WORLD EQUESTRIAN GAMES KENTUCKY 2010
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PRESENTED BY
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Twenty years already… By “inventing” the World Equestrian Games, the International Equestrian Federation has created a veritable celebration of the horse in its modern expression: sport. The first event took place in Stockholm in 1990 and was hugely successful. The word “Games” had thereby taken on a far fuller dimension with a number of different “horse worlds” meeting up in the same stadium, an arena where dramas unfolded, joys were lived and the most important titles of a career were won. Twenty years later, Eric Navet, first WEG World Champion, is still systematically introduced at show jumping events as “the” World Champion, in much the same way that a president retains the title for life. These WEGs have enabled countless exchanges, enabling various disciplines and cultures to meet and mingle. They spill over from the stadiums or cross-country courses into their host towns – as was the case four years ago, at Aachen, where the party continued in streets and town squares and shop windows were dressed up to be resolutely “equi-centric”. Since 1990, the number of disciplines has increased: an additional medal is awarded for dressage (namely Freestyle Music, which has made this discipline more artistic and more accessible), as well as reining (in 2002). From this year, Para-Equestrian horseriders have also been invited to join the party. This unique Equestrio issue on the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games offers you a behind-the-scenes look at this vast gathering, revealing the dreams of several great champions and sharing with you the joy that these horses will bring to us at Lexington from September 25.
02 Editorial
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Contents 02 Editorial 04 Rolex and equestrian sports 08 History 16 Kentucky 24 Disciplines 46 Riding 52 The actors 56 WEG 2010 preview 60 Portfolio
World Equestrian Games - Kentucky 2010 Publisher: Equestrio SA, rue Viollier 6, 1207 Genève, Switzerland Conception and coordination: Paolo Meregalli, Equestrio SA Design and art direction: Equestrio SA Communication Division Pre-Press production: Equestrio SA & Sebastien Sixt Translation and texts adaptation: Susan Jacquet, Sophie Renauldon, Caroline Mlynarcik, Equiequipe, R&B Presse Cover: Shelli Breidenbach Photographs: Andrea Bonaga, Dirk Caremans, Pierre Costabadie, Equestrio, FEI, Kit Houghton, Kit Houghton/FEI, Tony Ramirez, ROLEX/Fadil Berisha, ROLEX/Kit Houghton, SistemaEventi/Oreste Testa, Anthony Trollope Printed in Italy - © EQUESTRIO SA - Geneva
Contents 03
Rolex and equestrian sports
Passion and tradition 04
by Equestrio
The tradition associating Rolex with the world of sport was born in 1927, the year that Hans Wilsdorf, founder of Rolex, had the bright idea of equipping a young British Channel swimmer, Mercedes Gleitze, with a Rolex. From this was born an unwavering passion between Rolex and sport. The watch, which survived the adventure intact, received as much acclaim in the Daily Mail as the swimmer and the first Rolex “testimonee” was born.
From this date on, Rolex has been a regular partner to achievers: Stewart Blacker, first man to fly over Everest in 1933; Sir Malcolm Campbell who reached an astonishing speed of 301 miles per hour (484km/hr) at the wheel of his famous Bluebird in 1935; Chuck Yeager, first pilot to break the sound barrier in 1947; and the first climber to reach the top of Everest in 1953, Sir Edmund Hillary and his Sherpa, Tensing Norgay. Today, these “testimonees” are called Roger Federer, Phil Mickelson and Lindsey Vonn – all superheroes in their disciplines of tennis, golf and skiing. Rolex has also sponsored big sporting events such as The Open Championship, the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, Wimbledon Championships
and last but not least, the World Equestrian Games since 2002. The relationship between Rolex and equestrian sports began in 1957 and since then, the watchmaker has been associated with most big horse events in four disciplines: show jumping, eventing, dressage and polo. Rolex invented the Grand Slam of Eventing, a challenge involving three competitions sponsored by the watchmaker and the three most important concours complets in the world – the Rolex Kentucky 3-Day Event, the Mitsubishi Badminton Horse Trials and the Landrover Burghley Horse Trials. Rolex is title sponsor of the FEI World Cup™, and is present at the most prestigious events on the planet.
Rolex and equestrian sports 05
Rolex is closely associated with the biggest equestrian events on the planet and the best riders in the world
These include the CHIO in Aachen, the Masters of Spruce Meadows, the Audi Equestrian Masters, the Rolex IJRC Top 10 Final and the Geneva World Cup, notably during the recent final won by Marcus Ehning. Rolex has also enriched its list of prestigious “testimonees” with big names in equestrian sport: Meredith Michaels Beerbaum and Rodrigo Pessoa in showjumping; Pippa Funnell and Zara Phillips in eventing and Isabell Werth in dressage. All these people have at some or another time in their career been either European or world champions. A sixth rider, the number one polo world champion, Gonzalo Pieres Jnr, grandson of the great Gonzalo Pieres who revolutionised modern polo, joined the family last December, highly moved to find himself side by side with Roger Federer and particularly golfer Adam Scott, given his own passion for golf.
06 Rolex and equestrian sports
In Argentina, Rolex is associated with all four of the biggest events in the world of polo: the Jockey Club Open, the Tortugas Open, the Hurlingham Open and the famous Campeonato Argentino Abierto, the Argentine Open played in Palermo, in the heart of Buenos Aires. Nicknamed the “Polo Cathedral”, this is an impressive stadium that can accommodate 18,000 people, and is to polo what the Soers Stadium in Aachen is to showjumping – the difference being that the latter can accommodate 45,000 people! There is no doubt that Rolex is closely associated with the biggest equestrian events on the planet and the best riders in the world – an attachment that hasn’t wavered for half a century and clearly demonstrates the watchmaker’s determination to develop the sport.
History
The World Equestrian Games 08
by Caterina Vagnozzi
Stockholm 1990, The Hague 1994, Rome 1998, Jerez 2002, Aachen 2006, Lexington 2010… This year, for the first time in their history, the World Equestrian Games leave Europe to be staged on the American continent.
