Reem Acra London 2012

October 2011
Behind the scenes
Reem Acra
Horses & High Heels – Page 44
London 2012
Who’s got a ticket? – Page 49
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Editorial
This edition of FEI Focus magazine bears the subtitle
“Behind the scenes” for several reasons. Some forty
FEI Championships have taken place this year, starting
with the FEI Balkan Eventing Championships in May
in Shumen, Bulgaria and finishing earlier this month
with the Pan American Endurance Championships
for Seniors and Young Riders in Santo Domingo.
We were able to go behind the scenes at six of the
Championships to capture, in images, some rarely-seen moments of emotion before and after the
events.
The stylish partnership between fashion designer
and the FEI continues this season and the first leg
of the Reem Acra FEI World Cup™ Dressage series
was held in Odense (DEN) from 27 to 28 October. In
July, Reem Acra shipped some of her new collection,
which was inspired by nature, to a beautiful country
setting in northern Italy for a photo shoot featuring
horses. You can admire some of the stunning photos
and read about the shoot on the pages that follow.
We also look into the ticketing system for the 2012
London Olympic and Paralympic Games. Many sports
fans have expressed frustration and disappointment over the difficulties
they have encountered
in their quest to buy
entry tickets for next
year’s much-anticipated
Games and we thought it
was important to explain
how tickets are distributed for sale internationally. Still on the subject of the Olympic Games, in
our “Greenwich Clean Time” feature, we look at the
measures being taken to ensure that Greenwich Park
- the beautiful, historical backdrop of the equestrian
events in London – is restored to its original state after the Jumping, Dressage and Eventing competitions.
The four FEI World Cup™ series will ensure that the
next few months are punctuated with many memorable sporting moments. We are very grateful to
the organisers for the enthusiasm and energy they
put into making these events such a pleasure to attend and, for this Focus, we found out exactly what
goes on behind the scenes at four of the venues.
Giles Morgan is Head of Global Sponsorship at
HSBC Holdings, which has been a loyal partner of
the FEI since 2008. If you are an Eventing fan, you
may well have seen him participate in the medal
ceremonies at the HSBC FEI Classics™ or the HSBC
FEI European Championships. Giles took some time
out of his hectic schedule to talk to the FEI about
his love of sport and the way in which sponsorship
has evolved in recent years.
Globetrotter has been extended to four pages to include more worldwide horse-related news. National
Federations, we welcome news of projects in your
countries, so please do not hesitate to contact our
Corporate Communications team if you have any
stories for future editions of Focus.
We look forward to seeing National Federation representatives at the FEI General Assembly in Rio de
Janeiro in Brazil, where we will continue to move our
wonderful sport forwards. In the meantime, I send
my best wishes to all those of you who are involved
Note from
the FEI President
HRH Princess Haya
02
in any way in the Rolex FEI World Cup™ Jumping,
the Reem Acra FEI World Cup™ Dressage, the FEI
World Cup™ Driving and the FEI World Cup™ Vaulting
series and remind those of you who won’t be able
to attend that you can follow many of the events
on our video website FEI TV.
Impressum - Focus N° 8 - October 2011
Follow us on
Table of Contents
06 Globetrotter
10 FEI Nations Cup™ 2011
Otto Becker looks back
20 FEI Championships
Inside Out
40 A life in a day
52 FEI insight
34 The other side of...
42 Fashion
54 FEI Equestrian World
36 Why the long face?
46 HSBC Profile
38 Postcard from
49 FEI insight
Tim Flach
Maria Alvares Ponton
Lyle Lovett
Cambodia
28
04
Contact / Advertising FEI - Fédération Equestre Internationale
richard.johnson@fei.org HM King Hussein I Building
Chemin des Délices 9
1006 Lausanne
T. +41 21 310 47 47
F. +41 21 310 47 60
www.fei.org
28 Portrait
12 FEI World Cup™ Series
Circulation2,600
FrequencyQuarterly
Editor in Chief Marianne Burkhardt
Design / Art
Equestrio SA
Printing
Grafiche SIZ - Italy
Cover
©Gianguido Rossi
George Dimaras
Horses & High Heels
Greenwich Clean time
55 FEI TV
VOD & Live broadcast schedule 2011
Giles Morgan
Who’s got a ticket for London 2012?
34
46
FOCUS 05
Museum Lipikum
ter
Equestrian Academy in Malawi
could benefit hundreds
The Malawi NF is working on a project to open an
Equestrian Academy at Saint Andrews International
Secondary School in Blantyre, southern Malawi.
The project would benefit more than 650 children
of various nationalities who attend the school,
as well as pupils from neighbouring schools and
underprivileged children who visit and use the
school facilities, particularly at weekends and during school holidays. Accommodation at the academy would resolve the problem of children being unable to ride due to transport issues or lack
of availability in yards. The Malawi Equestrian
Federation hopes the local community will help to
clear areas that would house the academy facilities
CWG
webinfo@fei
and assist with construction work. If the project,
which is supported by many children and their parents, is accepted, the academy will open with 10
horses. Zoe Kayes, Secretary General of the Malawi
NF, hopes that work will begin on the academy in
2012-2013. She believes the academy would help
considerably with the development of the sport
at a national level.
FEI web wizar
d Nicole Sigris
t has been
busy convertin
g the FEI Annua
l Report
2010 and all pa
st editions of
Focus into
flipview versio
ns. You can fin
d them in
this reader-frie
ndly format at
www.fei.org/m
edia/publicatio
ns
Calling all social media fanatics
FEI Coaching Working Group (CWG) meeting
HM King Hussein I Building, Lausanne, 26 July 2011
From left to right:
Kathy-Amos Jacob, FEI Senior Tutor, Peter Strijbosch, FEI
Senior Tutor and Member of CWG, Céline Kunz, Assistant
FEI Solidarity, Gerry Mullins, FEI Tutor and Member of CWG,
Jacqueline Braissant, Director FEI Solidarity, Jean-Philippe
Camboulives, FEI Senior Tutor and Member of CWG, Liam
Moggan, Moderator, Coaching Ireland
06
g l o be t r o t t e r
@Stud Farm Lipica
ot
g l o be t r
The Lipica Stud Farm in Slovenia recently
opened a state-of-the-art museum dedicated to the lovely Lipizzaner breed.
Modern, airy and colourful, the museum features
a number of interactive as well as multimedia installations designed for visitors of all ages. It covers
topics such as the breed’s biology and behaviour
as well as its history and relationship to humans.
Children will especially like grooming the plush toy
horse, while the young at heart can pose in the
saddle of a life-sized model Lipizzaner. Visitors can
even feel the rush of the region’s legendary “burja”
wind thanks to a simulator in the final exhibition
room. Information is currently provided in English
as well as Slovenian. Admission is €7 for adults,
€3.50 for children aged 5-15. The real horses – including the young ones whose coats have yet to
turn white – are in nearby stables and paddocks.
Through prior booking, visitors can arrange to go
riding; equipment can be hired on site.
http://www.lipica.org/en/museum-lipikum
The FEI is joining forces with the
Equestrian Social Media Awards
(ESMAs), which were set up in 2010
to highlight the online equestrian community. Regional categories, based
on the geographical areas of the FEI’s
Regional Groups, have been introduced for the 2012 awards. The finalists will be judged in January by some
of the world’s best equestrian marketers,
digital professionals, social media gurus and branding experts, including FEI
Director of Corporate Communications
Richard Johnson. You can nominate
your social media favourites from the 1524 December via the ESMA Facebook
page. Categories include riders, charities, bloggers, Facebook pages and
competitions.
For more information visit: equestriansocialmediaawards.com
@ESMAwards on Twitter and facebook.com/equestriansocialmediaawards.
07
FEI to mark
250 years of veterinary profession at WEVA Congress
Places are still available at the FEI’s special session
during the 2011 World Equine Veterinary Association
(WEVA) Conference in Hyderabad, India on 2
November to mark World Veterinary Year. The FEI
session will highlight the past and current contribution of the veterinary profession to equestrian sport,
with lectures by eminent speakers in a variety of clinical disciplines. Full details can be found at
http://www.fei.org/veterinary/weva-2011-fei-session.
Megan Lewis crosses Russia
IJRC elects new president
Chinese Eventing rider
promotes Britain
Megan Lewis, the 60-year-old Briton who in 2008 began
her charity ride from Beijing to London, informed the FEI in
September that she had ridden through the part of Russia
between Kazakhstan and Ukraine and was about to cross
the Ukrainian border. The photo shows Meagan at the border post on the Russian side of Bolashak.
Follow Megan at www.thelonghorseride.com
or www.thelonghorseride.blogspot.com
Chinese Olympic Eventing rider Alex Hua Tian was in
May appointed as Goodwill Ambassador for the “Britain
You’re Invited” Campaign in China. The rider, who
currently lives and trains in Britain, is one of three Asian
Goodwill Ambassadors, selected by Britain’s national tourism
agency VisitBritain. The trio were chosen because they were in
some way inspired by Britain in their respective fields. Hua Tian’s
image at Greenwich Park has appeared throughout China to
promote the UK and London 2012. His branded video is on
show at hundreds of travel agents throughout China and he
will feature in the Tourism Trade Fair in Beijing, Shanghai and
Guangzhou in November 2011.
