The London International Horse Show at ExCeL

In addition to the world-class international Show Jumping at The London International Horse Show, the next generation of national stars will also be taking centre stage at ExCeL London, from 15-19 December.  National classes include the fast and furious 128cm Mini Stakes and 148cm Voltaire Design Mini Stakes, the prestigious Voltaire Design Under-25 British Championship and the famous Puissance.

The Voltaire Design Under-25 British Championship marks the start of competition at the Show on Thursday 15 December, and will showcase some of the best young riders in the country. London International Horse Show ambassador, Jodie Hall McAteer, will be hoping to defend her title and make it a hattrick, having won the last two editions of the class. Hall-McAteer has gone from strength to strength in 2022, representing Great Britain on numerous occasions, including in the FEI Nations Cup™ Final earlier this year. She will be joined by a host of Britain’s most exciting up-and-coming Show Jumping talent, including Joseph Stockdale, who was part of the bronze medal-winning team at the 2022 FEI World Championships, and who will be looking to go one better than his second-place finish in 2021.

Last year’s Leading Rider of the Show, Harry Charles, is another member of that FEI World Championship team to be challenging for the Voltaire Design Under-25 British Championship. The class will be a true family occasion for the Charles’, as his sisters, Scarlett and Sienna, have also qualified. Other notable entries include Lily Attwood, William Fletcher and Amy Inglis.

A pinnacle of this iconic Show is the LeMieux Puissance, which will conclude the action on the evening of Thursday 15 December. The LeMieux Puissance, which is aptly named after the French word for ‘Power’, is the ultimate demonstration of strength, precision and trust between horse and rider. All eyes will be on Guy Williams and the striking grey Mr Blue Sky UK. The duo have an exceptional record in Puissance classes and won the class at The London International Horse Show last year clearing an impressive 2.10m. Williams will have tough competition to retain his title, with numerous other top-class Puissance riders in the field, including last year’s runner-up Daniel Delsart (FRA). William Whitaker is one who has experienced the delight of winning this class in-front of his home crowd, and last won it in 2019. Ireland’s Commandant Geoff Curran will also be in attendance and full of confidence having won the Puissance at The Horse of Year Show earlier this year, whilst the runner-up of the same class, Mark Edwards will be hoping to claim this prestigious title.

The youngest competitors to take to the arena during the week will be those competing in the 128cm Mini Stakes. Agnes Kerr rides Taggarts Express and will be hoping to follow in her sister Cate’s footsteps who was victorious in the same class at The London International Horse Show last year. Another pony with a winning record at the Show is Lambay Off Broadway, who partnered Liala Ramaci to glory in the Mini-Major in 2019. The same combination line-up in the 128cm Mini Stakes in 2022 and are sure to put their experience to good use. 

Both Ella Kay, with Red Alert III, and Taylie-Rae Owen, riding Hardwickview Yen Man, will come to London full of confidence following impressive victories at the British Showjumping National Championships in August. Another partnership to watch out for are Sophia Rogers and Whinney Lass, who won the Pony of the Year Winter 128cm Championship at Hickstead.

Heading the 148cm Voltaire Design Mini Stakes entries is Tabitha Kyle, the daughter of international Olympic Eventer Mark Kyle. The experienced young rider will be amongst the favourites to win, alongside Poppy Deakin and Armene du Costilg, who won the same Leading Pony Showjumper of the Year title this year. Kyle will also make her debut in the Voltaire Design Under-25 British Championship at the age of only 15-years-old.

Noora von Bülow with Elando Van De Roshoeve, who were crowned National 148cm Champions at the British Showjumping National Championships, will also be sure to put up a strong challenge. Ryan Phillip Perrett, riding Olympia VI, winners of the LeMieux JA Championship at the Pony of the Year Show earlier this year will be another tough combination to beat, as will Mia Newman and Oh Wow, who claimed the 148cm Championship at the Scope Festival of 2022.

There's a stellar list of entries for the international five-star Show Jumping at this year's event, including 7 of the top 10 ranked riders in the world. We'll be welcoming the reigning World and Olympic Champions as well as 7 former world No. 1’s.

Great Britain’s Harry Charles, winner of both the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup^TM Qualifier and the London Grand Prix at last year’s Show, will be returning to defend his titles and leads a strong British contingent in London. Charles, whose form continued into 2022, finishing fourth in his first ever FEI Jumping World Cup^TM Final and claiming a team bronze medal at the World Championships in Herning, reached a career high ranking of world No. 11 in October.