Kentucky (USA) will host the so-called “Horse Olympic Games” sixth edition and will celebrate the 20th year since their first showing. In 1990 the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) took the decision of regrouping all the six equestrian disciplines in a single major world championship to be organised at one time and place. The six disciplines were made of the three Olympic ones (jumping, eventing and dressage) plus the three specialties that at the time were most common (driving, vaulting and endurance). The project that had been planned for several years set different goals. First, there was the need of creating a privileged setting for a major equestrian event, giving it much more visibility beyond the Olympic Games. Secondly, there was the intent of raising attention towards disciplines other than the 10 History
best known ones, and which were also isolated within the horse world. Additionally, the aim was to gain more popularity by involving big cities and consequently reaching out to more people, whereas in the past equestrianism had been usually limited to just a few. Therefore the main purpose was to organise a big event whose technical and stunning features could attract public and media attention to equestrian sports. This aim was finally achieved. The organisation of the World Equestrian Games involves some incredible statistics. Right from the first edition (even if nowadays numbers have increased) 900 horses, the same number of riders, technical staff, grooms, veterinarians, supporters, press and TV journalists, as well as thousands of spectators had to be accommodated. The first country that took charge of such
Previous page: Eric Navet 1990 Left: Isabell Werth 1994 Right: Nicole Uphoff 1990
a huge project was Sweden. The Swedes hosted the event in the Stockholm main stadium, which was the core venue of the 1956 Olympic Games. The park surrounding the stadium, the buildings and infrastructures around it were used to build up all the working areas required to stage the event. Within the park, they also created the long and challenging course of the crosscountry phase in the eventing competition and the driving marathon, which aroused great enthusiasm from the audience. These two disciplines, which are usually associated with nature and big extra-urban areas, were performed in the heart of a city for the first time. The Games ended up with the gold medal in showjumping clinched by young rider Eric Navet from France, who was considered an outsider at that time, and with New Zealand’s supremacy in
eventing demonstrated through success in the individual contest with Blyth Tait as well as in the team competition. The WEG second edition took place in 1994, once again in Northern Europe. This time horses and riders competed in the city of The Hague, in the Netherlands. A second prefabricated arena with a capacity of 26,000 spectators was built near the Zuiderpark stadium. Between the two sites they dedicated an area to exhibitors and tents that created a sort of small town that was accessible only by bicycle. The cross-country section in the eventing competition and the driving marathon that were performed in front of ten of thousands of spectators were staged in a military zone one hour away from the city centre. Despite while The Hague’s edition was not considered quite so well organised as the
first one and resulted in a loss of money, it was a definite triumph in purely sporting terms. Franke Sloothaak (with Weihaiwej) of Germany and Michel Robert of France (with Miss) claimed victory in the show jumping final which lined up four riders. Both riders jumped with horses owned by the San Patrignano Community from Italy. While Vincenzo Muccioli, in the role of founder and leader of San Patrignano, was the man everyone was talking about for showjumping, Isabell Werth of Germany reigned supreme in the dressage. After many years, she managed to push her teammate and opponent Nicole Uphoff off the podium. Uphoff had been literally dominating the discipline since the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea. The endurance competition was particularly astonishing because a long section History 11
The Brazilian rider kickstarted the spectacular ascent of his brilliant international career by topping the ranks in the showjumping event
Rodrigo Pessoa 1998
12 History
of the course was designed on the beach. In the eventing there were no surprises, with the success of New Zealand’s Vaughn Jefferis and the strong all-female Team GB. WEG edition No. 3 was to have taken place in Dublin. The FEI had preferred Emerald Isle’s candidature over other four countries: Portugal, Great Britain, Germany and Italy. Eighteen months before the start of the Games, however, Ireland suffered a terrible economic crisis and withdrew. The FEI, after having checked the availability of the other candidate cities again, finally assigned the Games to the Italian Equestrian Sports Federation (Federazione Italiana Sport Equestri) and the city of Rome. The very short preparation time didn’t stop Italy from organising a really memorable event at which tenor Luciano Pavarotti and equestrian legend Raimondo D’Inzeo served as Italy’s ambassadors worldwide. Endurance was the only discipline out of six to be excluded from the WEG programme, the plan being to organise it in the United Arab Emirates at a later stage that year. Roma Caput Mundi, a fascinating and historical city, proved the perfect and magnificent setting for the WEG. The headquarters for the Games and for the showjumping and dressage competitions was the Stadio Flaminio which is located just a few hundreds metres away from Piazza del Popolo, close to the city centre. The competition venues for driving, eventing and vaulting were the Federation’s Equestrian Centre of Pratoni del Vivaro and the Equestrian Centre of Santa Barbara in Bracciano, both situated approximately 50 km away from the main arena. The star of the Rome Games was undoubtedly Rodrigo Pessoa. The Brazilian rider kickstarted the spectacular ascent of his brilliant international career by topping the ranks in the show jumping event in front of the Italian crowd gathered in the Stadio Flaminio. The WEG were handed over from Rome to Spain in 2002. The host city was Jerez de la Frontera in Andalusia. Spain prepared the Games in an excellent manner, meeting the given deadlines and
taking good care of all organisational details. Right from the very beginning, Dona Pilar di Borbon from the host country Spain, who was the outgoing FEI President at the time, played a key role in the success of the Games. The long-established passion of Spanish people for horses and the great equestrian traditions linked to the south of the country and particularly to Jerez, headquarters of the well-known Real Escuela, definitely contributed to the sparkling and lively atmosphere that is to be considered one of the 2002 edition’s best memories (together with superlative Opening and Closing Ceremonies featuring a parade of thousands of horses). It was in Jerez that for the first time reining was added to the traditional programme comprising six disciplines. It was also at this Spanish edition that the WEG were enriched by the presence of Rolex as Official Timepiece, a title the Swiss watch brand still holds today. Its presence in the equestrian world has meanwhile been confirmed and consolidated at some of the most significant events worldwide, and it now supports some of the major horseriders on the international scene. The WEG are an opportunity for Rolex to lend its backing to equestrian sports and all the disciplines that are represented within the same event.The WEG took place in the spacious city stadium and in the small covered arena dedicated to reining events. In showjumping, Ireland with rider Dermott Lennon, made it to the highest step of the podium for the first time in a world championship. Lennon was thus able to achieve this result after his teammate Eddy Macken, the Irish jumping hero, had come close to victory, finishing second twice in 1974 and 1978. The 1990 WEG Champion Eric Navet, who qualified for the final with other three riders, secured a silver medal after a tight battle. The eventing competition ended up with the surprising first-time victory of a French rider, Jean Teulère who had already won the European Championships. History 13
The main competition venue was the historic Soers stadium, unanimously recognised as the “sacred temple” of world equestrianism
Left: Jean Teulère 2002 Right: Aachen Soers stadium 2006 14 History
The reining debut saw the North American countries, USA and Canada, dominate over Italy which made an unexpectedly good showing. Four years later the podium was exactly the same as in Jerez 2002. The last edition of the WEG was held in the summer of 2006 in Aachen. The main competition venue was the historic Soers stadium, unanimously recognised as the “sacred temple” of world equestrianism and where both dressage and jumping world championships had already been staged. Thanks to Germans’ eminent organisational skills, experience and professionalism, expectations were completely fulfilled and the event proved a real success.
The competition arena, which was enlarged in terms of capacity and temporary facilities, served as the Games’ headquarters and all events took place nearby. The 2006 WEG achieved record figures for horses, delegations, nations and spectators. During the 15 days of competition there were amazing performances in all disciplines. Nine riders competed for long hours to claim their individual titles: Jos Lansink (NED) in jumping, Zara Phillips (GBR) in eventing, Anky Van Grunsven (NED) and Isabell Werth (GER) in dressage, Felix Marie Brasseur (GER) in driving, Miguel Vila Ubach (ESP) in endurance, Luane Latimer (CAN) in reining, and Megan Benjamin (USA)
and Kai Vorberg (GER) in vaulting. The organisation of the WEG was then handed over from Germany to the United States. The handover was particularly meaningful because the Games were leaving a country where equestrian traditions are maybe the strongest in all of Europe to go overseas for the very first time. Considering how big equestrian sports are in the US and how well organised Lexington is in terms of horse facilities and traditions, the USA will surely be a perfect host. The WEG history book is once again open and other interesting pages are doubtless waiting to be written…
History 15
Kentucky
The horse capital 16
by Caterina Vagnozzi
Welcome to horse paradise! The spell that Kentucky casts on horse racing and equestrianism is really incredible. In this state, the horse is sovereign in all respects and absolutely the star of the show. Indeed there was no doubt when the United States applied to host the WEG that the location would be precisely Lexington and its Kentucky Horse Park, the time-honoured home of the Rolex Kentucky 3-Day Event.