Cayetano Martinez de Irujo
(ESP) is the new president of the
International Jumping Riders
Club, following his election at
the IJRC General Assembly in
September. He replaces Rodrigo
Pessoa (BRA), who will now share
the role of Vice-President with
Ludger Beerbaum (GER).
FEI welcomes China
into FEI World Cup™ Jumping series
Guatemala City to host FEI World
Jumping Challenge Final 2011
08
Twenty-one riders have been
selected for the FEI World
Jumping Challenge Final
2011, which will take place at
the Escuela de Equitación El
Cortijo, Guatemala City from
4 to 11 December. Australia,
Bermuda, Chile, Colombia,
Dominica Republic, Egypt,
G uate m a l a , M a l ay sia ,
New Zealand, Peru, The
Philippines, Qatar, Syria,
Swaziland, Venezuela and
Zimbabwe are the 16 countries that will be represented. The FEI World Jumping
Challenge Final will be part
of the National Jumping
Championship. Coaching
Ireland’s Liam Moggan and
a pool of regional FEI Tutors
will present workshops every afternoon during the event
on themes such as the role
of the coach, mental fitness
of the riders, video analysis.
August saw nine riders win through to the jumpoff at the first ChinaLeague event in the history
of the FEI World Cup™ Jumping series. Samantha
Lam (HKG) and Double Bent claimed victory, winning
by three seconds from Vincent Vermeulen (NED)
on Dyrslunds Lotus. Zhengiang Li (CHN) steered
Tianwang Xing into third place. The new China
League is composed of three CSI1*-W events. The
second, in September, ended with three Chinese riders in the top three positions: Tongyan Liu (CHN) on
Kubuqi (first), Nulahemaiti Abai on Lauxley De Breve
(second) and Zuping Huang on Argelith Sambuca
(third). As this FEI Focus went to print, the Beijing
organises were preparing for the last qualifier. The
number of FEI World Cup™ Jumping leagues worldwide now totals 14, with more than 120 qualifying
events leading to the Final at ‘s-Hertogenbosch
(NED) in April 2012.
Follow us on
FOCUS 09
©FEI/CHIO Rotterdam Press
LA BAULE was a very well-organised show. The course
was tough and there was just one double-clear from
Belgium’s Judy-Ann Melchior. We were very satisfied with our third place.
ROME is a city that I like very much and it’s always
good to be there. This was the first time I was there
as a Chef d’Equipe. We came fourth.
ST GALLEN was a disaster for us! We had a big show
in Hamburg the same weekend. In the last three weeks
before the show, four out of the five nominated riders withdrew. Everything that could have gone wrong
went wrong and the team retired in the second round.
FALSTERBO saw our first victory this year and a very
good team performance. This was just a week before
our home show in Aachen and was good for our selfconfidence. Marco Kutscher performed very well with
Cash and Ludger Beerbaum didn’t have to jump in the
second round because we’d already won.
Ludger Beerbaum and Gotha clinch
Germany’s victory in the jump-off against
Ben Maher and Tripple X (GBR)
©Karl-Heinz Frieler
Otto Becker looks back
10
Germany’s victory in the FEI Nations Cup™
2011 series was sealed during an exciting
competition in Rotterdam that ended
with a jump-off between Ben Maher
(GBR) and Ludger Beerbaum (GER).
German Chef d’Equipe Otto Becker
takes a brief look back over the season.
AACHEN our home Nations Cup show, took place
in the evening. The weather was very bad – it was
cold and rainy – but the floodlit stadium was packed
(40,000 spectators) and the atmosphere was great.
We tried to win but the Netherlands team’s performance was better. We were satisfied with our second place.
The last round decided the event and the season.
The Dutch were leading in the overall standings
and the competition was like a thriller towards
the end – a Hollywood screenwriter couldn’t have
made it better! It was a great showcase for the sport.
We were in second place with Great Britain behind
The Netherlands and I thought we had a chance to
win in the overall standings. Carsten-Otto Nagel
rode a double-clear and, in the jump-off against
Great Britain, Ludger Beerbaum beat Ben Maher,
meaning we had won the competition and the FEI
Nations Cup™ title. We were very, very happy.
2011
standings after Round 8 at Rotterdam (NED)
1 Germany
50.00
2Netherlands 48.50
3 Great Britain 47.00
4 Ireland
41.50
5
6
7
8
France
Belgium
USA
Denmark
40.50
35.00
31.50
10.00
All information about the series, including press
releases, is available in the press kit in the media
section at www.fei.org.
HICKSTEAD was the place of our second victory
and I was very happy for Sönke Sönksen, who was
the German Chef d’équipe there. Marcus Ehning had
the only double clear of the competition, followed by
a clear in the jump-off against France and the USA.
DUBLIN saw the German team in sixth position
with 24 faults. We had a young rider and some new
young horses. We were good in the first round, finishing in third place but went into sixth position
after the second round.
ROTTERDAM was our third victory of the season. We had a good team, the same as in Falsterbo
Cash (Marco Kutscher), Carinjo (Thomas Voss),
Corradina (Carsten-Otto Nagel) and Gotha (Ludger
Beerbaum).
©FEI/CHIO Rotterdam Press
FEI Nations Cup™ 2011
The German team celebrate their double victory in Rotterdam
(NED) - L to R - Carsten-Otto Nagel, Ludger Beerbaum, Otto
Becker (Chef d’Equipe), Marco Kutscher and Thomas Vos
FOCUS 11
©Yohanna BRETTE/PAR/G-L/FR
FEI World Cup™ Series
spotlight on lyon
Size of venue: 105,000 m
2
Number of permanent staff members working on the event: 10, plus 3 trainees.
Number of volunteers: more than 400
Preparations for the event begin 1 to 2 years in advance.
Apart from the FEI World Cup series qualifiers, the venue is used to host exhibitions with various
forms of entertainment.
Number of trade stands during the event: more than 450
Approximate number of media representatives (journalists and photographers) at the event: 250
Seating capacity of the venue: 6,000, including a VIP area with 90 tables.
The organising team have to be on site 3 days before the event.
It takes 3 to 5 days to restore the venue to its original state after the event.
5,000 kg of sand/footing from the company Toubin Clément are brought in for the three
arenas used during the events.
JUMPING
FINAL LEIPZIG
JUMPING
JUMPING
This season’s FEI World Cup™ Jumping
series is composed of 14 leagues with more
than 120 qualifying events worldwide
leading to the Rolex FEI World Cup™
Jumping Final in ‘s-Hertogenbosch (NED).
Qualifiers in the Western European League
of the Rolex FEI World Cup™ Jumping
series take place at 13 venues, the third
of which is Lyon (FRA), where the second
leg of the Reem Acra FEI World Cup™
Dressage series will also be hosted.
12
The organisers will provide 6 tons of hay. In 2010, they provided 1,395 bags of shavings
and 2 tons of straw for the CSI5*, CSI2* and CDI5*.
Equita’Lyon is an event that celebrates horses and equestrianism. In addition to the Rolex FEI World
Cup™ Jumping and Reem Acra FEI World Cup™ Dressage qualifiers, the event will host a national
Jumping show, including pony competitions, breeding competitions, a children’s village and performances by the Cadre Noir de Saumur, the French Equestrian Elite.
ROLEX FEI World Cup™ Series 2011/2012
JUMPING
For the CSI5*, and CSI2*, 300 boxes are created in temporary stables in a quiet and isolated
exhibition hall. 25 are built for the CDI5*. During the event, 150 horses will be stabled for the CSI5*
and 20 for the CDI5*.
Calendar
Rolex FEI World Cup™ Jumping series
12-16.10/2011
Oslo (NOR)
26-30.12/2011
Mechelen (BEL)
20-23.10/2011
Helsinki Hartwall Arena (FIN)
19-22.01/2012
Leipzig (GER)
26-30.10/2011
Lyon (FRA)
27-29.01/2012
Zurich (SUI)
03-06.11/2011
Verona (ITA)
03-05.02/2012
Bordeaux (FRA)
16-20.11/2011
Stuttgart (GER)
09-12.02/2012
Vigo (ESP)
08-11.12/2011
Geneva (SUI)
23-26.02/2012
GOTHENBURG (SWE)
13-19.12/2011
London Olympia (GBR)
Rolex FEI World Cup ™ Jumping Final
18-22.04/2012
‘s-Hertogenbosch (NED)
For all information about the series,
please consult the FEI press kit in the media section at www.fei.org
FOCUS 13
SPOTLIGHT ON GOTHENBURG
Size of venue: 10,000 m2
Number of permanent members of staff working on the event: 40
Number of volunteers: 300
Preparations for the Reem Acra FEI World Cup™ qualifier begin 14 months in advance.
Apart from the FEI World Cup™ series qualifiers, the venue is used for ice hockey, theatre, concerts,
exhibitions, etc.
Number of trade stands during the event: 250, in the adjacent building
Number of media representatives (journalists and photographers) at the event: 250
Seating capacity of the venue: 12,044
The organiser is located in the arena all year
It takes 6 days to set up the event and 36 hours to restore the venue to its original state after the
event. Ice hockey is played before a full capacity audience two days after the Reem Acra FEI World
Cup™ qualifier!
The main challenge in terms of logistics is space.
