Fontainebleau gears up for spectacular equestrian showcase

With the official selections for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games just a few weeks away, Le Printemps des Sports Équestres will be playing host to the world’s show jumping and dressage elite at the Grand Parquet in Fontainebleau in a few days’ time. Let’s take a closer look at those competing.

Dressage

For its second edition, the CDI 5* at Le Printemps des Sports Équestres will play host to sixteen of the world’s best combinations. The headliner of this CDI5*, Great Britain’s Charlotte Fry, reigning World champion and European team champion, has confirmed her presence at the event.

The five French riders looking to qualify for this summer’s Olympic Games will be competing against her and will be keen to shine in front of their home crowd and the federal officials who are present. Pauline Basquin, 13th in the World rankings and the new French No.1, will be performing with Sertorius de Rima Z. Alongside her, Morgan Barbançon, who recently competed in the FEI World Cup Final, will be riding Habana Libre A. Alexandre Ayache with Jolene, Corentin Pottier with Gotilas du Feuillard, as well as Arnaud Serre with James Bond de Massa will also be competing in this CDI 5* and aiming to put France in the spotlight.

The Grand Prix Cheval TV and the Grand Prix Freestyle Région Ile-de-France will take place on Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th April, under the watchful eye of Raphaël Saleh, President of the ground jury for this competition, who will also have the same role this summer in Versailles.

Showjumping

This year, Le Printemps des Sports Équestres will be playing host to CSI 5*, the highest level of international competition, with three days of exciting classes featuring the elite of world show jumping. Seven members of the World Top 15 and a number of combinations that are in fine form will be among the sixty riders taking part. The World No.1, Henrik von Eckermann (SWE), Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat, and the reigning European individual champion, France’s Julien Épaillard,

Simon Delestre, Kevin Staut, Austria’s Max Kühner, and Great Britain’s Harry Charles, have all confirmed they will also be competing at the event. Facing them will be a host of contenders aiming for victory. Belgium will be counting on its team bronze medallists from the Tokyo Olympics, Grégory Wathelet, Pieter Devos and Jérôme Guéry, who is back at the highest level with his stallion Quel Homme du Hus. Sweden’s Peder Fredricson, reigning World and Olympic team champion and Olympic individual silver medallist in Tokyo, will also be present. Scott Brash and Joseph Stockdale, World team bronze medallists in Herning, will represent Great Britain.

Marlón Módolo Zanotelli, bronze medallist at the most recent Pan-American Games, will be representing Brazil alongside Yuri Mansur and Santiago Lambre. Six riders will be competing for Germany, including European individual silver medallist Philipp Weishaupt, Daniel Deusser, as well as Hans Dieter-Dreher and Jana Wargers, both members of the winning team at the 2023 FEI Nations Cup Final. Greece’s Ioli Mytilineou, Switzerland’s Pius Schwizer, Luxembourg’s Victor Bettendorf and Ireland’s Mark McAuley will also be taking part.

As for France, Roger-Yves Bost, the winner of last year’s GL events 4* Grand Prix in the same ring, will also be joined by GL events partner rider Olivier Perreau, Grégory Cottard and Marc Dilasser, all featured on the French Equestrian Federation’s Olympic pre-selection list. Alongside will be Julien Anquetin, who has been successful over the past few months, Jeanne Sadran, who has just taken part in her first FEI World Cup Final at just 22-years-old, Philippe Rozier, 2016 Rio Olympic team gold medallist and Mégane Moissonnier, who won the 3* Grand Prix in St Tropez last week with Bracadabra.

Who will come out on top in the classes imagined by course designers Grégory Bodo and Santiago Varela Ullastres among all the champions competing? Who will be the first to add their name to the list of winners at this new CSI 5* on the international calendar? Join us on 26th, 27th and 28th April to support the world’s elite riders in the CSI 5* classes.

Discover all the riders competing at Le Printemps des Sports Équestres here.