Tourism, economy, traditions, sport and culture, offered over the 16 days dedicated to the competition, when visitors can enjoy a truly unique themed scenario. A setting in which Kentucky’s proverbial blue grass is its most effective icon. Around these parts spring grass takes on a light nuance of blue and it seems that the surprising effect is due to the nature of the soil, as just below the surface of the hills there are layers of ancient limestone, which act as a natural filter. The water passing through this system feeds the soil and supports the growth of grass so rich in protein that it seems to be the best in the world for nurturing foals. Blue grass has given rise to fantastic legends, the most famous being the story of a horse called Big Lex, who was raised
18 Kentucky
right in the area of a spring whose water was so rich in lime that the animal turned from bay to blue. For thousands of children, the search for the blue horse is a favourite pastime when their parents bring them to visit the many thoroughbred farms present in the area. Big Lex is the Kentucky icon, his image inspiring all Kentucky Horse Park merchandising, from the funny mascot to T-shirts, mugs, key rings, posters and stamps. The local tourist office’s commendable organisation works hard to promote the horse universe.To appreciate how much, just check out its site, which allows visitors to organize all things equestrian: a trip, a day at the races, guided farm visits, a museum tour, lessons for beginners and
advanced riders. Lexington, the Horse Capital of the World and elected one of National Geographic Traveler’s 50 best destinations of the world, is just the tip of the iceberg for an international regional capital at the centre of countless lovely towns to be discovered. The WEG will be hosted by Kentucky Horse Park, a unique Blue Grass treasure.The facilities annually accommodate events for at least 15,000 horses each year and are the headquarters for many national equine organisations and associations. The Horse Park generates a turnover each year of $260,000,000 and employs a large number of staff. Thanks to huge support from the Commonwealth of Kentucky and donations received by the Kentucky Horse Park Foundation,
Top: The Rolex Kentucky 3-Day Event Above: Veterinary check
Kentucky 19
The Kentucky Horse Park
20 Kentucky
arriving both from the private sector and from businesses, the Park is able to proceed with its ambitious schemes for research and organization of sports and cultural activities. The centre’s magnificent installations have been enhanced with new structures created for the WEG, in particular the addition of an indoor dressage arena, an elegant structure that fits seamlessly into the Park’s overall context; a new open-air stadium with seating for 30,000 spectators (7,400 seats will be retained as fixed assets for the future); a 5-star hotel; and a renewed road system inside the Park. In recent years the Park has been the site of
much work in progress. “People will realise what great interventions have been made and how the Park will change with the new facilities installed” says director John Nicholson. “Each project has proceeded along an independent path despite being part of shared strategic plans. It certainly wasn’t easy but we did it.” A good horse and prestigious stock are the Kentuckian’s pride and joy. Near Lexington there are about 150 farms (450 in the entire state), almost all ready to open their doors to thousands of visitors who ask the local tourist office and professional agencies to organise guided tours. When the 20th century’s
The centre’s magnificent installations have been enhanced with new structures created for the WEG
greatest thoroughbred, the fantastic Man o’ War, retired from the racetrack, he became a real attraction and drew visitors from all over the world. Will Harbut, who tended to Man o’ War, kept a visitors book until the horse died in 1947. The final total was 63 volumes with over 1.3 million signatures. “Races the way they ought to be” was the slogan at the splendid Keeneland racetrack from 1936. The facilities are located in the heart of Blue Grass country, six miles from Lexington, and could be considered a national park of horse racing. It was designed to be something special, a place to cultivate a passion for thoroughbreds and appreciate
quality racing, but also to attract more spectators for the sport. There are only two annual race meetings, in spring and autumn, lasting three weeks each, and of great appeal. The racecourse is a picturepostcard setting with avenues of fruit trees, manicured lawns, ivy-covered walls. From its inception until 1984, when security reasons led to a review of open spaces, the public could easily also access the stables and even the saddling area. A racetrack to experience the relationship with horses in optimal conditions, in other words up close. In fact, to avoid disturbing race meeting quiet, no speakers are in use... Kentucky 21
On Derby day the stands with their striking spire roofs are packed with over 125,000 spectators
22 Kentucky
Churchill Downs racecourse
Horses also – and above all – have a prominent place in Kentucky from the echo of activities taking place in the Churchill Downs racecourse, 85 miles west of Lexington, founded in 1972 by Colonel M. Lewis Clark, where the Kentucky Derby is held each year. The excitement and atmosphere of this Derby, run on the first Saturday in May, are now a legend. On Derby day the stands with their striking spire roofs are packed with over 125,000 spectators. The museum, opened in 1985 and costing an astronomical 7.5 million dollars at the time, covers 15,000 square metres and is the biggest, most influential in the world. Last year the Equine Humane Center was opened in Lexington, which is a rest home for horses abandoned by their owners and requiring a refuge. “No horse in a precarious situation will be refused entry to this refuge” say the project managers. There are currently about 100 horses housed here and 42 of them have already found families. “The ‘Horse Capital’ designation,” says John Nicholson, director of the Kentucky Horse Park “means huge responsibilities alongside the many privileges. Our activities need to be an example for other businesses and in this perspective the Equine Humane Center is very important”.
American Saddlebred Museum 4083 n Works Parkway Phone: (859) 259-2746 Big Red Stables 1605 Jackson Pike Harrodsburg, KY 40330 Phone: (859) 734-3118 Keeneland Race Course 4201 Versailles Road Lexington, KY 40510 Phone: (859) 254-3412 Kentucky Horse Park 4089 Iron Works Parkway Lexington, KY 40511 Phone: (859) 233-4303 Red Mile Harness Track 1200 Red Mile Road Lexington, KY 40504 Phone: (859) 255-0752 The Thoroughbred Center 3380 Paris Pike Lexington, KY 40511 Phone: (859) 293-1853 Thoroughbred Park 100 Midland Avenue Lexington, KY 40507 Phone: (800) 845-3959
Kentucky 23
Jumping by
Rodrigo Pessoa 24
by Caterina Vagnozzi & Pascal Renauldon
Jumping at the WEG Jumping is probably the best known of the equestrian disciplines recognised by the FEI where men and women compete as equals in both individual and team events. In modern Jumping competitions, horse and rider are required to complete a course of 10 to 13 jumps, the objective of which is to test the combination’s skill, accuracy and training.
Rodrigo Pessoa, President of the Jumping Riders Club, Rolex testimonee and son of the great Nelson, is a stunning example of a life spent in the saddle. He is quite rightly acknowledged as a showjumping legend for having taken home just about every possible title. Suffice it to mention individual gold medals on the top step of the podium at the World Games and the Olympics. The heir of Nelson Pessoa, the first man to bring sponsors to the equestrian arena, has been a keystone of international show jumping for over 12 years. This will be his fifth WEG. The stuff of veterans...
If you were asked to describe your discipline in a few sentences, what would you say? All equestrian sports are schools for life and riding competitions are no exception. To achieve the final objective there has to be work, intelligence, sacrifice, tactics, detachment, vision and constancy. Moreover, any results will be negotiated via a horse: a constant variable that teaches you there is always something to be learned. Each horse is different and a new gamble. What are the most important effects of showjumping on a rider? I think the most important effect is giving them to a sporting chance, in other words starting the course with the intention of winning. If you begin with this conviction, then you have already achieved a crucial basic result.
