2018 FEI WORLD CUP JUMPING AND DRESSAGE FINALS 11 -15 APRIL - Inside FEI
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2018 FEI WORLD CUP JUMPING 11 -15 APRIL
AND DRESSAGE FINALS
feiworldcupfinals-paris.com
PRESS KIT
© photo credits: Isabel Werth: @FEI/Cara Grimshaw - McLain Ward: @FEI/Arnd
AccorHotelsArena.com
Bronkhorst
FORWARD BY SYLVIE ROBERT,
PRESIDENT OF GL EVENTS EQUESTRIAN SPORT
Dear friends of the media,
It is with great joy and immense happiness that we welcome you here in this brand-new
AccorHotels Arena in Paris for the 2018 Longines FEI World Cup Jumping and the FEI World
Cup Dressage Finals. We have dreamt of this global event; equestrian sport returning at the
highest international level to one of its historic birthplaces, we have wished for this with all
our hearts; today, I am particularly proud, on behalf of the whole team at GL events
Equestrian Sport and our key partners, amongst whom Longines, the Fédération Equestre
© Joël Philippon
Internationale and the Fédération Française d’Equitation, to present the results of a great
deal of passion and work over several years to you.
Paris has not been the venue for a world equestrian event of this kind for over 25 years; now
that there is a new sporting wind blowing through the City of Light, which has its sights set
on the 2024 Olympic Games, we are thrilled by the trust that the institutions, riders, owners,
sponsors and the public have placed in us by entrusting us with the organisation of these
Finals in the AccorHotels Arena. We hope that it will be an amazing and memorable
experience. It is a huge challenge, but the celebration will be all the better for it. Bringing
together the best riders of today and tomorrow, in this renovated cauldron, where some of
the greatest pages in the history of our sport have been written: what an honour!
I would like to spare a thought for Jacinte Giscard d’Estaing who passed away a few weeks
ago. Jacinte was one of the first to see the potential of the GL events Group for organising
FEI World Cup Jumping legs. It was in Lyon in 2009. She has left an indelible mark on the
major French equestrian events and these finals in Paris are dedicated to her.
So on behalf of all your hosts, organisers, private and public partners, inhabitants of Paris
and the Parisian region, I would like to welcome you to Paris and the amazing Longines FEI
World Cup Jumping and the FEI World Cup Dressage Finals.
3
THE FINALS IN A FEW FIGURES
. ALMOST 300 HORSES (COMPETITIONS AND SHOWS)
. 400 BOXES
. A VETERINARY CLINIC EXTENDING OVER 150 M²
. 6,200 M² OF SAND RINGS
3
. 1,240 M OF SAND, REPRESENTING 2,130 TONNES OF SAND
. 8 TONNES OF STRAW
. 60 TONNES OF BEDDING
3
. 500 M OF MANURE PRODUCED
. 5 DAYS OF COMPETITION
. 40,000 PEOPLE EXPECTED
. APPROXIMATELY 700, 000 FÉDÉRATION FRANÇAISE D’ÉQUITATION (FRENCH EQUESTRIAN
FEDERATION) LICENCE HOLDERS
THIRD LEADING FRENCH SPORTING FEDERATION
5
THE LONGINES FEI WORLD CUP JUMPING AND THE FEI WORLD CUP
DRESSAGE FINALS:
BACK TO A MYTHICAL VENUE!
Press release, April 2018
THE 2018 FEI WORLD CUP JUMPING AND
DRESSAGE FINALS 11-15 APRIL
feiworldcupfinals-paris.com
The Longines FEI World Cup Jumping Final and the FEI World Cup Dressage Final that bring
the 2017-2018 season to a close, will return to a venue where some of the greatest pages
in the history of equestrian sport have been written: the AccorHotels Arena in Paris. The
© photo credits: Isabel Werth: @FEI/Cara Grimshaw - McLain Ward: @FEI/Arnd Bronkhorst
GL events Group, the organiser of the Equita exhibition and the last French finals which
AccorHotelsArena.com
were held in Lyon in 2014, will be in charge of the organisation. We look forward to seeing
you from 11 to 15 April 2018.
A RARE EVENT
Intense moments of sport in front of 40,000 spectators throughout the whole the event, in a
brand-new arena: this is what awaits Parisian and international audiences at the AccorHotels
Arena from 11 to 15 April 2018, thanks to the GL events Group, Longines, the Fédération
Equestre Internationale and the Fédération Française d'Equitation. It is only the third time
that France will simultaneously host both the jumping and dressage finals, which attract the
best riders on the planet every year. With regards to jumping, these "indoor world
championships" were invented in 1978, by a Swiss journalist, Max Ammann at the request of
Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, the then president of the Fédération Equestre
Internationale. They were modelled on the skiing World Cup and aimed at improving media
coverage of horse riding. It is a global competition bringing together the best riders in the
world who must qualify for the event on their own continents through regional leagues. The
European league is recognised as the most difficult and the thirteen qualifying legs include
two French cities, Lyon in November and Bordeaux in February.
PARIS AND THE FEI WORLD CUPS: SOME THE GREATEST PAGES OF EQUESTRIAN HISTORY
Ever since the Palais Omnisport de Paris-Bercy opened in 1984, horses and the Jumping World Cup have written some
great pages of their history in the French capital. The first winner of a Grand Prix World Cup leg in Bercy, in April 1984, was
Fritz Ligges, riding Ramzes ahead of the Brazilian wizard Nelson Pessoa on Larramy. The venue went on to host some
magnificent sporting occasions including, in 1987, the first World Cup final ever to be held in France, won by the American
rider Katherine Burdsall and The Natural, the first jumping horse to be sold for over $1 million. Four years later, in 1991,
the first French World Cup Dressage Final saw victory of the black stallion Matador, ridden by Finland’s Kyra Kyrklund. On
the show jumping circuit, it was the era of the historic duels between Jappeloup (the winner in 1986) and Milton (victory
over Jappeloup in 1988, and winner again in 1990). Moreover, it was at the truly magical POPB that Great Britain's John
Whitaker chose to ride in 1992 to bid farewell to this horse that has left an indelible mark on its sport.
The AccorHotels Arena was renovated in 2015 and is once again ready to resonate to the sound of the hooves of this year’s
greatest horses. A sound that audiences here will soon find familiar: both the Longines FEI Jumping and the FEI Dressage
Finals are set to become regular features in Paris. The story begins again. The story continues.
