Germany (by Adriana von Tilburg) Hanoverian born in 2004, Firth of Lorne (For Pleasure - Starlight x Stakkato) is a blue-blooded showjumper with a pedigree that shines with performers: sired by the Olympic medallist and multi-titled For Pleasure (by the legendary progenitor Furioso II), out of Starlight (by Stakkato, who was retired from international competition in 2012). In Firth of Lorne’s fourth generation more talented ancestors can be found, with Grannus, Spartan and Calypso II.
Firth of Lorne’s 2014 season was turbulently speckled with ups and downs. In May and his rider Kathrin Eckermann won the Longines Global Champions Tour of Hamburg. Two months later they needed to post their most important ride to stay clear in the Falsterbo Nations’ Cup for Germany – which they did. Two marvellous clear rounds for this up-and-coming partnership.
Everybody had high hopes for Aachen, one week after Falsterbo. The first round in the Nations’ Cup went perfectly, but the second round went dramatically wrong. They fell at the water jump, althouh luckily both were soon on their feet to leave the arena. Two days later, to everyone’s surprise, they started in the coveted Aachen Grand Prix, and once again the devil played with their destiny. They suffered another crashing fall, again after jumping the water. This time luck was not on their side. Kathrin Eckermann was taken to hospital with a broken collarbone and Firth of Lorne was sent to the clinic. Luckily, he sustained no career-threatening injury...