1,300 tons of sand/footing are brought in for the arena, the collecting ring, a lunging volt and
a big warm-up area. The footing (from Bart Poels in Belgium) is stored within a distance of 8km.
During the event, a total of 190 horses are stabled. 210 boxes are created in four temporary
stable buildings that are built in the exhibition hall and garages.
Reem Acra FEI World Cup™ Series 2011/2012
Dressage
The FEI World Cup™ Dressage series
2011/2012 is composed of the Western
European League, sponsored by Reem Acra,
the Central European League, the Asia Pacific
League and the North American League.
A maximum of eighteen athletes will
qualify for the Reem Acra FEI World Cup™
Final in April at ‘s-Hertogenbosch (NED).
Gothenburg (SWE) is the host of the ninth
leg of the Western European League.
14
The organisers provide 4 tons of feed and 1,600 bags of shavings
Volunteers also help out at the outdoor equestrian events at Falsterbo and Strömsholm.
Calendar
Reem Acra FEI World Cup™ Dressage series 2011/2012, Western European League
20-23.10/2011
ODENSE (DEN)
26-30.12/2011
MECHELEN (BEL)
28.10-01.11/2011 LYON (FRA)
19-22.01/2012
AMSTERDAM (NED)
25-27.11/2011
STOCKHOLM (SWE)
16-19.02/2012
NEUMÜNSTER (GER)
13-14.12/2011
LONDON (GBR)
23-26.02/2012
GOTHENBURG (SWE)
14-18.12/2011
FRANKFURT (GER)
FINAL
18-22.04/2012
‘S-HERTOGENBOSCH (NED)
For all information about the series,
please consult the FEI press kit in the media section at www.fei.org
FOCUS 15
Spotlight on Hannover
Size of venue: 15,515 m2
Number of permanent staff members working on the event: 7
Number of volunteers: 150
Preparations for the event begin 10 months in advance
Apart from the FEI World Cup series qualifier, the venue hosts: CSI3* CSIYH1*, CSI Am. A+B, CDN,
shows and exhibitions
There are 80 trade stands on 7,000 m2 during the event.
Approximate number of media representatives (journalists and photographers) attending: 90
Seating capacity of the venue: 5.000 (VIP included).
©Karl-Heinz Frieler
The team has to be on site 5 days before the event.
It takes the organisers 4
state afterwards.
days to set up the event and 2 days to restore the venue to its original
The biggest challenge for the organisers is preparing the venue in just four days (footing, seating, VIP
boxes, sound, light, video-walls, results boards, monitors, camera positions, stables, exhibition walls
and carpet, decoration).
For the event, 810 tons of sand/footing are brought in by the company Fairground.
Approximately 300 horses are stabled during the event. Some 330 boxes are created in temporary stables in a garage close to the show arena.
FEI World Cup™ Series 2011/2012
DRIVING
The ten drivers qualified for this season’s
FEI World Cup™ series will each compete
at three of the seven qualifying events.
The top six will qualifier. Hannover (GER)
is the host of the first qualifier of the FEI
World Cup™ Driving series 2011/2012.
The organisers provide 8,600kg of straw and hay and approximately 900 bags of shavings /
bales of straw.
Staff at the Hannover leg of the FEI World Cup™ Driving series also work at the CDI-W/CSI 3*
Neumünster, CSI2*/CDN Redefin and CSI3*/CDI Hagen.
20 hours per day for at least 5 days. The event has a budget of approximately
1.3 million euros.
Staff work nearly
Calendar
FEI World Cup™ Driving series 2011/2012
20-23.10/2011
Hannover (GER)
08-11.12/2011
Geneva (SUI)
16-21.11/2011
Stuttgart (GER)
26-30.12/2011
Mechelen (BEL)
25-27.11/2011
Stockholm (SWE)
19-22.01/2012
Leipzig (GER)
02-04.12/2011
Budapest (HUN)
FEI WORLD CUP ™ DRIVING FINAL
to be confirmed
For all information about the series,
please consult the FEI press kit in the media section at www.fei.org
16
FOCUS 17
©EN GARDE Marketing GmbH
spotlight on leipzig
Size of venue: 40,000m2 for the two halls used for the FEI World Cup™ qualifier (main arena,
2,600m2).
Number of permanent staff: 50
Number of volunteers: 300
Preparations for hosting the FEI World Cup™ qualifiers begin 6 months in advance.
Apart from the FEI World Cup™ qualifiers, the venue is used for exhibitions, trade fairs, concerts, etc.
Number of trade stands during the FEI World Cup™ qualifier: 320
Approximate number of media representatives (journalists and photographers) at the event: 270
Seating capacity of the venue: 13,000
The team is on site 8 days before the event. It takes them 8 days set up for the qualifier and 3
days to restore the venue to its original state.
1,892,000 kg of sand are brought in for the event.
During the event, some 430 horses are stabled. Approximately 450 temporary boxes are created in the exhibition hall. The organisers provide 3000 kg of hay and 1000 bags of shavings.
Some staff at the Leipzig qualifiers work at other equestrian events, including the Gera Summer
Meeting (July); E.ON Westfalen Weser Challenge in Paderborn (September); Munich Indoors in
Munich (October); German Classics in Hannover (October); German Jumping and Dressage-Derby
in Hamburg (May).
FEI World Cup™ Series 2011/2012
VAULTING
The first FEI World Cup™ Vaulting series follows the success of last season’s test series
and is composed of five qualifying events. In
April 2011, four FEI World Cup™ Finals were
simultaneously hosted under one roof at
Leipzig and this season, the German city is
the location of the fifth leg of the FEI World
Cup™ Vaulting, the ninth leg of the Rolex
FEI World Cup™ Jumping and the seventh
leg of the FEI World Cup™ Driving series.
18
Calendar
FEI World Cup™ Vaulting series 2011/2012
13-16.10/2011
Kiel (GER)
03-06.11/2011 Munich (GER)
10-11.12/2011
Paris (FRA)
19-22.01/2011
Leipzig (GER)
01-04.12/2011 Salzburg (AUT)
FINAL
to be confirmed
For all information about the series,
please consult the FEI press kit in the media section at www.fei.org
FOCUS 19
FEI Championships 2011
Inside Out
A picture-led journey through some of the
summer’s FEI Championships held around
the world, in all the FEI disciplines.
Come rain or shine, athletes, support
crews, fans, officials, volunteers and spectators gathered in many a location to experience first-hand the exhilaration and
excitement of elite equestrian sport.
They were young and old, experienced
and novice, some were victorious, others
learnt valuable lessons, some just came to
watch, some came to work, but all came
to be a part of something memorable.
Norway’s Molina’s Nikow on a misty break with a groom
during the FEI European Endurance Championships in
Florac (FRA) ©Matthew Childs
20
1
5
6
1. The winning British team at the FEI European Eventing
Championships for Juniors in Vale Sabroso (POR), from left
to right: Zoe Brenan, Tom Jackson, David Doel and Bethany
Stephenson ©Michael Steiger
2. Stefano Brecciaroli (ITA) at the vet inspection in
Luhmühlen (GER) at the FEI European Eventing
Championships ©Henry Browne
3. and 4. Some keen spectators at the FEI European Jumping
Championships in Madrid ©John Sibley
5. Ingrid Klimke (GER) as she crosses the finish line in
Luhmühlen ©Henry Browne
6. A groom keeps a watchful eye over the horse
©Henry Browne
7. Georgina Hunt (GBR) as she gets ready at the FEI
European Driving Championships in Breda (NED)
©James Benwell
2
8. The U.A.E support crew celebrate as Ali Khalfan Al Jahouri
crosses the finish line first to take Open individual gold at the
FEI Open European Endurance Championships
©Matthew Childs
9. Double gold medallist at the FEI European Para-Equestrian
Dressage Championships in Moorsele (BEL), Debbie Criddle
(GBR) ©Liz Gregg
7
10. The Netherland’s Adelinde Cornelissen is crowned the
new European Dressage champion in Rotterdam
©Henry Browne
8
4
3
9
10
FOCUS23
Left: A horse emerges from the forest before the Cross Country test in Luhmühlen (GER) ©Henry Browne
Right: France’s Vladimir Vinchon riding Flipper d’Or ENE HN at the FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships ©Liz Gregg
Eurovision
Eurovision
3
4
5
1. Giuseppe Prevosti riding Skeets Flamin, part of the
Italian gold medal winning team at the FEI European Reining
Championships ©Christian Kellner
2. Camilla Speirs (IRL) congratulates Portersize Just a Jiff
for a good cross country performance in Luhmühlen (GER)
©Henry Browne
3. Joanne Eccles (GBR) impresses again at the FEI European
Vaulting Championships in Le Mans (FRA) and takes home individual gold ©www.pixbank.org
4. David Doel (GBR) riding Kings Cross, a member of the
gold medal winning British team and individual bronze medal at the FEI European Eventing Championships for Juniors in
Portugal ©Michael Steiger
5. Finland’s Mikaela Lindh prepares for the team test at the
FEI European Dressage Championships in Rotterdam (NED)
©Henry Browne
6. Cooling down © Henry Browne
7. Gold medallist Stina Kaastrup (DEN) gets ready at the
FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships in
Belgium ©Liz Gregg
8. Michael Jung’s (GER) number one fan – his mum ©Liz Gregg
6
7
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© Kit Houghton/FEI
2
© Kit Houghton/FEI
1
Portrait
tim flaCh
CHAOS & CONTROL
Tim Flach’s animal photographs have been
admired at exhibitions around the world and his
best-selling books Equus and Dogs-Gods have
received critical acclaim. Permanent collections
of his equine photography are on display at the
the National Horseracing Museum in Newmarket
(GBR) and in the HM King Hussein I Building,
the FEI Headquarters in Lausanne (SUI).