Olympic champion, Ben Maher, another former London Grand Prix winner, will be hot on the heels of his World Championship teammate as he also looks to reclaim the prestigious title. Maher, currently ranked No. 6 in the world, will be joined at ExCeL London by the two remaining members of that bronze medal-winning World Championship team, Scott Brash and Joe Stockdale.

Home favourite John Whitaker, who lit up the Main Arena at ExCeL London in 2021 with an impressive run of results, including a win and finishing third in the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup^TM Qualifier, will be returning to the scene at the age of 67 to prove that age is only a number. At the other end of the spectrum will be young rider, Jodie Hall-McAteer, winner of the Under-25 Championship at The London International Horse Show in 2019 and 2021, who will be making her debut in the five-star competitions at the Show. Hall-McAteer has made a successful step up to the senior ranks in 2022, representing Great Britain on numerous occasions, including at the Nations Cup^TM Final in October. Jack Whitaker is another young rider excelling at the senior level, and he will be hoping to build on his debut win at the Show last year.

Matthew Sampson, who has been taking the North American circuit by storm this year, with multiple five-star wins under his belt, joins the British competitors looking to make their mark on home soil, along with Guy Williams and Holly Smith, who have both experienced success at the Show in previous years.

At the forefront of the international contingent looking to spoil the British party will be double World Champion Henrik von Eckermann, who was also part of the Swedish team who took Olympic gold in Tokyo. The world No. 1 was a recent winner of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup^TM Qualifier in Verona, so will be hoping to accrue further points in London, to assure his place at the Final in Omaha in April. Joining von Eckermann will be his World Championship and Olympic gold medal-winning teammate, Peder Fredricson, who also took individual silver in Tokyo.

Switzerland will be represented by Steve Guerdat, who will be returning to the city in which he claimed his individual Olympic gold medal in 2012, alongside his 2022 World Championship teammate Edouard Schmitz. Dutch rider, Maikel van der Vleuten, an individual bronze medallist at both the Tokyo Olympics last year and this summer’s World Championships, adds further quality to the field of competitors.

Germany’s Daniel Deusser, winner of last week’s Grand Prix in Prague, knows what it takes to be victorious in London, having won the Grand Prix at the Show in 2016. Another to have tasted success at previous editions of The London International Horse Show is Italy’s Lorenzo de Luca, who will be looking to come out on top once again.

France have a strong representation, including two riders inside the world’s top 10, Julien Epaillard (3) and Kevin Staut (10), as well as 2016 Olympic team gold medalist, Roger Yves Bost. Representing Ireland will be Conor Swail, the current world No. 5 and recent winner of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup^TM Qualifier in Washington. He will be joined by compatriots Trevor Breen and Denis Lynch.

Norway’s Geir Gulliksen, a London International Horse Show regular, will join the likes of Marlon Modolo Zanotelli from Brazil, Marcus Ehning from Germany and Austria’s Max Kühner in adding further international flair to the top-class field.

A full list of entries can be found here.

Organisers of The London International Horse Show have today confirmed that double world champion Lottie Fry will be taking part in this year’s FEI Dressage World Cup at the renowned London Show which runs from 15 – 19 December.

The Show will host FEI World Cup action in three disciplines, including the FEI Dressage World Cup Grand Prix and Freestyle to Music supported by Horse & Hound on Thursday 15 December and Friday 16 December respectively. In addition, the adrenaline-fueled Extreme Driving supported by Karen and Hugh Scott Barrett will take place on Thursday 15 December and the FEI Driving World Cup presented by Martin Collins Enterprises by Eurofip International will take centre stage on Friday 16 December and Saturday 17 December.

FEI DRESSAGE WORLD CUP

Heading this year’s dressage field is double world champion and London International Horse Show ambassador Lottie Fry. Fry, who last week was named the Peden Bloodstock FEI Best Athlete at the FEI Awards, will bring the magnificent Everdale, her Olympic team bronze medal-winning partner from Tokyo last year. Based in The Netherlands with her mentor and trainer Anne van Olst, Fry will be returning to compete in her home country for the first time since her FEI World Championship victory in Herning and is sure to be the crowd favourite.

