Dressage-News

HAGEN, Germany, Mar. 23, 2021–Horse & Dreams, the traditional major outdoor season opening event in Europe, has increased the level to CDI4* from a CDI3* to increase the number of top-level events available to Olympic prospects after a year of competitions devastated by viruses impacting humans and horses.

The level of the event named “Horses & Dreams Sports Edition,” was increased, organizer Francois Kasselmman, said,  as “time is running so we are committed to create, together with and for the riders, a tournament where high level dressage competitions can be competed in a safe atmosphere.”

The Hagen event is scheduled for April 21-25, three months before the Olympics in Tokyo and five months before the European Championships that will be held at Hagen in September.

“We are very happy with the increase to a CDI4* level,” Francois said. “Due to the many cancellations, there are simply not enough top-class events at the moment, which are so important for the preparation of the riders and their horses…”

The event will also open the annual series of the Nürnberger Burg-Pokal for developing Prix St. Georges horses and the Louisdor Prize for developing Grand Prix horses leading to the finals at Frankfurt at Christmas.

From Jan. 1, 2020 to Mar. 31, 2021 190 international dressage events in all of Europe were canceled, primarily because of coronavirus and more recently the equine herpes virus, while only 47 events were staged in the same period, according to the International Equestrian Federation database. The summer Olympics were put off from 2020 to 2021 and World Cup Finals in both 2020 and 2021 were canceled altogether.