28
Multi award-winning British photographer Tim Flach
is simultaneously putting together two new books
and is not easy to contact by phone. “We’re working with armadillos today,” his studio manager and
producer Joanna Niklaus says on one occasion, the
next time announcing that Flach is “with a tarantula”.
London-based Flach has spent years observing animals, delving into their history and examining how
their relationship with man has evolved. He is intrigued by the juxtaposition of chaos and control,
which he orchestrates regularly by bringing his unpredictable subjects into the controlled environment of his studio. Before each shoot, he visualises
what he wants to achieve but is undaunted by the
unexpected. “It’s important to find things, to trip over
things on your journey,” he says. Flach’s philosophical and cerebral journey through the animal kingdom has certainly not been dull. On one occasion,
he was accidentally kicked underwater by a horse
as he photographed it in a training pool in Dubai.
Another time, a cobra he was working with turned
on its handler, who ended up in casualty. There have
been some amusing moments too; Flach remembers
putting two Icelandic horses together for a photo
and having to patiently wait for an hour while “they
went off gallivanting”.
His career in photography is one of life’s happy accidents. He studied communication design then did a
postgraduate degree in painting. Towards the end of
his studies, a journalist friend needed a photographer
to accompany her on an assignment. Flach had a camera and some spare time. From covering press events
and providing images for corporate publications,
he moved into advertising. A first animal assignment involving a python and a vulture proved to
be a turning point.
FOCUS 29
Flach grew up with horses. His father played polo,
his mother hunted and, although he is not a rider, he
“mucked out many a stable” in his youth. But it was
only in 2001, when he produced a series of photographs of horses, that he became aware of the strong
connection many people have with them. He sees
Equus (Abrams, 2008), which spans the aesthetically pleasing to the disturbing, as a direct descendant of man’s earliest attempts to record and express his co-existence with the horse on cave walls.
In the second part of the book, Flach connects heritage and landscape and investigates how location has
shaped the appearance of different breeds, including the wild Przewalski in Mongolia, Fjord horses in
Norway, the Marwari in India and Arabian horses in
the United Arab Emirates.
He is fascinated by the way our ancestors took the
species through the centuries of domestication and
breeding that gave us the diversity we see today.
through cross-breeding and embryonic transfers.
Commenting on his more disquieting images, Flach
insists that he is not out to shock. “I am evoking an
association,” he says. “I have a genuine curiosity for
and wonderment of nature. When I use aesthetics,
it’s to bring people to an idea, not hit them with one.
I’m not chasing the beautiful, I aim to capture something that will resonate and throw up questions. I think
we should always consider history and ethics.” Equus
is not aimed at a specific audience. Flach says: “It’s
Equus is divided into three sections. The first is an
aesthetic appreciation of the species, which features
many images that are characterised by their minimalism. “Mies van der Rohe [the German pioneer of
Modernist architecture] said ‘less is more’,” says Flach.
“It’s about creating poetic space.”
30
The third section is conceptual, scientific and futuristic. With his photos of equine embryos, for example, Flach explores the human influence on horses
important to produce pictures that work on different
layers. A non-horsey person can still gain something
from them.” He gives the example of a photo of the
Arabian chestnut JJ Ballerina (left), taken in the
Royal Yard of Ahjiman in the United Arab Emirates.
“ If you know a lot about horses, you may recognise
the horse. If you’re an art-lover, you may link it with
the painting Whistlejacket by George Stubbs in the
National Gallery. It’s about extending the experience
geographically and prospectiley.”
“I’m not chasing the beautiful,
I aim to capture something that will
resonate and throw up questions”
Like Equus, Dogs-Gods (PQ Blackwell, 2010) aims to
convey the sense of human involvement in the subject, how we put ourselves at the centre of our understanding of animals and respond to them by imposing our behaviour on theirs, seeing them as we
see ourselves. The collection has a strong fun element but Flach implies that dogs were more complicated to photograph than horses. “The dog is so
domesticated and dependent that I had to consider
the owner to get the most out of the animal,” he says.
“I needed to manage the person as well as the dog
If the owner was stressed, so was the dog.”
Flach’s interest in nature centres on a notion of stewardship that overrides all his work. For one of the
books he is currently working on – a visual exploration of the rainforest habitat and its wildlife that
has taken him to Peru, Malaysia and Africa – he is
consulting members of the scientific community
to grasp the most important concepts behind rainforest ecology and our relationship to it. The book,
which is scheduled for publication in 2013, examines the political and economic processes involved
in the notions of conservation and sustainability. Its
cast of characters includes the golden orb spider,
whose web is used to make ligaments for human
transplant and another spider that produces biosilk
with which bulletproof vests are manufactured.
Flach’s second current project, which has the working title More than human, examines the meaning
behind animals, particularly the ethical and political aspects. It will feature photographs of many
animals in captivity and endangered species such
as the Liger – a cross between a tiger and lion – and
a gecko used in China to cure cancer. More than human will be published in October 2012, offering the
public another thought-provoking and fascinating
record of Flach’s exotic guest list.
FOCUS 33
The other side of...
The first time I rode a horse...
I was two years old, and it wasn’t a horse, it was
my neighbour’s mule. He always let me ride her
when he came with the cart after cutting the grass
for the cows.
My contact with horses has
taught me... that I know almost nothing
about them but what I know for sure is that if I take
good care of them, they always take good care of
me.
I chose to compete in Endurance...
©Gilly Wheeler/FEI
Maria Alvares Ponton
Thirty-five-year-old Maria Alvarez
Ponton was the first rider to simultaneously hold the FEI World
and European Championship
Endurance titles. She is married
to Endurance rider Jaume PuntiDachs and won the individual gold
medal at the Alltech FEI World
Equestrian Games™ 2010 just
seven weeks after giving birth to
their daughter Maria. September
2011 saw her clinch individual
gold at the FEI Open Endurance
Championship in Florac (FRA).
as soon as I knew that riding across the mountains
was a competition. It was what I had always done,
I loved long rides, and I’m very competitive. But I’m
also very shy and I don’t like to compete in the arena or the track in front of a lot of people looking at
me. Before I had the baby I usually spent between
40 or 50 hours a week riding, between training and
competing. Now I don’t think I spend more than
20, but what I do now is to spend much more time
with the brood mares and the foals.
When I’m not riding I like to...
do my other job, which is being a vet. I love lameness diagnosis, it is my job but I try to keep it as a
hobby because my other hobby is already my job.
When I’m not working I like to spend as much time
as I can with my daughter and my husband. Before,
I liked to read and go to the movies, but I don’t
have time anymore!
©Matthew Childs/Action Images
once he begins to canter, he just wants to go.
Stopping is not an option for him.
My dream is... to live with my family on
our farm, just to be happy there, working with
the horses. Before, I used to dream of an Olympic
Medal, but I know that’s almost impossible now.
The Endurance course I have
enjoyed the most... was the 160km of
Compiegne, the year that we won with Iska.
It was also one of the most difficult races I have
ever done, but the mare gave me everything she
had and in the last loop she was unbelievable!
I get angry when... people don’t work
well, but the thing that makes me even more angry is my own mistakes. The only thing I lose sleep
over is knowing that I’ve made a mistake in a race.
The best advice I have ever been
If I had not become a professional given... came from my father I’m sure. He gave
rider, I would have been a vet only, now I do me a lot of good advice when I was young. I was a
both things.
little bit difficult as a teenager and he gave me a
good education.
Family is... the most important thing in life, It
makes you suffer but it is the only thing that gives
you real happiness.
The rider I admire the most... is my
The person who makes me laugh
the most is... my husband. He always makes
The happiest day of my life...
me laugh when I really need it. Nobby is special
because he was born a champion, to win is in his
blood. He wants to win, he has the physical capacity, but the important thing is that it’s on his mind,
husband, because he has taught me a lot and he’s
always been there for me.
I’m happier since the birth of my daughter but I
also have a very clear and happy memory of the
day my father bought me my first mare. I was
twelve years old and I named her Winner.
FOCUS 35
Why the long face ?
Is there a unique trait you look for in a horse that
you can’t find in people?
I think horses can be far more generous than people.
I think horses help us to be better people. They do
their best to make us look good, no matter how poorly or incorrectly we might ask them to do something.
Horses inspire me to try and be better with people.
What would you miss most if you could no longer
go riding?
I just simply can’t imagine not riding. It has been an ever-present in my life. No, I just can’t picture it.
Lyle Lovett
©Michael Wilson
American singer, songwriter and actor Lyle
Lovett grew up on his family’s ranch in
Texas. In parallel to a musical career that
has earned him four Grammy Awards,
Lovett raises and breeds quarter horses and regularly competes as a non-professional Reiner. He is the two-time Reining
champion of the National Reining Horse
Association’s Celebrity Slide – an event
that benefits Make-A-Wish Foundation of
Oklahoma – and recently received an award
from the Reining Sports Foundation in honour of his contribution to and positive influence on the Reining industry.