What is the top quality you look for in a horse? Intelligence. If a horse is not intelligent, it won’t understand the work to be done and, above all, it won’t work with the rider during the event. Clearly, the underpinning is the physical drive that is needed to make it to the top. In top-level competitions, however, the bond with the mount is the fundamental element that makes the difference. Usually everything is decided quite fast, meaning in the tighter turns, at the faster speeds, in the horse being easy to handle. If there’s no bond between the horse and the rider, it’s a no go. The horse must understand and participate, so it has to use its brains. How many years does it take to get a horse to top level? It varies, of course, from horse to horse. We could say that a horse can be considered mature at ten years of age. Jumping 25
“To achieve the final objective there has to be work, intelligence, sacrifice, tactics, detachment, vision and constancy” To approach the various stages of maturity in the awareness of being able to count on a fresh mount given the right training, we must safeguard the use of horses by restricting output and measuring efforts when competing. I’ve had many horses in my career and all were important. How much time do you spend training your horses? The question could be more easily answered with how many hours I don’t spend on horseback. Like all my colleagues I basically spend all day in the saddle. My headquarters are in Brussels and there I always work with 10-12 horses. The total number of hours I spend on horseback is easily calculated... Do you think the media are interested enough in your work? Absolutely not. Our world is quite a closed circuit. Equestrian sports lack figures like Bernie Ecclestone or Mark McCormack, who’ve been able to develop an effective, tempting media spectacle for sponsors in the world of Formula 1 and golf. There’s still a lot to do and it’s not easy to recoup. We have to look at what was done in other sports and apply it to ours. Is that why you began to organise competitions? I really enjoy working on organisation and my work as Chairman of the Jumping Riders Club shows this too. I liked taking on this role and last year we organized a new competition in Paris. One step at a time we seek to build up a calendar and a different, more up-to-date sports offering compared to what is seen traditionally.
If you hadn’t gone into horse-riding, what would you have done in life? A Formula 1 driver, without a doubt. It’s my favourite sport and I’m a real tifoso. I watch it with great interest on TV and several drivers are friends of mine. The WEG will be 20 years old in 2010: a long road that began where you were a boy and that has given you both great satisfaction and some disappointments. What are your clearest memories? In Stockholm, I was really just a boy. I’d just turned 17. It was like being in a dream and I just missed getting into the top 20. Four years later, in The Hague, the organisation was below par but the results were exciting. Our team missed the bronze for one fault too many. The 1998 experience is the best memory of my life. I couldn’t believe I was one of the four finalists and in that kind of company... I can’t forget the multitude of Brazilian flags flying in the stands as I climbed to the top step of the podium. Not to mention the warmth of the Roman public, who still cheer me on when I enter the arena for the Piazza di Siena CSIO. The two following years were downhill. Jerez was beautiful but I didn’t do well. In Aachen my horse, who was a favourite, was injured and I couldn’t compete. I’m looking forward to Lexington as a really special event because of Americans’ love and passion for horses.
Jumping 27
Eventing by
Zara Phillips 28
Eventing at the WEG Three days, three tests of one horse and rider team: dressage, cross-country and jumping. For riders, eventing calls for considerable experience in all equestrian fields as well as precise knowledge of the horse’s ability, while horses themselves must display a degree of competence resulting from intelligent and rational training.
Due to the lack of a sufficiently seasoned horse, reigning World Champion Zara Phillips will be unable to defend at Lexington the title she won so brilliantly at Aachen in 2006. The accomplished horsewoman is thus instead preparing for the Olympic Games to be held in 2012 in her home country, the United Kingdom. She explains something of her daily work while presenting her discipline.
If you were to describe your discipline in three sentences, what would they be? Eventing is the test of a horse and rider’s partnership through all three phases. Both need to have the ability to be athletic, agile and bold as well as being calm and controlled. What is the biggest quality you look for in a horse? Partnership with the rider. So the horse needs to have a good brain and be willing to respond and perform for you to the best of its ability, but there also needs to be a connection that helps you both perform well.
How many years do you need to bring a horse at the top level? It depends on the age but if it is a young horse, around four to five years. How much time a week do you spend training your horses? More or less all day, every day. Do you have to work on your own shape? Yes; I swim and cycle. What are the indispensable qualities for an eventing rider? Patience, courage and trust.
Eventing 29
“The horse needs to have a good brain and be willing to respond and perform for you to the best of its ability�
What is the most enjoyable aspect of Eventing for you? Eventing is special, as you have to do three phases, which makes it challenging and exciting. My favourite is the Cross-Country. Do you like Dressage? Yes, I do enjoy it when they move well, it is like anything – great when it comes together. But it is also the basis of our training, which also makes it very important. Do you have special contacts with other Rolex testimonees? I have met a number of testimonees over the years (ed. note: including Roger Federer). But just because she is in the same sport as me, and based in the UK, the one I see most is Pippa Funnell.
Eventing 31
Dressage by
Isabell Werth 32
Dressage at the WEG Dressage competition at the World Equestrian Games consists of three tests: the Grand Prix, the Grand Prix Special, and the musical Freestyle. In this discipline horse and rider execute a program of intricate and predetermined movements (including half passes, canter pirouettes, piaffe, one and two tempi changes), which is often compared to the fluid beauty of figure skating or ballet.
If one asks her if she happens to know how many medals she has won at international championships (in Europe, the World and the Olympic Games), Isabell Werth will tell you vaguely that it must be more than 20. The answer is 28 to be exact, of which 22 gold! This is nothing short of a phenomenon. With a doctorate in law, Isabell gave up her job as a lawyer in order to extend her horseriding career and build on this unbelievable record. The recent birth of Frederik has not held her back. Here is dressage described by its greatest champion.
If you were to describe your discipline in three sentences, what would they be? It would be three feelings. The fascination of working with the horse. The development of the couple one becomes with a horse over the years. The hardships and joy involved in achieving lightness. In your opinion, what is the inescapable quality that a dressage rider should have? Sensitivity and the ability to listen to the horse and react to its signals. What are the three main qualities that you look for in a horse? Its gaits, its elasticity and its “Rittigkeit” (a virtually untranslatable German word that means its predisposition to being ridden and worked with, and which some refer to as “rideability” in English).
How many years does it take to get a horse to top competition standard? If you assume that you start work with the horse at three or four years old, you should reckon on four or five years to get to Grand Prix level. After this it takes another two years for the couple to form, get used to a routine together and be able to compete at the highest level. How much time do you ride every day? I ride six or seven horses for about five hours a day, and when I’m not competing at the weekend, I train seven days a week. Before the birth of my son, I spent even more time riding. Do you need to work on your fitness levels, especially since the birth of your son? If I ride five hours a day it should be enough,
Dressage 33
“There are many lessons to be drawn from one discipline to the next”
especially as since I have had my own stables and Frederik, I have to handle all this as well: the office and stable management, supervising my riders and taking care of my baby! What is the most amazing thing you get from dressage? The moment you achieve this feeling of lightness: when the horse gives everything without you feeling like you asked for it. Will you have the time and desire to follow the other disciplines at Lexington? Absolutely. Even though I won’t be riding myself, I don’t want to miss any of the other competitions. There is a lot to learn from watching other equestrian disciplines, and particularly show jumping. As far as lightness is concerned, Marcus Ehning’s career path has taught us a real lesson. As far as stable management and organisation is concerned, I learn an enormous amount from seeing how Ludger (Beerbaum) functions. And in terms of driving a horse’s career, the
way Meredith (Michaels-Beerbaum) manages Shutterfly’s longevity is exemplary. There are many lessons to be drawn from one discipline to the next. Have you already been in contact with other testimonees like Roger Federer? Not yet, (ed. note: with the exception of equestrian testimonees) but I’m looking forward to meeting them Is dressage sufficiently highly regarded in the media? Of course, this sport could be dealt with better but I think that its popularity with the press has increased in the last ten years. Obviously this changes depending on the country and the sports results. For example, it’s incredibly well-developed in Holland thanks to the success of Anky (van Grunsven, Olympic champion from 2000 to 2008) and Edward (Gal, her successor, European champion 2009). I think that at the international level the press is paying more and more attention to dressage.
