Five U.S. show jumpers have entered the Longines FEI World Cup Show Jumping Final, which will take place in Gothenburg, Sweden, April 3-7.
The following riders will attend:
Beezie Madden (Cazenovia, New York) with Breitling LS, Abigail Wexner’s 13-year-old Studbook La Silla gelding
Georgina Bloomberg, (North Salem, New York) with Chameur 137, Purple Road LLC’s 11-year-old Westphalian gelding
Devin Ryan, (Long Valley, New Jersey) with Cooper, his own 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding
Kelli Cruciotti, (Parker, Colorado) with Hadja Van Orshof, her own 12-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare
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Eve Jobs, (Los Altos Hills, California) with Limbridge, her own 10-year-old Holsteiner gelding, and Venue D’Fees Des Hazalles, her own 14-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare
This is a much smaller contingent than Team USA usually sends to the World Cup Show Jumping Final. Riders qualify based on their performances throughout the season in World Cup qualifying classes in either the North American Eastern Sub-League or the North American Western Sub-League.
“The World Cup Final is still a major priority for U.S. athletes, and the limited participation isn’t a reflection of how the athletes see the competition,” said Lizzy Chesson, the managing director of show jumping at the U.S. Equestrian Federation. “This happens to be an off year. Each rider had different reasons why they made the decision to go or not. The Finals are a significant championship with five rounds, and horses and riders need to be prepared for that challenge.”
Chesson also noted that the top seven riders from the Eastern Sub-League are invited to compete, and if they elect not to the next-highest rider is invited, but only until 12th place. On the Western Sub-League Rankings, a total of three riders are invited to compete, and substitutions may be made only until fifth on the ranking list. On both lists non-U.S. riders make up several of the top placings.
To see a full list of definite entries, click here.
