French trainer Jean Francois Pignon’s liberty performance with a herd of 11 horses was breathtaking! Petit Coeur, Pignon’s Shetland Pony almost stole the show. Actually, she totally stole the show!
A BRITISH TRADITION 2015 marked the Olympia Horse Show’s 44th anniversary. The show has become such a tradition amongst those who travel into the city from the English countryside that Hastings Diesels offers a special “Olympia Express Charter” route on their antique trains each year. And those who cannot make it to the show can follow it live on BBC Two, one of the UK’s largest television networks. While Olympia boasts competitors from 16 nations, the show has also become an annual destination for generations of UK competitors in particular. England’s most famous equestrian family, the Whitakers, have been competing and enjoying success at Olympia for decades. Brothers John and Michael Whitaker, John’s son Robert Whitaker and his cousin William Whitaker, all competed in 2015.
ENTERTAINMENT Jean-Francois Pignon’s breathtakingly beautiful liberty performance heralded the start of each evening’s program. Pignon, a French horse trainer, author and actor, performs with eleven horses ranging in size from a Shetland pony to an Andalusian stallion. Without the use of any tack, Pignon directs the herd through an impressive series of synchronized movements and tricks.
Next to enter the arena were the tiny Shetland Pony Grand National jockeys and their mounts. These miniature teams traveled from as far away as the Shetland Isles to race at Olympia. True to tradition, each race began with a paddock parade after which the jockeys were given a leg up by their grooms and led to the starting line. Always a crowd pleaser, the competition was fierce! The evening’s pre-show entertainment concluded with a very special demonstration by the Household Cavalry. The Household Cavalry has served as bodyguards to the sovereign for over three centuries. The musical ride they performed for the Olympia crowd was executed just as it would have been when it was first conceived in 1882, with horses and riders dressed in the livery reserved for state events.
IMPECCABLE FOOTING Creating 1.60m+ courses that are a perfect balance of challenging and safe in a tight indoor venue is always a difficult task for course designers. Bernardo Costa Cabral, Olympia’s FEI Level 4 course designer, praised the show’s extraordinary Martin Collins Enterprises footing. Seventeen competitors – he was aiming for twelve– made it into the Longines FEI World Cup Show Jumping jump-off without a slip, instilling confidence in the riders, and eliciting praise from both riders and announcers.
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