LLN, We Have a Problem

The first leg of the 2025 Longines League of Nations kicked off with a whimper in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.

The FEI’s flagship Nations Cup series was reimagined in 2024 as a premier league that sees the world’s top 10 nations compete over four legs around the globe, culminating with the final in Barcelona. Only it wasn’t the world’s best this weekend in the United Arab Emirates.

Or even their second best.

Not one name from the world top 10 appeared on the start list. Only four were ranked top 50—France’s Simon Delestre (no. 13) and Kevin Staut (no. 15) and Ireland’s Denis Lynch (no. 22) and Michael Pender (no. 33). Three of the four combinations on Team USA had never even competed on a 5* Nations Cup team.

In short: For an elite Nations Cup, Abu Dhabi was notably short on elite riders.

Even this weekend’s Longines Hong Kong International Horse Show, a location more distant and with just 18 international starters in the Grand Prix, saw world no. 8 Richard Vogel, no. 9 Max Kühner and two-time Olympic team gold medalist Scott Brash compete.

Unsurprisingly, the teams with the highest ranked riders jumped to the podium.

But one delivered a standout performance. Ireland finished on a score of zero with clear rounds from Lynch (Vistogrand), Pender (HHS Los Angeles, and Trevor Breen (Highland President). Jason Foley debuted his brand new partner Chedington Hazy Toulana at the LLN and was the drop score with just two time faults.

“I’m very proud of my boys,” said Irish chef d’equipe Michael Blake.

“It feels very, very good—I’m not going to lie,” laughed Breen, returning from a serious injury that required surgery. “It was a long road back. I just had to convince Michael that I was ready. I’m just over the moon that I could deliver.”

Host nation of the United Arab Emirates finished in second place on 8 faults. France took third on 12.

Whether Abu Dhabi is a predictor of what’s to come for the LLN this season remains to be seen.

This year’s series features Sweden, USA, Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Great Britain, Italy, Germany, France, and Ireland. The field will get stronger at the more accessible and showjumping centric legs in Ocala, Rotterdam and St. Tropez. But it will not feature world no. 2 Martin Fuchs nor no. 5 Steve Guerdat—Switzerland’s top two have boycotted the LLN series for prioritizing newer venues over the high atmosphere settings of traditional ones.