All roads lead to Geneva…
Geneva is preparing for a thrilling equestrian experience from 14 to 18 April.
Nearly 50 of the world’s greatest riders, from all five continents, are participating in the Rolex FEI World Cup Final. This world-class competition is the best possible way to round off the indoor season.
And Geneva is also hosting the FEI World Cup Driving Final, with the six most skilful drivers in the world and their four-horse teams. The spotlight is now firmly focused on Geneva Palexpo and its arena, with a daily seating capacity of 10,000. These two FEI finals make the Geneva International Horse Show (CHI-W) the major equestrian event of the year in Switzerland, or even in Europe.
With two finals together, the organizers of the Geneva International Horse Show have set their sights high. And their ambition has been justified, with the box-office doing a brisk trade and tickets for the weekend already nearly sold out! The facilities have also been reviewed and enhanced for visitors’ enjoyment and comfort. Now, there will be some 10,000 seats surrounding the show ring. There will also be a new reception marquee and over a hundred exhibition stands for the public to visit, including two new marquees, one hosting a Swiss pavilion and the other housing the educational farm which was such a big success in 2008.
The preliminary events for the showjumping and driving finals will run from Thursday to Sunday. Alongside these will be a dozen or so spectacular competitions, all international benchmarks: the Parfums Lanvin Six Bar event (Thursday 15 April), the Tribune de Genève Progressive Difficulties event (Friday 16 April), the Speed and Handy prize and the Credit Suisse Grand Prix (Saturday 17 April). The programme provides days of intense action where sport and emotion go hand in hand, and the sporting stakes are undeniable.
Riders and drivers have to qualify beforehand in order to participate in their respective finals, and the organizers are delighted to be able to announce that the world’s best will be coming to Geneva. In showjumping – even though not all the qualifying events are completed – it is almost certain that visitors to Geneva Palexpo will be seeing such talented riders as Marcus Ehning, Ludger Beerbaum, Rodrigo Pessoa, Mclain Ward, Jessica Kürten and the European champion, Frenchman Kevin Staut. The current title-holder, the German rider Meredith Michaels Beerbaum no tomará parte en la Final de la Copa del Mundo que se celebrará dentro de pocas fechas en Ginebra. Meredith Michaels ha tenido hace poco tiempo un bebé y aunque podía disputar la Final de Ginebra por ser la anterior ganadora de la Final de Las Vegas 2009, no se encuentra todavía en condiciones de competir al más alto nivel.
Según ha informado en unas declaraciones en París, su cuñado Ludger Beerbaum,” Meredith va bien. Lleva montando dos semanas dulcemente y este fin de semana participou num pequeño concurso . De cero a la Final de la Copa del Mundo hay un largo trecho “.Meredith Michaels ha ganado tres Finales de Copa del Mundo con Shutterfly, las de 2005, 2008 y 2009, además de estar segunda en el 2004.
The attractions scheduled in the arena will give greatest prominence to the sporting partnership between man and horse, but not forgetting some spectacular displays, particularly from the “Flying Frenchman” Lorenzo and the Minorcan horses. The official opening ceremony is scheduled for late afternoon on Wednesday 14 April, and will include various scenes depicting Switzerland, with magnificent parades and in particular an appearance by the Swiss National Stud and the riders of the Fête des Vignerons, which can be seen again on Saturday evening.