What is it about the horse that makes you a horse
lover?
We have had horses in our family for as long as I can
remember and have always enjoyed being around
them and felt drawn to them. I find riding to be a truly profound experience. Horses teach us so much every time we’re with them.
Your first riding experience – was it bliss or terror?
It was great! I have very strong memories of riding with
my dad when I was still small enough that he could put
36
me in front of him. Where we lived in Texas the landscape was fairly level but we had a couple of gullies.
I vividly remember riding up and down, experiencing
that change in elevation. I was with my dad though
and he made me feel completely safe. It was pure fun!
Do you think anyone can ride?
I absolutely do, yes. I think anyone can sing too, although that’s a different conversation!
Would you encourage young people to get involved
in riding both at an amateur and professional level?
If they are interested and inclined to want to spend
time around horses then I think, yes, for sure. It is a
life-enriching experience. I grew up on a farm outside
Houston learning to care, not just for animals but also
for a place, a way of life. I just think that is a great way
to learn about life, to focus your attention on something outside of yourself. With horses in particular,
you develop such a relationship with them. Horses
teach you to do the right thing – when you do the
right thing with your horse, the right thing happens. I
think that’s the valuable thing that horses teach us –
to do the right thing.
Have you ever competed in an equestrian event
(at any level) or thought about how you could get
involved?
Yes, I have competed and won, although I didn’t grow
up competing. For me it is more about the personal test, especially in reining and reined cow horse. It
is more about trying to better yourself. For me, even
the score isn’t the measure of how well I’ve done. It is
about trying to improve my execution under the pressure of being in the competition arena. For me it is
mostly about working on myself than working on my
horse. My horse is always better than I am!
When did you first develop your bond with the
horse?
I can’t recall a specific moment, however all my earliest memories are of being with my father on horse.
There’s never been a time when we didn’t have a horse.
Riding with my Dad was something I always enjoyed
and when I was older, during the spring break, my Dad
would take a week off work and we would go on trail
rides all over Texas. We would spend a whole week
riding and those are memories that I still cherish today – that time together on horses, just the two of us.
Do you think that riding can add to the character
and development of a young person?
Every aspect of caring for a horse is character building.
To think completely about his well-being – right feed,
his barn, exercise – helps with developmental building blocks and teaches you the basics about how to
do anything. When an animal depends on you for its
survival it teaches you a certain sense of responsibility
that you can certainly apply to all aspects of your life.
Did all your friends ride? When you were young,
what did you do when you weren’t riding?
My friends didn’t ride. As our area became more suburban, fewer friends I went to school with and grew
up with were involved with horses. I didn’t go to horse
shows so I didn’t really associate with people that rode
outside of our family. If not riding, I ran and was involved with track at High School. My summer job in
Houston was working in a motorcycle shop and I used
to race motor cross, which I always enjoyed.
Do you think the sport needs to adapt to the young
people today?
The most important starting point is a willingness for
people to be involved. The horse doesn’t change in
terms of what he needs from us. We do take a great
responsibility when we take a horse on. The American
Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) has lots of programmes aimed at exposing people with limited access to them, to enable them to participate in riding
without owning them as a way of introducing them.
The sport at its highest competitive level can be a pretty small world but on a social level, it is far bigger and
can leverage real change. Organisations like the AQHA
and programmes such as these play an important role.
If you could spend one afternoon riding with a
famous person (past or present) who would it be
and why?
I would have to say William Shatner! He is such a character and for the last couple of years he has helped
us with a fundraiser we’ve done for the Make A Wish
Foundation of Oklahoma. He’s just really fun to spend
time with.
Two horses go out for dinner, what kind of restaurant do they choose?
Whatever the style of food they would choose, it would
be a nice place with wooden walls and red and white
chequered tablecloths – nothing too fancy.
Two horses go to a concert, whom do they see?
I would imagine horses would appreciate classical
music more than anything. I see them going to the
symphony rather than a pop concert.
FOCUS 37
Interview with the President
of the Cambodian Equestrian
Federation, Mr Van Sou Ieng
In general, how is equestrian sport perceived in
Cambodia?
The Cambodian horse was not a myth. The figures
of the Mahabharata equestrian team, illustrated in
the Angkor Wat Temple fresco, depict a game that
may be the ancestor of polo. The national archives
also offer multiple testimonies of the role of the
horse in the royal tradition. In the last century, the
Khmer people expressed interest in this animal,
particularly through cup racing. Courses of 2000m
and more were raced on by local horses. In the
1950s, equestrianism was a popular elite sport and
athletes enjoyed international experiences on the
instigation of King Norodom Sihanouk, an accomplished rider. The sport vanished completely in the
torment of the Khmer Rouge tragedy in the 1970s.
Cambodian equestrian sports have had to rebuild
themselves and win the interest of the people in a
country where the horse is primarily considered as
a means of transportation in the province.
The Cambodian Equestrian Federation has been
affiliated to the FEI since 2007. What has this
changed for you?
This affiliation gave us legitimacy in the eyes of the
authorities and the National Olympic Committee.
The visit of FEI President HRH Princess Haya to
the national championship in February 2011 and
the media coverage it enjoyed gave the public another perception of the sport. Our Federation
has since been the subject of several national and
38
international reports and articles. Thanks to the
FEI network, some fruitful contacts have been possible. For example, when we were recruiting our
last instructor, we collaborated with National
Federations from the Caribbean islands.
of Lampang Welfare Foundation, Thailand) and
Miss Van Porleng, (Member of the Cambodian
NF Bureau). This NGO is now run by two young
Cambodian veterinarians, introduced in 2006 to
the horse on the initiative of Soraya Ourrais in collaboration with the Cambodian Rural University of
Agriculture. This organisation provides free horse
care through one-off actions (treatments), preventive actions (regular visits and follow ups) and education (workshops and training sessions).
What does your Federation do to encourage
young people to take up equestrian sport?
We have organised cultural and sports camps and
training courses focused on equestrian activities,
as well as educational school trips dedicated to animal welfare in our stables. Our national team has
participated in friendly international events abroad
and we have set up practice trainings and competitions with children and teenagers. Competitions,
including the National Championship, are open to
all levels, from infant to senior.
What are your main objectives for equestrian
sport in your country for the next few years?
To increasingly involve ourselves in the life of our
National Federation, by referring to our great predecessors, the “senior Federations”. We also aim
to pursue our collaboration with the South East
Asia Equestrian Federation (SEAEF) and, at a regional level, find a solution to our recurrent issue
of a large ponies supplier. We also aim to participate in more international sporting events and invite foreign teams to our 2012 Championship. We
will attempt to participate in the SEA Games in
Myanmar in 2013.
Is there anything your Federation is particularly
proud of?
The Horse Future Programme, which is aimed at
the most fragile of the poor. From its establishment, the Cambodian Equestrian Federation decided to make horse riding available to underprivileged Cambodian children. This socio-educative
and athletic programme was implemented by
Soraya Ourrais, the only equestrian professional in the Kingdom. Her young Cambodian trainee recently became the first Cambodian instructor. During its most fruitful season, thanks to the
French Embassy’s support, this programme benefited 188 children (77 girls and 111 boys aged between seven and 19 including 64 sick children, 61
orphans and ten mentally handicapped youngsters).
The 2010 and 2011 national champions are from
this programme and were received by His Majesty
the King Father on the occasion of a dedicated audience. We are also proud of the Cambodia
Pony Welfare Organisation, which was founded in 2007 by Dr Siraya Chunekamrai (President
Is there anything you would like the equestrian
community to know about your Federation, its
members and their activities?
The Cambodian Equestrian Federation has a basic
level but Olympian enthusiasm! In attempting to
revive equestrian sports in the Kingdom, it has to
deal with two major issues: attracting young riders
and securing their loyalty. We cannot attract young
riders without benefiting from the competence of
very enterprising skilled instructors. Collaboration
with large National Federations could be essential
for this. We need large, tough ponies that can bear
teenagers, especially at Jumping events. For this,
the Cambodian Equestrian Federation is placing
its hopes in a collaboration at a regional level, in
order to find ponies or retired race horses that are
used to our tough climatic conditions. I encourage
horse-lovers to discover the Cambodian Kingdom
and to meet our riders. The Cambodian Equestrian
Federation would be delighted to welcome and
them and could even provide them with accommodation in its new headquarters and training centre.
Facts & Figures
President: Mr Van Sou Ieng
Secretary General: Philippe Garcia
Member since 2007
Affiliated members: 2. CCC, a sports club in Phnom
Penh, and Happy Ranch, a riding club in Angkor Wat.
110 affiliated riders (250 when the socio-educative
and athletic programme “Horse Future” was at its peak
(see interview)
Competitions affiliated to the Federation: the yearly National Championship “Norodom Sihanouk du
Cambodge” organised since 2004 and rewarded by
His Majesty the King-Father Norodom Sihanouk of
Cambodia
2 national events held in 2010: in Jumping, the 3
rounds National Championship, in Dressage, “Dressage
Day”.