PRESS CONTACTS
GL EVENTS EQUESTRIAN SPORT C/O BLIZKO COMMUNICATION
Daniel Koroloff - Juliette Feytout - Mob. : +33 (0)6 11 02 18 12
daniel@blizko-communication.com - juliette@blizko-communication.com
SPECIALISED PRESS - R&B PRESSE
Pascal Renauldon - Solenn Rispail - Mob. : +33 (0)6 08 75 94 07
p.renauldon@rbpresse.com - solenn@rbpresse.com
7
PROGRAMME (subject to change) TUESDAY 10 APRIL (INACCESSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC) 9am to 12noon: FWC Jumping veterinarian inspection 2.30pm to 4.30 pm: FWC Jumping warm-up 1.30pm to 4pm: CSI2* veterinarian inspection 4.30pm to 6.30pm: CSI2* warm-up WEDNESDAY 12 APRIL 8.30am to 11.10am: CSI2* temps différé (single phase) 1m35 12.30pm to 3.50pm: The Longines FEI World CupTM warm-up class temps différé (single phase) 1m45 3.50pm to 4.20pm: show 5.15pm to 7.55pm: CSI2* Table A against the clock without a jump-off 1m40 8pm: Draw + award at Paris City Hall THURSDAY 12 APRIL 8am to 8.45am: FWC Dressage veterinarian inspection 8.45am to 11am: FWC Dressage training session 12 noon to 2.15pm: CSI Non-WC Table A against the clock without a jump-off 1m45 2.15pm to 2.45pm: show 3.45pm to 7pm: CSI2* Table A against the clock with a jump-off 1m45 8.30pm to 10.30pm: The Longines FEI World CupTM Jumping Final I hunting competition 10.30pm: show FRIDAY 13 APRIL 6am to 7.30am: FWC Dressage training session 8.15am to 10.55am: CSI2* Table A against the clock without a jump-off 1m35 11.45 am to 2pm: CSI Non-WC Table A against the clock without a jump-off 1m50
2pm to 2.30pm: show
3.30pm to 6.50pm: The FEI World CupTM Dressage Final I
8.30pm to 11.15pm: The Longines FEI World CupTM Jumping Final II Table A against the clock
with a jump-off
11.15pm: show
SATURDAY 14 APRIL
6am to 8am: dressage training session + soundcheck 9am
to 1pm: CSI2* Table A against the clock with a jump-off
1m40
2pm to 5.35pm: The FEI World CupTM Dressage Grand Prix Freestyle Final II
5.35pm to 6.25pm: show - combined horse motorbike carousel display
8.30pm to 11.30pm: CSI Non-WC Table A against the clock with a jump-off 1m55/1m60
11.30pm: show
SUNDAY 15 APRIL
9.45am to 12.20pm: CSI2* Grand Prix Table A against the clock with a jump-off 1m45
2pm to 3.10pm: The Longines FEI World CupTM Jumping Final III - First round
3.20pm to 3.40pm: show - medley performance by the French Republican Guard
4.35pm to 5.40pm: The Longines FEI World CupTM Jumping Final III - Second round
5.50pm: flag transmission
9
TABLE OF CONTENTS
FORWARD BY SYLVIE ROBERT,
PRESIDENT OF GL EVENTS EQUESTRIAN SPORT P. 3
THE FINALS IN A FEW FIGURES P.5
PRESS RELEASE:
THE LONGINES FEI WORLD CUP JUMPING AND THE FEI WORLD CUP
DRESSAGE FINALS:
BACK TO A MYTHICAL VENUE! P.6
PROGRAMME P.8
THE LONGINES FEI WORLD CUP JUMPING:
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW P.12
TM
THE 2017/2018 LONGINES FEI WORLD CUP JUMPING CIRCUIT P.12
THE 2017/2018 WESTERN EUROPEAN LEAGUE P.13
A FEW FIGURES P.13
GUIDE TO THE LONGINES FEI WORLD CUP JUMPING FINAL P.14
THE GREAT HISTORY OF THE LONGINES FEI WORLD CUP JUMPING P.16
FRENCH RIDERS AND THE LONGINES FEI WORLD CUP JUMPING P.20
LIST OF WINNERS OF THE LONGINES FEI WORLD CUP JUMPING P.21
MC LAIN WARD: “KEEPING THE TITLE IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR ME,
ESPECIALLY IN PARIS” P.22
KEVIN STAUT MY KINGDOM FOR A WORLD CUP P.26
ESSENTIAL FACTS YOU NEED TO KNOW FOR A SHOW JUMPING COMPETITION P.30
QUALIFIED RIDERS P.34THE FEI WORLD CUP DRESSAGE:
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW P.36
TM
THE 2017/2018 FEI WORLD CUP DRESSAGE CIRCUIT P.36
THE 2017/2018 EUROPEAN LEAGUE P.36
A FEW FIGURES P.37
GUIDE TO THE FEI WORLD CUP DRESSAGE FINAL P.38
THE BACKGROUND OF THE FEI WORLD CUP DRESSAGE P.40
LIST OF WINNERS OF THE FEI WORLD CUP DRESSAGE P.41
TH
ISABELL WERTH: TOWARDS A...24 TITLE? P.42
ESSENTIAL FACTS YOU NEED TO KNOW FOR A DRESSAGE COMPETITION P.46
QUALIFIED RIDERS P.49
CSI 2* AND CSI NON-WC: NON-STOP GREAT SPORT P.51
TM
ACTIVITIES ORGANISED AROUND THE FEI WORLD CUP FINALS:
FRENCH-STYLE EQUESTRIAN ART AT ITS GREATEST LEVEL P.52
WHAT TO DO IN PARIS DURING THE FEI WORLD CUPTM FINALS P.54
PARTNERS P.59
LONGINES AND GL EVENTS EQUESTRIAN SPORT: A LONG-TERM COLLABORATION
DEDICATED TO EQUESTRIAN SPORT P.60
ORGANISATION P.62
TICKETING FOR THE LONGINES FEI WORLD CUP™ JUMPING AND THE FEI WORLD CUP™
DRESSAGE FINALS P.66
PRACTICAL INFORMATION FOR THE PRESS P.67
TV FOOTAGE AVAILABLE ON EUROVISION P.68
11THE LONGINES FEI WORLD CUP JUMPING: WHAT YOU
NEED TO KNOW
THE 2017/2017 LONGINES FEI WORLD CUP JUMPING CIRCUIT
Since 1979, several leagues spread over all five continents have been competing in
the World Cup. These qualifying circuits allow the 40 finalists who will battle it out at the
AccorHotels Arena from 11 to 15 April 2018 to be determined.
R&B Presse
The Western European League is the most important since it alone qualifies 18 riders. The
nations which dominate this sport are situated in Europe (Germany, France, Switzerland,
Great Britain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Austria and Norway). The other great show
jumping nations are the United States, Canada and Brazil.
R&B Presse
The Longines FEI World Cup Jumping is an annual competition which takes places during the
winter season (exclusively indoor, at least in Europe). The World Cup is won during a final
over three days of competition. The winner is crowned “the Longines FEI World Cup
Champion”. This should not be confused with the “World Champion” title. The current
titleholder is America’s McLain Ward.
