Bienvenue en France! World Cup Show Jumping hits Lyon

This Saturday, the fourth leg of Western European World Cup qualifying — after Oslo, Helsinki and Verona — takes place in the city of Lyon, France’s third-largest urban area after Paris and Marseille. The city, situated at the confluence of the Rhône and Saône rivers, is known not only for its gastronomic scene and historical architecture, but also as the headquarters of Interpol and one of the birthplaces of cinema through the Lumière brothers.

At the 2017 Equita Lyon Horse Show, however, the spotlight will be on the world-class athletes (both human and equine) in the 5* Class, part of the massive competition and show unfolding across 11 arenas, with 3,500 horses and almost 785 exhibitors and breeders brought together in an exhibition area covering 130,000m².

Among them will be, unsurprisingly, a large French contingent, led by World No.3 Kevin Staut — currently second in the league standings — and also featuring riders like Pénélope Leprevost (pictured), Roger Yves Bost and Simon Delestre.

Italy’s Alberto Zorzi, sitting in first in the Western European circuit after three events, is also at the Eurexpo complex in the city aiming to consolidate his lead, while the Netherlands’ Maikel van der Vleuten, Germany’s Christian Ahlmann and Marcus Ehning, Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat, Sweden’s Peder Fredricson and the United States’ Lauren Hough are other big names set to compete. While Great Britain’s Robert Whitaker is currently 6th in the standings, it will be his relative Michael representing the country in France, with Calisto Blue and Con Man JX.

Ireland, by contrast, has several riders on the the entries sheet, including Bertram Allen (Christy Jnr (YH), Gin Chin van het Lindenhof and Hector van d’Abdijhoeve). See the full entries list here. 

Also taking place in Lyon is a Dressage CDI-W World Cup qualifier, with the presence of Germany’s Isabell Werth reflecting the prestige of the competition. And among the diverse other activities on tap for this week’s huge Salon in eastern France: performances by the famous Cadre Noir from the French National Riding School in Saumur — technical and theoretical riding masters.