on their overnight score of 4.67. They had done everything possible, so now it was just an agonising wait to see if they made the cut to the second round – they needed to rise six places to be in the top 12.
“Colette jumped her heart out again – she’s absolutely fantastic and I’m delighted with her,” said Donald. “I’m a bit heartbroken about the other day now, but she’s been amazing and I can’t be too disappointed. She’s tried her heart out each day and done her absolute best, and that’s all I can ask for.
“I think the course actually walked more difficult than it’s riding. There were actually quite a lot of options, from the first line to the last. I thought it was going to be more difficult than it jumped because the fences are quite big as well, so it feels good to be clear round it.
“I’ll be lucky if I get to the second round now, but if I do then we go again,” he finished philosophically.
Jessica Mendoza and In The Air
Jessica Mendoza moved her equestrian operations across the pond from West Sussex to Wellington in Florida a number of years ago, where she has created a thriving business and a small, but very successful, string of horses. This summer, she took the decision to bring some of her horses back to Europe and campaign them here with a goal of being selected for her second FEI Jumping European Championship – the first being in 2015 at Aachen, Germany. That box had been ticked and, today, it was all about achieving a top-15 finish to be named one of the best in Europe.
Riding Georgia Kipp, Kirsti Mitchem, Melissa Skowlund, Pernilla Amman – who are collectively known as ‘The Mom Club’ – and her own In The Air, Jessica has made a steady rise up the leaderboard over the rounds. An unlucky rail down on day one left them in 45th position, but subsequent clears meant she and her Air Jordan-sired mare started in 16th today. The course in the first round was ideal for ‘Fly’, thanks to her adjustable stride, and the pair set off with confidence. They got a little deep to fence four, but Fly’s catlike jumping style meant she was able to twist over the fence and leave it intact. Jess masterfully piloted her around the rest of the course with efficient lines and perfect placement for a faultless performance.
As with Donald, Jess would have an angonising wait to see how the action panned out and if they continue their rise and progress to the next round.
“She was incredible. I thinks she’s a little tired today – I think a lot of the horses are – but she stuck her teeth into it and she really went for it,” said a delighted Jess.
“It’s a different course to the other days, with a lot of big gaps between the jumps – I think he’s testing us a bit with the time allowed, but also with our control. It didn’t not suit her when I walked it – I felt confident, I felt good – but sometimes they’re different to what they ride. This one had a lot of choices when I walked it but, basically, the plan I made is the plan I rode.
“This week, she’s really shown me that she’s a championship horse. I went into this a bit nervous and not knowing if this was pushing her too much or where her comfort levels are, but it seems to be right here! She’s really filled me with a lot of confidence going into today, now that she’s performed at a European Championship like that.
“She’s done everything and if I don’t jump again, then I’m thrilled, and if I do jump again, then I’m even more thrilled.”
Ben Maher and Dallas Vegas Batilly
Team duties behind him, Ben could now focus on piling the pressure on the top group hunting for medals, namely by riding for a clear round with Charlotte Rossetter and Pamela Wright’s Dallas Vegas Batilly. This duo simply oozes style and they’ve got better and better each day after a uncharacteristic round on day one, where Ben admitted the French-bred mare wasn’t feeling her normal chirpy self. However, normal service soon returned and ‘Tilly’ subsequently delivered two faultless rounds to help secure the team silver.
The consummate championship professional, Ben thrives on the final day when only clear rounds will do and today he was on point. Lying eighth going in, their round one trip was a lesson in course riding, with supreme balance, rhythm and a super flow – every fence met on the perfect stride. They had a slight rub on the top bar of the Liverpool at fence nine and again on the middle part of the treble on the final line, but both poles showed no sign of coming down. Once again, it was a zero on their scorecard to stay on 2.35.
As the next few combinations completed, hopes were growing that both Jess and Donald would secure a top-12 spot, and passage to round two.
Scott Brash and Hello Folie
In 15 years of championship riding, Scott Brash has shown the world that he can thrive under pressure. However, today’s individual final presented a new challenge. In his partner, Hello Folie, owned by long-term supporters Lady Harris and Lady Kirkham, he had a 10-year-old facing her biggest challenge to date in terms of size of fences, technicality and the relentless pace of championship jumping. After three rounds of giving it everything, could she summon the courage and effort for two more? Or, had they used up all their luck for the week with some amazing saves and leaps in earlier rounds?