Each league (16 leagues and sub-leagues) has its own ranking, determined by adding the
points together accumulated over the legs (13 in Western Europe this season). The slates
are been wiped clean for the final and should not be confused with the Longines World
Rankings.The 2017/ 2018 Western League:
1- Oslo, Norway, 15 October 2017 (winner: Daniel Deusser GER)
2- Helsinki, Finland, 22 October 2017 (winner: Jur Vrieling, NED)
3 - Verona, Italy, 29 October 2017 (winner: Maikel Van der Vleuten NED)
4- Lyon, France, 5 November 2017 (winner: Simon Delestre FRA)
5- Stuttgart, Germany, 19 November 2017 (winner: Steve Guerdat, SUI)
6- Madrid, Spain, 25 November 2017 (winner: Roger–Yves Bost, FRA)
7- A Coruña, Spain, 10 December 2017 (winner: Edwina Tops-Alexander, AUS)
8 - London, Great Britain, 17 December 2017 (winner: Julien Epaillard, FRA)
9- Mechelen, Belgium, 30 December 2017 (winner: Harrie Smolders, NED)
10 - Leipzig, Germany, 21 January 2018 (winner: Christian Ahlmann, GER)
11 - Zurich, Switzerland, 28 January 2018 (winner: Stephanie Holmen, SWE)
12 - Bordeaux, France, 3 February 2018 (winner: Pieter Devos, BEL)
13 - Gothenburg, Sweden, 25 February 2018 (Henrik von Eckermann, SWE)
A FEW FIGURES
10 World Cup Final victories for the United States and Germany
4 World Cup Final victories for Austria and Switzerland
3 World Cup Final victories for Brazil, Canada and Great-Britain
1 World Cup Final victory for France and the Netherlands
4 Three-time winners of a World Cup Final: Hugo Simon, AUT (1979, 1996, 1997); Rodrigo Pessoa, BRA (1998, 1999, 2000);
Marcus Ehning, GER (2003, 2006, 2010); Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum, GER (2005, 2008, 2009)
5 women winners of a final, (almost) all are American: Melanie Smith in 1982, Leslie Burr Lenehan in 1986, Katharine
Burdsall in 1987, Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum (she adopted German citizenship, but was born in the United States) in
2005, 2008 and 2009, and Beezie Madden in 2013
7 years old - the age of the youngest horse to win a final, Aramis, ridden by Canada’s Mario Deslauriers in 1984
19 years old - the age of the youngest rider to win a final, the same Mario Deslauriers
16 years old - the age of the two oldest horses to win a final, Shutterfly (Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum, GER) and Flexible
(Rich Fellers, USA)
54 years old - the age of the oldest rider to win a final, Austria’s Hugo Simon
21 finals competed in by Germany’s Ludger Beerbaum
13GUIDE TO THE LONGINES FEI WORLD CUP JUMPING FINAL The forty finalists that will perform in the AccorHotels Arena have been qualified all year long through sixteen “regional” circuits. The Western European League and the North American Western Sub-League will be providing the biggest contingent for this final: 28 riders. After this long assault course, the slates will be wiped clean and then the real championship in three legs will begin. These rules haven’t changed since 1978 and the first victory for Hugo Simon. Get your calculators out! Day one (Thursday): the hunting competition! What was still called the "Hunting Competition" up until recently, where faults on the obstacles are penalised in seconds (now 4), is more a Grand Prix 1m50/1m55 Table C course, than a speed class. Course designers often slip in one or two options (to reduce the length of the track), which can play a decisive role and make this first event even more exciting. At the end of this prologue, competitors are awarded points based on their rankings. The leading rider is awarded a number of points equivalent to the number of starters + 1, subsequent riders are given points based on their reverse ranking. For example, with 40 starters, the first placed rider is awarded 41 points, the second, 39 and then 38, 37 etc. Eliminated riders or those who have retired get no points, but are allowed to compete on the second day. Day two (Friday): The classic Grand Prix One round, one jump-off as in the qualifying legs (1m60). Riders are awarded points using the same system as day one, (get your calculators out), which are then added to the points from the first day. Points differences are then turned into penalty points that are carried over into day three. The first-placed rider in the provisional rankings starts with 0 points. The others carry over the difference between their provisional total and that of the leader, divided by 2. (Half points do not count here, only whole numbers are used for the calculation).
Let's imagine that after the Grand Prix, Kevin Staut (chosen at random) is leading with a total of 80 points. On Sunday, he
will start with 0 points. McLain Ward is second with 78 points, 2 points less than Staut, so we divide that by 2, so he starts
on Sunday with 1 point.
The rider in 10th place for example, with 53 points, will have 80 – 53 = 27 points, divided by 2 = 13.5, but we subtract the
0.5 so he then goes into Sunday’s class with a 13-point handicap. With us so far?
To be honest, it’s not that easy. But don’t worry, Longines Timing will print out the provisional rankings at the end of each
day!
Day three (Sunday): the grand final in two rounds
There will only be about thirty riders (2/3 of the total number of competitors) starting in the first round of the grand final,
and around twenty (50%) in the second round. The riders start in reverse order of the rankings. The final is a Table A
without jump-off in which faults incurred in the two rounds are added to the points carried over from the first two days.
There'll be plenty of suspense with an occasional spectacular comeback (like Marcus Ehning’s in Geneva in 2010) and high
drama with leaders falling from grace (Mario Deslauriers the same year).
There will be no jump-off in the actual class, but there is an outside chance of a jump-off for the title or a medal in the
unlikely event of different riders tying with the same number of points over the three days. This happened in the first year
of the competition in 1979, then again in 1996 and in 2001 when Markus Fuchs deprived Rodrigo Pessoa and Baloubet of a
fourth consecutive title, and again more recently in 2012 and 2013. Five times in thirty-nine finals.
One last thing, the same rider can ride two different horses in the same final (as long as the horses in question have won
points on the qualifying circuit). This is the strategy that Kevin Staut and Harrie Smolders are planning for the AccorHotels
Arena. Marcus Ehning is the only rider in history to have won this World Cup with this particular tactic in 2010.
15THE GREAT HISTORY
OF THE LONGINES FEI WORLD CUP JUMPING FINAL
From 11 to 15 April, the AccorHotels Arena in Paris will host the final of the Fédération
TM
Équestre Internationale’s most prestigious circuits: the Longines FEI World Cup Jumping
Final. It will be the 40th final in history and only the 3rd in France.
The World Cup was created in 1978. The first final took place in the Scandinavium Arena in
Gothenburg, Sweden in April 1979. Austria’s Hugo Simon was the first winner of this
competition on the legendary Gladstone.
The following year in Baltimore, America’s Conrad Homfeld began a period of American
domination of the event that lasted exactly ten years. Homfeld won the World Cup Final
again in Berlin in 1985 on the legendary Abdulah, at the same time as Pierre Durand
achieved the best ever result for a French rider when he came third with Jappeloup.
Philippe Rozier in Paris in 1987 and Pierre Durand again in Gothenburg in 1988 and then in
Dortmund in 1990, still on Jappeloup, both improved on that performance by coming
second. In the same year, 1990, the trophy returned to Europe thanks to the wonderful
combination of Great Britain’s John Whitaker and Milton.
