World Breeding Dressage Champs Stay in Verden for Three More Years
15 years ago StraightArrow Comments Off on World Breeding Dressage Champs Stay in Verden for Three More Years
LAUSANNE, Switzerland, Apr. 2-The FEI World Breeding Dressage Championships for Young Horses will stay in Verden, Germany, at least through 2012, the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) announced.
The championships for five and six-year-old horses, part of Verden’s International Dressage and Show Jumping Festival, are scheduled for Aug. 6-9 this year.
The championships began as a pilot project in Verden in 1997. They were modeled on the World Breeding Show Jumping Championships for Young Horses in Lanaken, Studbook Zangersheide in Belgium.
In 1999 and 2000, they were held in Arnhem, The Netherlands.
The FEI has determined that not more than 50 competitors will be selected for each of the five and six-year-old groups.
At least half of the competing horses are approved stallions.
The number of participants from foreign countries has grown constantly over the years. In 2008, 21 nations were represented: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, Spain, Finland, France, Great Britain, Hungary, Canada, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Sweden, USA and Germany.
The number of spectators has also grown and in 2007 and 2008 a total of about 40.000 visitors attended the event.
