It’s a good time to be an equestrian sports fan in North America.
Yesterday, the FEI announced that the 2018 World Equestrian Games would be held in the town of Bromont near Montreal, Quebec. Today they released a list of host cities for upcoming finals. Among them is Omaha, Nebraska, which came out ahead of Hong Kong and the Dutch city of ‘s-Hertogenbosch to win the bidding for the 2017 Longines FEI World Cup Jumping and FEI World Cup Dressage Finals.
“It’s very exciting that Omaha, which has the full support of the local community and government, will be hosting both the Longines FEI World Cup Jumping and FEI World Cup Dressage Finals in 2017,” said FEI Secretary General Ingmar De Vos. “The FEI always welcomes new venues for its Championships and Finals and it’s good to see some different cities included in today’s allocations.”
Bringing the finals back to the U.S. is a big deal, and even among American locations, Nebraska seems a strange choice at first glance. But while it may not be as high-profile in the equestrian world as Kentucky or Florida, Nebraska is home to the Omaha International, a hugely successful indoor horse show. The show hosts a Saturday night Grand Prix championship, giving it some cred as a world-class venue. But the free-for-spectators daytime show along with a family-friendly, interactive expo has brought community involvement and support to the event. That kind of support is essential for a successful bid.
The Omaha International is held in April each year. The FEI World Cup Finals will take place March 27-April 2, 2017.
If 2017 seems too long to wait to have the world’s best show jumping and dressage on American soil, worry not. The 2015 FEI World Cup Finals for both sports will be held in Las Vegas April 15-19, 2015. Las Vegas has hosted both events several time during the first decade of this century and has proven to be a successful location.
In 2016, the finals will be held in Gothenburg, Sweden, before returning to the U.S. in 2017.
Leslie Potter is the Senior Associate Web Editor for HorseChannel.com. Follow her on Twitter: @LeslieInLex
Leslie Potter is a graduate of William Woods University where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Equestrian Science with a concentration in saddle seat riding and a minor in Journalism/Mass Communications. She is currently a writer and photographer in Lexington, Ky. Potter worked as a barn manager and riding instructor and was a freelance reporter and photographer for the Horsemen's Yankee Pedlar and Saddle Horse Report before moving to Lexington to join Horse Illustrated as Web Editor from 2008 to 2019. Her current equestrian pursuits include being a grown-up lesson kid at an eventing barn and trail riding with her senior Morgan gelding, Snoopy.
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Look forward to see more beautiful pictures as the ones above.
Congratulations to Omaha!
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