Folie has also won the hearts and minds of many at this week’s championship with her exuberance, incredible scope and pony-like tendencies and, as they entered the arena for their first round, you could feel the will of the crowd on her side. Scott felt that Friday’s round was one of the best they’d jumped, so that gave him plenty of confidence in her – the heart-stopping moment where he lost his reins approaching the treble on Thursday now well behind him. The bell rang and off they sailed, Scott taking a moment to just to get her listening before the turn to fence one. They got a little deep to fence five and Folie gave it such height in her attempt to clear it that they nearly didn’t make the back rail and it bounced in the cups, but landed firmly back. The remainder went smoothly and they landed over the last to a huge round of applause from the crowd.
“I’m delighted with Folie yet again,” commented Scott. “She showed her class and what a great horse she is. I got a little lucky on the orange oxer – I got a fraction too deep there – but the rest felt great. She’s jumping fantastically, so I’m delighted.
“We’ll just try and keep it the same for the next round – get a good warm-up, walk the course and make a plan. What will be, will be.”
When asked what it was like to ride such a young, exuberant horse at her first championship, he explained; “She’s very excitable and keen to get on with the job. She doesn’t want me to tell her what to do at times! It’s a case of trying to get that fine balance so that I can put her in the right spot. She’s just super-keen and has a massive engine, so there’s so much behind. This means she’s a little bit on her head, so it’s a case of me trying to keep the balance and give her the best possible chance of jumping the fences clear.”
The competition around the British riders was unfolding and, with Belgium’s Gilles Thomas riding Ermitage Kalone in third and the leader Richard Vogel and United Touch S for Germany both going clear, the podium remained unchanged. The news came through that all four Brits had made it to round two, ensuring we made up a third of the 12-strong start list.
In search of top ten places and podium glory
After round one, clears from Donald and Jess promoted them to 11th and ninth in the overall standings, while Ben’s fault-free round moved him to within a whisker of the podium in fourth. Scott kept his grasp on a medal, with the top seven combinations all within a fence of each other, there was still everything to play for and, with four combinations qualified, Britain held an incredible 25% of the field in this final round.
Donald Whitaker and Millfield Colette
Donald Whitaker and Millfiled Colette were the first Brits in action over the slightly shorter, but no less technical course, and once again proved to be simply class. The athletic mare looked every inch a championship horse, right at home amongst Europe’s best. Every fence with cleared with ease and they stopped the clock inside the optimum time, meaning there was nothing to add to their final score. They were assured of a top-12 finish, but the question was whether they’d climb any higher on the leaderboard.
“This is my first individual final and for it to be on her and the way she keeps trying is just incredible,” said an emotional Donald. “She owes me nothing, so it’s fantastic.”
“She’s one in a million – there’s not a lot more I can say. She’s proven again how much of a lion she is, she just never stops trying and I don’t think she ever will. She’s got the heart of a lion. We’ve had her about three and a half or four years now, so to bring her to the championship is amazing. It’s our first championship together and our first medal, so that’s pretty cool.
“We’ll go home and put Colette in the field – I think she deserves a holiday. It’s a bit early to say whether we’ll be at the championship next year, but that would be a dream come true, especially at Aachen. Now she’s got one championship under her belt and she’s proven that she can more than do it at this level, we’ll give her a good rest and aim her at the World Championships in Aachen.”
Jessica Mendoza and In The Air
In the Air has certainly lived up to her name this week, with Jess Mendoza being a perfect partner to the athletic mare. They started this final round well, but just knocked the rail going in to the final treble to add four to their final total, dropping them behind Donald. That being said, they still had the honour of being the highest placed combination who hadn’t competed in the team competition, which is no small feat amongst such a talented field.
“This week has been amazing,” smiled Jess. “The first day, I made a mistake – not the rail, that happens, but I should have turned inside after the plank and it was always my plan. I think I did about 12 strides rather than the eight, which set me back and so I sort of punished myself there for that one but, honestly, I couldn’t ask any more of her.”