Dressage 35
Para dressage by
Lee Pearson 36
Para dressage at the WEG The para dressage discipline provides riders with physical disabilities with the opportunity to compete in high-performance equestrian sport alongside able-bodied riders from all over the world. For the first time in the history of equestrian sport, para dressage will be included in the World Equestrian Games in 2010.
Lee Pearson was born with a rare form of the disease known as Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita. Now aged 36, Lee’s early life was spent undergoing 15 operations. The track record of the world’s top exponent of para dressage speaks volumes. Lee Pearson’s collection of titles is lengthy and includes six Paralympics gold medals for dressage (in Athens and Sydney), five world and three European titles, as well as a significant victory in an event open to all-comers: the Hickstead national championship. As he says, the relationship with an animal is wonderful and totally different from anything else.
If you were to describe riding in three words, what would they be? Sociable, loving, determined. When did you start with horses? At nine years old. My great-grandfather had been the neighbourhood “horse whisperer” so I’ve probably loved horses since I was an embryo. Whenever I watched cowboy films as a small child I wasn’t watching the hunky cowboys – which I’d probably do now – I was watching the horses. Even now I love sitting in the field just watching the way they move. I started riding as a tot when, banned from joining my two elder brothers on their BMX adventures, my parents bought Sally the donkey on which to romp around the paddock. First time for para dressage in the WEG contest: what does that mean for the Paralympic movement? I think for para equestrianism to be part of the sport’s international federation (FEI) is a great honour and gives the athletes the
recognition they deserve, which then gives them confidence in their daily lives. To be able to compete in parallel WEG competitions for the first time shows how modernthinking the FEI is how inclusive our sports are. It’s an example of how disabled people should be included in society all around the world.
ter for speed but horses give you the freedom,movement and energy that pushing a wheelchair certainly can’t.
Life’s been tough for you, but with lots of victories. Which is the most important one in sport and why? To prove my horsemanship and change the public’s perception of disabled people. I feel lucky that I found my talent, not unlucky that I was born with a disability. When I’m on a horse I’m more worried about what the riding hat is doing to my hair than what my bent legs and arms are doing. What riding has given me is respect.
Is there somebody in the equestrian world you take as example (rider, trainer, owner) and why? Horses in general and Totilas in particular: the sheer power, expression and desire to work of this horse is truly out of this world!
What is the best feeling you get from riding? Dressage, the strong feeling of communication and with a live animal. I’m a nut-
Which is the most difficult part in the training of your horses and why? The basics! Once the basics have been established, then nearly anything is possible.
How important for good results is the help of your team? My team is the most important part of my sport. Every minute detail is covered, including every second of a minute, and the trust you need to have with your team at major competitions is immense. My gold medals are only achievable because I have such an amazing team behind me. Para Dressage 37
Reining by
Rudi Kronsteiner 38
Reining at the WEG Reining competitors run one of several approved patterns, each including flying lead changes, roll backs, 360-degree spins, and the exciting sliding stops that are the hallmark of the reining horse. This discipline is designed to show the athletic ability of the ‘ranch type’ horse in the confines of a show arena.
For ten years, Rudi Kronsteiner, the Austrian who lives and trains in Germany, has been in the top ten NRHA Open ranking almost every year and with at least one horse. No other European reiner has been so successful so far. In 2009 he became NRHA World Champion plus Reserve World Champion with Chic N Roost. It is the third time that Rudi has won this prestigious title.
If you were to describe your discipline in three sentences, what would they be? The fascination of reining is the combination of speed and finesse. The art of reining means total control event at full speed, even on a loose rein, and on the slightest cues. And then there is always the spirit of the west still there, the western lifestyle, which is the origin of this discipline. What are the indispensable qualities for a reining rider? Willingness to work hard and feeling. If you want to become a really good reiner (or any rider), you have to work hard. Not only riding a lot, but also working on yourself. And you have to develop a feeling, for the horse, the manouevres, for the timing, for everything. You can work on that, too. What is the biggest quality you look for in a horse? Good conformation is a must, but a great mind is even more important. Thoroughbred trainers say that a horse wins with its heart,
and that is true for reining horses as well. A great mind will make a horse stand out from the crowd, and that’s what you are looking for in top-class reining. How many years do you need to bring a horse to the top level? That depends on the horse. Our western horse breeds like the American Quarter Horse are generally fast learners, and a good reining horse wants to cooperate, so that makes it easier to train him. But each individual horse is different of course. Also we’ve got two levels: the Futurity and the aged events. How much time do you spend training your horses? We’ve got both Futurity prospects and aged horses in our barn and we have to train them to their individual level, which means that I spend 8 to 10 hours a day in the saddle. How much time I spend on each horse depends on the horse and the condition he is in.
What is the nicest sensation you get from reining? The best sensation is when you are coming down the arena at full speed and in total harmony with your horse and then melting down in a nice long slide on a loose rein. Will you watch other contests at Lexington and can you learn something from other disciplines? Of course I will, especially dressage and showjumping. We can all learn from each other. Good riding is all that counts, regardless of the discipline. In reining today, you ride your horse with your legs pushing him into the bridle, just as you do in dressage. Which is the most difficult part in the reining pattern and why? All our patterns have two things in common: the change of leads in the figure eight and the run down and stop. So these parts are the most difficult to keep your horses from anticipating. Here is where it is most difficult to keep them mentally fresh. Reining 39
Driving by
Boyd Exell 40
Driving at the WEG The combined driving event in the World Equestrian Games is a competition for four-in-hand drivers. Only one driver, four horses, three exacting tests: Dressage, Marathon and Obstacle Driving.
This year’s World Cup winner in Geneva – the Australian “in exile” Boyd Exell – has not yet been world champion. Maybe this year in Lexington? In any case he’s among the audience’s favourites. He tells us about his fascinating discipline: four-in-hand driving.
If you had to describe your discipline in a few sentences, what would they be? The most fun you can have sitting down. You have three days of competition… and if on the first day you perform poorly in dressage, you have the second and the third day to make up for it. You have three opportunities to go home happy. Another way to describe the sport: it’s a challenge to make a team of horses work together during a weekend. What is the hardest task for a four-inhand driver: to find the horses, to train the horses, or something else? The hardest thing for a four-in-hand driver is to have five talents. First, you must have a good eye for suitable horses. Second, you must be a good horse trainer. Then of course, you must be a good competitor. The fourth requirement is being a good manager as your team is composed of six to eight people and you have to coordinate their work. The fifth thing is financial stability. Once you have all these five qualities, then you have the opportunity to succeed. What is the biggest quality you’re looking for in a horse? The movement has to be attractive to my eye. Another thing is the horse’s tempera-
ment because I want it to be good under pressure – not only when you’re relaxed at home, but also when you have to perform well in a stressful situation! Do all four horses have to possess the same qualities? No. To make a successful team, each horse has to bring a slightly different dynamic into the team. A short while after buying a horse, I can see whether he’s more of a leader or rather a wheeler. How do you prepare them: mounted (do you ride personally) or always behind the carriage? My wife and my groom ride when I’m away. Usually I ride the horses three or four times a week and when I’m at home, I drive them.
say “Oh, we understand what you want, we can do it better than you, faster than you…” Is it different to be World champion in the WEG than in a usual competition? When a team of horses is trained for four or five years, you cannot choose the time when they are in best shape to win a world title. So it doesn’t really matter when exactly you win it. Will you watch other contests at Lexington and can you learn something from another discipline? Yes I enjoy watching other disciplines. In the World Cup Dressage or Jumping, I see the competitors under big pressure and I can connect with what they’re feeling.
