Ask anyone who knew him: there was never a question that FischerChipmunk FRH would be great. The only real question was when.
Happily, it’s a story that now has an answer, thanks to the 16-year-old Hanoverian gelding’s individual gold medal last weekend at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Yet for all his many fans, FischerChipmunk FRH’d impending superstardom under Germany’s Michael Jung had become an ever-more-pressing question in recent years.
Despite an obviously, early flair for dressage that saw the handsome, leggy gelding putting up sub-20 scores at both the 2018 World Equestrian Games (WEG) in Tryon and the CCI3* Braham Horse Trials that same year, “Chipmunk” couldn’t quite seem to close.
Over the course of his career, the son of Contendro I has won more than 20 international events and—thanks to that dressage prowess—he holds the record for the lowest finishing score at a five-star: 20.1 at the CCI5*-L Kentucky Three Day Event in 2022.
But when it comes to individual wins at major championships, historically, things just haven’t gone Chipmunk’s way.
Take the WEG back in 2018, when despite that stellar 19.9 dressage score, he and then-rider Julia Krajewski of Germany had an uncharacteristic run-out on cross-country, dropping them down to 39th place individually.
That’s a bit of bad luck, to be sure, and it wasn’t all Krajewski’s.
Due to a change in ownership in 2019, after a successful six years together, Chipmunk moved to her countryman Michael Jung’s stable. At the time, it was a blow for Krajewski, who expressed her sorrow on Instagram, writing, “After some very emotional [months] I now ultimately lost the rider on this very special horse…
“I will remember [Chipmunk] as this kind, genuine, brave yet sensitive horse who always gives his all and did so much to do us proud!”
As they say, though, for every door that closes, a window opens, and Krajewski quickly went on to win the sport’s biggest prize: the individual Olympic championship in Tokyo in 2020/202 aboard Amande de B’Neville.
Her former partner’s slump, however, wasn’t quite over.
At the time, the super-human Jung—who also competes up to the Grand Prix level in pure dressage and the FEI World Cup level in pure show jumping—was already a two-time individual Olympic eventing gold medalist (with another team gold in the trophy case) thanks to his partnership with La Biosthetique-Sam FBW.
The eventing world at large held its breath—well aware of the fact that the sheer combination of Chipmunk/Jung horse-human talent had all the makings of an indomitable, international partnership.
Their first big test was the long-awaited Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021, where they once again led after dressage. Unfortunately, they broke a frangible pin on cross country, winding up eighth overall.
Chipmunk and Jung carried their dressage advantage a little further one year later at the 2022 World Championships in Pratoni Del Vivaro, Italy. But then, they had two down in show jumping, dropping them off the podium and into fifth place.
Last year, at the 2023 Europeans at Haras du Pin, France, they fell on cross country.
In both the 2023 Europeans and the World Championships in 2022, Chipmunk and his rider helped the German team earn silver and gold medals, respectively. But individual glory—at least on the scale Jung is used to, and that Chipmunk seemed all-but-destined to reach—continued to elude them.
Which is perhaps why this weekend’s fairytale ending in Paris was such a treat. Despite being the strongest dressage horse in the field according to EquiRatings, Chipmunk and Jung sat in a close second place after Day 1 on a score of 17.8, compared to leaders Laura Collett and London 52’s record-breaking 17.5.
Based purely on the stats, that very placing might be the key to vanquishing the gelding’s curse.
Also according to EquiRatings, just two of the past 11 Olympic champions were in first place after dressage. And, indeed, despite a very popcorn-worthy match race between Collett and Jung, at the end of the day, the German champion and Chipmunk, the horse that was promised, finally made good in fitting style.
Not only does this win make Jung the first, three-time individual Olympic eventing gold medalist in history, but their finishing score of 21.8 becomes the new Olympic score to beat, ending David O’Connor’s (USA) previous Sydney Games record of 23.3, which held for 24 years.
Because if you’re going to shatter the world’s most famous eventing curse, you might as well swing for the fences.
Congratulations FischerChipmunk FRH! We never doubted you for a minute.