“Short-term, my plan is to go back to America. I’ve got a few five-star Grand Prixes coming up and I really feel like I’m in with a shot of winning them on her. I feel like I can walk to them with a breath of fresh air – it’s probably going to feel easy after this! After that, there are championships next year and she can do it all, so why not?”
Ben Maher and Dallas Vegas Batilly
Ben once again conjured a round from the top drawer aboard Dallas Vegas Batilly and a clear from them meant they had done all they they could to push for a podium place, it was down to the remaining three to jump clear to keep hold of a medal. With Ben having finished fourth at the previous iteration of this championship back in 2023, he was certainly hungry to go at least one better and make the step onto the podium and claim his first individual European medal since 2019.
Scott Brash and Hello Folie
After Ben came Belgium’s team gold medal heroes, Gilles Thomas and Ermitage Kalone, who jumped clear to secure the title on Friday and have been ‘ones to watch’ throughout the week. They produced a super clear, which meant young Gilles was guaranteed a second medal to take home, but two further rounds would determine the colour.
After four supersonic rounds, Scott had one final ask of his powerhouse mare but, like the feisty little pony that Scott likens her to, she answered with her now characteristic enthusiasm. They cantered into the arena to a warm welcome from the capacity, largely Spanish, crowd and a small smattering of British flags, frantically waving in support. The chestnut gave her absolute everything and, while it may not have been the most stylish of rounds, it was certainly full of heart. They got close to the big oxer at fence six, but Folie did everything she could to clear it. Scott put on the handbrake through the final combination, then hit the accelerator as they headed to the final two fences. They popped the final Longines fence to rapturous applause – five rounds, all of them clear, with the mare at just 10 years old and in her first year at CSI5* level. So, the duo was guaranteed a medal, but one more round to determine what colour.
A week of competition would come down to one climatic round. Germany’s Richard Vogel and the handsome stallion United Touch S have looked every inch champions this week and duly delivered the clear to take the title, albeit with a few nervy moments, including rubbing each part of the treble when nearing the finish, but he was clear, much to the delight of the crowd. It’s Germany’s 16th individual FEI European Championship title – and on the lowest finishing score ever at just 0.01 – while the individual silver for Scott is his first of the colour in the European division, having won a bronze in 2013 in Herning. Belgium’s Gilles made it a championship to remember in realising his hopes for an individual medal with bronze.
Afterwards, a somewhat relieved Scott said; “She’s an incredible, incredible mare. In the warm-up, I actually felt that she was a bit tired, but she still goes into the ring and gives her absolute all – I think that shows what a fighter she is. Even the triple combination, I wanted to come in slowly, not too quick, but I actually waited one too many strides and she just showed such fight and spirit to come through it for you. What an incredible mare!
“She’s incredible, she’s fantastic, she knows she’s good. She’s like a small pony – she loves her food and is very greedy. She’s also quite lazy – you’d be surprised because she’s so excitable when she goes in the ring, but she’s quite lazy in and about the place and tries to cheat out of doing work, so we have to talk to each other now and again and come to a compromise.
“My owners [Lady Pauline Harris and Lady Pauline Kirkham] are jumping for joy on the end of the phone. They’ve been watching and they’re so thrilled with the mare. And there’s all my other team – everyone works so hard at home to get us to this place, to get us in that ring in the best possible shape, and they look after the horses incredibly well, which makes my life easier. These medals are for them as well – we’re a massive team and we’ll have a good celebration when we get home.”
A word of warning to the champagne and carrot sellers of West Sussex – Team Brash is heading your way and rightfully so.
Final individual placings
|
Gold |
Richard Vogel and United Touch S (GER) |
0.01 |
|
Silver |
Scott Brash and Hello Folie |
1.08 |
|
Bronze |
Gilles Thomas and Ermitage Kalone (BEL) |
1.32 |
|
Other British |
||
|
4th |
Ben Maher and Dallas Vegas Batilly |
2.35 |
|
10th |
Donald Whitaker and Millfield Colette |
4.67 |
|
11th |
Jess Mendoza and In the Air |
8.55 |
If you missed any of the action, you can view again via FEI.TV, powered by ClipMyHorse.TV, with a subscription. Plus, all the results are available on the Longines Timing site. Everything you need to know about the British squad and how the competition unfolded is available on the British Equestrian online Hub.
Report: British Equestrain
Image: Peter Nixon
