2011 European Eventing Championship

The 2011 European Eventing Championship was held from August 25 to August 28, 2011 in Luhmühlen, borough of the Samtgemeinde Salzhausen in Lower Saxony, Germany.

In was the 30th edition of the European Eventing Championships, first time held 1953 at Badminton House.

At the 2008 FEI-General Assembly in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Germany was chosen as the country to host the 2011 European Eventing Championship. Luhmühlen, location of the Luhmühlen Horse Trials, was chosen as the location for the event.

Luhmühlen had held the European Eventing Championships already in the years 1975, 1979, 1987 and 1999.

The European Eventing Championship was opended at the afternoon of Wednesday (August 24, 2011) with the opening ceremony “Ritte des Jahrhunderts” (rides of the century). Also on Wednesday the first horse inspection was held. The sport at the Championship had started on Thursday. On Sunday (August 28, 2011) the event had end with the medal ceremony.

The event was held at the eventing course in the “Westergellerser Heide” near Luhmühlen. Before the 2011 Luhmühlen Horse Trials, two months before the European Championship, the show ground of the course was completely rebuilt.

Main sponsor of the Championship was HSBC. Patroness of the event was German federal minister Ursula von der Leyen.

Unmodified since the first European Eventing Championship (with the exception of the European Championship 1997) two medal rankings are held at the Championships: the individual and the team medal ranking.

Since 2005 the European Championships are held as long format three-day event in the new format without steeplecase: dressage, cross country and show jumping.

Eleven teams and also individual riders started at the 2011 European Eventing Championship, in total 70 riders with their horses started. All teams could start with four riders, also each nation could start two extra individual riders. Germany as host nation could start with one team and eight extra individual riders.

The first part of the competition was the dressage phase, held on Wednesday and on Friday (August 25 and 26, 2011). Before the riders participate at the Championship, a test rider ("guinea pig") rides to test the systems. This task is performed by German eventing rider Anna Siemer with her horse Charlott.

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