0 international events held in 2010
2 disciplines are practiced in Cambodia, Jumping,
Dressage
0 breeding associations
There are approximately 7,000 local ponies in
Cambodia, which are harnessed to carts for the transportation of people and goods. Ponies and horses at
CCC and Happy Ranch: local ponies and some large
imported horses with (Quarter Horses, Selles Français)
which have great acclimatisation difficulties.
FOCUS 39
A life in a day
In my “normal” life I am a corporate lawyer and lobbyist. I run a legal practice of nine lawyers, which
pays my horse-related bills! I live in the centre of
Athens and my legal practice is nearby, so I drive to
my office on my Vespa or walk. I arrive at around
8am and catch up on local and international news,
especially financial. I then browse the internet for
news from the equestrian world. Until 7pm, my day
is split between legal work and staying in touch with
the Greek NF.
My job is very demanding and necessitates continuous meetings and negotiations. I work with Greek
and international clients, including large organisations, and represent them in different forums
and procedures. There are also business trips. My
work at the GRE NF mainly involves supervising all
Jumping activities - putting together the annual
show and training schedule and overseeing team
selection. I am also responsible for organising members of the Veterinary Committee. The duties I enjoy
most are those associated with FEI matters and the
international equestrian community. I believe in
working closely with the FEI and foreign NFs, as well
as with other stakeholders and individuals in the
equestrian world and I try to put the best of myself
into this.
George Dimaras
George “Giorgos” Dimaras joined the Executive Board of the
Hellenic Equestrian Federation in 2008. He chairs its Jumping and
Veterinary Committees and represents the NF within the FEI:
He has held the Greek Jumping Champion title twice, won three
gold medals at FEI Balkan Jumping Championships and competed
in more than 20 FEI Nations Cup™ competitions.
40
The Greek NF offices are at the Olympic Centre in
Markopoulo, around 25km out of Athens, so I take
care of most NF matters from a distance, thanks
to the help of our capable staff. I am always available on the phone for NF matters, but I go to the
NF offices about once every two weeks and try to
squeeze all meetings into that day. At 7pm I go to
the Hellenic Riding Club, where I keep my three
horses (currently two Young Horses and one Grand
Prix horse). Depending on my time and energy,
I train them, but that is not the main reason why
I go there. For me, daily contact with the horses is
necessary and rewarding. I started riding in 1981 and
been around horses ever since. Interaction with my
horses makes me a better person and I try to give
them back as much as I can.
I am also involved in the club’s management, so my
time there gives me the opportunity to check on
“Interaction with my
horses makes me a better
person and I try to give
them back as much as
I can”
things. I rarely stay home in the evenings. Usually,
I go with friends to the movies, theatre, exhibitions
or for dinner and drinks. Living in an international
capital like Athens makes it easier to enjoy cultural
and night life and I take all the opportunities available. At weekends, I attend shows approved by the
GRE NF both as a rider and as an NF official. I quit
the national Jumping team when I became a Board
Member but I occasionally act as Chef d’Equipe.
When I have a free weekend, I try to travel around
Greece or abroad, either to international competitions or to visit friends. Once a year I organise a long
trip with friends to countries off the beaten track,
such as Kyrgyzstan, Tanzania or Sri Lanka.
In spite of its horse-rich history, Greece’s modern
horse-sport culture is mostly developed around the
main urban areas. The GRE NF has around 80 active
member clubs with almost 400 active sport riders
and 800 sport horses of all levels. There are many
horses and horse-involved individuals and groups in
the countryside that need NF help and guidance.
I consider this a very important duty of the GRE NF
and devote a lot of time to it. Unfortunately, the
financial crisis in Greece has had a negative impact
on the sport. Our NF has limited financial resources
as a result of reduced government funding and
sponsorship but it is working hard to keep the sport
and the shows going. As Chair of the NF Jumping
Committee, I now have increased responsibility and
work and have to come up with innovative ideas and
solutions, which is a great challenge. Hopefully my
non-professional status is an advantage and I can
help inspire all the parties involved to work together
for the good of the horses and the sport.
I keep all my equestrian involvement strictly on an
amateur basis. For me, any professional and financial ties within the horse world would take the
magic away.
FOCUS 41
Fashion
Horses
& High Heels
Dresses from the Fall 2011 collection
created by Reem Acra, title sponsor of
the FEI World Cup™ Dressage series,
recently made a brief trip to northern
Italy, where a top Italian fashion photographer and his team worked their magic,
with a little help from some horses.
42
FOCUS 43
Italian fashion photographer Gianguido Rossi had
a challenging day ahead of him. Working on a photo shoot with a professional model and crew is one
matter but involving horses with no experience of patiently posing until the perfect image has been captured was going to be more complicated. “I know the
horses aren’t going to listen to me and look at the camera when I tell them to!” he joked. Added to that, the
photographer who believes that “beautiful alone is
boring” intended to use smoke and wind machines
to create a magical, dreamlike atmosphere. Reem
Acra’s glamorous dresses, inspired by nature, would
emerge from ethereal fog and contrast with the rustic stables setting Gianguido had chosen. Try explaining that to a horse!
In the sunshine outside the stables, Gianguido briefed
Macedonian model Elena Trajanovska. Stylist Anika
Esposito, whose clients includes Italian rock star
Gianna Nannini, toured the stables with Carlo
Mascheroni, the owner of the horses that would
feature in the shoot, selecting those whose colours
would set off Reem Acra’s creations. The manes of the
equine “models” were braided, while make-up artist
Francesca Angelone set to work on Elena.
Freedom, a nine-year-old gelding that regularly competes with Carlo at Driving events, was led into a box.
He stepped back as Elena approached in her vertiginous high heels and a shimmering emerald-green
dress, then stared at her quizzically. Carlo showed
Elena how to put the horse at ease. Standing in the
glare of the photographer’s lights, Freedom seemed
unperturbed by the artificial smoke and wind and
eyed the crew with interest.
As the shoot progressed, each beautiful dress from
Reem Acra’s autumn collection was replaced by
another and more horses were led into the soaring-ceilinged stone building that housed the boxes. Fingers were clicked and objects were shaken to
make the horses lift their heads and look in the right
direction. At one point, Carlo even lay down on the
floor of the box to distract a horse Elena was posing with. Incas, an eight-year-old gelding, was uncooperative at first, refusing to stand still and pulling
Elena, precariously perched on her heels, in circles
44
Left page, bottom: Preparing for
the photo on this FEI Focus cover
This page, top: Carlo Mascheroni
with two equine “models”
Bottom: Gianguido Rossi
explains his concept to model
Elena Trajanovska
around the box. Late in the afternoon, Carlo and his
groom led four of the horses into the stables building. They shifted excitedly, neighing and stamping
their hooves, while Carlo shouted instructions. The
crew scurried about in front of them trying to balance the wind and smoke in a way that would not
only create the right atmosphere but also camouflage the two men holding the horses. Wary at first,
the equine models now seemed to be thoroughly enjoying their novelty situation and all the attention
focused on them. Nudging each other, they pushed
forwards, three of them observing Gianguido’s acrobatics as he moved around with his camera, while
another, more interested in the intricacy of Elena’s
dress, plunged his muzzle into the fabric.
It was early evening – mosquito rush hour – when
Gianguido announced that the shoot was finished.
Everyone applauded. Elena kicked off her heels and
walked away to change. The Reem Acra dresses were
wrapped, equipment was packed and it was time for
some two-in-hand Driving. The horses were harnessed to a carriage with Carlo and Elena in front
and a first set of passengers behind. In a huge field
scattered with cones, Carlo was noisily encouraged
as he steered the cantering horses around the course.
Later, Elena enthusiastically took the reins, looking far more relaxed with the horses without her
high heels.
Gianguido Rossi’s Reem Acra portfolio is published
in the Autumn 2011 issue of the Italian, French and
Swiss editions of Equestrio magazine and on Reem
Acra’s website. www.reemacra.com.
FOCUS 45
HSBC Profile
Giles Morgan tells his children,
aged nine and seven, that he
works in the “colouring in department “of HSBC, a charming and very modest description
of a job that involves developing and managing the organisation’s sponsorship portfolio of
sport and cultural programmes
worldwide.
Giles
Morgan
Group Head of Sponsorship, HSBC Holdings
“Sponsorship is about aligning
passions with a brand. It is a
sound investment for the growth
and development of a business”
Giles Morgan joined
HSBC in 2005, despite
vowing he would never
be involved in banking.
“My father was in banking
and like all children who
rebel, I didn’t want to do
the same,” he says. Yet he knew from an early age
that he wanted to work in sponsorship; his family was
involved in sport, he practiced rugby, cricket, tennis,
water polo, golf and skiing, and he was aware of its
commercial nature. By the time he arrived at HSBC,
he had garnered more than 15 years’ experience as
a sponsorship marketing consultant to a broad international clientele and seen sponsorship evolve considerably. “Years ago, it was more about media relations and badging – getting a logo out there through
purchased media rights, media relations and incidental campaigns,” he explains. “Today it involves having to think more broadly about strategy, not just activation. Strategy is a 360° activation now.” Morgan
says the online digital revolution has changed and
is continuing to change the way sport is consumed
and how people follow their passion. “Sponsorship
is about aligning passions with a brand,” he says. “It is
a sound investment for the growth and development
of a business.”
