Le Pin National Stud Photo: CRBN
The WEG 2014 eventing dressage competition, originally to be staged in Caen, will now take place at Le Pin National Stud. The decision was made after a full review by the Normandie 2014 Organising Committee and in consultation with the FEI.
This means that on 28 August 2014, the eighty riders and horses in the eventing dressage will compete at the Le Pin National Stud, in Orne, Normandy to be followed the day after by the cross-country phase. However, the final phase, the show jumping, will still be held at the d’Ornano stadium in Caen so that the riders will be awarded their medals in main stadium which seats over 20,000 spectators.
Le Pin National Stud, located in the Orne area of Normandy, has long been known for its fine cross-country track. Winding beneath the castle and through the Hautbois park that surrounds it, the course is host to the 3* Grand Complet competition every August.
However, when it comes to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games ™ 2014 in Normandy, the surface quality standards required are even stricter. The track therefore needed upgrading and lengthening to bring it up to the highest international level for a FEI 4*- competition.
“The land at Le Pin is really clayey” explains Sébastien Blondeau, the track preparation project supervisor. “The biggest job we have to do is to soften up the soil, drain it and make it less reactive to water”
During the past few months miles and miles of trenches have been dug up. A system of long, soft plastic pipes has been rolled out along the trenches to facilitate drainage. A century-old pond, which was left abandoned for some time, is also being renovated and will be used for watering the track.
Vidéo-EN- Mise aux normes de la piste de cross by JEM_FEI_Alltech_2014