Do you have to work on your own shape as well? Not specifically because I like sports. I like swimming, playing tennis, snow skiing, water skiing. So as I am young enough I do not need to concentrate on fitness. What is the nicest sensation when driving four-in-hand? When the horses help you. When they understand what you want, and when they Driving 41
Endurance by
Maria Alvarez Ponton 42
Endurance at the WEG Endurance riding tests the speed and stamina of the horse and the rider’s knowledge of pace and efficient and safe use of his horse. The competition is against the clock over a distance of 100 miles with at least five compulsory stops for veterinarians to check the horses’ fitness to continue.
Last year, Maria Alvarez Ponton won the Meydan City FEI Open European Endurance Championships 2009 in Assisi, riding Nobby. The Spanish rider entered the Guinness Book of Records as she was National, Continental and World champion all in the same year: an unthinkable result and never achieved by any other in this discipline.
If you would had to describe your discipline in three sentences, what would they be? Just one word, hard.
I also think that a horse that is good when it is eight, will be better at ten and much better at twelve, and that everything will be easier for it.
What are the indispensable qualities for an endurance rider? Perseverance and a real love for the horses. To last in this sport people have to love training as much as racing.
How much time do you spend training your horses? This sport is my profession, so I spend my whole day training or taking care of them in the various locations where I work.
What is the greatest quality you look for in a horse? Endurance horses need to have many qualities in order to give us all we ask of them, but if I had to choose only one, I would say the most important thing for me is the mind, a champion’s mind. It’s easier to make a horse win if he wants to win.
What is the best feeling you get from endurance? That’s really hard to say, sometimes just watching a horse free in the field is better than any race.
How many years do you need to bring a horse to the top level? Horses can reach the top level soon if they have amazing quality, but even when I know that this is possible, I think is wrong to push a young horse in this sport. I don’t think we should ask the horses to reach the highest level until they are at least ten years old, and
Will you watch other contests at Lexington and can you learn something from other disciplines? I will try to watch as much as I can. There is always something to learn; any horse can teach you something just by watching them.
all the achievements belong to the team. Juma is my husband’s team and he is the soul of the team, the one who began everything and who keeps everything going. The team is now really big and there are people working in Juma’s Team all around the world Do you have any experience in other WEG disciplines? None at all. Do you have a secret dream? My dream since I was a child is to win an Olympic gold medal, but I don’t think endurance will be in the Olympics soon enough for me to compete. Apart for that, I keep dreaming with every race; we began breeding three years ago and it will be amazing to win an important race with a horse born at home.
How important in achieving good results is the help of your team? The team is everything in this sport, I’m really lucky to be part of Juma’s Team, and Endurance 43
Vaulting by
Kai Vorberg 44
Vaulting at the WEG In vaulting, gymnastic and dance elements are combined and performed to music on a cantering horse. This requires a harmonious relationship with the horse and outstanding physical condition in the vaulter.
Kai Vorberg, a 28-year-old from Cologne, was a boy when he decided to take up vaulting, preferring to dedicate himself completely to this discipline rather than dressage, which was his first main sporting interest. Vorberg was especially fascinated by the teachings of Reiner Klimke, a real arena expert, and was struck by vaulting the first time he attended a competition including this discipline, as he explains: “I was drawn above all by the fantastic atmosphere that surrounds it and the enormous empathy perceived amongst vaulters”.
If you were asked to describe your discipline in three sentences, what would you say? Vaulting means performing gymnastic and acrobatic exercises on a cantering horse. This sport can only be done with perfect interaction between the vaulter, horse and lunger, who leads the horse in a circle (about 18m in diameter), keeping it at a canter! The exercises, on the back of the horse, may involve one person (individual vaulting), two people together (pair vaulting), or even three (team vaulting); vaulting offers great opportunities to create movement and mood as the vaulter interacts with the horse in time to music. What are essential qualities for a vaulting rider? A vaulter should be able to express athletic movement to perfection, but at the same time must have great sensitivity and understanding of their horse. The whole performance takes place on the back of a horse, which isn’t a machine and may, of course, have different reactions, slight uncertainty of
movement, stiffness, etc. Consequently, in addition to strength and coordination, great flexibility is needed. A vaulter must also be creative in our sport because creativity is essential. Every year we have to invent a new performance with new music for the kur discipline (formerly freestyle with music). I’d say a vaulter has to have several strings to their bow. It is vital is to empathise with the horse, the lunger and the team, to be in good shape and to be motivated to seek out new targets. How does your training work? It’s all very complex because, of course, in addition to riding (I have a rider’s license), I devote so much time to fitness: jogging, gymnastics and athletics. To prepare specifically for vaulting, I use a wooden vaulting horse.
Reiner Klimke, a cornerstone of German dressage. I took a course with him and was absolutely fascinated. I’m also very interested in showjumping. I believe there is a lot to learn from both these disciplines, especially as regards training. But we vaulters also have something to teach others. I’ve given advice on more than one occasion and been entrusted with showjumping horses to train and improve their docility, to make them more cooperative. How important is it for you to be part of the WEG programme? Absolutely important. It’s a very significant contribution to the growth of the discipline. After my 2006 WEG victory, my life changed. The WEG are a unique showcase. There ought to be WEG for each of our world championships: every two years instead of every four…
Will you be watching other events at Lexington and can you learn from other disciplines? Which ones? Of course. I’ve always been a fan of dressage. Don’t forget my childhood idol was Vaulting 45
Riding
A level playing field for gender equality! 46
by Pascal Renauldon
There is only one Olympic sport where both men and women can test their mettle against each other: riding and its three Olympic disciplines (Jumping, Dressage and Eventing). Dominated by men at the beginning of the Games’ history, the three Olympic podiums have been increasingly occupied by women. Gender equality has since been the norm when it comes to equestrian sport.