To measure the effectiveness of HSBC sponsorships
and set objectives for new ones, Morgan created a
bespoke system. It is based on seven criteria, which
include client engagement, staff engagement, brand
awareness, media coverage and brand reputation. “It
is a rigorous objective-setting and reviewing system,
which I’m very proud of,” he says.
HSBC ventured into sports sponsorship in 1980 with
the Hong Kong Sevens Rugby Tournament. Over the
following years, its portfolio grew to encompass 15
different sports in 30 countries and territories. It
now concentrates on golf, rugby and Eventing at a
global level and tennis in the UK (through its partnership with the All England Lawn Tennis Club and
the Wimbledon Championships). The bank has been
involved in equestrian sport since 2008 through its
sponsorship of the FEI Classics and FEI European
Championships, a partnership that was renewed for
46
another three years in February 2011. Morgan believes
the FEI is a natural partner for HSBC, which aligns with
the strong heritage and principles of Eventing. He
knows the discipline well, having “given it a go” with
friends in his early twenties. “I ride badly and, at six foot
four and weighing 17 stone, I’m not a good passenger
for a horse,” he says wryly, adding that he continues
to be impressed by the bravery and skill of Eventing
riders and the whole community of people involved.
Golf and rugby were reinstated as Olympic sports
at the International Olympic Committee Session in
Copenhagen in 2009 and will be included in the 2016
Summer Olympics. HSBC was vocally supportive of
the Olympic bid for both sports. Golf’s last inclusion
in the Summer Olympic Games dates back to 1904.
Rugby union was played at five Summer Olympic
Games but was dropped after 1936. It is rugby sevens – the seven-a-side, faster-paced variant of the
game – that will feature on the programme of the
2016 Olympics in Rio.
HSBC’s rugby portfolio includes its title sponsorship
of the IRB Sevens World Series, which comprises tournaments in Dubai, South Africa, New Zealand, USA,
Australia, Hong Kong, England and Scotland. “The
sport is growing and reaching out to new communities.
It has values of teamwork, fairplay and camaraderie, and
where it is being played and who is watching are interesting to us in terms of demographics.” The bank has
also helped to develop the sport through its sponsorship of the Asian 5 Nations and the Asian Sevens
Series. Asia is the fastest-growing region in world
rugby and membership of the Asian Rugby Football
Union (ARFU) has nearly tripled since 1998. HSBC’s
partnerships in high level sport are coupled with a
strong involvement at grassroots level. Morgan has
set up youth and education schemes, such as the free
tuition HSBC offers to all branches of Britain’s Pony
Club and youth rugby coaching and coach education
FOCUS 47
Who’s got
a
ticket
for London 2012?
Ticketing
explained
by Adam Szreter
Germany’s Julia Krajewski riding
After The Battle at the HSBC FEI
during the British & Irish Lion’s Tour European Eventing Championships difficult as their demands are such
to South Africa in 2009. “It follows in Luhmühlen (GER)
that I don’t know where my Black
that if we are involved in sport that is
© Henry Browne/Action Images Berry is!” he says. He indulges his inlearned at a young age, it is important
terest in history (which he studied
for the bank to be involved in development, to get at university) by reading on planes and sometimes
kids involved, not just in sport, but in lessons in life,” finds time to play tennis or the piano.
explains Morgan. “When you are involved in elite
sport and then see kids learning, it is humbling. It is His dream weekend would be spent at a deserted
good to know that we are making a small difference.” clifftop hotel on the West Devon coast with “a
good library of history books and no BlackBerry
Morgan’s time is currently split between the Far connection, having long walks, big lunches, massive
East, in the UK, where he is based, and the rest of dinners and being able to collapse in a heap at 10pm
Europe. He admits that he is not as good at work- and sleep without interruption”. He may have to wait
life balance as he should be. “At weekends, when I’m for that. In the meantime, there is a lot to be done
with the kids, I switch off my BlackBerry - that’s not in HSBC’s colouring in department.
48
When tickets for the London 2012 Olympic Games
went on sale earlier this year many people around
the world experienced unbridled joy at the news
that their application had, at least in part, been suc- work? “There are approximately 8.8 million tickets
cessful. But such was the unprecedented demand up for sale across the whole Olympic Games,” exfor tickets for these Games that some applicants, plained Tim Hadaway, Equestrian Manager in the
particularly in the United Kingdom, were left dis- LOCOG Sport Department. “Around 75 per cent of
appointed. Many fans of equestrian sport have those will be made available to the UK public via the
contacted the FEI to ask about the ticketing pro- process which began earlier this year, but because
of European Union trading laws
cess, but the FEI, like all
the other internationthey were also available to everyal sports federations, is
within the EU. A further 12 per
“There are approximately one
not involved in the discent, or approximately one mil8.8 million tickets up for
lion tickets, were made available
tribution of tickets.
to the NOCs. It’s then up to the
sale across the whole
The application proNOCs how they distribute their
Olympic Games”
allocation, but some of their tickcess was a complicated one – there were 26
ets may well end up with nationsports, 650 sessions and
al equestrian federations and each
2,500 price categories
to choose NOC can also appoint an authorised ticket re-seller in
from – and there was
surprise that their particular country to sell to sports fans in their
also been able to market. The number of tickets going to each NOC is
non-UK residents had
apply at the same time.
“A lot of people in determined by factors such as the numbers that have
the UK are disappointed about the bidding been ordered for previous Games, the success that a
process for Olympic tickets and many people got noth- particular nation has had in a particular sport, the size
ing at all,” said Chris Eastwood, an unlucky appli- of its team and also, to an extent, that NOC’s proximcant from London. So how exactly did the process ity to the host city.”
FOCUS 49
As everyone should know by now, the Equestrian
and Para-Equestrian events will all take place in
Greenwich Park, where a special arena will be erected
for Dressage and Jumping. In all, there will be 12 days
of Equestrian competition, starting with Eventing,
making for an approximate total of 270,000 tickets available to the public. “All of the Dressage and
Jumping elements, including those of the Eventing
competition, take place in the main arena,” said
Hadaway. “The arena is planned to have around 20,000
seats, with an extra 2,000 or so set aside for the various
accredited groups such as the media, athletes and other
members of the Olympic family. We’re still working to
finalise the details of the seating system and until we do
that we don’t know the exact final capacity, so we hold
50
back a certain number of tickets until those final plans
are determined. Those tickets will go on sale to UK and
EU residents on our website on a first-come first-served
basis next year, so it may be closer to 21,000, or it may
be closer to 20,000. There are 11 days of competition
in the main arena, and the 12th day is the cross-country of the Eventing competition which obviously takes
place around the wider park. Our capacity for that at
the moment is set at 50,000 but we are working with
all of our stakeholders and partners across the project on confirming venue capacities at the moment.”
The Paralympic Games also provide a wonderful opportunity to get involved. For the FEI this means ParaEquestrian Dressage,
and while hopes are
high that London
2012 will produce
record attendances there should be
enough space for those who want to come along
and see some high-class equestrian sport. The first
round of tickets for the Paralympics went on sale
in September. “We have six days of competition in
Greenwich Park, in a country where Para-Equestrian
Dressage was pretty much born really,” says Hadaway.
“Great Britain has won gold every time since it was introduced to the Paralympic programme in 1996 so
we’re expecting good crowds for that. It’s a big venue,
so we’re starting off with the release of 6,000 tickets
per session, but we have the capacity to increase that
if the demand materialises. It would be great to think
we might end up much higher than that, and even if
we get 6,000 people every day, which we’re confident of doing, it would
be unheard of for ParaEquestrian Dressage. It
would be more than have
ever watched that sport
before.”
“We have six days of competition in Greenwich Park,
in a country where ParaEquestrian Dressage was
pretty much born really”
© Getty Images for LOCOG
For those successful in purchasing tickets, Pay Your Age is a
scheme LOCOG created whereby at more than 220 sessions
young people aged 16 or under
when the Games start could literally pay their age (eg a nineyear-old would pay £9). People
aged 60 or over when the Games
start will pay just £16 at those
sessions. Furthermore, all host
boroughs have the opportunity
to purchase up to 200 tickets for
the Games and distribute them
how they choose. “There are
no free tickets at these Games,”
Hadaway added. “My family have
had to apply for tickets just like
everyone else, and in fact they have
been unsuccessful in their application
for equestrian tickets and I’ve had my head buried in
this project for four years! It is a process that is random,
but it is fair across the board. There is a scheme that
has made tickets available to schoolchildren across
London and the UK, and there are several schools in
Greenwich that have benefited from that. We also ran
the Olympic and Paralympic test event earlier this year
and made 3,000 tickets for that available to the local
community so that they could come along and experience it, enjoy it and learn more about our plans for the
Olympic and Paralympic Equestrian events.”
T h e l a s t wo rd o n
Olympic ticketing goes
to Lord Sebastian Coe,
LOCOG’s chairman. “Both domestically and internationally the demand for tickets has been phenomenal,”
he said back in July. “I would actually say it has been
unprecedented. A total of 1.9 million people applied
for 22 million tickets, and we have sold out in 23 out of
26 sports. That’s an extraordinary vote of confidence in
Olympic sport, not just in Britain but around the globe.”
