The fight for valuable points in the second leg of the Nations Cup in Eventing starts this weekend in Morawa.
Over 350 horses at the start, eight cross routes and riders representing 21 countries - LOTTO Strzegom Horse Trials begins on Thursday.
The equestrian triathlon, as the discipline of eventing is commonly called, is one of the most spectacular horse sports. It consists of three trials: dressage, cross-country and showjumping. During four days of the tournament, horses and riders will compete in ten international classes of varying difficulty, including the Nations Cup - the highest-ranked eventing competition in Poland. The Junior Polish Championships and the Polish Young Riders Championships will also be held during the show.
The arenas of the Morawa hippodrome will host, among others, Sandra Auffarth form Germany – Olympic bronze medalist and champion of the World Equestrian Games, Tim Lips from the Netherlands - team bronze medalist of the World Equestrian Games, Japan’s Yoshiaki Oiwa - the two-time gold medalist of the Asian Games, Dirk Schrade from Germany – the team Olympic champion, as well as the best Polish eventers, including the current Polish champion and vice-champion - Paweł Spisak and Mateusz Kiempa.
Thursday and Friday are dressage days. In the first trial, smartly dressed athletes will perform the program at walk, trot and canter. The cross-country promises to be very exciting. During the three days of the XC trials, riders will cover eight routes with a total length of nearly 30 kilometers. Over 200 obstacles with a maximum height of 120 cm will be placed over the courses. The longest route will measure 5700 meters. The last test of the equestrian triathlon – showjumping - will require the competitors and their horses to present extreme precision and technical skills.
Due to the current epidemiological situation, the competition will be held with limited audience participation. Admission is free. Fans will also be able to cheer on their favorites virtually, via the live broadcast, which will be available on the website of the competition, Facebook, on Świat Koni website, FEI.TV as well as on Polish Television.
Photo by Mariusz Chmieliński
