The second leg of the inaugural Longines League of Nations Series takes place at the World Equestrian Center—Ocala in Ocala, Florida, this week. The four-part series, which will be followed by an October final in Barcelona, kicked off in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, in February, where the Germans stood atop the podium.
Many countries have enlisted their heavy hitters for Ocala, with eight of the top 10 and 15 of the top 20 in the latest world rankings slated to compete. The United States will be represented by Laura Kraut, McLain Ward, Kent Farrington and Aaron Vale. You can find a full list of teams here.
“All of the teams are bringing their best, and this is an Olympic year, so I think all of these riders really want to show themselves here, and there is no weakness allowed,” said Andre Thieme, who will represent Germany. “I’ve been waiting for this venue to get an event like this. It’s incredible to compete here, and soon everyone will see it.”
After Ocala, teams will head to St. Gallen (Switzerland) and Rotterdam (the Netherlands). The top eight teams after Rotterdam will compete in the final in Barcelona.
When:
Thursday, March 21:
7 p.m. Eastern — $330,000 Lugano Diamonds Grand Prix CSIO5*
Saturday, March 23:
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4:30 p.m. Eastern — First round of Longines League of Nations CSIO5*
7:30 p.m. Eastern — Second round of Longines League of Nations CSIO5*
A complete FEI schedule can be found here.
The Format:
The same 10 countries compete in all four qualifying legs.
The League of Nations is a two-round competition with identical courses. All team members will compete in the first round with a drop score. The top eight teams will advance to the second round, where only three combinations from each country jump, with no drop score.
How To Watch: The competition will be livestreamed on FEI.tv.
The Chronicle will be on-site to bring you everything you need to know at coth.com, so you don’t have to miss a minute of the action. You can find all our coverage in one spot, and you also can follow us on Instagram and Facebook.