Paradoxically, women first made their mark of equality with men in eventing, a discipline requiring a certain amount of courage. After the war, titles were pretty much equally shared between men and women. At the end of the fifties, the names of great women riders, who have become legendary, stood side by side their male counterparts: Sheila Wilcox (three times winner at Badminton from ‘57 to ‘59), Lucinda PriorPalmer (six times winner of this mythical ordeal), Virginia Holgate, Mary King or Pippa Funnell (a member of the Rolex testimonies family): “Lucinda Prior Palmer has had an enormous influence on my career” the latter reminisces, “I read all her books when I was young and I wanted to be like her. She was my idol. She’s an incredible cross-country rider. Giny Leng is another idol who influenced me – she gave the impression that she could win anything she wanted. She seemed to be such a perfectionist in all three stages”. This is a passion that is even transferred from mother to daughter, as in the case of Zara Phillips and her mother, Princess Anne, both European champions in 1971 and 2005 respectively (and for
Zara, World Champion at the WEG in 2006). When it comes to eventing, horses tend to have more spirit, but mutual understanding and a well-bonded union between horse and rider is essential in this discipline which requires both courage and technique. “I think that women riders can compete equally with their male counterparts because any physical gaps can be compensated in other ways. I think women have a stronger emotional connection with horses and we try harder to understand what goes on in a horse’s head because we don’t have the strength to take him on like that. I am sure that a horse will give more if one believes in him”. This equilibrium became visible 20 years later in dressage. Following Reiner Klimke at the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 1984, a young girl called Nicole Uphoff seized the Olympic title in Seoul in 1988, beating two other women. Between then and 2008, only two men had succeeded in winning a paltry bronze medal at the Olympic Games. This phenomenon had in fact started in 1972 with German Liselott Lisenhoff’s victory, followed by that of Swiss Christine Stückelberger in Riding 47
Left: Pippa Funnell and Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum Right: Edwina Alexander
48 Riding
1976 in Bromont. The somewhat female configuration to be found on dressage podiums hasn’t changed much since the birth of the Equestrian World Games in Stockholm in 1990 – not a single world title has gone to a man. “The high rate of female participation that one sees in clubs and in children is more apparent in this discipline than in any other. Dressage is a discipline that appeals more to girls. Dressage requires more sensitivity and fusion with the horse than any other form of riding” says Isabell Werth. Truth be told, it is horses themselves that ensure this balance; in all disciplines both men and women are, above all, dependent on the quality of their steeds. Anky van Grunsven owes her supremacy in dressage all these years mainly to her exceptional
horse, Salinero. The fact that this flag has been taken over by her countryman, Edward Gal, is mostly due to his incredible Moorlands Totilas, a horse that is seemingly from another planet. For a long time in showjumping, the top level was an almost exclusively male affair. The explanation for this is that up until the last 20 years, the sport was more physically demanding than today. Horses used for it were more difficult, less sensitive, and less “well-bred”, and need to be “carried” and solicited. Strong legs on the part of the rider were indispensable. Bravery (note the example of eventing!) rather than breeding, was the order of the day Bravery is certainly a prerequisite when it comes to hurling oneself at obstacles that
are sometimes 1.60m high. However, there have always been women in this sport who were plenty brave enough, and from time to time, have been able to leave their male counterparts behind, usually thanks to a horse that stood out from its peers. Janou Lefèvre won two Olympic medals for France tin the Sixties with Rocket, a light footed horse with the right blood; English Marion Coakes with her almost pony-like Stroller, won a silver medal at the Mexican Olympic Games in 1968, Liz Edgar became the first woman to win the Grand Prix at Aachen in 1980 (it took another 11 years before American Ann Kursinski repeated the feat, and then another 14 years before a third rider, Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum did it again).
However, up until the first decade of this century, these feminine exploits remained incredible phenomena. The victory of French Alexandra Ledermann at Hickstead who became the first woman in history to become European champion in 1999 after having won a bronze medal at the Olympic Games in 1996 (on Rochet M, who is related to Janou Lefèvre’s famous Rocket!) was the turning point. This wind of change had already been heralded by the success of American riders at the World Cup (Kathie Monahan, Leslie Burr and Katrin Burdsall) but had not yet swept across Europe. In 1999, the best rider from the German team was a woman ride, which was a veritable revolution! Meredith MichaelsBeerbaum was to become a progressively
more indispensable element of her adopted team (she was originally Californian) and then of international showjumping as a whole. Together with Irish Jessica Kuerten, Australian Edwina Alexander is one of the women to have held a steady place of the world Top 10. She arrived in Europe at about this time (1998): “At the time I had a lot of respect for Leslie McNaught who has regularly won medals with the Swiss team and Jessica (Kuerten) who also stood out in that decade. But I must say that before I arrived in Europe, I was not very in touch with what was going on in the world of show jumping. I knew more about what was going on in the States and I was very struck by the performance of Leslie Burr, winner of the 1986 world cup with McLain or Melanie Riding 49
Top: Isabell Werth riding Satchmo Down: Edward Gal riding Totilas Right: Individual Jumping Podium WEG 2006
There is no battle between men and women in this sport. Both can admire the different sensibility of the other
Smith with Calypso, who was third in the first world cup and subsequently the winner in 1982. I heard all this later because I was only five years old at the time of her first victory and 12 at the time of the second! But what is true is that since this time, the sport has developed immensely, and particularly in the realm of breeding.” “The development of breeding showjumpers has helped enormously. Sport horses have become much more delicate” says Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum. “These horses are closer and closer to thoroughbreds and can be ridden by either men or women. Fifteen or 20 years ago, horses were heavier and stronger and it was not easy for people who were slight (she weighs 50 kilos!) to manoeuvre them. So women were at a disadvantage, whereas today, men and women are on equal ground when it comes to top horses.” Edwina confirms this: “The sport is less about physical strength. It’s more about
feeling and women are more sensitive to this approach. They also have a different relationship with their horses. Above all, breeding has developed so much over the past 20 years. Horses are lighter and it’s more about their blood lines. Shutterfly is a perfect illustration of this. It’s easier for a rider to adapt to this kind of horse than those that breeders raised in the past. Show jumping has also changed enormously. It has become more sophisticated, the poles are lighter, faults are easier, the ground cover is better and all of this combines to be better suited to female riders. But although in the States, women are just as competitive as men – you could say it’s about 50/50 – but in Europe we’re not there yet.” Horses have become more sensitive to their riders’ needs – and their ability to impart their feelings, and love and understand them has taken on a much bigger role. This is a state of mind that is closer to female emotions and this is exactly the type of relationship
that women riders have with their horses when they are little girls in riding clubs (a time when boys are generally happier on a football field). At the same time, men’s riding has also developed to become more of a feeling game and it didn’t bother Meredith to see her Shutterfly ridden by Jos Lansink, the only man in the final round of the last WEG at Aachen. “Jos rode him so well! Having said this, Shutterfly is a sensitive horse who likes a light hand and discreet aids which makes him more of a woman’s horse.” Jos Lansink will be defending this title in Lexington but these days, who knows if it will be a man or a woman who will succeed him? And given that horses have so successfully flattened the gender fences, who knows what the male/female division on the podiums of the three disciplines will be? There is no battle between men and women in this sport. Both can admire the different sensibility of the other that is brought to bear in their approach to
riding. Alexandra Ledermann always hated a certain Grand Prix competition where men and women competed separately: ”I refused to go because my sport was the only one where this differentiation didn’t take place!” The FEI watches over this particularity of equestrian sport. So that pregnant women do not slide unfairly into the depths of the Rolex Rankings for showjumping, a decision was recently taken to freeze their points during pregnancy, allowing them to rejoin the competition at the same level at which they had to leave it temporarily. This is a novel step to take that only riding – or the horse – could inspire!!! When it comes to gender equality, riding is undoubtedly the most advanced sports or social activity of its time!
Riding 51
The actors
Behind the competition 52
by Pascal Renauldon
Behind the scenes, behind the competition, there are those who are backstage: a whole family, a whole industry, a veritable economic web all driven by passion. Portraits of two key players in a horse’s career: breeder and owner.
