Traditionally dressed Swedish dancers and a painted Norwegian Fjord. Photos are property of Equinium Sports Marketing, LLC.
Aachen, Germany (July 13, 2016) – The king and queen of Sweden paraded into the main stadium of the CHIO Aachen Tuesday evening in grand style, accompanied by the Royal Fire Brigade of Malmo and a phalanx of mounted guards from the Swedish Royal Stables. Following a welcome to the participating nations, presented by Icelandic ponies and their riders bearing flags, Her Majesty Queen Silvia delivered the inaugural speech, officially declaring the CHIO Aachen 2016 open. With a roar of approval from the crowd the Opening Ceremony was underway, a spectacular showcase that highlighted the unique history and culture of Sweden and the equestrian roots of the CHIO Aachen.
Sweden, as the partner nation of the CHIO Aachen, presented a fabulous tribute to its equestrian, cultural, and musical traditions to a packed house at the Aachen Soers Main Stadium in a dazzling spectacle to set the mood for the week’s competition. Beginning with the middle ages, where knights from Sweden and Germany went to battle and Vikings rode again over the international show jumping field, the ceremony also included a display of midsummer songs and dances, the presentation of the Dalecarlia Horse, Wangen Trotters Quadrille, a presentation of Swedish competitors, a tribute to the storybook characters of Astrid Lindgren, and the musical stylings of both ABBA and pop sensation Mans Zelmerlow, who concluded the evening with an impressive concert framed by a spectacular sunset.
Earlier in the week, the Prize of the Sparkasse was presented to the top FEI vaulters, and a spectacular showcase of music and equestrianism took place in the Deutsche Bank Stadium. Dubbed Pferd & Sinfonie, or Horse and Symphony, the show featured equestrian exhibitions ranging from wild west rough riders, dressage quadrilles, jumping, vaulting, and breed presentations all set to the sounds of a live orchestra, playing above the arena. In addition to traditional classical pieces, the concert set horses dancing to the tunes of mainstream movies and music including ABBA, The Pirates of the Caribbean, Forrest Gump, Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Superman, and The Lion King.
Tuesday’s early mix of sun and clouds persisted throughout the day and into the Opening Ceremonies, and the first show jumping contests were held in the main stadium beginning with the STAWAG Eroffnungsspringen, a 1.45m open jumper class which was topped by Italy’s Emanuele Gaudiano aboard his 11-year-old gelding, Kentucky v. Neerhof Z. The pair rode to a lead of almost four seconds over Germany’s Maurice Tebbel, the former Junior European Champion. German Olympic candidates Ludger Beerbaum, Daniel Deusser, Christan Ahlmann, Marcus Ehning, and Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum used the STAWAG Open Jumping class as a warm up.
Spain’s young talent led in the second class of the day, the Spakassen Youngster’s Cup. Featuring 7- and 8-year-old horses jumping 1.40m, the class served as a qualifier for the Sparkassen Youngster’s Cup Finale, to be held on Saturday, July 16. Sergio Alvarez Moya of Spain and the 8-year-old French bred mare Unicstar de l’Aumone proved unbeatable, securing the win with a lead of two seconds. The electric atmosphere and international caliber competition of the CHIO was a true test for the young horses, giving them experience towards future competition.
The CHIO Aachen continues Wednesday and Thursday:
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
Main Stadium:
Prize of Handwerks – 1.45m Jumping Competition at 11:30am
Prize of Europe, presented by Turkish Airlines – 1.55m Jumping competition with jump off, Qualifier for the Prize of the AachenMunchener and Rolex Grand Prix (Grand Prix of Aachen) at 1:45pm
Prize of StadteRegion Aachen – 1.50m two phase jumping competition at 5:30pm
Deutsche Bank Stadium:
Prix St. Georges at 3:30pm
Grand Prix de Dressage CDI 4* at 6pm
Driving Stadium:
Prize of Fa. Horsch, Der Entsorger FEI Dressage Test 11
Thursday, July 14, 2016
Driving Stadium:
Prize of Martello Immobilemanament FEI Dressage Test 8 at 10pm
Deutsche Bank Stadium:
Prize of Family Tesch – Grand Prix CDIO Nations Cup Qualifier at 10am
Main Stadium:
Prize of Familie Muter – Deutschland’s U25 Sprinkpokal der Stiftung Deutscher Spitzenpferdesport Jumping Competition at 12:30pm
Sparkassen Youngsters Cup 1.40m Finale Qualifier at 2pm
STAWAG Prize – 1.50m Prize of the AachenMunchener Qualifying competition at 4:30m
Mercedes-Benz Nations Cup Round 1 Team Jumping Qualifier at 6:30
Mercedes-Benz Nations Cup Round 2 Team Jumping Qualifier at 9:50
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