Like Conrad Homfeld (1980 and 1985) and Canada’s Ian Miller (1988 and 1989), John
Whitaker became the third two-time winner in 1991 in Gothenburg. Eighteen years after his
first victory, Austria’s Hugo Simon, riding the extraordinary E.T FRH in Geneva, joined the
club of two-time winners. The following year, the fourth man to win the competition twice
became the first three-time winner in the history of the World Cup, with a victory once again
on E.T in Gothenburg. The World Cup stayed in Europe until 1998, the year that it took off to
an entirely new continent, South America. This was when the most European of Brazilians,
Rodrigo Pessoa, lifted the trophy in Helsinki in April 1998 and kept it in 1999, achieving two
victories in a row, that became three in 2000 in Las Vegas.For his last two victories with the Selle Français stallion Baloubet du Rouet, Rodrigo Pessoa was in the lead from start to
finish.
The Brazilian set himself the challenge of achieving a fourth victory, and it was clearly within his grasp. Baloubet was just
the horse to rise to the occasion in Gothenburg in April 2001. But the French stallion, which hadn’t needed to win
qualifying points on the circuit, arrived in Sweden having taken part in few competitions beforehand. Nevertheless, Rodrigo
Pessoa came very close to achieving his goal, but was forced to give in to pressure from Switzerland’s Markus Fuchs and
Tinka’s Boy on the last day when they got the better of the titleholders in the jump-off.
The 2002 final was a great success on both the organisational and sporting fronts, with suspense right up to the last
minute. Germany of course had high hopes for the world number one, Ludger Beerbaum, but it was Otto Becker who put in
a steadier performance on his superb Holstein stallion, Dobel’s Cento.
In 2003, the finalists came face to face at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. Marcus Ehning with Anka, his second
mare, dominated the competition, bringing back a third title for Germany after a superb battle with Rodrigo Pessoa and
Sweden’s Malin Baryard. Apart from the Rodrigo Pessoa years, the trophy stayed firmly in Europe up until 2011… Twenty
years!
During the first twenty-five years of its history, no French rider managed to win the title, despite the fact that all the best
riders gave it a go including Durand, Rozier, Balanda, Bost and Godignon, sometimes only narrowly missing out. A glimmer
of hope came with a humble rider from France’s Nord department, a former heating engineer who had sacrificed his
income and free time to dedicate himself to his passion and his hunger for high-level competition. Through hard work and
sheer perseverance, Bruno Broucqsault made it into the French team in 2002. Then in 2004, from Berlin to Bordeaux and in
Scandinavia and Italy, with his little Dilème de Cèphe, Bruno earned his ticket to Milan where he snatched victory from the
rider who would become the first woman World number one several months later, Germany’s Meredith Michaels-
Beerbaum. This historic victory was accompanied by Eugénie Angot’s superb fourth place with Cigale du Taillis. 25 April
2004 is a date that will forever be inscribed in the annals of French riding.
17Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum was victorious again the following year in Las Vegas on a dazzling Shutterfly. In 2006, Germany continued to reign supreme in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where Marcus Ehning, befitting to a World number one, put in a dazzling performance with one of the most irresistible horses on the circuit, the stunningly handsome Sandro Boy. In 2007, it was back to Las Vegas where Meredith came within a hair’s breadth of winning a second title before she and Shutterfly decided to go their separate ways on the final turn! A misunderstanding, unusual for such a usually inseparable combination, that gave victory to Switzerland’s Beat Mändli and Ideo du Thot. But Meredith got her own back the following year in Gothenburg, and went on to achieve a hat trick in Las Vegas in 2009. Shutterfly was only the second horse after Baloubet du Rouet to win three times, and Meredith joined Hugo Simon and Rodrigo Pessoa in the “three-time winners’ club”. A tight-knit circle to which Marcus Ehning gained entry the following year in Geneva where for the first time a rider won the World Cup with two different horses. He competed in the first class, the hunting competition, on the whimsical Küchengirl, and finished the final in style on Plot Blue, with Mario Deslauriers failing to withstand the stress through to the last minute. The American rider, who was then still Canadian, had been the youngest winner of this final at the age of nineteen in 1984. After a German victory in Leipzig in 2011, where Christian Ahlmann won the qualifying leg every year when he was riding Taloubet Z, the trophy returned to North America the following year in Den Bosch with Rich Fellers and Flexible. An “Americanisation” once again that was reinforced by Beezie Madden with Simon in Gothenburg in 2012, the year that France stepped up to the podium once again in this legendary competition thanks to Kevin Staut and Silvana*HDC’s third place. For three years, 2014, 2015 and 2016, the trophy returned to Europe with victory in Lyon for Germany’s Daniel Deusser and Cornet d’Amour in 2014 and two wins for the 2012 Olympic champion, Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat in 2015 and 2016. At the AccorHotels Arena, the rider defending his title is decidedly American, none other than McLain Ward, who was victorious last year in the US. France is in with a strong chance: French riders have won several of the legs on the Western European qualifying circuit in the past few months. All will be revealed on 15 April!
FRENCH RIDERS
AND THE LONGINES FEI WORLD CUP JUMPING
In 1987, the FEI World Cup Jumping Final in Paris proved lucky for France as Philippe Rozier
was second. Both before and after him, other French riders have excelled on this top
international indoor riding circuit: Pierre Durand, Roger-Yves Bost, Bruno Broucqsault, Kevin
Staut, Pénélope Leprevost, etc. Olympic champions Pierre Durand and Jappeloup have been
the most consistent and combative in this competition, winning three medals and twice
© PSV JeanMorel
coming close to victory, beaten each time by a grey horse, Abdullah (Conrad Homfeld) in
1985 and the great Milton (John Whitaker) in 1991. There is still room for improvement
from French riders, who in forty years have won a total of eight out of 120 possible medals.
Will a French rider follow Bruno Broucqsault, the man from Northern France and winner in
Milan in 2004, on to the podium top spot in Paris in 2018?