There are many jobs without which competition horses could not exist. Firstly, there are the breeders who “produce” horses… a very limited word given the love that these salt of the earth people pour into raising their dream horse – or, in other words, the horse that might one day make it to the Olympic Games, to the World Equestrian Games or to a Grand Prix at Aachen. They know that on that day, the market being what the market is, “their” horse will no longer belong to them – and the better a horse, the less those at the beginning of the chain get to keep them. The horse will go from owner to owner, usually to end up in the hands of someone who is better off but no less passionate. The best competition horses are raised in Europe and more precisely, in a sort of golden arc that begins in Normandy, passes through Belgium and Holland,
Westphalia, up through Lower Saxony and ends in Schleswig Holstein. Since just after the war, the farmers of these regions have followed their own particular Holy Grail using various local means: their horses are crossed with pure bred horses, giving rise to increasingly specialist lines. These lines are interbred and internationalised under pressure from avant-garde thinkers such as Léon Melchior, who created the first European stud book, Zangersheide, in 1993 by crossing the best strains from all Belgium’s neighbouring countries. These developments have done nothing to change the mentality and profile of these breeders who, like their grandparents who founded the lines, have grown up with the same passion to perpetuate their equine families, and the same dream to breed an Olympic or world champion. The actors 53
The day this happens, the breeder himself feels like a world champion even if his name has disappeared on the horse’s papers and is perhaps only ever mentioned by a few in the know. On that day, the second person in line to be honoured, after the rider, is the owner, the final owner, a true patron and just as passionate about the sport. The horse leaves the breeder early on – at six months old when it is weaned, at three years old, at the dawn of its career, or at six years old, when it has completed its training as a “youngster”, a round of competitions suited to its youth. At this point, the future champion is already under pressure and the sometimes seven digit price rises in Euro or dollars. Enter the owners wishing to see their horse succeed in their national colours with their 54 The actors
riders in the saddle – riders who don’t own their own horses and become “pilots” for their patrons. Marion Jauß and Madeleine Winter-Schulze are German sisters on whom life has smiled who supply (and pay for the upkeep of) top level horses to some of the best German riders – Ludger Beerbaum, Marco Kutscher, Philipp Weishaupt, Isabell Werth and Christian Ahlmann: “These are women who love the sport, who love horses”, explains the latter. “Marion and Madeleine are real horsewomen who love being around horses and in the world of competitions. They are well off and spend money on a number of passions. Horses bring them great happiness and they enjoy bringing something to this sport – with no ulterior motives whatsoever”.
They play an important role in the development of equestrian sport
Left: Madeleine Winter-Schulze Centre: Christian Baillet Right: Zangersheide stud book
“They were riders themselves” says Isabell Werth. “Madeleine did dressage to a very high standard and she shares her love of equestrian sport with her husband, Dietrich, who was Ludger’s owner. Madeleine and Dietrich have always wanted to help young riders to make it. Some owners are looking to make money by selling horses whose value has increased through competitions. This is quite valid, but has never been their aim. They have always simply owned horses with the sole aim of helping their riders succeed and sharing the pleasure of seeing their horses develop and win”. In France, fund manager Christian Baillet is also struck with the same passion and has backed “his” longstanding rider, Philippe Rozier, with unwavering loyalty. Baillet has recently been elected President of the
Jumping Owners’ Club, which, founded by Carles Vilarrubi, is supported by Rolex. Recognised and highly regarded by the FEI, the association works to develop show jumping, putting it in the spotlight, making it more universal and promoting horses’ wellbeing. In the final round of the WEG and in conjunction with Rolex, the Jumping Owners Club will decide on a prize for the owner of the best horse – the “World Champion of the horses”! By doing this, the owners show that their interest in horses goes far beyond egotistical pride in owning a champion or two and that they play an important role in the development of equestrian sport: generous to the last!
The actors 55
WEG 2010 preview
The first American Games! 56
by Sophie Renauldon
For the first time since their creation in 1990, the World Equestrian Games are being held outside Europe on American soil across the Atlantic. The sixth edition of the most important equestrian event will take place near Lexington, right in the centre of Kentucky.
The Americans had already expressed a desire to host the biggest equestrian event in the world in 2006. However, the Germans who had staged the legendary competition at Aachen had a number of heavyweight arguments in their favour. Finally, after Stockholm, The Hague, Rome, Jerez de la Frontera and Aachen, it’s Lexington’s turn, and the “world capital of the horse” will host the sixth edition of the World Equestrian Games from September 25 through October 10, 2010. Eight world championships will be defended over 16 days: showjumping, dressage, eventing, driving, endurance, vaulting, reining and para dressage. What’s more, they will all be held in once place, the Kentucky Horse Park, a first in the history of the WEG! Six hundred thousand spectators are expected at the event, along with 1,000 horses and 1,200 journalists. The event will be broadcast for more than 100 hours on both American and international television stations, and particularly NBC. Although the first eventing world championship on the continent took place at the Kentucky Horse Park in 1976, and it was the natural choice of location for the first world equestrian games to take place outside Europe, considerable renovations were required in order to ensure appropriate facilities and to make the site an American Aachen. Everything has been set up around the famous cross-country course at the centre of the park, the only element that has not undergone major transformation.
WEG 2010 preview 57
Six hundred thousand spectators are expected at the event, along with 1,000 horses and 1,200 journalists
Left: U.S. Equestrian Federation Headquarters at the Kentucky Horse Park Right: Johnson Arena
A completely new stadium was born in March 2009, with 7,400 seats of which 4,630 are covered. This can be increased to 30 000 thanks to a system of removable grandstands. Both the opening and closing ceremonies will take place here, but more importantly, so will the dressage competitions in the first week and subsequently, the show jumping in the second week. The old stadium, where the dressage tests and Rolex Kentucky 3-Day Event jumping took place before, has been taken apart and rebuilt a bit further away. The dressage and obstacle-cone driving tests will take place here during these Games. Both the size and modernity of the new indoor complex are impressive. The vaulting and reining championships will take place in this heated, air-conditioned, covered stadium which can seat 6,000 people.
The building also has an 1,800m2 exhibition hall where over 100 vendors will show their products and services. The para-dressage competitions will take place in the Covered Arena, which has 1,100 seats. Total cost eighty million dollars. The state of Kentucky, owner of the park, is subsidizing these renovations and is expecting returns of around 167 million dollars. However, running of the Games also costs in the region of 77 million dollars which is mainly covered by ticket sales and sponsorship. Alltech, the animal food giant whose head office is in Lexington, has contributed ten million dollars to become title sponsor of the event which is now called the Alltech FEI WEG. Since 2002, Rolex has also been an important and faithful sponsor of WEG and will naturally be a major partner to the event. The WEG is not only a top level compe-
tition, but also a collection of activities related to equestrian sports and a passion for horses. Visitors will have the opportunity of visiting a village dedicated to the world of the horse, where they can discover other equestrian disciplines, admire the wide variety of equine breeds or listen to Pat Parelli, one of the first “whisperers� to have codified and brought equine ethology within reach of both amateur and professional riders. Everything that is needed to ensure that the first Equestrian Games on American soil is a success appears to be falling into place. With more than 200,000 tickets already sold, these Games will without a doubt be as successful as those held in Aachen in 2006, attended by over 500,000 spectators.
WEG 2010 preview 59
Portfolio
Women and Men behind the riders 60
Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum and Rodrigo Pessoa
Portfolio 61
Isabell Werth
62 Portfolio
Zara Phillips
Portfolio 63
Gonzalo Pieres Jnr
64 Portfolio
2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games Competition schedule
SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER
25
26
27
28
29
30
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
S
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
S
Ceremony Jumping Eventing Dressage Para dressage Reining Driving Endurance Vaulting
SEPTEMBRE
Cérémonie Saut d’obstacles Concours complet
OCTOBRE
25
26
27
28
29
30
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
S
D
L
M
M
J
V
S
D
L
M
M
J
V
S
D
the
classic
watch
No other watch is engineered quite like a Rolex. The Datejust, introduced in 1945, was the first wristwatch to display the date through an aperture on the dial. Its unique magnifying Cyclops eye, added a few years later, became recognised as a Rolex design standard. Now in a larger, more distinguished 41 mm size, the Datejust II is a natural evolution of a classic. The Datejust II is presented here in Rolex signature Rolesor, a unique combination of 904L steel and 18 ct yellow gold.
t he d ate jus t ii