After months of preparation, speculation and competition the World Cup Finals in Las Vegas kick off today.
Jet lag and searing heat
The action begins at midday with the Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage Grand Prix, followed by the first leg of the Longines FEI World Cup Jumping final at 7pm (local time).
With mainland Europe nine hours ahead of Las Vegas, the horses and riders not only have to deal with the pressure of the big event but also jet lag and searing heat, with temperatures reaching 85 degrees.
As defending dressage champion, Charlotte Dujardin explained the horses don’t have long to acclimatise before they compete.
“Valegro’s flown well and the last two days we gave him some easy time, not too much work,” she said. “He’s gone from winter at home to this incredible heat, and I’m hoping he’s not suffering from jet-lag!”
Unusual arena
The riders also have to contend with the unusual shape and size of the Thomas & Mack Arena, which is normally used for boxing, football and basketball.
“It’s a bit like a huge lunge-pen,” Charlotte said. “I’m told it’s bigger than Olympia but it doesn’t feel like it, maybe it’s because the seats rise so high around the ring. How are they going to fit seven judges in there?”
“It will be my first time to start my test inside the arena so that should be interesting too!”
‘Expressive dressage’
A total of 18 competitors are taking part in the dressage final. Today’s Grand Prix sees riders competing in drawn order, with Charlotte in twelfth place.
All riders who finish the GP with at least 58% will go on to compete in the Grand Prix Freestyle at 12pm on Saturday 18 April. The 2015 World Cup dressage champion will then be decided by the results of this final class.
FEI five-star judge Stephen Clarke explained what the judges are looking for: “Exciting, expressive dressage, but with the horse completely in harmony with the rider. The energy, so beautiful to watch, comes from impulsion as opposed to tension.”
Points make prizes
In the World Cup showjumping final there are three competitions to decide the champion. The first event today is a speed class, in drawn order, with seconds added for knockdowns.
Competition two, which takes place on Saturday at 7pm, is one round against the clock, followed by a jump-off.
The results are then converted into points, which are carried over into the third and final competition on Sunday.Only the top 30 will qualify, with the leading rider jumping last.
The final day of competition consists of two rounds over a grand prix course, up to 1.60m in height. The top 20 then go through to the second round.
Do the double
The overall winner will be the rider with the lowest number of penalties after the three competitions. In the event of a tie, there will be a jump-off against the clock.
Defending champion Daniel Deusser (GER) is feeling confident about his chances of doing the double with Cornet D’Amour.
“In a small arena the fences come up very fast but he’s so rideable and has a great technique,” he said. “I’ve had good results with him in small indoor arenas and big ones too, and recently he was fantastic in Doha (QAT) and in Den Bosch (NED) so I’ve got a great feeling with him right now.
“I don’t want to say that I’m going to win again, but I’m feeling really confident.”