French riders on the World Cup Jumping Final podiums, 1979-2016:
rd
Pierre Durand, Jappeloup, 3 , 1985, Berlin
nd
Philippe Rozier, Jiva, 2 , 1987, Paris
nd
Pierre Durand, Jappeloup, 2 , 1988, Gothenburg
nd
Pierre Durand, Jappeloup, 2 , 1990, Dortmund
Roger-Yves Bost, Norton de Rhuys, 3 , 1991, Gothenburg
rd
Bruno Broucqsault, Dileme de Cephe, 1 , 2004, Milan
st
Kevin Staut, Silvana*HDC, 3 ,2013, Gothenburg
rd
nd
Pénélope Leprevost, Vagabond de la Pomme, 2 , 2016, Las Vegas1998 Rodrigo Pessoa (BRA), 25 years old, with Baloubet du Rouet
WINNERS’ LIST
1999 Rodrigo Pessoa (BRA), 26 years old, with Baloubet du Rouet
2000 Rodrigo Pessoa (BRA), 27 years old, with Baloubet du Rouet
1979 Hugo Simon (AUT), 36 years old, with Gladstone
2001 Markus Fuchs (SUI), 45 years old, with Tinka's Boy
1980 Conrad Homfeld (USA), 28 years old, with Balbuco
2002 Otto Becker (GER), 43 years old, with Dobel's Cento
1981 Michael Matz (USA), 30 years old, with Jet Run
2003 Marcus Ehning (GER), 29 years old, with Anka
1982 Melanie Smith (USA), 32 years old, with Calypso
2004 Bruno Broucqsault (FRA), 45 years old, with Dileme de Cephe
1983 Norman Dello Joio (USA), 26 years old, with I Love You
2005 Meredith M.-Beerbaum (GER), 31 years old, with Shutterfly
1984 Mario Deslauriers (CAN), 19 years old, with Aramis
2006 Marcus Ehning (GER), 32 years old, with Sandro Boy
1985 Conrad Homfeld (USA), 33 years old, with Abdullah
2007 Beat Mändli (SUI), 37 years old, with Ideo du Thot
1986 Leslie Burr Lenehan (USA), 29 years old, with McLain
2008 Meredith M.-Beerbaum (GER), 34 years old, with Shutterfly
1987 Katharine Burdsall (USA), 28 years old, with The Natural
2009 Meredith M.-Beerbaum (GER), 35 years old, with Shutterfly
1988 Ian Millar (CAN), 41 years old, with Big Ben
2010 Marcus Ehning (GER), 36 years old, with Plot Blue & Küchengirl
1989 Ian Millar (CAN), 42 years old, with Big Ben
2011 Christian Ahlmann (GER), 37 years old, with Taloubet Z
1990 John Whitaker (GBR), 34 years old, with Milton
2012 Rich Fellers (USA), 52 years old, with Flexible
1991 John Whitaker (GBR), 35 years old, with Milton
2013 Beezie Madden (USA), 50 years old, with Simon
1992 Thomas Frühmann (AUT), 41 years old, with Genius
2014 Daniel Deusser (GER), 33 years old, with Cornet d’Amour
1993 Ludger Beerbaum (GER), 29 years old, with Ratina Z
2015 Steve Guerdat (SUI), 32 years old, with Albfuehren’s Paille
1994 Jos Lansink (NED), 33 years old, with Libero H
2016 Steve Guerdat (SUI), 33 years old, with Corbinian
1995 Nick Skelton (GBR), 38 years old, with Dollar Girl
2017 McLain Ward (USA), 42 years old with HH Azur
1996 Hugo Simon (AUT), 53 years old, with E.T.
1997 Hugo Simon (AUT), 54 years old, with E.T.
21MCLAIN WARD (USA) :
“KEEPING THE TITLE IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR ME, ESPECIALLY IN
PARIS”
New Yorker McLain Ward is one of the greats when it comes to winners of the Longines FEI
World Cup Jumping. One of the rare riders who was in the lead from start to finish,
winning each of the three classes, without knocking down the slightest rail, thanks to a
particularly brilliant Belgian mare, HH Azur. After a career littered with setbacks, in
particular a questionable elimination in 2010 during the final in Geneva, where he was in
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lead, McLain became one of the most important riders in this sport, on Sunday, 2 April
2017 in Omaha. Interview with the 42-year-old who has recently become a father.
How did you become a professional rider? Who are you thankful to for becoming one of
the best riders in the world?
The short story is I did not know how to do anything else! The longer story is both my
parents were professionals, my father was a top Grand Prix rider, so it was definitely in the
family genes. As I became a young teenager I started to have some success that has
propelled me to want to pursue it to the highest level I could. That set the course. As far as
people to thank, the list is endless, that could be a whole book in itself. None of us gets to
where we are without incredible support and education and people from various walks of
life behind us. The desire to do the sport and to be in the business of horses also was in me
from very early on.
Where are you based and how are you organized with your horses?
We are based in Brewster, New York, about an hour north of New York City. We spend the
winters in Wellington, Florida, where we have a smaller operation. We run a kind of very
nice boutique size sales business, somewhere between 20 and 30 horses. It is a size that
allows me to pursue the sport at the highest level while dealing as well. I typically ride 5 to 8
horses a day. The life of a rider now is taking on a lot of different responsibilities, so
sometimes I ride less, sometimes more. The sport has grown and I have a lot of good people
behind me, particularly French staff at the moment actually.I have also two barn managers who I have worked with for years and make things run. Everybody pulls their weight in my
operation.
Do you deal a lot?
Yes, we sell between 40 and 50 horses a year.
Do you train youngsters for yourself, for high level?
We do but we would like to do more of that actually. Unfortunately the model for producing young horses in the United
States is not as good as it is in Europe. The system here is more based on amateurs and young riders. It is a struggle to be
able to train young horses but we do because you obviously need a pipeline for the future.
As owner of your top horses Double H is your main sponsor, do you have other sponsors as well?
Double H Farm is our primary sponsor but Sagamore Farms has also been a great supporter of ours for many years, they
are the owner of Rothchild and many other top horses. I also have few private people like Susan Heller and Tom Grossman
who was a part owner of Sapphire. We have people who contribute in different ways and try to support us and be part of
what we are doing.
How is the final in Paris shaping up?
The plan is to take Azur. She started competing at the beginning of February and – touch wood – she feels good. So the
plan is to build her up for the final in Paris. Keeping the title is very important for me. The horses are in the prime of their
career. Nothing would make me happier than not only to defend my title but to do it in a place like Paris! From a horse side
of things, France has always been a very supportive country for me in the sport; not only with the business that I have done
or because it is where a lot of my horses come from but even the difficult moments, like in Geneva, which is close to
France, where I got a lot of support from everyone, I always feel very welcome and at home.
What is the most important for you this year: the World Cup Final in Paris or medals at the World Equestrian Games
which will be held in the United States?
They are both very important. They are the two major goals for this year for myself, everything is getting ready for that.
When we sat down at the end of last year and really thought about this season those were the underlined moments.