Equestrian ticket distribution
for London 2012 Olympic Games
Eventing total
dressage cross-country
jumping Dressage total
Jumping total
Equestrian total
110,000
40,000
50,000
20,000
80,000
80,000
270,000
*Figures based on arena capacity of 20,000 and cross-country
capacity of 50,000 (both of which may increase)
FOCUS 51
cent of the park will remain open until the beginning of July and then
the park will be closed to the public because we need to develop the
cross-country course for the Eventing competition. That course is
used on the third day of the Games, 30 July, and we’re planning to
re-open large parts of the park as early as 5 August. So there’s only
about a month when the majority of the park is closed to the public.
GREEN WICH
CLEAN TIME
With the Olympic Equestrian events
taking place in London’s Greenwich
Park, many people have expressed
concern over this World Heritage Site
being closed for long periods and ruined.
Focus asked Tim Hadaway, LOCOG’s
Equestrian Manager, to explain what
measures are being taken to protect it.
Focus
How long will the park be closed
and to what extent?
52
Tim Hadaway
That was a very hot topic in the early days. There were rumours at
one point that it was going to be closed for 18 months but that was
never the case. The area where we’re going to develop, the main arena, will be cordoned off from April through until October next year
(following the Paralympic Games), but that’s a very small part of the
park. Then we move into the training and stabling areas in May and
June but again, these are relatively small areas. In excess of 75 per
What assurances can you give that
none of the park’s listed buildings or historical landscape will be
damaged by the Games?
We’ve worked with all of the organisations who are responsible for
maintaining the landscape and the integrity of the park including the
Royal Parks, who are the park’s custodians, Natural England, with
whom we’ve worked to protect some rare acid grassland, English
Heritage, with whom we’ve worked to protect the archaeological
site of a Roman temple, among other things, the National Maritime
Museum and the Old Royal Naval College. At every turn in our planning we’ve been tested, checked, balanced and quizzed and we’ve had
everything signed off by the relevant organisation and we have planning permission for all the work that needs to be carried out next year.
We work with tree specialists, we have plans to make sure our contractors don’t drive across root protection zones, and every piece of
trimming has to be signed off through the planning process, but that’s
all very minor and we haven’t removed one tree.
How did the park stand up to the
Olympic Equestrian test event in
mid-July?
We started work in the middle of May and over a six-week period we
put in a 2,000-seat arena, 70-odd stables and a 60x40m training arena. Two months later, you would hardly know an event had been there.
Inevitably where we had the main arena in place for a couple of months
the ground had browned off, so we put some fresh grass-seed down,
protected the area, irrigated it and now it hardly looks any different.
Post-Games, what will you do to
restore the park to its pre-Games
condition?
We’ll pull out the infrastructure as quickly as we can so that we can
begin to open areas of the park. So we’ll remove the tents, the cabins, the stable and the arenas. Then it’s a question of re-seeding, returfing and temporarily protecting that ground while it recovers and
gets back to how it was. We’ve agreed a reinstatement plan with the
Royal Parks and we’ve committed funding to them, so we’re not suddenly going to run off after the Olympic Games and leave them to it.
What will be the legacy of the
Olympic Games for Greenwich
Park?
Because we needed to create perfect ground conditions for the cross
country course, we’ve been working on the turf now for 18 months
and that work is improving the quality of the grass around the whole
park, so we’re creating a legacy in that respect off the back of the work
that we’re doing. Also, through the Games we secured some additional
funding to improve the children’s play area because we’ve got a crosscountry jump that’s related to that playground. We thought it would
be fun to develop that jump in the context of the playground so that
will be left afterwards for the children.
FOCUS 53
Selected episodes of FEI Equestrian World
are available online, exclusively to subscribers of the FEI’s official high quality
video website FEI TV (www.feitv.org).
Users can watch features whenever and
wherever it suits them on their computers.
FEI Equestrian World, supported by Rolex,
is the FEI’s TV magazine programme that
brings together enthralling stories from all
FEI disciplines, as well as a news and results
round-up. It takes you behind the scenes at
major international events, profiles superstars (human and equine) and new talents
and investigates horse welfare and development. Safety, course building, breeding, event logistics and equipment are discussed with experts; the role of the horse
in different societies is explored and equestrian-related jobs, traditions and skills are
examined.
FEI Equestrian World is currently broadcast
by channels in approximately 100 territories and is for anyone interested in what’s
happening in the world of horses around
the globe. Please check your TV broadcast
schedules for details.
Here are just three of the features that are currently available.
Ben Asselin & Magic Man at Spruce Meadows ©Spruce Meadows Media Services
Coming up on
FEI Equestrian World
The FEI Equestrian World
team recently travelled to
Spruce Meadows to meet
Ben Asselin, a 17-year-old
Canadian rising star of the
Jumping world who was
named Canada’s Junior
Equestrian of the Year in
2010. Following his gold
medal at the Lexingtonhosted North American
Junior Championships
in 2010, Ben secured
54
second place at the sixbar competition at Spruce
Meadows in September
of this year, beaten only
by the very experienced
Tim Stockdale (GBR). Ben
talks about what it is like
to work with his father
Jonathan, who has represented Canada to Olympic
level, and why he thinks
there are so many families
in the Jumping discipline.
Pa r a ly m p ia n G r a c e
Bowman will speak to
FEI Equestrian World in
Adelaide, Australia. Grace
was 12 in 2002 when she
had a riding accident that
dislocated her spine and
severed her spinal cord. A
year later, she was already
competing in state and
national riding for disabled championships, winning each state title and
two national titles over
the next four years. Grace
went on to be the youngest
Australian Para-Equestrian
selected onto a Paralympic
team. She competed at the
2008 Paralympic Games,
where the Australian
equestrian team finished
sixth and Grace came 15th
in her Individual championship and 12th in the
Freestyle competition.
At the Alltech FEI World
Equestrian Games™ 2010,
her Individual performance earned her fourth
place. She now hopes to
compete at the London
2012 Paralympics.In her
spare time, this courageous psychology graduate gives public talks to
inspire and motivate others with her story.
@Liz Gregg
@Kit Houghton/FEI
@Kit Houghton/FEI
FEI Equestrian World on
Megan Jones
Patrick Looser
Angelika Trabert
Meet leading Australian
Eventing rider Megan Jones
in the stunning setting of
her home in Hahndorf, near
Adelaide.
Unlike many of her equestrian
compatriots, Megan has never
felt tempted to move, despite
the long journeys she has to make
to events. Megan picked up the
silver Team honours at the FEI
World Equestrian Games™ in
Aachen in 2006 and at the Hong
Kong Olympic Games in 2008.
She talks to FEI Equestrian World
about her trips to Europe and why
there’s no place like home.
FEI Equestrian World caught
up with Swiss Vaulter Patrick
Looser at last season’s FEI
World Cup™ Vaulting Final in
Leipzig (GER).
Patrick, who moved to Germany
several years ago, talks about the
qualities a horse competing in
his discipline requires and looks
back over his career and achievements, including his gold medal win at the Alltech FEI World
Equestrian Games™ 2010 in
Kentucky.
Multi gold-winning German
Para-Equestrian Dressage
rider Angelika Trabert was
the deserving winner of the
FEI’s Against All Odds Award
in 2010.
She talks to FEI Equestrian World
about growing up with horses
and how they gave her the freedom to enjoy nature in a way she
was not able to with her artificial legs. Communication with a
horse is vital in competition and
Angelika is proud of the way the
sport has enabled her to compete with and perform better
than some able-bodied riders.
FOCUS 55
WATCH LIVE !
WATCH ONLINE !
Live Broadcast
Schedule 2011
OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2011
15-16 October
HSBC FEI Classics Les Etoiles de Pau (FRA)
23 October
Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage
Odense (DEN)
23 October
Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping
Helsinki (FIN)
TM
TM
TM
28 October
Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage
Lyon (FRA)
30 October
Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping
Lyon (FRA)
06 November
Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping
Verona (ITA)
14 November
FEI General Assembly
Rio de Janeiro (BRA)
19-20 November
HSBC FEI Classics (tbc)
Adelaide (AUS)
20 November
Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping
Stuttgart (GER)
27 November
Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage
Stockholm (SWE)
11 December
Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping
Geneva (SUI)
TM
TM
TM
TM
TM
TM
TM
14 December
Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage
Olympia (GBR)
18 December
Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage
Frankfurt (GER)
18 December
Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping
Olympia (GBR)
27 December
Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage
Mechelen (BEL)
30 December
Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping
Mechelen (BEL)
TM
TM
TM
TM
TM
All 2012 broadcasts to be announced.
Extended highlights of all the above competitions will be available
as video on demand. The FEI TV team also plans to add to the live
schedule coverage from this season’s FEI World Cup TM Driving and FEI
World Cup TM Vaulting series.
Please check the live schedule regularly for updates: www.feitv.org
56
www.feitv.org
The official video website of the Fédération Equestre Internationale
the perfect gift for
the equestrian fan
SEE WEBSITE FOR DETAILS
FEI TV is the FEI’s new official video website and your ticket to the world’s most
prestigious competitions. Sign-up to FEI TV (www.feitv.org) and get instant
access to all the live broadcasts, the extensive video-on-demand library, all the
highlights, the behind the scenes reports, the interviews and so much more.
Be at the heart of horsesport. Join us !
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