The dressage World Cup has found its permanent place in Olomouc. This year will see the third edition

The Dressage World Cup will return to the Olomouc Equine Sport Centre for the third time at the end of May. This international event, which consists of thirty competitions in various categories, has become very popular among riders from all over Europe.

The first international equestrian event was held in Olomouc ten years ago. Historically, the first World Cup event in show jumping was held in Olomouc in 2014, and eight years later the management of the Equine Sport Center decided to add a dressage event of a similar level to the list of events. The third edition of the CDI Olomouc will take place from 23rd to 26th May this year.

“After two years of organising the Dressage World Cup, we can say that the project in Olomouc has taken off and is popular not only with a large number of riders from all over Europe, but also with a growing number of spectators. Dressage is a little more difficult for the general public to watch because it is not always easy to see whether the horse and rider have performed the individual elements well. That is why we try to make these competitions as pleasant as possible for the spectators and present the scores given by the jury not only through an experienced announcer, but also on a large screen showing the intermediate results,” said Kristýna Koutná, Director of Equine Sport Center.

Thomas Baur, who has extensive experience in organising dressage events in Europe and the United States of America, will once again take on the role of Event Director. The jury will be chaired by Gabriela Valeriánová from the Czech Republic, while the other members of the jury who will assess the competitors’ performances are Malgorzata Pawlowská from Poland, Elisabeth Max-Theurer from Austria, Hans Voser from Switzerland, Thomas Kessler from Germany and William Warren from the USA.

“We are following the tried and tested model in planning the competition programme,” said Kristýna Koutná. The programme will once again include the following categories CDI-W, CDI3*, CDICh, CDIJ, CDIY, CDIU25, CDIYH and CDIP with competitions for children, juniors, young riders under 25, young horses and children on ponies.

The Grand Prix and Grand Prix Freestyle competitions, which are part of the World Cup Series, are traditionally the most popular with spectators. They will take place on Friday and Saturday. However, the CDI3* competitions, with the first Grand Prix on Friday and the Grand Prix Special on Sunday, also promise plenty of excitement. More Czech riders are expected in two-star Intermediate A and Intermediate II competitions scheduled for Friday and Saturday. Most of the other categories will feature three competitions.

“Sunday will be a day full of performances to music, with the so-called Kür on programme, freestyle riding to music, combining sporting performance with artistic expression. We hope that many spectators will find this competition attractive and fill all the seats in the arena to create a great atmosphere for the riders,” added Kristýna Koutná.

Riders can now register through their National Federations. The deadline for applications is 9th May. More information about the programme can be found at www.escolomouc.cz, where you can also find information about other equestrian events taking place in Olomouc. This year there will be a total of 12 events, the first of which will take place from 12th to 14th April.