Maxime Livio riding Api Du Libaire at Le Grand Complet, Haras Le Pin
The riders, horses and spectators at the 2023 FEI Senior European Eventing Championships will benefit from brand new facilities just unveiled at the Championship venue, the Haras National du Pin in Normandy, France.
New arenas, grandstand and stables
Astier Nicolas, double Olympic medallist and member of the French team, Michel Asseray, French National Technical Director in charge of eventing, and Pierre Le Goupil, international cross country course designer, outlined what is in store during for this year’s FEI Senior European Eventing Championships (9th – 13th August 2023) as well as unveiling the brand-new Pôle International des Sports Equestres (PISE) facility, during a recent Media Day.
The PISE provides four new sub-irrigated arenas, natural grandstands, spacious and functional permanent stables, and a multi-faceted reception building.
The main arena will host the opening ceremony on Wednesday 9th August, followed by the Championship dressage on Thursday and Friday. The cross country takes place on the Parc du Hautbois on Saturday and the action returns to the arena, this time the Château arena, for the final show-jumping phase and the crowning of the new European champions.
Pierre Le Goupil’s cross country course
The cross-country course is, as always, the focus of much attention and, while the course remains a "secret" right up to the last moment, course designer Pierre Le Goupil's plans have been drawn up.
"The course is mapped out and the obstacles are all in my head," he says. "We've planned a big loop of over 4000m in the grasslands of the Haras du Pin, an area very different from the Parc du Haut-Bois, where the start and finish will take place. Efforts will be progressive but even, with decreasing difficulty at the end.
The terrain is never flat, and riders will need to keep their horses' energy to tackle the course's topography, which is comparable to that of the 2014 World Equestrian Games. The course has been designed for some forty obstacles, spread over 5800m, to be covered in around ten minutes.
Discovery will be limited, as all the nations are used to coming to this terrain for the Grand Complet CCI4* at Haras Le Pin. Riders know every inch of it. We have a superb setting and a perfectly adapted course with plenty of space and gradients. Normandy is a beautiful place."
“Everything is falling into place” adds Guillaume Blanc, Event Director “We have also established several collaborations with various research and health organizations to ensure maximum safety for the horses' well-being. This is very important to us. The new infrastructures built on the site will enable us to move up another level. This is a major challenge. With the Paris Olympics on the horizon, it will also enable us to repeat protocols with very high-level horses."
Pre-cursor to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games
As a major event of the 2023 season, the FEI Eventing European Championship will see some of the best riders and horses competing for the team and individual Championships, while some nations will be vying for a berth at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
For nations not yet qualified, there is the chance to secure a team ticket for Paris 2024, with two spots for countries in Zones A and B.
The Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Spain, Belgium, Italy and Austria all vying for the Paris berths (find out more about the qualification process here) while other countries will be fine tuning their preparations and ‘we can be sure that the nations will also want to show their muscles a year before the Olympic Games’ predicts Guillaume.