23You are currently preparing your horses outdoors in the sun in Wellington. Will it be challenging to suddenly compete indoors? Aren’t you going to prepare the indoor event beforehand? It depends on the horse. HH Azur handles the transition quite well and she will not need to do an indoor competition beforehand. In Wellington we are competing on sand so the surface is similar. We compete at night so we have that indoor atmosphere. Yes, the ring is bigger but it is the same size as in Geneva for example. The mare just handles any venue well, she does not get bothered by changes. Last year we did the same thing. How do you prepare a horse for a World Cup Final? The most important thing is to keep the horse fresh and healthy. She will be doing three shows in Wellington to make sure she is in a groove, ready to go so to speak. Then we will give her a little rest, she will not compete for the last three weeks between her last show and the final. We have a plan, try to stick to it and not make too many changes. Who will be your biggest challenger in this final? Who are you most worried about? I respect many of my competitors. I think with this horse right now, my focus is on being the best we can be and if we are the best we can be, we have a very good chance to win. I do not worry too much about what the others are doing because I am confident that if we are at our best, we are going to be a problem for them. Are you fulfilled by this sport? Could you imagine yourself doing any other sport at the top level? Which one? At this point at my age, I do not think I could do any other sport at the top level, so I am quite happy with where I am. Of course, I have some other interests. My wife and I, for example, have developed some properties and houses and we enjoy it as a hobby and the creative side of it. At the end of the day, I very much love what I do, it is always interesting and changing, we get to work with another living being, it obviously brings a lot of dimension to our life. Now we do this as a family with our daughter and our friends; it is a nice existence.
McLain is an unusual first name, where does it come from?
I was named after a gentleman my mother and father both knew. He was a member of the McKinney family, they were a
very famous skier family here in the United States. Tamara McKinney skied in the World Cup. She was the first American to
win a World Cup season title. The whole family rode horses and my mother was involved in helping them at different times
and from there comes the name.
1 : When he was in the lead in the 2010 World Cup Final in Geneva with Sapphire, McLain Ward was eliminated after the
second class following a thermography exam.
2 :: In this famous family, Steve McKinney, a speed skier, was the first to break the 200 km/h barrier in 1978, in Portillo.
25KEVIN STAUT: MY KINGDOM FOR A WORLD CUP
The French number 1 arrives at the AccorHotels Arena as the best French rider after the
qualifying legs of the Western European league. Will he finally manage to win a Longines
FEI World Cup Jumping Final? Kevin Staut loves this circuit and adores this particular
event, and would surely be ecstatic with a win. He tells us why he loves it so much.
What is it that makes you so passionate about the Longines FEI World Cup?
There are two circuits that mean a lot to me, the outdoor Nations Cup and this one. They are
both long-standing FEI series that became part of established competitions with their own
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loyal and supportive following. A lot of thought went into how this was done. Our sport is
currently experiencing tremendous momentum with new sponsors and a lot of money, but
these competitions are becoming more audio-visual events and less places where sports
fans come together. You only need to see and hear the public at the French legs of the
World Cup in both Lyon and Bordeaux to realise that you are at a major sporting event, and I
love that. You get the same feeling during the outdoor season at established CSIO events like
La Baule, Aachen, Calgary and Dublin. For me, that's what sport is really about, and that's
where you get the kind of atmosphere that pushes you to go one better. You feel as if you're
being "carried" by something that has become increasingly rare in our sport. It's wonderful
that every weekend we can take part in competitions with major prize money but they just
don't have the atmosphere of the big events, like the one we can look forward to at
AccorHotels Arena.
What is your best personal memory of this Longines FEI World Cup Jumping?
I put a lot of energy into the qualifying circuit and usually do very well, but I haven't yet
managed to create that "good memory" with a significant result in the finals, although I did
come third in Gothenburg in 2013. I came 7th in my first final, followed by 6th, then 5th,
then 3rd but it hasn't gone any further than that. However, each time I am qualified for the
Final, Istill go back there with the same motivation. I haven't given up, I know that it will happen one day and I’ll create that
“best memory”. My personal history with the World Cup is more about loyalty to the event than anything else. When a
new World Cup season gets going, I hear riders moaning about having to travel to Oslo, Helsinki and so on, but I really look
forward to going into battle again, even though they're the same competitions and the same venues. I find it both
comforting and exciting. I'm totally captivated by this circuit. It has changed in many ways, but that just adds a certain
novelty factor. For example, the Basel leg replacing the Zurich one next year. But each competition on the circuit has its
own particular appeal, its own audience, history, authenticity and identity. It's this kind of diversity that makes the circuit
so well balanced.
What did you think of this particular event before you became a key player?
I used to be a big fan, and I would watch the coverage of the national legs broadcast on French television as well as
coverage of a competition that I'm particularly fond of, the one at Olympia in London that’s shown on Eurosport. All these
competitions had, and still have, their own very personal stamp. For example, in London there is the puissance and the
Christmas atmosphere. All the legs had the World Cup class in common and each then put its own personal stamp on the
rest of the programme, and when I was a kid, I used to really enjoy watching that.
In your opinion, who has been the best winner in the history of the World Cup?
Steve Guerdat in Gothenburg in 2016 with Carbonian. With several weeks to go, here was a horse that had us wondering if
he was going to be ready. That's when we saw Steve the competitor, the real warrior. His performance transcended
everything else. He led the class from start to finish. He wanted to make up for the previous year’s victory in Las Vegas with
Albfuehren's Paille that he considered undeserved and frustrating; he knocked down two rails in the final class. He felt that
he had not ridden in a manner befitting a win and wanted to redeem himself as a great champion in Gothenburg. Redeem
himself from a win!
France has only had one winner who remains the biggest outsider in history at this World Cup: Bruno Broucqsault in
2004. There's been no one else. None of our great champions, yourself included, with a string of other titles, has
managed it. How do you explain that?
There is perhaps a technical reason for this. As a country, we don’t have a very highly developed indoor circuit, except for
the 5* shows. There are some indoor shows, but much fewer than in Germany, Holland and Belgium where from a very
young age, horses gain experience at 1* and 2* shows. We don't have any winter series, we wait for the outdoor season to
start on the big grass arenas. Indoor competitions aren’t really part of our culture in France.
27Will the fact that this final is being held in France at the AccorHotels Arena in Paris be an extra motivating factor for you? Of course. We had the maximum number of French riders qualify, all determined to give of our best in front of a Parisian crowd. It's very important for us that this final is taking place in Paris. Have you already planned your strategy and which horse you'll ride in the final? Rêveur de Hurtebise? It hasn't yet been completely decided, I may opt for a 2-horse plan with the idea of conserving his energy a bit for the World Equestrian Games this year. In that case, I would use another horse first to get the maximum performance in the hunting competition. Is McLain Ward with HH Azur on top form unbeatable? Of course McLain Ward is indisputably one of the favourites, but he won't be the only one. Harrie Smolders, for example, is showing top form at the moment with Zenius and Emerald, both of which he will probably ride in Paris.
ESSENTIAL FACTS YOU NEED TO KNOW
FOR A SHOW JUMPING COMPETITION
To understand and appreciate a show jumping competition, you need to be familiar with
certain terms and what they mean. If you don’t understand equestrian jargon, chances are
you’ll feel like the announcers and commentators at a Grand Prix are speaking
gobbledegook. The following list will help you understand the basics to be able to follow a
horse show like an expert.
Athlete: Equestrianism is the only sport in which two living beings, a horse and a rider,
compete together.
