WITH BATED BREATH

What an exciting final day of the 2016 Longines FEI World Cup Final in Gothenburg! Monday’s final two rounds kept the sold-out crowd of over 11,500 spectators on the edge of their seats as the top riders remained separated by only three penalty points throughout the day. The championship title was within reach of top three riders Steve Guerdat (SUI), Harrie Smolders (NED) and Daniel Deusser (GER) until Guerdat, the last rider to go, cleared the final fence in Round B. With that clear round, Guerdat secured his second WCF Champion title in a row.

Harrie Smolders and Emerald N.O.P.

Harrie Smolders and Emerald N.O.P.

Spanish course designer, Santiago Varela, was very happy with how Monday’s rounds played out. “All of the pressure was on each successive rider. It was impossible to do better; the course was tough and the fences were big. I am very happy with the final results.” John Madden, Chair of the FEI Jumping Committee, echoed Varela’s sentiments, “This World Cup Final was a fair, difficult test. We could be sure that whoever won would be the correct winner. Steve won fair and square over a fantastically correct test. The top three riders did an excellent job.”

WCF 2016 Champion Steve Guerdat with second place rider, Harrie Smolders at the final press conference Monday

WCF 2016 Champion Steve Guerdat with second place rider, Harrie Smolders at the final press conference Monday

U.S. IN THE TOP 10

Horse & Style would like to congratulate U.S. rider, Callan Solem on her Top 10 Overall Ranking. Solem finished 7th at this year’s WCF in Gothenburg – her first World Cup Final – amongst a field of excellent competitors. This achievement has earned Solem a spot on the 2016 U.S. Olympic Show Jumping Team Short List!

Callan Solem and VDL Wizard

Callan Solem and VDL Wizard

LONGINES FEI WORLD CUP FINAL 2017

U.S. readers will be pleased to hear that the 2017 World Cup Finals for both Jumping and Dressage will be held in Omaha, Nebraska. The event will take place March 27 – April 2, 2017. “We have had some really fantastic bids for our major events,” FEI Secretary General Ingmar De Vos said. “It’s very exciting that Omaha, which has the full support of the local community and government, will be hosting both the Longines FEI World Cup Jumping and FEI World Cup Dressage Finals in 2017 (FEI PR, https://www.fei.org/news/fei-announces-host-cities-major-equestrian-events).”