Showjumping showcase riding high

With a record 170 teams of horses and riders from all over the world competing, this year’s Longines Equestrian Beijing Masters was the biggest and best edition of the event since it debuted in 2011.

Roger-Yves Bost, winner of team gold at the 2016 Olympics, and Chinese national champion Liang Ruiji were some of the elite riders to thrill the crowds last weekend at the Bird’s Nest.

“The Longines Equestrian Beijing Masters is an international event that has become an important platform for domestic and overseas riders to compete and exchange ideas,” said Zhang Xiaoning, president of the Chinese Equestrian Association.

“It has played an important role in pushing the development of Chinese equestrian sport and assisting athletes’ preparations for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.”

Classified as a CSI 3* event by world governing body the FEI, this year’s show jumping competition included the Longines Grand Prix (145-155 cm), BMW Elite Class (130-135 cm), Team Championship (120-125 cm), Dashing Challenge (100-110 cm) and BMW Drive & Jump Competition, with $258,000 in prize money up for grabs.

“The equestrian industry has been expanding rapidly for many years now,” said FEI president Ingmar De Vos.

“In 2016, there were 4,261 international events globally, representing a 30 percent increase over the last five years, and this comes alongside the 28 percent increase in the number of athletes and horses.

“The sport is growing and the potential for more growth is vast, especially here in China, where there is a real thirst for new events and innovative ways to develop the sport, entice new audiences and attract world-renowned riders.”

The success of this year’s Masters was thanks to a huge joint effort, with the event co-organized by the Chinese Equestrian Association, the National Stadium, German horse show CHIO Aachen and German showjumping legend Ludger Beerbaum.