Horse: A horse is the result of many years of work by breeders who have studied equine
genetics in detail before breeding it. A young horse begins its sporting career at the age of 3
with light work once it has been broken in (the first time it is ridden). It generally starts
competing at the age of 4. When it is 6 years old, it is possible to detect if it has the talent to
become a top competitor, and it can then begin its international career. From then on,
stallions, geldings and mares compete in the same classes. A good horse becomes successful
at the age of 8, and the peak of its career is between 10 and 15 years old, with some horses
competing up to the age of 20. Most show jumping horses are bred in France, Germany, the
Netherlands and Belgium.
Rider: The rider is not just someone who sits on a horse and does nothing. He or she does
more than just ride the horse. Generally speaking, riders start very young. The rider is the
brains of the combination. In the first instance, the rider has dexterity and talent: he or she
has a good eye, but also a sense of balance so as not to upset the horse. He or she is the
person who “moulds” the horse through many years of work, training, dressage and most of
all, patience. On the course, the rider’s eye and his or her ability to make quick decisions are
just as important as the horse’s qualities, physical aptitude and carefulness, etc.Table: There are different penalty systems used to rank competitors at the end of a class. The most common is Table A, in
which rails knocked down and refusals result in a 4-fault penalty. Faults for exceeding the time limit can also be added to
the final result; 1 fault is added for every 4 seconds over the time limit. Under Table C rules, which will be used to judge the
first class of the World Cup final, rails knocked down are converted into seconds which are added to the time that the
horse and rider combination take to finish the course. Generally speaking, one rail down results in a 4-second penalty.
Jump-off: This is the equivalent of a tie-break in show jumping: the jump-off is the decider between competitors with the
same score after a Table A class. The jump-off is different and shorter than the original course, and is against the clock.
Course designer: Part artist, part architect, the course designer builds a course by designing the track and placing the
obstacles in such a way that riders really have to think about their round. Obstacles are placed at certain distances for
horses to demonstrate their obedience and their desire to clear them, and riders to demonstrate their technique. The
course designer has to take into account the level of competitors, the type of class, the table and any specific rules. His
objective is to achieve a level of difficulty that allows the best riders to display their skills while ensuring the safety of all
participants. For this final, the job has been entrusted to Spain’s Santiago Varela Ullastres, assisted by France’s Grégory
Bodo.
Five stars: International show jumping competitions are classified by the FEI from one to five stars, depending on the level
of the classes. Five stars is the highest level.
Combination: A combination is a series of two or three obstacles separated by just one or two cantering strides. If the
horse refuses to jump one of the elements in the combination or leaves the combination between two obstacles, the horse
and rider have to go back and jump all two or three obstacles in the combination again. A combination counts as a single
obstacle on the course (with two or three difficulties).
Warm-up area or paddock: This is the ring beyond the main arena where the riders and grooms can warm up their horses
before they start their round in the main arena, where no “trial session” can be conducted. It is also the place where the
riders go with their horses to recover after their performance. There are at least two obstacles (and more rarely 3 or 4) in
this ring. The height of the obstacles must not exceed the height of those in the main arena.
31Prize money: Riders are awarded prize money according to how they are placed in competitions. The first 30% receive prize money and the winner of the class wins 30% of this amount. The prize money of the first class of the final amounts to €100,000, the second one, €150,000 and the third one, €300,000, in addition to the €750,000 awarded to the first 16 riders in the overall rankings of which €172,000 is solely for the winner. Thus, last year, in winning the three classes and the Cup, McLain Ward was awarded €263, 214. He had to share the prize money of the third class with six other riders who had two clear rounds. A good weekend, but far from the 2.1 million dollars which the winners of the French Open receive or Neymar’s monthly salary which amounts to 3.1 million euros! Elimination: After a second refusal, or if the horse and/or the rider falls, the combination will be eliminated from the class, but not from the final, since the rider will be able to compete the next day. Strides: One of the hardest things in show jumping is how the riders manage their horses’ strides on the approach to the obstacles. A cantering stride covers roughly 3.5m. The rider can get his horse to extend its stride or shorten its stride, to adjust the number of strides between two obstacles allowing the horse to jump in the best conditions. Mixed: Show jumping is the only Olympic sport where men and women (just like the mares and stallions / geldings) compete in the same classes. The World Cup has been won seven times (out of thirty nine) by women, including three victories by the same person, Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum, originally from California and now representing Germany. Obstacles: There are two main types of obstacles: spreads and verticals. A vertical is an obstacle that has at least two rails one above the other. Spreads can be the same height and width. Oxers have two verticals that are spread out. They can also be wider than they are higher, lower at the front than behind (this is called an ascending oxer) or the rails can be equal height (a square oxer). An ascending oxer consisting of three elements is called a triple bar or spa. In a Grand Prix, the obstacles can stand up to 1.6 m high and 2 m wide or more in the case of a triple bar. A typical course consists of between 11 and 14 obstacles, and up to 18 difficulties to jump when you include the combinations. A combination counts as a single obstacle on the course.
Arena: This is where all the action takes place. The AccorHotels Arena is 80 metres by 40. The footing is a sophisticated mix
of fibres and sand that has been specially developed to protect the horse’s legs, feet and joints. Around the AccorHotels
Arena are the stands, accommodating 12,000 spectators, and the nine television cameras that will be broadcasting this
final across the planet. In the arena itself, the obstacles are decorated with flowers and plants that can disturb the horses’
concentration.
Course walk: Once the course has been built by the course designer and his team, riders are allowed to walk it with their
trainers to memorise the track, the order of obstacles, calculate the number of strides between the closely placed
obstacles, as well as finding short cuts and other ways of saving time for speed classes or in the event of a jump-off.
Refusal or disobedience: A penalty is incurred when the horses stops dead in front of an obstacle and “refuses” to jump it
or goes around it (a run out).
33RIDERS QUALIFIED FOR
THE LONGINES FEI WORLD CUP JUMPING FINAL
(list on 2 April 2018, likely to be modified)
. GERMANY . UNITED STATES OF . MEXICO
Daniel Deusser AMERICA Gustavo Ramos
Marcus Ehning Jamie Barge
Charlie Jacobs . THE NETHERLANDS
. SAUDIA ARABIA Andrew Kocher Harrie Smolders
Abdulrahman Alrajhi Elizabeth Madden
Jenni McAllister . SWEDEN
. AUSTRALIA Alison Robitaille Douglas Lindelöw
Jamie Kermond Devin Ryan Henrik Von Eckermann
Billy Raymont Sarah Scheiring
Richard Spooner . SWITZERLAND
. BELGIUM Kristen Vanderveen Steve Guerdat
Pieter Devos Mclain Ward
Olivier Philippaerts
. FRANCE
. BRAZIL Roger Yves Bost
Felipe Amaral Simon Delestre
Julien Epaillard
. COLUMBIA Kevin Staut
Carlos Enrique Lopez
Lizarazo . GREAT BRITAIN
Robert Whitaker
. SPAIN Michael Whitaker
Eduardo Alvarez Aznar
. IRELAND
. ESTONIA Denis Lynch
Rein Pill Mark McAuley
Urmas Raag
. JORDAN
Ibrahim Hani Bisharat
. LATVIA
Kristaps NeretnieksTHE FEI WORLD CUP DRESSAGE:
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
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THE 2017/2017 LONGINES FEI WORLD CUP DRESSAGE CIRCUIT
The FEI World Cup™ Dressage is entering its 33rd season. This circuit, created in 1985,
comprises four leagues, Western Europe, Central Europe, North America (including Canada)
and the Pacific (Australia, New Zealand, Asia). Each FEI World Cup™ Dressage qualifying leg
consists of a Grand Prix which qualifies riders for a Freestyle to Music test whose results
award qualifying points for the Final.