Ahead of her appearance at the Show, Fry said: “I am so excited to be returning to The London International Horse Show this December. I love competing in front of my home crowd, it is always so special, and the atmosphere is incredible. It will be the best way to end an amazing year.”

Joining Fry are numerous other British Dressage superstars, including her FEI World Championship teammates Gareth Hughes and Richard Davison. Hughes has amassed over 60 national and international titles over the last 10 years. Last year he was the British team reserve at the Tokyo Olympic Games and won FEI European Championship team silver. Most recently he was crowned British national champion and will be looking to continue this impressive form in London with his FEI World Championship mount Classic Briolinca.

Davison, who brings his trusted partner, Bubblingh, to the Show will be looking to improve on his impressive performances last year, where he came fourth and fifth in the Freestyle to Music and Grand Prix supported by Horse & Hound respectively. Fellow British riders Emile Faurie who rides Bellevue and Andrew Gould who brings Indigro will also compete and will be looking to add their names to the stellar list of home winners.

A strong representation from Germany will be making the trip across the English Channel to London, including Ingrid Klimke and Helen Langehanenberg. Spectators are sure to be delighted to welcome Klimke to The London International Horse Show for the first time. The German is no stranger to success on British soil having had numerous top five placings at Badminton and Burghley. The former Olympic Eventer is now following in the footsteps of father, Olympic Dressage rider Reiner Klimke, and won team bronze at the FEI World Championships this summer as well as winning the FEI World Cup Qualifier in Zakrzow last month and Stuttgart just over 10 days ago. Langehanenberg, the world No. 20, also comes to the Show on impressive form with a number of top placings this year such as placing third in the prestigious Grand Prix Special in Aachen.

Representing Canada is Naima Moreira Laliberte, who won team gold at the Pan American Games in 2019 and represented her country at the FEI World Championships in Herning this year. Moreira-Laliberté, the daughter of the co-founder of the Cirque du Soleil, will be sure to put on a show for the London crowds. The sole French dressage entry comes from Morgan Barbançon, who is sure to come to London full of confidence after her impressive victory in Grand Prix Freestyle to Music in the FEI World Cup Qualifier held in Motesice. Joining this strong roster of riders is Singapore’s Caroline Chew, who impressively balances competing at the very top level of the sport along with career as a Solicitor.

Dutch rider, Hans Peter Minderhoud, will also be coming to the Show along with Australia’s Simone Pearce, Northern Ireland’s Abigail Lyle, Spain’s Alejandro Asencio Mendez and Belgium’s Laurence Vanommeslaghe, completing this year’s FEI Dressage World Cup supported by Horse & Hound entries.

For a full list of entries for the FEI Dressage World Cup supported by Horse & Hound, please click here.

DRIVING FORCE IN LONDON

International Driving returns to London on Friday 16 December and Saturday 17 December, with the top three FEI ranked World Four-in-Hand Drivers in attendance.

Multiple London International Horse Show winner and world No.1, Boyd Exell (AUS) will be hoping to repeat his victory from last year. He will be the one to beat this year and comes to the Show having won every FEI competition he has taken part in since April. This impressive run of results includes an individual gold medal at the FEI World Championships in Herning and most recently the FEI Driving World Cup Qualifier in Stuttgart.

Koos de Ronde, the current world No. 2, will be wanting to go one better at the Show this year following on from his second placing last year. The Dutchman, a multiple championship medal winner has all the knowledge and skill to be a top contender in London this year. Compatriot and world No.3 Bram Chardon will be looking to follow in his father’s footsteps to win the prestigious FEI Driving World Cup Qualifier at The London International Horse Show.

Home favourite and always one to provide excitement to the action, Dan Naprous will be competing as well as participating in the display of his own Devil’s Horsemen’s in the daily performances. Rounding off this year’s impressive line-up are Chester Weber, the most decorated driver in the United States, the in-form Dries Degrieck (BEL) and France’s Benjamin Aillaud.

For a full list of Driving entries, please click here.

The London International Horse Show is delighted to announce a major international display for the five-day Show; La Garde Républicaine.

The world-famous French Cavalry regiment, which includes over 450 horses, is one of the most renowned branches of the French Gendarmerie, responsible for special security duties in the Paris area and providing guards of honour at official ceremonies. They will be bringing their historical performance "Le Carrousel des Lances" to London.  This particular display has never been seen before in the UK and is quite spectacular – it features 27 riders divided into four quadrilles, each under the order of an officer. Adorned with traditional maned helmets, Napoleonic sabres and lances, and accompanied by the Cavalry band, Le Carousel des Lances will not disappoint.

