Strong Performance by German Equestrian Team in Rabat
The German equestrian team achieved a commendable third place at the Nations Cup held during the "Morocco Royal Tour 2026" in Rabat, Morocco. This prestigious event welcomed teams from eight nations and showcased exceptional talent in equestrian sports. The competition unfolded over two rounds, with the German squad initially displaying strong potential for victory. However, after a tense jump-off involving four teams tied on points, the German team ultimately settled for third place.
Team leader and co-national coach Ralf Runge assembled a talented quartet for the competition. The team consisted of Marie Ligges (27) riding the Westphalian mare Ballerina NRW, sired by Congress; Harm Lahde (39) on the stallion Oak Grove’s Commander Bond, a product of the Oldenburg International breeding association; Tom Schewe (28) with the Oldenburg gelding Congress Blue PS, another descendant of Congress; and Maximilian Lill (32) riding the Holsteiner stallion Kommandant, which descends from Comme il Faut. The Spanish course designer Santiago Varela Ullastres set a challenging but manageable course for the riders in the first round. Three teams finished without any faults, with Belgium clocking in at 223.75 seconds for three counting rides, followed closely by Germany at 224.66 seconds and France at 225.13 seconds. In the German team, Marie Ligges, Tom Schewe, and Maximilian Lill performed flawlessly, while Harm Lahde’s single fault became the discard score.
Thrilling Jump-Off Decides the Outcome
With the competitive nature of the event, the second round promised to be an exciting showdown. The anticipation grew as four teams finished the second round with only minor faults, tallying just four penalty points across Germany, Belgium, France, and Morocco. Consequently, a jump-off was necessary to determine the final standings. Ralf Runge sent Tom Schewe into the arena, who, as the German vice-champion of 2025 and one of the rising stars in show jumping, completed his round on Congress Blue PS without any faults, finishing in 34.93 seconds. However, this was slightly slower than the French rider Jeanne Sadran, who completed her round in 33.24 seconds on her horse Dexter de Kerglenn, and Moroccan rider Abdelkebir Quaddar, who clocked 33.78 seconds. Thus, Germany secured third place, while Belgium took fourth with a time of 33.94 seconds. Ralf Runge praised the course design, stating that it was "very well built" and expressed his satisfaction with the team's performance, noting, "We had two match points and could have sealed the deal. But I am totally happy with how this Nations Cup turned out."
In an additional highlight, Harm Lahde celebrated a notable success the day before the Nations Cup. He finished fifth in the Grand Prix riding the nine-year-old Westphalian gelding GSI Sir Dominator, sired by Dominator Z, over a challenging 1.55-meter course. The victory went to Abdullah Alsharbatly from Saudi Arabia, who rode the French mare Diriyah, also known as Dubai Du Cedre, previously ridden by French riders Julian Epaillard and Janne Friederike Meyer-Zimmermann.
As reported by pferdesport-deutschland.de.
