Just before Christmas this year, thousands of equestrian enthusiasts travel to the London Excel Racecourse in the snow and ice to enjoy the London Horse Show, one of the world's most watched top equestrian races.
As the reconstruction of the Olympia venue is underway, the London Horse Show takes place at the ExCel Arena. The Christmas atmosphere is everywhere, with shows, shops, bars and stalls around the arena, children laughing and taking photos with ponies among the pretty decorations, and adults may opt for a drink, contactless dining area where they don't need to bring any cash with them.
Equestrian competitions are becoming more and more popular with the public. If we look back in history, one of the venues that dates back to the founding of the FIMA was the stadium in La Baule, France.
La Bordeaux is located near Nantes, just 400 km from Paris. About a century ago, when business tycoon Fran ois André, the founder of the Lucien Barrière group, launched a redesign of the resort to attract tourists from nearby neighborhoods, La Bore began to develop into a tourist destination.
In the 1920s, a new station was built here, prompting La Bordeaux to become a trendy seaside resort that has since been a day trip destination as well as a favorite mecca for holidaymakers.
Today, La Bore is the host station of the ANNUAL SPRING FIMA Arena Steeplechase Tour in France, and Rabol's arena connects the original state of equestrian events with the major international series of the 2020s.
The "Badminton" was first organized in 1949 by the Duke of Beaufort to train British riders for international events and is now known as "Britain's most important equestrian event". Usually more than 150,000 fans come here every year to watch the five-day competition. Burleigh Park, where the Burghley Race is held, isn't as old as Bloomington, but it also attracts a large crowd, with more than 170,000 people coming to the scene over four days.
Equestrian Park in Kentucky, USA, is home to another FIMA five-star event. When the FIM Triathlon World Championships were hosted in 1978, 200,000 people watched the event live. This sprawling equestrian facility highlights our closeness to the horses and is a must-see for all equestrian enthusiasts.
Poland may not be considered the world's top equestrian powerhouse, but it has magnificent venues in Sopot and Strzegom, hosting major equestrian events every year.
There is also the fantastic x-bionic arena in Samorin, Slovakia, which has hosted several FIMF International Cup matches in recent years. In addition to the incredible equestrian facilities, this super-advanced sports destination can host more than 27 Olympic events!
The track-bounds steeplechase at the 1948 London Olympics was held at the famous Wembley Stadium (then known as the Imperial Stadium), which could accommodate 82,000 spectators. The star on the wembley arena was mexico's "Dream Team", who shocked the world by bringing individual and team gold medals back to the Americas from Europe.
At the 2012 Olympics, London's Greenwich Park hosted the final of an equestrian competition. The stunning Horsley Park was built for the 2000 Sydney Olympics and includes a 20,000-seat outdoor arena.
Ensuring first-class facilities and infrastructure for large groups of people, sometimes Olympic equestrian competitions also borrowed horse racing venues, santa anita racecourse was used in Los Angeles in 1984, and the 2008 Beijing Olympics were held at the Hong Kong Jockey Club Sha Tin Racecourse.
The Olympic Games will attract a large number of spectators on the one hand, but the recent Tokyo Olympics, although it has a beautiful equestrian park venue and an unmori park venue, due to the impact of the new crown epidemic, there are no spectators to watch the game.
In addition to all these huge outdoor venues, indoor venues are also striking in the winter. THE FIMA Indoor Venue Competition and the World Cup Finals have been held in major centres in major international cities such as Paris, Gothenburg and Las Vegas.
Located in the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas with a capacity of 18,000 people, it has hosted several venue obstacle courses and dressage World Cup finals. Ahead of the 2020 FIM World Cup final, the site was renovated and remodeled for $75 million, including the addition of a huge new two-story VIP space and the stables were upgraded. However, under the influence of the new crown epidemic, the finals were forced to be cancelled, and it is believed that more top equestrian events will be welcomed here in the future.
The Accor Hotles arena in Paris is the third busiest indoor venue in the world, hosting the FIM World Cup Finals in 2018. Heavyweight stars such as Bruno Mars, Justin Bieber and Adele have all performed there for the past few years. Here, the most expensive French champagne is placed in the dressing room, in addition to which the equestrian stars asked for the 2018 World Cup finals:
3,690 square meters of arena
738 cubic meters of sand
1,200 tons of sand
2 tons of hay
25 tons of garbage
200 cubic meters of horse manure
Gothenburg is the spiritual home of the FIM World Cup finals, the first matches can be traced back to 1979, and the Scandinavium Arena has been the cradle of world cup winners. The annual Gothenburg Horse Show, where the domed arena can accommodate around 13,000 people. Lotta Nibell, president of the Gothenburg Horse Show, said: "We are all very proud to be part of the FIMA World Cup. We have a long history of working closely together. We are delighted to see so many people coming back year after year. It's not just a show or a race, it's a meeting place and way of life for all those who love horses. ”
In 2022, the Leipzig Exhibition Center will host the FIMA World Cup Finals, including the steeplechase, dressage, carriage and horseback gymnastics, with more than 75,000 spectators expected.
German equestrian superstar Daniel Deusser has always been a big fan of Leipzig: "From multiple angles it will be a wonderful show. The infrastructure is good, the weekends are crowded and the venues are overcrowded. From a participant's point of view, it will be a busy race that offers the opportunity to train new horses and keep old ones running. ”
In 2022 we will also host the FIMA World Championships in Herning, Denmark, and Pratoni Del Vivaro, Italy. The former will host dressage, paralympic dressage, obstacle courses and horseback gymnastics, with an expected influx of 200,000 spectators. Equestrian enthusiasts can see a huge entertainment area at the venue called EquiPark, which includes two stages where live audiences and spectators in front of televisions can watch a variety of interviews, conversations and competitions. The venue also features the 3,000-seat BB Horse Arena, designed for the disabled dressage competition.
Athletes and equestrian enthusiasts can already start looking forward to the surprise-filled Olympic equestrian events at Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028. French landmark Versailles will set up temporary equestrian facilities in its spectacular gardens in 2024, while the picturesque Sepulveda Basin Park will host the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Equestrian Race.
Looking ahead to 2022 and beyond, we can look forward to more exciting events in magnificent venues. We would like to thank these venue builders and event organizers for their important role in creating a sport that is constantly expanding and providing excitement to many horse fans.
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