La Garde Républicaine were much admired for their precise riding when they last performed at The London International Horse Show in 2018 and are sure to impress once again. They will be joining a programme that offers the 80,000 strong audience a remarkable range of competition and displays.  Everything from the very best of international equestrian competition in the FEI World Cup^TM qualifiers and the London Grand Prix to the traditional crowd favourites; The Puissance, The Shetland Pony Grand National, The Kennel Club Dog Agility and, of course, Father Christmas himself.

Colonel Gabriel Cortès of La Garde Républicaine, said: “We are very proud to have been asked to come to London to perform Le Carousel des Lances, particularly as it is the first time that this display will be seen in the UK. It is a great opportunity to show London’s audience the history of the French Cavalry and  celebrate the role and importance of the regiment in today’s society.”

Show Director Simon Brooks‐Ward said: “We are delighted to welcome La Garde Républicaine to The London International Horse Show and are really looking forward to seeing The Carousel along with the Cavalry Band.  I know that they will put on a fantastically intricate and highly skilled display and that it will be a highlight of the entertainment at this year’s Show.”

At the Annual Conference of the Association of Show and Agricultural Organisations (ASAO), organisers of The London International Horse Show announced an exciting new Showing Series to run in 2023 with finals taking place at the renowned annual Christmas horse show in London in December.

The organisers have worked with the British Show Pony Society (BSPS), the British Show Horse Association (BSHA) and ASAO, to create a joint series that consists of 23 different classes which will be held at ASAO member shows including BSHA Rising Star classes for Hunters, Hacks, Cobs, Riding Horses and Show Horses and BSPS classes for Performance Ponies including Coloured Ponies, Mountain and Moorland Lead Rein, Working Sports Ponies, and Cradle and Nursery Stakes Working Hunter Pony classes which give the youngest riders the chance to qualify for the first time for a major indoor final.

The emphasis on this new series is to be inclusive with a focus on the amateur competitor, encouraging them to compete at their local agricultural and county show. Entrants for the classes will not have to be an association/society member to compete in the qualifying classes but would have to join the relevant association/society if they reach the final. It is expected that this open invitation will encourage many more competitors to ‘have a go’ at their local show.

The BSHA classes are Rising Stars classes and are performance led with all participants completing a timed freestyle show on the day. The classes are open to amateur BSHA members and non- members.

The BSPS classes are not restricted to amateurs however the majority of the classes are performance classes. For example, the Lead Rein Class will have obstacles and small jumps.

As well as making the classes more inclusive, the ambition is to make the classes more interesting and informative for the public. Commentators will be encouraged to explain the classes to the watching public, describing what is required of the competitor and what the public should be looking out for. The intention being to engender a higher level of interest in Showing.

The full list of classes is below, and Agricultural and County Show organisers have until early January 2023 to apply to run classes.

Simon Brooks-Ward, Event Director for London International Horse Show said; “It has been a long- held ambition to add more Showing to London International Horse Show and we are very excited to be launching this Showing Series. The space that the ExCeL London venue offers means that we are able to put a new arena alongside our existing arena which allows us to accommodate this series. We are delighted to be working with the ASAO, BSHA and BSPS, as many will know, the BSPS already successfully hold the Ridden Mountain and Moorland Championships at the London Show.”

Paul Cook of BSPS said; “We are convinced that there is going to be a great appetite for these classes. We are determined to introduce a new style of showing which is much more inclusive for the competitor and educational and entertaining for the audience. Having the Mountain and Moorland Championships already at London means that we know that this venue will work brilliantly for this new Showing Series, and it will give a great day out for the competitors and their families who reach the final.”

Nigel Hollings of BSHA said; “We are very excited by the new Rising Stars series and the finals taking place at The London International Horse Show. We know this will be very well received by our existing members and the wider showing community, with the series very much focusing on making competing easy and educational, encouraging more to join in and have a go.”

David Tite Chairman of the ASAO said; “This is a great opportunity for our members to have a new showing series at their event. We are encouraged that this series has emphasis on inclusion and entertainment and will mean that local competitors can enjoy entering their local agricultural and county shows and it will prove entertaining for the watching crowds”.

The full class list is below: