The final leg of the 2015 Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup Jumping Series – Europe Division One on August 7th at the Royal Dublin Horse Show determined the top seven nations that will move on to compete in the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup Final in Barcelona, Spain next month.
The top seven nations that have made the cut are Belgium, Switzerland, Great Britain, France, Ireland, Netherlands and Sweden, but Germany lies in eighth place on the final league leader board and will miss out alongside Italy. Spain has finished last, but will compete as hosts on their home ground.
The Europe Division 2 League still has two legs yet to go, in Gijon, Spain August 26 – 31, and Arezzo, Italy September 2-6, to determine which two nations from that league will move on to the final. Finland and Portugal currently lead the way.
The North America, Central American and Caribbean league has long been complete since the April event in Coapexpan, Mexico that qualified Mexico and the United States for the Nations Cup Final.
The Middle East league will be sending the nations of Qatar and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to compete at the final.
But back to the influential Europe Division One League – Germany, which was in overall 5th place going into Friday’s competition at Dublin, needed to place well to hang on to their place for the Final. Instead, Ireland flew up the standings by winning the FEI Nations Cup on their home soil, finishing the league in a comfortable 5th place behind France in 4th. Germany also missed out on the Nations Cup Final in 2013, the first year that the series was presented in its modern day format supported by Furusiyya. With just eight chances to qualify in the Europe Division One season, a sub-par performance can have a dramatic effect on whether or not a nation jumps in Barcelona. That was how the cards fell for the lower placed nations in Dublin, which will have to reassess and return to give it another try next year.
Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup 2015 Europe Division 1 Standings (after Round 8 in Dublin, Ireland):
1. Belgium – 350
2. Switzerland – 330
3. Great Britain – 315
4. France – 310
5. Ireland – 305
6. Netherlands – 295
7. Sweden – 295
8. Germany – 295
9. Italy – 255
10. Spain – 255