The FEI World Cup™ Dressage judges technical and artistic aspects and combines equestrian
art, sport and the bond between the rider and his or her horse. Every year this competition
draws more and more spectators who have the greatest esteem for this discipline.
The 2017/2018 European League:
1- Herning, Denmark, 22 October 2017 (winner: Catherine Dufour, DEN)
2- Lyon, France, 3 November 2017 (winner: Isabell Werth, GER)
3- Stuttgart, Germany, 18 November 2017 (winner: Isabell Werth, GER)
4 - Salzburg, Austria, 10 December 2017 (winner: Dorothee Schneider, GER)
5- London, Great Britain, 13 December 2017 (winner: Patrik Kittel, SWE)
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6- Amsterdam, The Netherlands 27 January 2018 (winner: Isabell Werth, GER)
7- Neumunster, Germany, 18 February 2018 (winner: Helen Langehanenberg, GER)
8- Gothenburg, Sweden, 23 February 2018 (winner: Catherine Dufour, DEN)
9- Den Bosch, The Netherlands, 10 March 2018 (winner: Isabell Werth, GER)A FEW FIGURES
37 qualifying legs, spread over 3 continents
1 three-time winner of a World Cup Final: Isabell Werth, GER (1992, 2007, 2017)
4 men who have won a final (versus 28 feminine victories): Sven Rothenberger, GER, in 1990 ; Steffen Peters, USA, in 2009 ;
Edward Gal, NED, in 2010 ; Hans Peter Minderhoud, NED, in 2016
13 World Cup Final victories for the Netherlands
8 World Cup Final victories for Germany
2 World Cup Final victories for Great Britain, Switzerland and the United States
1 World Cup Final victory for Denmark, Finland and Sweden
37GUIDE TO THE LONGINES FEI WORLD CUP DRESSAGE FINAL It was the World Cup that turned the Freestyle to Music test, or Kur, into an institution. Before that, the big-name dressage riders saw it as very much a secondary class. They gradually started coming to this World Cup, and Freestyle was eventually introduced into other major Championships and the Olympic Games. There are just four qualifying leagues during the winter season. They qualify 18 finalists: 9 from Western Europe, 2 from Central Europe, 2 from North America, 1 rider from the Pacific league, and 1 non-league rider who must qualify with at least 68% (an average of 6.8/10) in one of the four leagues, the titleholder (Isabell Werth this year) and 2 riders selected by the Fédération Equestre Internationale, who must have reached the required threshold of 68% in the class. Day 1 (Friday): compulsory figures The Grand Prix is performed to background music rather than set to a specific piece, and is a pre-defined sequence of low and high school figures. The programme consists of 33 figures, which are scored from 0 to 10 (in half-point increments), with a coefficient of 2 applied to some of the more difficult moves like piaffes, passages, pirouettes, collected walk, extended walk, and lead changes. This is then added to an overall score (coefficient of 2) given for posture and adjustment of the rider’s aids. The results from this first class are used to split the riders into two groups of 9 for the following day (the 9 best riders will be the last to perform) and to eliminate any riders who have not achieved a minimum 60% score. Day two (Saturday): Freestyle programme It is free in terms of the sequence of the test, but it must include sixteen compulsory technical difficulties including, of course, the full range of high school figures such as cantering pirouettes, passage and piaffe, which all have a coefficient of 2. This part comprises the A score, which is a technical score like the one in figure skating.
The sequence of the figures, notably the transitions, are chosen by each individual rider who send his / her programme to
the FEI prior to the event so that the judges have a copy. The FEI technicians evaluate the programme’s DOD (degree of
difficulty) prior to the event, which is then approved or not by the judges on the day. The DOD score is then added to the
artistic scores, which comprise rhythm, energy and elasticity; harmony between horse and rider; choreography, use of
space and creativity; choice and interpretation of the music. Four scores with a coefficient of 4 added to the DOD produce
the B score.
Score A and score B are added together to give the final result and, in the event of a draw, the artistic score (B) takes
precedence.
The Freestyle to Music record is held by the 2012 Olympic champion, Great Britain’s Charlotte Dujardin and the
unforgettable Vallegro, who scored 94.3% in the qualifying rounds in London in December 2013. They then went on to win
the final in Lyon in April 2014, with a score of 92.18%. Will Isabell Werth and Weihegold beat this record in the AccorHotels
Arena?
39THE BACKGROUD OF THE FEI WORLD CUP DRESSAGE The AccorHotels Arena in Paris will also host the FEI World Cup Dressage Final. It will be the 33rd final in its history and here again only the third in France, 22 years after the last final at Paris-Bercy (1992). This second FEI World Cup has a more recent history than the Jumping World Cup, with the first final taking place in 1986. At the time, dressage had a smaller audience consisting mostly of people involved in the sport, and the German public. There was greater interest around the time of the Olympic Games but this quickly faded away. Purists had some reservations about the Kür or Freestyle to Music. However, whenever the Freestyle to Music test was programmed at major events, it went down extremely well with the public. In 1985, the first World Cup Dressage circuit was organised in the shadow of its big brother, the Jumping World Cup. This led to a victory in 1986 for Denmark’s Anne-Grethe Jensen with the light-footed Marzog. Although the German greats of the period stayed away from these first editions, the disciplines’ big names were featured on the World Cup's list of winners: Christine Stückelberger (Switzerland, in 1987 as part of the Equitana exhibition and in 1988), Margit Otto-Crépin (France, in 1989 in Gothenburg), Kyra Kyrklund (Finland, in 1992 at Paris-Bercy). Realising that the phenomenon of the Freestyle to Music test was an advantage for the popularity of their sport, the major German riders decided to embrace the movement with their leading horses such as Monica Theodorescu, who won the title in 1993 and in 1994 with the Olympic champion Ganimedes. The following year, a young Dutch rider dominated the circuit: a certain Anky van Grunsven who was making her debut internationally with the famous Bonfire. Anky went on to dominate Freestyle to Music tests at world level, winning nine World Cup titles and coming second twice with Bonfire and then the great Salinero. Her reign lasted until the advent of the new Dutch generation Edward Gal who won in 2010 with the amazing Totilas and then Adelinde Cornelissen in 2011 and 2012 with Parzival.
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