The final day of the 2013 FEI Jumping World Cup China League, held this year at the Beijing Horse Culture Club. In the most eye-catching High Jump competition of 140-150 cm, Franz-Josef from Germany claimed the championship, Italian rider Matteo Guerneri took second place, and China's national representative Li Zhenqiang secured third.
This was the first leg of the FEI Jumping World Cup China League. Over the previous four days, events such as the Owners' Competition, Junior Competition, and Club Competition were held. The final day’s World Cup high-jump course featured the highest fences and the tightest spacing between obstacles, including the challenging A-B-C combination at fence 11 and the consecutive A-B fences at fence 10.
The competition began around 1 pm, and the first four riders all had their horses refuse jumps twice in a row, resulting in immediate disqualification. China's Gesang Pingcuo and Zhang Ke both fell off their horses while attempting obstacles. Fortunately, both reacted quickly, dismounted without using the stirrups, and avoided any accidents.
Due to the difficulty of the course, it wasn’t until Italian rider Guerneri, number 38, took the arena that the first rider achieved a clear round with zero penalties, completing all obstacles. He finished with zero penalties in 85.27 seconds, earning applause from the audience. Another rider who completed all obstacles without faults was Germany’s Franz Josef Dohmann. In the end, the two riders with zero penalties advanced to the finals. Guerneri completed the new obstacle in 49.65 seconds, while Franz used only 46.86 seconds. Franz ultimately won the championship.
This FEI Jumping World Cup China League is an FEI 2* event. Franz was ranked only 493rd internationally according to the FEI rankings published on April 30, while Guerneri was ranked 671st. China’s Li Zhenqiang was even lower, ranked 2,271st in the world.
At the post-competition press conference, champion Franz said he had come to China two months in advance to adapt to the horses and was very happy to have won the championship. Guerneri also believed that the two months of training had brought him and his horse into harmony.
Due to China’s current quarantine regulations, horses cannot enter the country (during the 2008 Olympics, equestrian events were held in Hong Kong, China), coupled with the high costs of equestrian competitions, Chinese riders find it difficult to compete abroad for exchanges. This also makes it hard to improve their skills and increase their competition rankings.
Li Zhenqiang, who has represented China in the Olympics and Asian Games and won third place in this competition, said: “Today’s course is similar to the one at the Guangzhou Asian Games. The distance between fences 7 and 8 is quite tight, and the A-B jump is also difficult. This course may not be very challenging for foreign riders, but it’s a big challenge for us Chinese riders. I’m glad to have had this opportunity to compete.”
In an interview after the press conference, Li Zhenqiang explained: “The biggest issue is indeed that we can’t go to Europe to compete. All three-star level events are in Europe, and it’s almost impossible to take your own horse abroad. That’s why Chinese riders rarely get to compete at a high level overseas to improve our abilities. I only get such opportunities during Olympic qualifiers and similar events. Of course, hosting such events domestically and inviting foreign riders to participate is beneficial for learning and exchange. I hope more such competitions can be organized.”
However, looking at this year’s FEI Jumping World Cup China League, the highest-ranked rider who participated was champion Franz Josef Dohmann, ranked 493rd. Clearly, geographical barriers are far more difficult than equestrian obstacles. It’s evident that international top riders are reluctant to come to the East to compete in a 2* event, especially when they must get used to a horse they’re not familiar with and undergo a two-month adaptation period — a real challenge.
Compared to China, Japanese riders, with their tradition of horse racing and equestrian experience, have already given up training and competing in Asia to improve their skills. Hiroshi Hoketsu, Japan’s oldest athlete at the London Olympics and the famous "grandpa rider," has long resided in Aachen, Germany, to train in show jumping. Therefore, Chinese riders do indeed face some insurmountable difficulties in trying to elevate their performance.
Additionally, British father-and-son rider pair’s father Steven believes that the show jumping horses used in China are not top-tier, but China has started to pay attention to this. He is confident that with more competitions and training, China’s equestrian sport will continue to improve.
This was the first leg of the FEI Jumping World Cup China League. Over the previous four days, events such as the Owners' Competition, Junior Competition, and Club Competition were held. The final day’s World Cup high-jump course featured the highest fences and the tightest spacing between obstacles, including the challenging A-B-C combination at fence 11 and the consecutive A-B fences at fence 10.
The competition began around 1 pm, and the first four riders all had their horses refuse jumps twice in a row, resulting in immediate disqualification. China's Gesang Pingcuo and Zhang Ke both fell off their horses while attempting obstacles. Fortunately, both reacted quickly, dismounted without using the stirrups, and avoided any accidents.
Due to the difficulty of the course, it wasn’t until Italian rider Guerneri, number 38, took the arena that the first rider achieved a clear round with zero penalties, completing all obstacles. He finished with zero penalties in 85.27 seconds, earning applause from the audience. Another rider who completed all obstacles without faults was Germany’s Franz Josef Dohmann. In the end, the two riders with zero penalties advanced to the finals. Guerneri completed the new obstacle in 49.65 seconds, while Franz used only 46.86 seconds. Franz ultimately won the championship.
This FEI Jumping World Cup China League is an FEI 2* event. Franz was ranked only 493rd internationally according to the FEI rankings published on April 30, while Guerneri was ranked 671st. China’s Li Zhenqiang was even lower, ranked 2,271st in the world.
At the post-competition press conference, champion Franz said he had come to China two months in advance to adapt to the horses and was very happy to have won the championship. Guerneri also believed that the two months of training had brought him and his horse into harmony.
Due to China’s current quarantine regulations, horses cannot enter the country (during the 2008 Olympics, equestrian events were held in Hong Kong, China), coupled with the high costs of equestrian competitions, Chinese riders find it difficult to compete abroad for exchanges. This also makes it hard to improve their skills and increase their competition rankings.
Li Zhenqiang, who has represented China in the Olympics and Asian Games and won third place in this competition, said: “Today’s course is similar to the one at the Guangzhou Asian Games. The distance between fences 7 and 8 is quite tight, and the A-B jump is also difficult. This course may not be very challenging for foreign riders, but it’s a big challenge for us Chinese riders. I’m glad to have had this opportunity to compete.”
In an interview after the press conference, Li Zhenqiang explained: “The biggest issue is indeed that we can’t go to Europe to compete. All three-star level events are in Europe, and it’s almost impossible to take your own horse abroad. That’s why Chinese riders rarely get to compete at a high level overseas to improve our abilities. I only get such opportunities during Olympic qualifiers and similar events. Of course, hosting such events domestically and inviting foreign riders to participate is beneficial for learning and exchange. I hope more such competitions can be organized.”
However, looking at this year’s FEI Jumping World Cup China League, the highest-ranked rider who participated was champion Franz Josef Dohmann, ranked 493rd. Clearly, geographical barriers are far more difficult than equestrian obstacles. It’s evident that international top riders are reluctant to come to the East to compete in a 2* event, especially when they must get used to a horse they’re not familiar with and undergo a two-month adaptation period — a real challenge.
Compared to China, Japanese riders, with their tradition of horse racing and equestrian experience, have already given up training and competing in Asia to improve their skills. Hiroshi Hoketsu, Japan’s oldest athlete at the London Olympics and the famous "grandpa rider," has long resided in Aachen, Germany, to train in show jumping. Therefore, Chinese riders do indeed face some insurmountable difficulties in trying to elevate their performance.
Additionally, British father-and-son rider pair’s father Steven believes that the show jumping horses used in China are not top-tier, but China has started to pay attention to this. He is confident that with more competitions and training, China’s equestrian sport will continue to improve.