It was a mixed bag of results for the American riders who traveled far and wide in order to attend the famed World Equestrian Festival, held annually in Aachen, Germany. But the world’s most prestigious multi-discipline, annual equestrian competition did not disappoint in awe-inspiring competition from the world’s best. Photographer John Minoprio captured these lasting images from Aachen 2011, enjoy. Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum had planned to retire her great mount Shutterfly this year, but after winning the Warsteiner Prize class in the Main Stadium on July 13, she decided to move his retirement up, so that he could go out on top. In front of a packed stadium on Sunday, Shutterfly was retired in a moving ceremony. Meredith couldn't hold back her tears as she gave a speech from the back of her horse, thanking him for his many years of incredible results in international show jumping