– Starting in 1985-1986, the FEI Rolex WC™Final Dressage 2009 will be the 24th WC™Final Dressage.
– Third combined double Final Dressage& Jumping, third Dressage WC™Final in Las Vegas
– 15 competitors from eight nations will compete including Germany, The Netherlands, Sweden, Poland, USA, Canada, Columbia and Australia
– 15 horses originating from 6 studbooks, including KWPN (7), Hanoverian Stdb ( 1) Swedish Warmblood (3), Baden-Wurtemburg (1), Oldenburg Stdb (2) and Polish Warmblood (1).
– 15 horses including four stallions (IPS Painted Black, Briar, Don Charly, Kingston) and two mares (Exquis Nadine and Rafalca).
– Last official show appearance of 18 year old stallion Briar showed by Swedish Jan Brink.
– Most experienced competitor: Anky van Grunsven (NED), having won the WC™ Final nine times before and having competed yet in 13 FEI WC™Finals in total already.
– Less experienced competitors: Dutch Adelinde Cornelissen, Columbian Marco Bernal, Australian Heath Ryan and American Jan Ebeling, all four debuting in a WC™ Final Dressage.
– Oldest participant Dutch Jeannette Haazen (54), youngest participant Dutch Adelinde Cornelissen (29).
– Ground jury members : Linda Zang (USA, chair), Katrina Wüst (GER), Wim Ernes (NED), Enzo Truppa (ITA), Gustav Svalling (SWE)
Swedish judge Gustav Svalling will be officiating in Las Vegas
2 days Vegas-quarantine for flying horses
All horses have been safely unshipped and stabled after their direct flights from Liege Belgium or elsewhere in the world to Las Vegas. Now the
quarantine of two days walking in hand has started for all horses. Their riders or grooms wear quarantine clothing and will have to wait patiently for
the abided moment to train.
The youngest competitor of the Final, Dutch Adelinde Cornelissen, says: “At least the walking in hand it gives me a moment now to investigate what
Las Vegas is all about. My first impression in the hotel with all the noise of the gambling machines was an unexpected one! I hardly could find the
registration as I had to pass all the machines first!”