Dressage Fest at Olympia
Friday, December 01, 2006
This festival of world class Dressage takes place over two spectacular evening performances (12 & 13 December) at Olympia, The London International Horse Show (12 -18 December). This year, not one, but two, reining Dressage World Champions will be at the show. Isabell Werth who will be competing in the FEI World Cup Qualifier and Anky Van Grunsven, who will be letting the audience in on the trade secrets of how to produce a world beating performance in the Kür (Dressage to Music).
The first ever - Olympia FM, also supported by Berkeley Homes plc, will be on air, through headsets available via the box office or on site, during Tuesday and Wednesday evenings’ performances with guest hosts Sandy Phillips and Carl Hester. So not only will the audience be able to enjoy the very best athletes in the world performing in the arena, but they will also have the pleasure of listening to two world class athletes commentating on the performances as they happen and from the comfort of their seats.
The Masterclass will be taken by another of the top Dressage riders in the world, Imke Schellekens-Batels, who was 8th at the World Equestrian Games in Aachen this year as well as 5th at the FEI World Cup Finals. Imke was 4th at in the FEI World Cup Dressage Qualifier at Olympia in 2005.
Both Dressage performances will be action packed and the glittering line up of Dressage stars will be judged by some of the finest judges in the world, Mrs Cara Whitham from Canada, who is the FEI nominated Foreign Judge, along with President of the Ground Jury, Mr Stephen Clarke (GBR), Ms Minako Furuoka (JPN), Mrs Jennie Loriston-Clarke MBE FBHS (GBR) and Mrs Mariette Withages-Dieltjiens (BEL)
Another new addition will be the three superb new giant screens which will be suspended from the centre of the arena, greatly enhancing the audiences’ enjoyment of the show.
At all performances from Wednesday evening onwards, the audiences will also be able to enjoy the world renowned Hanoverian State Stud performing their Dressage Quadrille.
There will be twelve performances at the show with eleven including the displays of the Metropolitan Police Activity Ride and this year’s spectacular the 16 strong quadrille of the Hanoverian State Stud. Olympia favourites the Shetland Pony Grand National and the Finale will also feature as part of the performances from Thursday onwards.
