Beat Mändli and Dsarie were the anchors for the winning Swiss team. After Elian Baumann, Steve Guerdat and Martin Fuchs all jumped clear in the first round, Mändli did not have to jump. However, in the second round it fell on Mändli's shoulders to secure the win – which he did with a beautiful and ice-cool clear round to leave the Swiss team on a total score of four faults. All photos © Jenny Abrahamsson for World of Showjumping.
It was a Nations Cup full of twists and turns. After a superb first round with only one time penalty, Sweden's Angelica Augustsson Zanotelli and Kalinka van de Nachtegaele had a fall on the triple bar leading them to part ways. Kalinka then decided to jump out of the ring, which brought up the pulse on quite a few. Luckily, it all ended well and both horse and rider could walk out of the arena unscathed.
These two – Harrie Smolders and Willem Greve – delivered one clear round each for the Dutch team that ended 7th. Willem Greve rode Zypria S N.O.P. to a clear in the first round and Harrie Smolders Dolinn N.O.P. to a clear in the second round. Here during the team presentation before the Nations Cup.
It was an emotional day for the Swiss team in La Baule on Friday – winning the Nations Cup in the afternoon, following a huge loss that same morning as Steve Guerdat’s Albführen's Bianca passed away after having been diagnosed with a brain tumor. Two years after their last win in La Baule, then with Steve and Bianca on the team, it was hard to hold the tears back for Steve's groom and Bianca's caretaker Emma Uusi-Simola – here with Swiss Chef d'Equipe Michel Sorg.